Orphan of the Sun (16 page)

‘You want to go,' said Teti.

Speechless, Meryt nodded.

The
rekhet
shrugged. ‘Very well. Go.'

Teti's eyes burnt into her and Meryt couldn't bear it. Without another word, she turned and ran through the house and didn't stop until she reached the village gate.

When she approached the main street she stopped to catch her breath, and walked slowly towards her home. Perhaps Baki would be getting better, she thought desperately. If he was on the mend, the whole issue would go away, and she would be able to make her peace with Senmut. Life could go on as normal. Maybe, if Baki recovered, her uncle wouldn't mind if she refused Ramose …

She had to know what was happening.
Please, oh please let everything be better
, she muttered to herself. With more purpose in her stride, she walked the last stretch to the house, and peered through the front door. There was no one in the front room, and she stepped in soundlessly to listen. The first sounds to greet her were Nauna's voice, chiding Henut, and the bleating of the goat. Meryt held her breath, and
tiptoed towards the middle room.

She could hear Tia, murmuring in a low voice. She was soothing someone … soothing Baki. And now, Meryt could hear the sound she dreaded. A low moan, followed by shallow, rasping breaths. Her cousin was still sick. In fact, judging by his struggling lungs, he had got worse.

Footsteps pattered down the courtyard steps, and Meryt darted for the door. But then she heard Mose's voice, sharp and clear. ‘Mama, you have been sitting there all day. Are you never going to rest?'

Tia's reply was fainter, but just loud enough for Meryt to hear. ‘I must care for Baki until your father gets back. I can't leave him, my sweet. I'll be fine.'

So Senmut was out! What lucky timing. Her heart lifting, Meryt stepped into the middle room and called out softly. ‘Tia!'

Tia appeared at the door at once, her face alight with relief. ‘Meryt! There you are. I've been so worried about you. I sent Mose out to look for you …' Tears sprang to her eyes and she wrapped Meryt in a warm welcoming hug. ‘Where have you been?'

‘Senmut sent me out,' said Meryt. ‘But I crept back in to sleep.'

‘Did you? Oh, I'm glad.' Tia engulfed her in another hug, then began to sob. ‘I'm so afraid, Meryt. Baki is very sick. His skin is on fire and he barely knows what he is saying. He sweats so much …'

‘Isn't Nauna helping you?' asked Meryt.

‘Nauna does nothing.' It was Mose who answered,
his young face tight and angry.

Tia sniffed and wiped her face. ‘Come through. I need to sit by Baki.'

Meryt hesitated, then followed her aunt into the back room. There, she squatted down with Mose on the floor while Tia wiped her sick son's forehead with a cloth. Baki tossed and muttered, his eyes half-open but glazed and unseeing.

‘What will happen if I stay? Is Senmut still angry with me?' asked Meryt.

‘I have told him this is not your fault,' Tia replied. ‘And I've told him I need your help, especially as I grow larger. I don't know if he listened to me. He is beside himself with worry – it's as though no one else exists. Even his unborn child is of no account to him.'

Meryt bowed her head silently. She badly wanted to help her aunt. But she could see that hoping Baki would be better was just wishful thinking, and she was afraid of the part she might have played in his sickness. She stood up. ‘Perhaps it's best if I go,' she said.

‘Please don't,' said Tia. ‘We can work things out with Senmut. I'll talk to him again …' Her voice trailed off as her eyes moved to the doorway.

Meryt looked around quickly. Senmut was standing there, his arms folded. As silence fell on the room, he moved to Baki's bedside and examined his son.

‘He is worse,' he muttered. ‘There is no doubt
about it. He is worse.' He spun round and pointed at Meryt. ‘How long has she been here?'

Tia stared at him in dismay. ‘Senmut, Meryt has been here only a few minutes. Baki has been the same for several hours now. I need her help.'

