Orphan of the Sun (11 page)

For once, Meryt agreed with Nauna, and she squatted down next to her aunt and held her hand. ‘Do you think you could sleep now? I will take your place at the loom.'

Tia looked at her gratefully, and as she hauled herself to her feet, Meryt saw that her belly was growing daily. There were not so many months left before she gave birth. Three, perhaps. Four at the most. She allowed Tia to lean on her arm and guided her inside to the middle room.

Meryt spread out a reed mat and Tia flopped down on to it. ‘Heria came to visit,' she murmured,
looking up at Meryt with weary eyes.

‘Heria!' As far as Meryt was concerned, there was only one reason for Heria to visit, and that was to obtain an answer to her son's proposal of marriage.

‘Don't worry,' said Tia softly. ‘Senmut wasn't here. I told her you hadn't decided yet.'

‘And what did she say?'

Tia smiled. ‘She said they could wait a little longer,' she said, and closed her eyes.

Meryt heaved a sigh of relief, and left her aunt to sleep. So there was still time. She thought of her offering to Peshedu and silently repeated her prayer as she went back to the courtyard. As she settled down to work at the loom, Nauna made her excuses and went up to the roof, and Meryt relaxed. For once, being at home was peaceful; Mose sat nearby, scribbling all the lessons he had learnt on a pile of ostraca, while Henut played her favourite game of teasing the cats. Meryt worked steadily through the afternoon until Baki awoke and shouted out from his bed, demanding beer. She took him a cupful just as Kenna called from the street.

‘Shhh, Kenna! Tia is sleeping,' Meryt called back, in a low voice. ‘I'll be with you in a minute.'

‘Where are you going?' demanded Baki.

‘None of your business,' Meryt responded curtly.

Baki's eyes flashed. ‘Things are going to change around here, Meryt,' he said. ‘I'll soon make it my business to know where you go.'

Meryt felt a frisson of fear, but kept her features
still. ‘I'd like to see you try.'

‘Just you wait,' muttered Baki.

Meryt glared at her cousin. It was strange, seeing him without the side-lock of youth that she was so used to. His whole head was now a dome of tiny bristles, which somehow suited him, but the fact was that she had reason to fear what it represented. Baki was no longer a boy; and with both men of the house against her, things could indeed ‘change around here'.

She dumped a flagon of beer by the side of his bed, then quickly tidied up the weaving in the courtyard before hurrying through the house to find Kenna.

The street was already busy, for the weekly parade of the oracle – like the council meetings – brought everyone out in droves. The statue of the god Amenhotep I was carried on the shoulders of four priests, stopping to answer the questions of the villagers as it went along. It was easy to tell the god's opinion, for when he said yes, he caused the priests to move forward; when he said no, they moved backwards. Meryt had never dared ask the god a question, for what if he gave an answer she did not want to hear – in front of all the other villagers? But watching others do so was one of her favourite pastimes, all the same.

Dedi was waiting for them in the doorway of her home. News of Userkaf's plans had definitely spread, for a few villagers were hanging around nearby, waiting to see if Nebnufer would emerge.

‘Let's get up to the shrine,' said Dedi, joining her two friends on the street. ‘I hate it when everyone stares.'

Kenna smiled sympathetically, and Meryt watched him, biting her lip. Now that she had become aware of it, she couldn't believe that she hadn't noticed his attraction to Dedi before. It was written over his whole body – the way he bent towards her, the way he smiled, the way he listened to what she said. As they walked up the street, Meryt fell behind, battling with herself.
Kenna would never act on it
, she scolded herself.
Dedi is engaged to Neben-Maat
. But however often she repeated it, the niggling ache inside her stayed the same.

The parade of the oracle set out from the shrine of Amenhotep and Ahmes Nefertari, which was nestled among the other gods' chapels to the north-west of the village. From there, it moved down to the village gate and along the main street before returning the same way. The villagers ran in front and behind, singing hymns of praise and offering flowers, while anyone with a question ran into the path of the oracle and fell to their knees to ask it.

