Song of the Nile Read online

  Praise for Hannah Fielding’s first novel, Burning Embers:

  ‘An epic romance like Hollywood used to make …’

  Peterborough Evening Telegraph

  ‘Burning Embers is a romantic delight and an absolute must-read for anyone looking to escape to a world of colour, beauty, passion and love. For those who can’t go to Kenya in reality, this has got to be the next best thing.’

  Amazon.co.uk review

  ‘A good-old fashioned love story … A heroine who’s young, naive and has a lot to learn. A hero who’s alpha and hot, has a past and a string of women. A different time, world, and class. The kind of romance that involves picnics in abandoned valleys and hot-air balloon rides and swimming in isolated lakes. Heavenly.’

  Amazon.co.uk review

  ‘The story hooked me from the start. I want to be Coral, living in a more innocent time in a beautiful, hot location, falling for a rich, attractive, broody man. Can’t wait for Hannah Fielding’s next book.’

  Amazon.co.uk review

  Praise for The Echoes of Love (winner of the Gold Medal for Romance at the 2014 Independent Publisher Book Awards):

  ‘One of the most romantic works of fiction ever written … an epic love story beautifully told.’

  The Sun

  ‘Fans of romance will devour it in one sitting.’

  The Lady

  ‘All the elements of a rollicking good piece of indulgent romantic fiction.’

  BM Magazine

  ‘This book will make you wish you lived in Italy.’

  Fabulous magazine

  ‘The book is the perfect read for anyone with a passion for love, life and travel.’

  Love it! magazine

  ‘Romance and suspense, with a heavy dose of Italian culture.’

  Press Association

  ‘A plot-twisting story of drama, love and tragedy.’

  Italia! magazine

  ‘There are many beautifully crafted passages, in particular those relating to the scenery and architecture of Tuscany and Venice … It was easy to visualise oneself in these magical locations.’

  Julian Froment blog

  ‘Fielding encapsulates the overwhelming experience of falling deeply, completely, utterly in love, beautifully.’

  Books with Bunny

  Praise for Indiscretion (winner of the Gold Medal for romance at the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards and Best Romance at the USA Best Book Awards):

  ‘A captivating tale of love, jealousy and scandal.’

  The Lady

  ‘Indiscretion grips from the first. Alexandra is a beguiling heroine, and Salvador a compelling, charismatic hero … the shimmering attraction between them is always as taut as a thread. A powerful and romantic story, one to savour and enjoy.’

  Lindsay Townsend – historical romance author

  ‘Rich description, a beautiful setting, wonderful detail, passionate romance and that timeless, classic feel that provides sheer, indulgent escapism. Bliss!’

  Amazon.co.uk review

  ‘I thought Ms. Fielding had outdone herself with her second novel but she’s done it again with this third one. The love story took my breath away … I could hardly swallow until I reached the end.’

  Amazon.com review

  Praise for Masquerade (winner of the Silver Medal for romance at the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards):

  ‘Secrets and surprises … Set in Spain in the 1970s, you’ll be enveloped in this atmospheric story of love and deception.’

  My Weekly

  ‘Hannah Fielding writes of love, sexual tension and longing with an amazing delicacy and lushness, almost luxury. Suffused with the legends and lore of the gypsies and the beliefs of Spain, there is so much in this novel. Horse fairs, sensual dreams, bull running, bull fighters, moonlight swims, the heat and flowers and colours and costumes of the country. A superb read.’

  Amazon.co.uk review

  ‘This was honestly one of the most aesthetically pleasing and sensual books I’ve read in a long time.’

  Amazon.co.uk review

  ‘Masquerade contains the kind of romance that makes your heart beat faster and your knees tremble. This was a mesmerising and drama-filled read that left me with a dreamy feeling.’