Fury whipped across Senmut's features. ‘Look at my son! See how he is suffering – and you dare to talk of keeping this girl in my house!'

‘It's not Meryt's fault,' protested Tia. ‘How can you think so, Senmut? She has never harmed anyone.'

‘She has brought the curse of Sekhmet upon us and you say she has done no harm! My mother can give you all the help you need.' Senmut turned to tower over Meryt, his face twisted and menacing.

Meryt scrambled out of his way and made for the door. ‘I'm going,' she said.

‘Yes, you are going!' Senmut's eyes flashed. ‘And I tell you now, Meryt-Re, that if you ever set foot in this house again I shall beat you and call down the wrath of all the gods upon you.'

‘Senmut!' Tia sounded horrified.

For the second time in only a short hour, Meryt found herself running away, fleeing blindly down the street.

Chapter Eight

Meryt ran to the southern gate, through the eastern cemetery and up the hillside to her favourite spot. Her heart and lungs were bursting, not only with exhaustion but from anguish and disbelief. She flopped down on the polished rock and buried her head in her arms.

He doesn't mean it
, she told herself.
He can't possibly mean it
. Meryt had lived with Senmut and Tia for as long as she could remember and she knew no other home. She could not believe that Senmut would end it all so completely, in a moment of anger. Surely this couldn't be true.

And yet, when she thought of the fury in her uncle's eyes and the tightened fists held clenched by his sides, she realised that the situation was indeed a reality. Her uncle had forbidden her to return and she would have to abide by that – for the time being, at least. She sat very still, staring out towards the Nile, as the implications began to dawn on her. She would have to find somewhere to go. She might even have to leave the village. But if she did not belong in
Set Maat, where did she belong? It was the only life she had ever known. The lush river valley stretching out below her seemed like a yawning void. Life there was very different to that of the rocky desert village she had always known, where government servants brought the families all they needed. Down in the valley, peasants toiled under the hot sun to grow their crops, and wages were not guaranteed. She could always become a servant girl, of course …

The mere thought of it filled her with horror. In desperation, she began to think through the options. There was Kenna's household, but she quickly dismissed it. It would be unbearable living among those gossiping women. She would get no peace from them. And in any case, the house was already so crowded; it was unlikely that Kenna's father would agree to keep her in the first place. The other alternative was Dedi. Meryt's heart sank at the idea of admitting her predicament. Dedi's mother was sharp-eyed and sharp-tongued, and nothing fooled her. It would not be long before she discovered the real reason for Meryt's presence – if, again, she agreed to take her in.

The only other person that Meryt could think of was Teti, but she felt a shiver of fear at the idea of returning to the house of the
rekhet
. In any case, she could not ask for shelter from a woman she barely knew. There had to be somewhere else.

She mulled over the options for more than an hour. In the end, she decided that however difficult it
might be, she would have to swallow her pride and go to Dedi. Dedi's family might take her in for a few days, at least; in the meantime, she thought hopefully, something might change.

She walked down to the village slowly, deciding what she would say. The last thing she wanted to do was cause any alarm. Dedi's family had had enough to contend with over the last few days, and she did not want to add to their anxieties.

When at last she knocked on the door, Dedi greeted her warmly. ‘Meryt! I haven't seen you since the oracle. Where have you been?'

Meryt smiled and shrugged. ‘Things have been happening at home.'

‘What kind of things? Come up to the roof and tell me all about it.'

Dedi's breezy tone was reassuring, and Meryt began to relax a little. She accepted a cup of pomegranate juice and followed her friend's graceful form up the courtyard steps.

‘Neben has just left,' Dedi told her. ‘He has made all sorts of plans for our house. He has just commissioned a new set of furniture from one of Father's carpenters.'

Meryt felt a pang of envy. How wonderful it must be to speak happily of one's future home! But then she reminded herself that nothing in life was ever certain. Even Dedi's future had looked precarious over the last couple of weeks. She smiled, and sipped her juice.

