House of Dreams

by Pauline Gedge

  “You do wonderful things with those little hands of yours,” he said huskily. “I love you, little scorpion. You did not sting me much after all. Tell me, Thu, is there anything you want? What can I give you?” Savouring the moment I cupped his cheeks and kissed him slowly. What did I want? A dozen pictures flashed across my inner vision but I knew I must be careful. Now was not the time to press my advantage, to appear to be greedy.

  “I love you also, Mighty Bull,” I whispered. “You have been truly gracious to me. How, then, can I ask for more?”

  “Easily,” he said. “You simply open that pert mouth of yours, my concubine. Is it jewels? Fine linen? Sandals so light that they are as river foam on your feet? What?” I was thinking furiously. At last I rested my hands in my lap and lowered my gaze demurely.

  “Since Your Majesty has been pleased to offer a gift, I may have the temerity to express a desire. Do not be angry, please.” He grunted impatiently but he was smiling. I looked up, giving him the full benefit of my blue eyes. “I am the daughter of a peasant, as Your Majesty knows. I miss the land. Give me a field to be tilled, Great Pharaoh, an orchard or some small corner where I can pasture a few cows.” He blinked and his heavy eyebrows rose to meet the rim of his cloth headcovering.

  “You want land? But there is nothing easier, my dear. Where do you want it? Delta land is best. Its fertility will give you a good return if it is husbanded properly. Is there anything else?”

  “Yes.” I was buoyant with an incredulous happiness. I, Thu, was to be a landowner. This big, generous man could make it so with a stroke of the scribe’s pen. “I would like your permission to visit the Seer whenever I wish. He is like a father to me and I miss him.” Ramses nodded.

  “Of course. Whenever you wish. And you can have your own skiff and litter to do so.” He frowned mockingly. “But you must pay for such favours. At once. Take off your sheath, Physician, and do your duty as a good concubine, for your King is suddenly consumed with lust.” I returned his frown and pulling the sheet over him I tucked it in firmly.

  “Oh no, Divine One. I am endlessly grateful for your kindness and humbled by your love, but my duty as your Physician has not ended yet. No lust today, only healing. I order it.” He burst into gales of uninhibited laughter, placing one stout finger between my eyebrows and erasing my frown. I could not resist his mirth and found myself laughing with him, and it was at that moment that a harem Herald was announced. I retired to the stool as Ramses beckoned the man forward.

  “Speak.” The Herald bowed.

  “The Keeper of the Door has commanded me to bring you the news that the concubine Eben has just given birth to a royal girl, Your Majesty,” he said. “Both baby and mother are well.” Ramses smiled.

  “A girl? That is wonderful. Send Eben my congratulations. Dismissed.” The man backed out and Pharaoh barked, “Paibekamun!” The Butler glided forward.

  “Majesty?”

  “Choose some trinket from my treasury for Eben, a bracelet perhaps or a couple of rings. And tell the astrologers to consult together and decide on a propitious name.” Paibekamun met my eye.

  “At once, Majesty,” he said. My gaze followed his tall figure as he moved silently away.

  “Now if you insist on maintaining this ridiculous distance between us you can at least tell me a story which will bore me into slumber,” Ramses was saying.

  I wrenched my attention back to him. My fate must never be Eben’s, I thought in terror. Be warned, Thu my girl. Eben got pregnant. Eben destroyed herself. Be careful, oh gods, be careful! My voice, when I began to recite, trembled, but Pharaoh did not seem to notice. He leaned back and closed his eyes.

  17

  I MADE THE SHORT JOURNEY to Hui’s house by water in my new skiff. It was a small gem of a boat built of good cedar, painted white, with prow and stern curving up gracefully to unfurl as two gilded lotus blossoms. It had a tiny cabin with blue damask curtains, many plump cushions, a low ebony table inlaid with silver, and a matching box for whatever supplies I might need on my travels. The litter folded neatly on the cramped deck was also of ebony, hung with blue damask. But best of all, my craft flew the blue-and-white pennant of royal possession on the crosspiece of its lateen sail and it was with great pride that I sat in my cabin with the curtains drawn back while the helmsman and two sailors in palace employ kept us slicing elegantly through the sparkling waters of the Lake. People on the bank paused to stare at me as I glided by and I smiled at them, full of contentment.

