What the River Knows

The next morning, Inez resolves to visit the legendary Khan el-Khalili bazaar in the hope of learning information about her father and finding more objects that belonged to Cleopatra. Whit informs Inez that she must take a train to Alexandria that afternoon, and he brings her a maid to help her prepare for her journey. She tells him he’s “despicable” and slams the door in his face, which makes him laugh. When Whit leaves his post to fetch Inez’s breakfast, she gathers her things and locks the maid inside the room. Inez tells Sallam that her key isn’t working and asks him to let the maid out. She hires a driver to take her to Khan el-Khalili, but Whit chases the carriage and climbs inside. Inez exits the moving carriage rather than return to the hotel with him. Whit follows her, and she tells him that he can accompany her to the bazaar to ensure her safety but she won’t go back to Shepheard’s until she’s ready.

As Inez searches for the bazaar, Whit smugly notes that she’s lost and offers to guide her. Inez follows him and marvels at the teeming street lined with shops. She buys Whit a lemonade to thank him for acting as her guide and wonders when she was last “this happy, this free” (87).