  Amazon.co.uk review

  ‘This engrossing, gorgeous romantic tale was one of my favorite reads in recent memory. This book had intrigue, mystery, revenge, passion and tantalizing love scenes that held captive the reader and didn’t allow a moment’s rest through all of the twists and turns … wonderful from start to finish.’

  Goodreads.com review

  ‘When I started reading Masquerade I was soon completely pulled into the romantic and poetic way Hannah Fielding writes her stories. I honestly couldn’t put Masquerade down. Her books are beautiful and just so romantic, you’ll never want them to end!’

  Goodreads.com review

  Praise for Legacy (final book in the Andalucían Nights trilogy):

  ‘Legacy is filled to the brim with family scandal, frustrated love and hidden secrets. Fast-paced and addictive, it will keep you hooked from start to finish.’

  The Lady

  ‘Beautifully written, and oozing romance and intrigue, Legacy is the much-anticipated new novel from award-winning author Hannah Fielding that brings to life the allure of a summer in Cádiz.’

  Take a Break

  ‘In the vein of Gone With The Wind, this particular book is just as epic and timeless. Written with lively detail, you are IN Spain. You are engulfed in the sights, sounds and smells of this beautiful country. Great characters … and a plot with just enough twists to keep it moving along … Start with book one and each one gets better and better. I applaud Ms Fielding’s storytelling skills.

  Amazon.com review

  ‘Flawless writing and impeccable character building. Legacy takes the readers on a journey through the passions and desires that are aroused from romantic Spanish culture.’

  Goodreads.com review

  Praise for Aphrodite’s Tears (winner of Best Romance award at the International Book Awards, National Indie Excellence Awards, American Fiction Awards and New York City Big Book Awards):

  ‘For lovers of romance, lock the doors, curl up, and enjoy.’

  Breakaway

  ‘With romantic settings, wonderful characters and thrilling plots, Hannah Fielding’s books are a joy to read.’

  My Weekly

  ‘The storyline is mesmerising.’

  Amazon.co.uk review

  ‘An intriguing mix of Greek mythology, archaeology, mystery and suspense, all served up in a superbly crafted, epic love story.’

  Amazon.co.uk review

  Praise for Concerto:

  ‘A captivating, enigmatic tale about the power of love … Concerto is a dramatic, mysterious, enticing love story that does a wonderful job of highlighting the magic of music and its ability to universally heal the mind, body, heart and soul.’

  Goodreads.com review

  ‘Captivating sun-drenched escapism.’

  Living France Magazine

  ‘An exceptionally beautiful and heart-touching read which will stay with you long after you finish … This book was a passionate, sweeping love story from start to finish, full of hedonism, romance, and gorgeous descriptions of some of the world’s most luxurious and beautiful places.’

  Musings Of Another Writer

  ‘Totally recommended … With its gorgeous settings in the Riviera and Italy, this novel is a treat for all the senses, a kind of modern Beauty and the Beast, with secrets, villains and dangers in the palace where the beast Umberto has retreated. Meanwhile, music makes a beautiful redemptive healing thread throughout the novel, thoroughly apt and marvellous.’

  Lindsay’s
Romantics

  ‘One of the most beautiful romantic storylines that I have read in quite some time … I felt like I was at the opera from the comfort of my sofa while reading this beautiful story.’

  Bookread2day

  ‘A beautiful, emotional tale which will leave a smile on your lips at the end.’

  Book Vue

  ‘Words almost escape me with how beautiful this story was … A truly wonderful, romantic story that will sweep you away …’

  Debra’s Book Café

  Also by Hannah Fielding

  Burning Embers

  The Echoes of Love

  Aphrodite’s Tears

  Concerto

  The Andalucían Nights Trilogy:

  Indiscretion

  Masquerade

  Legacy

  First published in hardback and paperback in Poland in 2021 by London Wall Publishing sp. z o.o. (LWP)

  First published in eBook edition in Poland in 2021 by London Wall Publishing sp. z o.o. (LWP)

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a database or retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  Copyright © Hannah Fielding 2021

  The moral right of the author has been asserted.