  I had sent word that I was coming, and as my ramp was run out at the foot of Hui’s watersteps, Harshira emerged from the shade of the entrance pylon and stood on the paving in all his commanding dignity, flanked by Ani and a Kaha who could not conceal his broad grin as he watched my litter being set up. I descended the ramp with Disenk behind me, my gold-sprinkled sheath swirling about my braceleted ankles, the breeze tugging at the silver and black braids of my wig. The helmsman offered me his hand and in a moment the firmness of stone was under my feet. Harshira bowed solemnly. Ani bowed also. Kaha sketched an obeisance and ran to me, taking my hand.

  “Thu, you look wonderful! You are wonderful!” he cried. “Welcome home! Can you still recite the wars of Osiris Thothmes the Third Glorified?”

  “Of course,” I replied haughtily, then I threw my arms around him and held him tight. “Have you been elevated yet?” I asked. He rolled his eyes.

  “I have been offered the position of Chief Scribe in the household of Nebtefau, Judge and Royal Councillor,” he said as we walked towards the others. “It is a great honour, but Nebtefau sits on the council that governs Pi-Ramses and is a friend of the mayor. I do not relish the hours I would spend at his knee cramping my fingers to take notes on the boring problems of crime in the poor districts or making endless lists of supplies for the road menders. I prefer Hui’s peaceful domain.” He squeezed my fingers and released me. I greeted Ani and then looked up into Harshira’s granite features. They broke into a brief but warm smile.

  “Welcome back, Thu,” he said gravely. “I trust that you are in good health. The Master awaits you anxiously. May I escort you?”

  I slipped onto my litter. The sailors lifted me, and with Disenk on one side and Harshira pacing ponderously on the other we took the path through the bushy, gnarled trees and nodding flowers that I saw pass with a lump in my throat.

  At last the litter was lowered. I stepped out.

  He was standing just inside the shelter of the hallway, dressed in a short kilt, one strand of a plain silver necklet lying on his smooth white chest. His moon-coloured hair fell in a thick braid over one pale shoulder, tied with a yellow ribbon, and his glowing eyes were rimmed in black kohl. I could not speak. Halting, words struggling for birth, I drank him in. Seeing my hesitation he laughed, the odd, gruff sound flooding me with memories.

  “Little Thu, my very dear Thu,” he said. “You have changed yet again since I saw you last. You look delectable.” I wanted to fling myself upon him, inhale his perfume and the unique odour of his skin, press my lips to his colourless throat. I wanted to sit on his knee and be enfolded in his care. Instead I remained mute while he approached me and planted a kiss on the top of my head. “I know what you want to do,” he went on, drawing my arm through his and walking me along the passage. “You want to go up and look at your old room, don’t you?”

  “You always could read my mind, Hui.” I found my voice at last. “Why have you ignored me for so long? It has been three whole months since you came to my cell. Why have you not even sent me a letter? I have been lonely for you.”

  “I know.” We had reached the foot of the stairs and he turned to me. “But I belong to your past, my Thu, and unless it was necessary I did not want the past intruding upon a difficult present until you were reasonably secure in your life as Ramses’ possession.” His mouth curved in a wry smile. “But I think that now it is safe for us to be together.”

  Oh, I do not think so, Master, I spoke to him in my mind, my heart trip
ping as I looked at him. No, it is not safe at all. For I am no longer a virgin yearning for your body in a pleasant fantasy. I am a seasoned woman. You may belong to the time of my growing and I may not adore you with the unfocused energies of extreme youth, but your body still calls to me and I want to respond. “Why do you call me Ramses’ possession?” I asked sharply. “You chose those words on purpose, didn’t you? I do not need to be reminded of my position, Hui, and do not think to humble me. I will never be wholly the chattel of any man.”

  “Still my fiery peasant,” he observed. “That is very good. Run upstairs, dear one, and when you have relished your moment I will meet you in the office.”

  I made my way slowly up the steps, along the quiet passage, and paused outside the closed door to my room. At some point I had lost Disenk. I was entirely alone. Taking a deep breath I put out a hand and walked in.