A priest was already standing at the entrance to the shrine. He was barely recognisable as one of the workmen on Sennedjem's gang, a carpenter who built the scaffolding in the tombs. As part of a rigorous purification, the carpenter had completely shaved his head and his body – even his eyebrows – and stood silently at the gates, surveying the crowd
that was slowly gathering.

Meryt, Kenna and Dedi squatted in the shadow of a nearby chapel. Dedi was quiet and played with a bracelet nervously, pushing it up and down her slender arm and casting sidelong glances at the shrine. Soon, the area was full of people, all waiting for the oracle to emerge.

‘Is your father going to come out?' Kenna asked her.

Dedi nodded. ‘He and my mother together, as they did for the council meeting.'

There was a hush as the carpenter priest raised his hand, then an excited murmur as the four priests came into sight with the statue of the god balanced on a litter held high on their shoulders.

‘Behold our god Amenhotep – life, prosperity, health!' cried the carpenter priest, now raising both his arms. ‘Come, people of Set Maat, and bring him your concerns, for he rules justly over us.'

The statue moved forward slowly, the faces of the priests still and solemn. There was a flurry of movement as the first petitioner ran forward and prostrated himself before the oracle. The priests came to a halt.

‘My lord Amenhotep – life, prosperity, health!' cried the man. ‘My cattle have fallen sick. Will they die?'

The crowd became silent, and the statue seemed to tremble for a moment. Then the priests stepped forward all at once, and everyone cheered, while a
group of singers started a hymn. The man bowed in gratitude and scurried back into the crowd.

A woman was next, stepping forward to kneel with great dignity before the statue. ‘I have only daughters,' she said in a clear voice. ‘We need a son. Will I bear one soon, my lord?'

The statue shuddered, and the throng held its breath. Then, slowly, the priests stepped backwards – one step, then two, then a third. Everyone murmured and gasped, staring at the woman to gauge her reaction. She held on to her dignity well, rising slowly to her feet and turning away with her head bent.

The oracle moved on. Meryt, Dedi and Kenna followed close behind, joining in with one of the hymns, as more villagers came forward with their queries. There was still no sign of Userkaf, and Meryt began to hope that it had all been a vicious rumour after all. The parade reached the village gate and began to process down the main street.

Suddenly, a shout went up, and Meryt craned her neck. Kenna was taller, and she leant on his arm. ‘Can you see anything?' she asked.

‘It's Nebnufer,' he replied. ‘Dedi, your father is standing at the end of your alley. But I still can't see Userkaf.'

‘Perhaps fear has kept him away,' said Meryt in a low voice, squeezing her friend's arm.

But she spoke too soon. The oracle had come to a halt and the crowd fell quiet. By moving to the edge of the parade, the three friends were able to see
Userkaf, elbowing his way forward to stand in front of the priests.

The arrogant draughtsman did not prostrate himself. He stood with his head high so that everyone could see him.

‘Lord Amenhotep of the village,' he boomed. ‘Life, prosperity, health! Answer my question. Is Nebnufer our foreman working his men too hard?'

The throng of villagers was now completely silent. A puppy began to bark and was silenced immediately. Everyone's eyes rested on the priests and their sacred litter. For a moment, they seemed to sway forwards, and a ripple of excitement rose from the crowd. But the feet of the priests stayed still. Then slowly, surely, the litter swayed back, and the feet of the priests moved with it.

‘No!' The crowd shouted in unison, and then a riotous jabber of voices broke out. People pressed forward and the leading priest warned everyone back. ‘Respect Amenhotep our Lord! Let him continue his journey through the village!'

Meryt stared at Userkaf, who was still standing in the way of the oracle. She watched the emotions flit across his face in fascination. This was not a man who was easily thwarted. She saw him turn to face Nebnufer with a grimace – but not a grimace of disappointment, or of defeat. It was the expression of a man who would not stop here. His features were full of purpose, and the purest rage.

Chapter Six

The rest of the parade was conducted with much singing and dancing. The crowd followed the oracle to the bottom of the street and back again, clapping their hands and chanting prayers. Meryt barely noticed the man who walked along at the edge of the crowd, close to where she and her friends were dancing.