  All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to any real person, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permission with reference to copyright material. We apologise for any omissions in the respect and will be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future editions.

  HB ISBN 978-83-956892-6-0

  PB ISBN 978-83-956892-5-3

  EB PDF ISBN 978-83-667980-2-1

  EB ePub ISBN 978-83-667980-3-8

  EB MOBI ISBN 978-83-667980-4-5

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Print and production managed by Totem, Poland

  London Wall Publishing sp. z o.o.

  Hrubieszowska 2, 01-209 Warsaw, Poland

  www.londonwallpublishing.com

  www.hannahfielding.net

  To my dear granddaughter, Philae, with my love and hope that you grow up to be a kind and wise woman, as was your great-grandmother Philae.

  The dead cannot cry out for justice. It is a duty of the living to do so for them.

  Lois McMaster Bujold

  Prologue

  Luxor, Egypt, 1938

  A wave of anticipation ran through the crowded courtroom. A murmur rose among the assembly as the three judges, like ominous crows in their black coats and red sashes, filed back into the room. Mounting the platform, they took their places at the desk, looking down on the well of the court. Facing them, the lines of wooden benches that made up the gallery were filled with people, their glances flickering to the defendant’s cage at the side of the courtroom, while members of the press, for whom this trial had already provided significant headlines, leaned forward in their chairs. The self-important lawyers who had sat laughing, chattering and making cynical remarks turned their full attention to the magistrates and the room fell into the deepest silence.

  The man standing inside the iron cage looked drawn, his face unshaven, his clothes hanging loosely on him. At the appearance of the judges he straightened and his dark eyes sought out the face of the teenage girl seated in the front row of the public benches, next to a grey-haired woman who gripped her hand tightly. The girl’s expression held so much anguish and fear as she stared back that the man in the dock looked pained; he gestured sadly with his shackled hands, as though trying to reach out and give her some comfort.

  ‘This court has found Ayoub El Masri guilty of the theft and illegal possession of Egyptian antiquities and therefore has sentenced him to five years in jail with hard labour.’ Another whispering current coursed through the well of the court, then deadly silence once more.

  All eyes were on the man as he gripped the bars that held him prisoner. His face suddenly drained of colour and his breathing became short and laboured. Bringing his bound hands up to his chest, he staggered sideways, then crumpled to the floor of the cage. The young girl who had been watching the proceedings with such dread cried out and ran forward, desperately pushing her way past the officials to get to the cage, but her screams were drowned out by the chaos that ensued. Gasps and shouts went up; a handful of men swarmed around the iron door as it was unlocked and several officials rushed in to tend to the figure collapsed on the floor.

  People were on their feet, jostling to see what was happening. Inside the cage, a young man was shouting to the officials to give him room, telling them he was a doctor. It seemed like an eternity to the girl as she fought her way to the front, where she clutched at the bars of the iron pen, her eyes wild with panic. The young man was kneeling, his strong hands clasped together on top of the older man’s chest, pushing down with rhythmical compressions. The girl shouted the doctor’s name, tears streaming down her face, but he kept going without lifting his head. Finally, he stopped and slumped back on his knees, and only then did he look up, straight into her eyes, his own grave gaze flooded with compassion. The next thing she knew, two maternal arms enfolded her, pulling her away, while sobs shuddered through her and the world slid into darkness.

  Chapter 1

  Luxor, March 1946

  Aida El Masri was jolted out of her deep reverie and back to the present as the cream-and-grey 1936 Bentley came to a slow halt in front of a pair of gates.

  ‘We’ve arrived,’ announced the portly man sitting by the young woman’s side. ‘I’m very happy that you’ve decided to come home, Aida. The khadammeen servants have been waiting impatiently for you, too. There’s been a great atmosphere of joy and festivity at Karawan House since I announced your return.’