‘I think he is making a special effort,' Dedi carried on. ‘He wants to reassure me that all will be well, and that Userkaf hasn't changed anything.'

‘That's good,' agreed Meryt. ‘I'm glad for you, Dedi.' She knew her voice sounded flat, but she couldn't help it.

Dedi scrutinised her. ‘You seem tired,' she said. ‘Tell me what's happening at home.'

Meryt toyed with her cup. ‘It's Baki,' she said. ‘His circumcision did not go well. His wound has gone bad and he has developed a fever.'

‘Oh no!' Dedi's eyes widened in concern. ‘Have you consulted Harmose?'

‘Yes, of course. Though to be honest, he has not been much use.' She hesitated, trying to stop herself from blurting out the full story. ‘The house is in chaos. Senmut has come back from the tombs to care for him. He says it would be better if I stayed somewhere else until Baki recovers.'

‘But how is that going to help?' Dedi exclaimed. ‘You do so many of the chores for Tia.'

Meryt shrugged. ‘I know, but …' She hunted for the right words to explain the situation. ‘I have never seen my uncle like this. He is desperate with worry and I don't think he knows what he says. Anyway, I have agreed to stay away for a while, if I can.'

Dedi stared at her. ‘Where will you go?'

This was harder than Meryt had anticipated. ‘I would like to stay in the village,' she said, trying to
keep her tone light, ‘so that I can help if I'm needed. But …'

‘You should stay here,' Dedi interrupted. ‘I will speak to Mother. There won't be a problem. You can sleep with me.'

The relief felt like a cascade of stones tumbling down the mountain, and Meryt's eyes filled with tears of gratitude. ‘Are you sure? I will do anything to help – the weaving or the grinding or making beer …'

‘Hush,' said Dedi. ‘Leave it with me. Don't worry, Meryt. You have been a good friend to me.' She smiled, and reached out to touch Meryt's shoulder. ‘Father is returning from the tombs tomorrow for the festival of Meretseger. He has decided to throw a party for some of his men. You can help us organise that.'

While Dedi went downstairs to talk to her mother, Meryt lay in the shade to wait. The relief was enormous – but now that Dedi had offered to take her in, she also felt burdened with guilt. The memory of Baki's sweat-drenched face swam before her eyes and she felt panic rising. Perhaps Senmut was right to have banished her. She thought of Teti's words.
You cannot run away from this, Meryt … It is part of you
. Perhaps she really did bring misfortune upon those around her. Was anyone safe? Or did she only bring harm if she thought ill of someone? What if she brought calamity to her friend's house?

She closed her eyes and took deep breaths until
the fear subsided, then sat up and hugged her knees, rocking gently as she tried to calm down. If Wab agreed that she could stay, of course she would accept. But this would only be a temporary solution. She would have to think of something soon – she would either have to find a way of placating Senmut, or find somewhere permanent to live. With her heart sinking, she suddenly realised that the usual way forward was to marry.

Ramose … perhaps, if she went to her uncle and told him she would accept his proposal, Senmut would accept her as part of the family again. But then, she thought in despair, what would be the point? She would live with the bumbling stonecutter in any case, and not in her uncle's home.

The image of Baki's feverish face flashed before her eyes again and she shivered. Even if she somehow made her peace with Senmut it would not help her cousin's plight. She could not escape what Teti had told her. Baki's fate depended on magic. However much she hoped for it, he was not going to recover overnight.

‘Meryt.'

Wab's voice greeted her, and Meryt stood up hurriedly. She had always been in awe of Dedi's mother. Like her daughter, she was full of grace and beauty, but she had a stern air of authority about her that made Meryt quail inside. She bowed her head shyly.

‘Dedi says that you wish to stay with us for a few days,' Wab continued. Meryt was aware of her
steady gaze upon her, and shifted uncomfortably. ‘I am sorry to hear that there is illness in the house.'