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an echo in my flesh.
    ‘He was the magus, a visionary,’ Hermes added with a sigh, and for a moment a curious truce was drawn between the two old people, almost as if Giovanni himself had stepped into the room.
    Isabella turned back quickly from the window. ‘Careful, Nonna, I have sheltered Oliver from our darker family secrets. I don’t want him to think we are all crazy.’
    ‘But you all are,’ Hermes said, and they both broke into laughter.
    Ignoring them, Francesca turned back to me. ‘Oliver, this is Egypt. I’ve got my own god, but there are countless others. And sometimes the most rational people find themselves caught up in the inexplicable. Like my granddaughter and this quest for the impossible.’
    ‘She will find the astrarium, I know it,’ Hermes concluded.
    The statement was delivered with a prophetic smugness that irritated me. It seemed to have a similar effect on Francesca.
    ‘On the other hand, maybe Isabella’s search itself is a metaphor,’ I replied, before she could speak.
    ‘A metaphor for what?’ Francesca smiled wryly.
    ‘For her to find where she truly belongs.’
    There was an awkward silence during which I realised I’d stumbled upon a truth that resonated for everyone in the room. Suddenly Isabella sprang up again.
    ‘None of you understand how important this is!’ Furious at being talked about like a child, she began pacing. ‘Say they prove that the Antikythera Mechanism was able to track the orbits of the planets and the position of the Sun. Do you realise this will prove that the ancient Greeks knew that the Earth wasn’t the centre of the universe? Now imagine if I discovered an earlier prototype - say Babylonian or even Egyptian - that had the same function. My discovery would entirely change our view of antiquity! Not only would it force a complete revision of our understanding of ancient engineering, the existence of such a device would also change our notions of ancient navigation, and radically push back the date of our understanding of the first astrolabe. I could prove that the Dark Ages were in fact far darker than we imagine. But not only that, the astrarium could give us so many answers. It would be the discovery of a lifetime.’
    ‘Discovery or no, Isabella, you are a fool to keep diving in the bay,’ Francesca said emphatically. ‘Not only because of the weather, but sooner or later you will run into trouble. We are all watched everywhere we go - by the military, the secret police, the friend you thought you could confide in.’
    ‘Your granddaughter is experienced. She will be safe.’ Hermes put out a hand to reassure the elderly woman.
    Pointedly she ignored it. ‘No one is safe. Everyone suspects everyone else of being a spy. We publicly welcome Sadat’s open-door policy but inflation has made us all desperate. Remember that when people look at us, they still see the old order. Be on your guard, granddaughter. Don’t delude yourself - they are all watching, waiting for you to make one mistake.’
    ‘I know how to look after myself,’ Isabella replied dismissively. ‘Besides, my big strong husband is coming with me on the dive.’
    Isabella reached out and curled her fingers, a small fist of heat, into my hand. An amnesty.
    I turned to smile at Francesca, but she stared back in hostile indifference. ‘Oliver, it is foolish to think your oil money will protect you.’

3

    Back at the villa, I lay on the bed watching Isabella undress brusquely with that characteristic efficiency of hers, as if clothes were an irritant she needed to rid herself of: it was both amusing and erotic at the same time, and I loved the way she seemed to battle her own femininity.
    I reached over, picked up a thrown stocking and handed it back to her. ‘Where did you meet this official you’re taking on the dive?’
    She sat down at the dresser. ‘At a lecture at the French Archaeology Society.’
    ‘He could be working for anyone. Why can’t you let yourself be