“Then rise,” he said tersely. “Tell me what all this means. I heard the uproar from my bedchamber.”
I wondered why he hadn’t summoned guards to investigate what might have been a perilous situation. Then I saw that Pharaoh Amenhotep was holding a massive war club. If the health and strength of the Black Land depended on the health and strength of its ruler, we were safe for many years to come.
The woman got to her feet and told Pharaoh everything. When she spoke about what Thutmose and I had wagered on the outcome of our race, she was wise enough to omit all mention of my forced marriage and to change my prize to “a great feast that my lord Prince Thutmose will give for Prince Amenophis, to celebrate the bonds of love and brotherhood between them.”
“So, an altogether friendly wager.” Pharaoh nodded, pleased. “My son, I’m glad that you’ve made peace with Nefertiti, but above all, I rejoice to find your spirits restored. I’ve been deeply concerned about you.” He signaled for one of the male servants to take his war club, then moved toward Thutmose and me. He tenderly slipped Thutmose’s other arm over his own shoulders. “Let’s get you inside. It’s a shame that your game ended so badly, but we’ll soon mend that. Cats! If they weren’t protected by Bast herself, perhaps they’d treat us with a little more respect, eh? Now, don’t be afraid to lean on me, my son.” He glanced down at Thutmose’s injured foot. “Hmph. That looks broken to me, but I’m no doctor. I’ll send for my physician. Let’s hope he proves me wrong. You’ll be better in no time, and then I insist on helping you arrange that feast.”
Uni recovered his professional poise in time to rush through the doorway ahead of us and see to it that a proper bed was prepared in Thutmose’s real bedchamber to receive the injured prince. As the torch-bearing slaves from the garden began trickling back indoors, the Master of the Household began barking commands in every direction. Pharaoh watched the resulting commotion and chuckled.
“My son, I was going to send one of your people to fetch the doctor, but I think we’ll have him here sooner if I bring him myself.”
“I can do that for you, if you’d like, my lord Pharaoh,” I offered.
“Thank you, dear. That would be—”
“No!” Thutmose made a grab for my hand. “Please, Father, I want her to stay.”
The urgency in his voice put me on edge, but it only made Pharaoh’s brows rise in speculation. “Is that so? Well, I won’t deny a sick man such a simple request.” He left us.
As soon as his father was out of earshot, Thutmose bawled an order to the rest of his servants: “Get out! I want to speak with Lady Nefertiti alone.” They didn’t wait for a second command.
When we were by ourselves, Thutmose shifted his body on the bed and winced in pain. “I think I did break a bone.” He looked up at me with a twisted smile. “Aren’t you going to say ‘Serves you right’ or ‘That’s what happens to those who deny the existence of the gods’ or ‘I’m sorry it wasn’t your neck’?”
“No, I’m not,” I replied. “I might have wanted to push you into the pool, and I definitely wanted to slap you for all of your stupid teasing during the race, but I never wanted you to suffer something like this.” When I saw the skeptical look on his face, I added, “I’m not asking you to believe I’m your friend, Thutmose, but the fact is, I’m not your enemy.”
Uni entered to announce the arrival of Pharaoh’s chief physician. It was time for me to go back to my own quarters. I wanted nothing more than to find my bed and go to sleep, but as I headed for the main door of Thutmose’s apartments, someone called my name. It was the female servant who’d called me “little gazelle.”
“Lady Nefertiti, may I speak with you?” she asked in a low, confidential voice. “There’s something you should see.”
I followed her into the now-unlit garden. The stars above us were losing their light with the waning night, but the woman knew her way. Her work-hardened hand closed on mine as she brought me to a place by the wall where the myrtles’ perfume was heavy on the air. Here I heard the sound of crying and peered into the dark. The maidservant who’d dropped Ta-Miu crouched there, curled up into a ball of tears.
“Why are you out here alone?” I asked.
“He’ll kill me,” the girl whimpered. “I tried to hold the cat, but she kicked and she clawed and I couldn’t do it and the prince fell because of me. I can’t go back, I can’t get away, and I don’t know what to do. He’ll kill me!”
I knelt beside her and rested my hand on her curved back. “I won’t let that happen. You’re going to come to my rooms and serve me.” She raised her head and looked at me, a tentative glimmer of hope in her eyes. “I’ll send word to Uni and give my two maids in exchange,” I went on. “I doubt he’ll make a fuss over such a good bargain. He won’t have time: He’ll be as busy as everyone else here, looking after Prince Thutmose. And if not”—I smiled at her and shrugged—“it’s something we’ll resolve tomorrow.”
15
THE HORIZON OF HEAVEN
As I’d hoped, Uni was still too upset by his master’s accident and too stressed dealing with the aftermath to block the exchange of servants. My maids were thrilled to be joining the prince’s household—they saw it as a promotion. I sent them off with best wishes for their future and promptly received a rather confused note from Uni, acknowledging the trade. Somehow he’d gotten the impression that it was all his idea. He closed by reporting that Ta-Miu had been found and was a marvelous comfort to her master, who was resting as well as he could with a broken ankle.