The Mistress of Nothing
The Duff Gordons were not wealthy, and she had to travel with only one companion, her maid, Sally, who had been a member of the household since she was orphaned as a child, and acted as midwife on the birth of Lucieâs youngest child.
This is their second visit to Egypt, and both women speak some Arabic, but nevertheless decide to employ a dragoman or interpreter, Omar Abu Halaweh, to smooth their path in a society unaccustomed to independent women. Omar is also a historical figure, and there is a portrait of him inside the back cover.
In this unconventional household the lines of demarcation between servants and mistress are blurred. The women cut their hair, abandon their stays and adopt the baggy trousers and loose shirts worn by male Egyptians. It is no great surprise when Sally succumbs to the attraction she feels for Omar, and falls pregnant.
Sally is ecstatically happy with her baby boy, and it is Omar who has to tell her that she has been dismissed from Lady Duff Gordonâs service and that she is ordered to leave the household and return to England. Neither the historical records nor the authorâs imagination provide an adequate explanation for the rejection of Sally and her baby. Whatever the answer, Sally disobeys her orders, and stays in Cairo to be near her son.
While the novel avoids the usual clichés of historical fiction, it perhaps follows historical fact too closely to succeed as a novel. Neither Sally nor Lucie ever come to life, and the reader remains indifferent to their fate.
