Suzanne Robinson Read Online Free Page B

in favor of his beer jug.
    Anqet opened her eyes. To her left, the solar disk sank toward the horizon. The sun-god Ra had almost completed his daily journey, and light would soon give way to the darkness of the evil god Seth. Hauron barked an order. The yacht, a shallow-bottomed river craft, would be beached for the night. Few traveled the river in darkness, for the chance of running aground in the uneven depths of the Nile was too great.
    “Little Heron.”
    Anqet jumped. She hadn’t heard her companion approach, Bastis snarled at a crewman who passed them on his way to the stem. The man hurried away from them. Taking advantage of their isolation, Bastis whispered to Anqet.
    “There is trouble.”
    Anqet’s lips stretched into a wry grin. “I know.”
    “No you don’t, child.” The woman placed a hand on Anqet’s arm. “You’re so busy hating him that you don’t see. But I do. I’ve seen him looking at you. I’ve seen him touch you, pretending clumsiness. Anqet, that dung-eater is dangerous.”
    “You don’t think I know that?”
    Bastis groaned and shuffled nearer. She pulled Anqet down until her lips were near her charge’s ear.
    “Foolish girl. Hauron wants you. He burns with lust. Mark me. He forced you to come with him for that reason, not because he thinks your proper place is with him or because it’s his duty. I’m sure of it.”
    Anqet’s eyes widened. She looked down at Bastis and shook her head, but she knew that her old nurse spoke the truth. In a heart’s beat, her father’s anxiety became clear to her. Remembering his concern that she marry for protection, she groaned aloud. Bastis grunted in reply and headed toward the cabin. Anqet followed, taking care toavoid her uncle as he sat on his stool in the pavilion of brightly colored hangings that stood in front of the door.
    Before she crossed the threshold, Hauron called to her. She turned but remained in the doorway. She could see that he was already into his second jug of beer, but he had a great tolerance for the stuff. It must flow in his veins.
    “Niece, we will be spending the evening ashore.” He lifted a cup to his lips before speaking again. “I have lands near this village and would speak with my overseer of the fields. Prepare yourself. We leave immediately.”
    Behind her she heard Bastis curse. Anqet nodded to Hauron and ducked into the cabin. It took only a few minutes to don a fresh robe. Distractedly, Anqet snapped on hinged bracelets of gold and red jasper. There was a matching necklace, a pectoral in the shape of a falcon with outspread wings. Her fingers were cold as they arranged the crimson and gold pendant so that it rested between her breasts. As her hand touched the falcon, it pressed into the softness she had always taken for granted.
    Damn him to fiendish torments. Damn him for making me feel unclean with his gaze.
    “I don’t like it,” she said aloud. “This visit to the overseer of the fields.”
    “Neither do I,” said Bastis as she combed Anqet’s hair.
    The woman sank to her knees. “You remember my cousin Tamit who went to serve Lady Gasantra in Thebes?”
    “What?”
    Bastis grasped Anqet’s hands in her own. “My cousin Tamit. You must remember. She made a wig for one of your dolls before she left.”
    Anqet shook her head, her nerves on edge. “What are you trying to say?”
    “I’m trying to help you. Tamit lives in the household of Lady Gasantra in Thebes. Gasantra is a rich woman of the court. Thebes is a great city, a city where one can hide. If we must, we can go to Thebes, to Tamit. The Lady Gasantra lives near the palace, in the Street of theScarab. Hauron would never find us there. Will you remember?”
    “Yes. But I don’t think he’ll approach me until he gets me to his house.”
    Hauron’s deep voice boomed outside the door. Her uncle’s chariot and horses were brought ashore, and Anqet found herself Hauron’s passenger. She cast an apprehensive look over her shoulder at