The Curse of the Pharaohs – Week 3

Mr. Milverton has divulged a huge secret to Amelia. This secret could be the change of everything, and yet, it still raises so many questions. If he is the true heir of the late Lord Baskerville, then he has quite the motive for wanting his uncle out of the way. Amelia still thinks the missing archaeologist has a lot to answer for, in the way of his disappearance. But there is more on Amelia’s mind than the secret that Mr. Milverton has given her.  The work on the tomb is progressing, and as they get farther into the tomb, they must proceed more carefully as there could be traps and other surprises left  by the ancient Egyptians.

But it is not all smiles for the Emerson’s. Amelia is angry at Radcliffe for continuing to work on the tomb in the middle of the night. They always go through their discoveries together, and the fact that she was not there to help with the work puts her into a cross mood. But he has left a few things for them to still discover together. One of the traps left by the ancients was disturbed by another ancient, and his remains are still under the huge boulder. As they enlist some help into moving the stone, they find a beautiful necklace that has been crushed, yet is still in its original shape. They use wax to seal the beads, and then prepare to head back toward the house, and the menagerie of people that are waiting there, and another surprise disappearance from the house. Mr. Milverton is not in his room, and as everyone disperses to try and figure out where the young man could have gone, Amelia discovers his unconscious body under the bed. He has been struck and hidden. But why would someone harm the young man, and who could it have been?

The questions are mounting in the house, and there seems to be no clear answer as to what exactly is going on, and who the culprit might be. While many still feel that the missing archaeologist, Armadale is to blame, when his body is discovered, that theory is thrown out the window. While he still could have been responsible for one death, who was responsible for his? The Emerson’s are no closer to finding what is going on, but Radcliffe has taken on some of the problems. He hires an outside person to care for the injured Mr. Milverton, thereby keeping him safe from another attempt on his life. In the meantime, Mr. O’Connell has moved into the house as well to help keep an eye on the ladies while the rest of the team is working at the tomb.

But the surprises are not quite finished yet…

This week we are reading Chapters 9-12

Questions:

1. Do you believe the story that Mr. Milverton told Amelia?
2. Mr. O’Connell struck a deal with Amelia, on how their press will go from here on out, if she helps him with a personal issue. Amelia seems to have a soft spot for the down and out. Do you think it was a good deal to strike?
3. The expedition to collect the body of the unfortunate archaeologist takes a sinister turn. Should Amelia or Abdullah voiced their doubts earlier?