  It was as if I had left it not more than an hour ago. The window hanging was up and sunlight spilled over the polished floor and splashed up onto the simple couch with its pristine linen, its plain bedside table, the limpid beauty of the single alabaster lamp. The table where I had eaten and Disenk had laid out her sewing, grumbling at my stubbornness, sat waiting for me to draw up a chair and begin a laborious writing lesson.

  Voices came to me from below and I walked to the window and looked out. The Head Gardener was in conversation with one of his assistants, a basket laden with bright green seedlings on the ground between them. Birds fluttered and quarrelled in the trees that crowded by the main gate. The sky was a shimmering blue.

  I let the peace of the estate steal into me then I turned back into the room, going to perch on the edge of the couch. How small the room was in reality! How plain the furnishings, how modest the appointments, yet how tasteful and harmonious the whole. When I first saw this room I believed that I was in the heart of luxury. I should have stayed here, I thought. I could have made Hui marry me. This blessed tranquillity could have been mine for ever. But then I remembered my white-and-gold skiff rocking at anchor below the watersteps with the sun glinting on its golden lotus blossoms, and the rich ebony gleam of my litter, and I got up. With a last satisfying glance about my old quarters I went out and closed the door.

  Hui was dictating to Ani when I knocked and was admitted to the office. Ani bowed out at once and Hui stood and stretched.

  “Disenk brought in your medicine box,” he said as he began to untie the complicated knots on the rings of the inner office door. “I presume it needs some replenishment after Pharaoh’s unfortunate accident.” The cord fell away and he waved me inside. I followed eagerly, dragging into my lungs the half-acrid, half-sweet aroma of the little room. Hui lit the lamps quickly. “Your procedure was excellent,” he went on, opening my box and pulling down phials and jars from the shelves. “Although I would have added ground myrrh to the castor oil you applied after you removed the stitches, just to make sure that all Ukhedu was vanquished.”

  “There was no Ukhedu,” I retorted, stung. “How do you know what treatment I applied, Hui?” He gave me a swift glance, his hands busy. I sighed. “Oh, of course. Paibekamun. And does the Butler also report to you on my sexual exploits with the King? Does he tell you how many times Ramses achieves satisfaction in one night?” Hui shook his head.

  “No. Those things you will tell me yourself if all is not well in Pharaoh’s bed and you need my advice. But you must not lose favour with Ramses, and therefore your behaviour as his physician is vitally important. Gods, Thu! Your supply of ground acacia spikes is completely gone! Are you concocting contraceptives for the entire harem?”

  “No. For a few women only.” I faltered briefly. “Most of the ground acacia I use myself.” He made no comment as he refilled and stoppered the containers for my box.

  “Do you continue to exercise regularly?” he enquired. “Take care what you eat and drink? Have Disenk prepare all your food and taste what she cannot control?” I thought of Ast-Amasareth and nodded, telling him of my uncomfortable visit with the Chief Wife. He listened carefully, and by the time I had finished speaking he had completed his task. We left the office, with regret on my part, and Hui poured wine for us in the outer office as we settled into chairs.

  “If she cannot frighten you she will attempt to control your relationship with Ramses,” he told me. “Let her think that she does so. How is our Divine Ruler? Desperately in love with you yet?” I felt a pang of guilty loyalty to the King at Hui’s cynical tone, seeing Ramses’ warm brown eyes as he clutched my hand and professed his love for me, but I pushed the emotion away and answered the question readily enough. Hui watched me, a smile spreading slowly over his face. “You are doing well,” he praised me. “I am very proud of you, my Thu.”

  I was beginning to feel restless, why I was not sure. Hui’s questions, his intense interest in my answers, made me both impatient and resentful. It all seemed rather petty, and I wanted to tell him that I did not much care any more what Egypt’s fate might be but I dared not.

  “It is ridiculous to believe that I can have any political influence on him even though he is besotted with me,” I said cautiously. “I may be spending most of my time in his private quarters but I am not sufficiently important to be present at any formal receptions or foreign negotiations. I have only the vaguest idea of what is truly happening in the offices of the ministers. I have heard Ramses and his son argue over the King’s internal policies and I am convinced that Pharaoh will never be swayed.” I sat straight and put my cup back on the desk. “After all, Hui, if he will not listen to his own son, why would he listen to a concubine, no matter how fetching?”

