Seer of Egypt Read Free Page B

was torn between his ambition for Huy and his obvious affection for his unique pupil. Huy had not written to him either. The thought gave him a moment of physical agitation. At once his litter-bearers, sprawled in the shade a polite distance from him, sat up and glanced at him expectantly, but he waved them down again, drawing up his knees and resting his chin on them.
    Obligations, he thought dismally. To the Rekhet and Ramose, to my parents, to Thothmes and his family—all of them waiting to receive an invitation from me to stay in my house, exclaim over my good fortune, when all I really want is an occasional visit from Methen. He would lay aside the formality of his position as priest to Hut-herib’s totem, Khenti-kheti, and talk to me with the ease of a friendship begun when he found me naked outside the House of the Dead and carried me home. His presence ought to remind me of that miserable time, but when I am with him I remember only his warmth and kindness. I do not want the past brought to life on my estate by the people who determined it. Except for Thothmes, of course, but even he would bring a threat with him. What if he is still in love with Ishat? What if he still wants her for his wife, and her decision to remain with me becomes weakened in his presence?
    As if his thought had summoned her, Ishat came out of the doorway and stood smiling down at him. “He will send the pieces as he finishes them,” she said. “All will be in our boxes two months from now. You look pensive, Huy. What were you thinking?”
    Huy swung to his feet, disliking the question. “I was feeling the lack of regular exercise and wondering when Anhur might arrive,” he lied.
    Ishat snorted. “No, you weren’t.” She straightened the sa amulet hanging from its gold chain on his naked chest, then laid a hot palm against his skin. “You were remembering with nostalgia the hovel we used to inhabit, because this street reminds you of it.” She waved at the bearers, who rose reluctantly and picked up the litter. “Let’s go home, Huy. May we stop on the way and buy some hot date pastries? I’m hungry.”
    He tugged at her hair, his good humour restored, as they scrambled onto the cushions of the litter. “Of course.” He called the order to the bearers, then pulled the curtains closed. “Now, tell me what adornments His Majesty’s gold is paying for,” he teased her. “How many circlets will be cluttering up your cosmetics table?”
    She grinned across at him. “Only three. One to keep for when the aristocrats come to consult you, one for everyday wear, and one to fill our less illustrious guests with awe when we give the parties I’m sure you will allow me to plan.”
    Huy turned to her anxiously. “But Ishat, we have work to do. I don’t intend—”
    She put a finger to his mouth. She often touched him with what appeared to be unselfconsciousness. Huy could always sense the need behind her gestures and had learned to harden himself against the compassion welling up in him. They had grown up together, both of them peasant children, the long days of childhood forming a bond between them that even Huy’s years away at the temple school in Iunu had not severed. Huy loved her deeply as his lifelong friend, but Ishat desired him with all the fervour of her passionate nature. It was not in her character to dissemble the matter, to hide her feelings behind a wall of feminine guile or attempt to win him by subtle manipulation. She had openly and frankly declared herself. The knowledge of her pain was often hard for Huy to bear.
    “I’m not serious,” she said. “Or at least, not really. I look forward to entertaining our families. I want to show off our good fortune, Huy. You have been vindicated in the face of your uncle Ker and your father, and Thothmes will be delighted to see you living without worry about the future. Invite his father as well—Nakht must have his nose rubbed in the glory of your success after refusing