“Have you been out in the sun too long, Tiye?” Father was on his feet and across the room in a heartbeat, placing himself like a shield between his sister and me. “Is this why you ordered us here? To marry Nefertiti to your son Thutmose?”
“You make it sound like a death sentence,” Tiye replied dryly. “Thutmose is the crown prince, and I will see to it that he stays that way. My husband’s junior wives who boast royal blood and younger faces are always scheming against us. They’d like nothing better than to have one of their nasty brats steal my boy’s future.”
“Are you sure of that?” Father asked sarcastically. “For as long as you’ve been Pharaoh Amenhotep’s Great Royal Wife, you’ve seen sinister plots around every corner. It wouldn’t be the first time that a ghost snake made you jump.”
“I’d rather jump away from a thousand snakes that aren’t there if it means I escape one real cobra. You have no idea what my life here at court is like, Ay. I’ve won many battles, but I’ve had to keep on fighting to hold on to my victories.”
“And you want to drag my daughter onto your battlefield?” Father shook his head. “I want Nefertiti and Mutnodjmet to marry men they love. I want them to live peaceful lives, free from trouble and envy. What you’re offering is nothing like that.”
A sly look touched my aunt’s eyes. “What about your girls, Ay? What do they want? To sink into the mud of Akhmin like turtles, watching the days dawdle by, as bland and boring and identical as grains of boiled barley dripping from a spoon? I may have to fight to hold on to my position, but at least I feel alive!” She looked at Bit-Bit and me. “Well, my dears? Do you share your father’s vision for what you’ll become? Do you want to live lives so ordinary that when you die, you’ll hardly notice the difference? Do you want to marry dull men and fill the world with more dull children? The gods have given us only one life. Is that all you want it to be?”
Bit-Bit shrank back, nibbling on her knuckles, too overwhelmed by our aunt’s forceful personality to answer. I stepped forward, out of Father’s sheltering shadow. “Why should I have only two paths?” I said. “I don’t need to choose between marrying your son and being the wife of some other man in Akhmin. What if I don’t want to marry at all? There are other roads. Maybe even one I can make for myself.”
Aunt Tiye put on a dramatically pathetic face and shook her head sadly. “Just when I think you’re wise, you play the fool again, Nefertiti. You speak boldly, but you don’t know anything about the world or how things are for women. Fortunately, you’ll have a good teacher to correct that fault. When you marry Thutmose, I will look after your education personally.”
“I’m not going to marry—”
“I’m not asking for your consent, girl!” the queen barked at me. “I don’t need it.”
“No, but you need mine,” Father said. “If you try to force this marriage, I’ll go to Pharaoh. I’m more than just Tiye’s brother to him. He’ll remember how well I served him in the past and how closely I’m looking out for his interests in Akhmin now. He’ll stop you.”
“And then he’ll forget all about it the moment you’re out of his sight,” Tiye shot back. “If my son loses his claim to the throne because of your stubbornness, I’ll make it my business to ruin your life, brother or not. Do you think I can’t do it?”
Father breathed deeply. “On the contrary, Tiye,” he said. “I’ve known you since birth. You’re never more dangerous than when someone is standing between you and what you want. What I don’t understand is why you’re so insistent on turning my Nefertiti into your gaming piece. If your chief worry is the royal-born women in your husband’s harem, why aren’t you trying to marry Thutmose to a princess? Fight a sword with a sword.”
“Princesses can be made,” Tiye replied. “Beauty can only be discovered. Have you looked at your daughter, Ay? There isn’t a more enchanting face in all of the Black Land. My husband is very fond of beautiful things. If Thutmose has such a lovely wife, Pharaoh will favor him for her sake.”
“I’m not beautiful and I’m not a thing,” I said hotly. “And I don’t want to be a princess, or to marry Thutmose, or—”
“Nefertiti.” Father’s hand closed on my wrist. “Nefertiti, take Bit-Bit outside. I need to speak with my sister alone. We’re going to settle this once and for all.” He sounded confident. My spirits rose and I couldn’t help giving Aunt Tiye a triumphant look as I clasped Bit-Bit’s hand and left the room.
The tall servant saw us come out. He was waiting in company with five others, all of whom were holding trays piled high with succulent meats, fruits, and fresh, hot bread. He bowed low when he saw us and said, “Most noble young ladies, beloved of our revered Great Royal Wife, Queen Tiye, may she live eternally, is it time to bring in the banquet to celebrate the royal betrothal?”
“Not yet,” I said. Not ever, I thought, exulting, though it was a pity to see the longing in Bit-Bit’s eyes as she gazed at the delectable array of food.
“Nefertiti?” The bread and the roast meats were still hot enough to send trails of fragrant steam wafting through the air when Father stepped out to join us. An awful change had come over him. He looked haggard. He hugged us both so tightly it felt as if he never wanted to let us go. Then he noticed the waiting parade of servants. “The queen commands you to enter,” he said. All the life had gone out of his voice. “Bit-Bit, go to your mother. Nefertiti and I will be just a little while longer out here.” When Bit-Bit stayed put, he shouted “Go!” so loudly in her face that she yelped and fled.