  Aida smiled at Naguib Bishara. He’d been a very close friend of her father as well as his lawyer. Right to the end he had done his utmost for Ayoub El Masri and she would always be grateful for that. ‘It’s good to be back, Uncle Naguib.’

  As the car’s engine idled, waiting for the gatekeeper to appear, Naguib’s charcoal eyes were warm as they settled on her. ‘I’m not sure that many of them will recognise you now. You’ve grown into a lovely young woman, but there’s hardly anything of you left.’

  Aida laughed. ‘No more of Osta Ghaly’s excellent cooking, that’s the reason. Rationing helped too. We didn’t have all that butter and sugar you had here.’

  Naguib hadn’t changed much, apart from his hairline which was rapidly receding towards an ever-growing patch of sparse grey hair at the back. Above a long and mobile mouth, he had of late grown a Charlie Chaplin moustache too – Aida had known him without one and she didn’t think it suited his smooth, rounded jawline. He had the sort of face you forget even while you’re looking at it, and maybe that was why he had decided to grow it. He still appeared to enjoy his food, however, judging from his waistline. Her mouth twitched with suppressed amusement. ‘Does Osta Ghaly still make his delicious konafa?’

  Naguib chuckled loudly, patting a well-rounded stomach. ‘Unfortunately, yes!’ He raised his bushy black eyebrows conspiratorially. ‘And his basboussa is still the best in Luxor, though you must never tell him or it will go to his head.’

  Aida’s smile became wistful as she gazed out of the open window at the tall palm trees edging the El Masri Estate, so integral to all the estates of Upper Egypt; she had always found the sound of their soft swishing at twilight so evocative and romantic. Breathing in the warm air, she sighed. It was the unmistakable scent of Egypt: the fusion of pungent earth and spices, of goats and chickens, and the distinctive tang of the cotton fields. She was finally home.

  Eight
long years had passed and the world had been ravaged by war since Aida had fled to England. She had never dreamed she’d be gone so long. Just for one year, she’d told herself, until the scandal had died down. She had been barely eighteen then, alone in the world except for a single relative, her English mother’s brother. George Chandler, a former MP living in the home counties before the war, had no children of his own and welcomed the daughter of his late sister with open arms. And so it was Aida began her self-imposed exile at his house in Berkshire.

  Tragic though Aida’s circumstances were at that time, it seemed that fate, while callously closing one door for the young woman, had decided to open another. She always dreamed of becoming a nurse, ever since she had spent hours as a child hiding in the gardens of Karawan House when she was supposed to be in the kitchen helping her nanny, Dada Amina, with her prized date jam. There, she pored over history books about Florence Nightingale, ‘The Lady with the Lamp’ in the Crimean War, and Edith Cavell, the nursing heroine of the Great War. Finding herself in England, Aida had seen her opportunity to bring her dreams to fruition. With Uncle George’s help, she enrolled as a trainee nurse at the Royal London Hospital. Any romantic notions Aida might have harboured about her destined profession had been instantly dispelled by the long hours of work, attending lectures and studying for exams, not to mention scrubbing bedpans and making beds, all to the exacting standards of the fearsome matrons and sisters.

  Then war had broken out in Europe and, even if she had wanted to, Aida could no longer return to Egypt. For the next six years her life took yet another direction. As the bombs dropped on the East End of London, her hands-on training became accelerated by necessity. She nursed soldiers maimed at Dunkirk and bound the wounds of burned pilots from the Battle of Britain, as well as looking after injured civilians caught in the Blitz. By now, Uncle George had come out of retirement and moved to Chelsea to help the war effort by working in the newly formed Ministry of Supply in the Strand. On those few occasions when she had time off, Aida would often stay at her uncle’s flat and George would take her to tea at The Ritz, a popular meeting place for politicians, aristocrats and minor royals. The glamour of those occasions was in sharp contrast to the ugly suffering she witnessed on a daily basis in her work.