  “Because this concubine is different,” Hui said firmly. “She is clever, she will last, and the longer she lasts the more tightly she may wind her cunning fingers around his heart and mind. It is not impossible, Thu.” He folded his arms and leaned towards me. “Pharaoh’s trading envoys will soon be returning from the far reaches of the Great Green. When their cargo has been tallied the Generals will approach the King to request an increase in the wages of their soldiers. Try to persuade Ramses to be generous. The priests will be clamouring for more than their share and bleating of a show of gratitude to the gods on the part of the Throne for a successful mission. Do what you can to keep the goods from them.” I met Hui’s narrowed red gaze.

  “You serve no god at all, do you, Hui?” I said softly. “You do not use your Seeing gift for any of them, do you, nor do you regard any god as the source of your mystery. Whom do you worship then? Yourself? Where does your heart really lie?” His eyes became slits.

  “I do not answer such questions,” he almost whispered. “I see that the crude child I picked out of the dirt of Aswat has become a complex woman. Join hands with me in this, Thu. The rewards will be enormous.” I felt suddenly cold.

  “For Egypt or for you?” I choked out. Abruptly he relaxed and the intensity went out of his stare.

  “For both,” he said briskly. “What monster have you suddenly taken me for, impudent one? Has the stifling air of the harem, rife with gossip and rumour, tainted your brain?”

  “What does the Seeing tell you of the future, Hui?” I persisted. “Or does it show you merely dreams?” He sat breathing heavily for a moment, biting his hennaed lip, then his face cleared. He smiled.

  “What it shows me for myself is mine alone. If I read for Pharaoh it is his alone. Do what you can, Thu. I do not ask for more. I certainly do not expect you to sacrifice yourself on the altar of Egypt’s health. Enjoy the King. Enjoy what he offers. Why not?” He rose and poured more wine for me, turning his head to speak almost directly into my face. I was painfully aware of his closeness, his lips moving inches from mine. “And I hear that he has offered you land. Yes? A wise request, that. Good for you. My Land Surveyor, Adiroma, does much work for the harem women as well. When you have the deed in your hands, send for him. He is honest. If you wish it, my Overseer can take charge of whatever crop or herd you want to own. He will assure you of a profi
t.”

  “Thank you, Hui,” was all I could manage. He withdrew and I gulped at the wine.

  “Now,” said my Master. “Let us take a walk in the garden, and you can give me all the harem news. Tonight there will be a feast here in your honour. Meantime I have you all to myself.” I took his proffered arm and we left the office. As we ambled along the passage towards the rear doors that stood open, I reflected fatalistically that there was probably very little harem news that he did not know already.

  That evening I entered Hui’s dining hall to find them all there, the men I remembered from a similar feast in the same place so long ago. They broke off their conversation under the muted twanging of the Master’s harpist and saluted me: Paibekamun as taciturn as ever; Mersura the Chancellor with an arrogant lift of his smooth eyebrows; Panauk the Royal Scribe of the Harem, a man I had glimpsed once in Amunnakht’s office and who had greeted me brightly but absently; Pentu, Scribe of the Double House of Life who doubtless spent his days closeted in the temple guarding and studying the precious tomes; and Hui’s brother, General Paiis, who left his cushions to kiss first my hands, each one with deliberate passion, then my hennaed mouth with thorough expertise. “And that is the closest I will ever come to Paradise,” he sighed, eyes twinkling, as he retired to his place. “How are you, my beauty?” I did not know whether to be offended or amused by the licence he took, answering him lightly as I sank down beside Hui. I was very aware of Paibekamun’s dark gaze on me and found myself suddenly missing General Banemus’s open, friendly face. Hui snapped his fingers and the first course was carried in. Conversation was desultory and general as the company ate and the wine was poured. I took my part with ease, no longer shy, smiling and chatting, humming sometimes to the harp music, but after the guests’ hunger had been appeased, the tone of the gathering changed. It happened gradually, so that for a while I did not notice it. Polite questions became sharper, more pointed, the silences less congenial, and I realized that I was being examined.