It was Dedi who noticed. ‘Meryt!' she exclaimed. ‘Look!'

Meryt peered through the mass of swaying bodies. There, plodding along with a placid smile on his face, was Ramose. She went cold. Her immediate instinct was to run away.

‘Dedi, I must leave. Now.'

Dedi grinned at her, oblivous to Meryt's agony. ‘Don't be ridiculous. He's made a proposal of marriage. You should say hello, at least – he is not going to eat you.'

‘I can't. I just can't. I have to go,' Meryt protested, turning her back on the stonecutter before he could spot her.

Their exchange attracted Kenna's attention. ‘What's going on?' he asked.

Meryt glared at Dedi and shook her head, begging her friend with her eyes to give nothing away. ‘I have to go back to the house, that's all,' she said. ‘Tia needs me to care for Baki.'

Kenna looked surprised. ‘But the parade is almost over. She can wait a little longer, surely? You didn't mention it before.'

Meryt glanced from one friend to the other, feeling desperate and torn. She did not want to leave them together to enjoy themselves without her. At the same time she could not bear for Ramose to come over and announce his intentions before Kenna. Suddenly, she spotted Dedi's handsome fiancé Neben-Maat, and felt a surge of relief.

‘Look, Dedi. It's Neben-Maat. He's looking for you, I'm sure.'

Dedi spun around, her face alight with happiness. At the same time, Meryt saw Kenna's smile fade, and her heart contracted. Somehow, life was proving very unfair. ‘Goodbye, Kenna,' she said.

He tore his eyes away from Dedi, who was reaching up to kiss Neben's cheek. ‘Oh … see you soon, Meryt,' he said vaguely, as Meryt turned and left the parade to go back down the street.

Meryt retired to the roof early that night. She curled up under a sheet and turned her back to the staircase, so that anyone who came up would know not
to disturb her. It had been a long day, and her mind would not rest. As she churned everything over, Meryt pushed away the thought of Kenna and tried to ponder Userkaf instead. What would the draughtsman do next? What did he want? Perhaps it was true that he had nothing to do with the stolen amulets, for his aims seemed to be of a much more personal kind – disruption among the men, and division between the foremen.

But her mind soon drifted to Dedi, and her happiness with Neben-Maat. Would he and his family stand by her, if Userkaf succeeded in his aims? If they did not, Dedi might be forced to look elsewhere for a husband.
What if she chooses Kenna?
whispered a voice in Meryt's mind, and she sat up abruptly to rub her eyes and stare out into the darkness. She shook herself.
Don't be absurd
, she told herself sternly. Dedi's marriage was still safe, and in any case, she would never pick their friend as a husband – Kenna had no status or wealth to offer her.

Meryt lay back down again and tried to sleep. But now it was the problem of her own marriage that plagued her, and the memory of Ramose returned, ambling along with the parade like a docile pet donkey.
Peshedu, Hathor, please answer me!
Meryt mouthed silently into the night, then remembered her ostracon, and got up again to fetch it from its hiding place.

With the little flake of limestone tucked safely under her head she managed to sleep at last, but only
fitfully at first, flitting in and out of dreams. At first they were random images, little more. She saw Teti's face, smiling up at her, and her plants strewn on the street. She saw Nofret's stolen amulet. She saw Dedi and Neben-Maat, running down the street with their arms around each other, laughing and singing in happiness.

She sank into deeper sleep for a few brief hours, then surfaced again to dream brighter, harder dreams. The colours were sharper and the story drew her along, pulling and pushing her so that she twitched and shivered where she lay. She was with her cousin Baki. They were walking in the valley, heading back to Set Maat from the market. They had been to buy a duck and some extra vegetables. Baki was tormenting her, pulling her hair, pushing her into the irrigation channels so that her linen dress was soon spattered with mud. They approached the road that led to the great temple within the Fields of Djame. They could see the massive mud-brick walls surrounding the beautiful stone temple that lay within … and still Baki carried on taunting her until she could bear it no longer.