Soul and Shadow (12 page)

But my mother, as always, had the last word.
"
You see what even
talking
about this man does to you? We
'
ll speak later, after you
'
ve calmed down. Goodbye, Lily.
"

I was left with the immature urge to throw the phone across the room. I settled for stamping my foot and shouting into the air,
"
She drives me
crazy!
"

Cleocatra looked at me without sympathy.
I deal with crazy all the time
, she seemed to say.

The truth was I was angry with myself as well. In spite of the fact that I knew my mother and was always determined that I would not play her games, I still let her wind me up like a clock. I should accept that I was not going to change her and refuse to get upset. But I was a long way from mastering that skill.

Instead, I had a large Kahlua and milk and went to bed early with a book. I didn
'
t care what my mother thought. Kent was perfect for me, and I was going to stick with him.

I returned home to Dendera with a very special gift. Kamenwati gave it to me on my last night in Edfu. It was a beautifully carved ivory scarab with outstretched wings.

"
I had it made for you, my love,
"
he said proudly.
"
I would not want you to forget me before we are together again. Wear it next to your heart and it shall protect you. I have inscribed it with my own hands.
"
He laid a finger against the words etched onto the
back.
"'
Sweetness to the flower of Hathor.
'
Ah, what sweetness you have brought to my life.
"

My happiness was so intense, I could scarcely contain it. Kamenwati had decided to join me at the temple of Hathor and Horus in Dendera. I had trusted the goddess with my fate, and she had not disappointed me.

Until I met Kamenwati, my life had always been one of duty. I was happy to be in my honored position, to serve the goddess, to do as my family bid me, and be content with their approval. But then that orderly life had been swept away like sand in a desert storm. For the first time, my feelings were deeply stirred. They no longer felt under control, which was frightening as well as intoxicating. Suddenly, my future was no longer laid out in a neat pattern.

I did not know what my uncle would say when I told him of Kamenwati. A scribe does not occupy the same exalted position as a priest of Horus. Nor does he have the same material means. Yet his is a respectable place, and his prospects of advancement are good. I did not believe Uncle would object too strenuously. As for Kahotep, he looks upon me more as a daughter than a wife. He will have no trouble finding a suitable woman, one that can make him truly happy.

Or so I thought. But it was different when I sought him out at the temple to tell him of my plans. What was it that I saw in his eyes? Sorrow? I felt a pang of remorse. Kahotep had sat me on his knee when I was a child, told me stories, taught me to read the words of the gods. It would hurt me to think he grieved at my choice. But his voice was steady when he spoke.
"
Is this what you truly desire, Amisi?
"
he asked me.

"
With all my heart,
"
I replied.

"
Then your heart will not be denied. I will speak with this Kamenwati and then with your uncle. May the blessings of Horus be with you.
"

I threw my arms around him in joyous affection.
"
Thank you, oh, thank you, dearest friend,
"
I cried.

And so it has been arranged. A contract has been drawn up. I am leaving my home to move in with Kamenwati and become his wife.

He is standing outside of his house, waiting for me. The last rays of the setting sun seem to make him glow. My heart leaps in my breast.
"
Kamenwati!
"
I cry and run towards him.

He sweeps me up in a fierce embrace. His shoulders are so broad, his waist so slim, his skin so firm. Desire stirs in me, something I have never felt before. I know I have made the right decision.

Then his mouth comes down on mine. He carries me inside, kissing me all the while. I am trembling with excitement as he places me gently onto his bed. For a long moment, he looks into my eyes, and in his I see my happiness, my future, my life.

He removes my dress with a tug, then slips out of his tunic. How easily and naturally we come together, our limbs entwining perfectly, our rhythms like a song. Truly, Hathor has blessed us, for our bodies vibrate with joy.

Afterwards, we go onto the rooftop and lie together, staring drowsily up at the stars.
"
There are the Imperishables,
"
my love says softly, his eyes fixed on the horizon.
"
One day, we will go there together, and live among the gods.
"

It is good, so good, to be cradled in his arms, safe and satisfied, and know that we will never be parted. I turn my face away from the sky and press it into his shoulder. For now, my heaven is here
.

Chapter Fifteen

The next afternoon, I had to take Cleo to the vet for her annual shots. It was hard to say which one of us dreaded this event more.

She had been given tranquilizers to calm her down beforehand, but getting them inside her was a major challenge. She could smell one part pill to every ten parts of food I tried to hide it in. Somehow, she managed to consume a whole can of tuna fish and a piece of salmon without swallowing the least bit of medicine. When I attempted to put the pill in her mouth and massage her throat, she set up a wail that sounded as if I was skinning her.

At last, I simply gave up, deciding not to exacerbate the ordeal any longer. I brought out her traveling cage and she stared at me fixedly. Her expression could not have said more clearly,
you
'
ve got to be kidding
. I put her favorite stuffed mouse and a treat inside and tried in vain to coax her.

"
It
'
s for your own good,
"
I said desperately.
"
Do you want to get some horrible disease and die? Come on.
"

Cleo was not moved by my plea, and I had to pick her up and deposit her behind the bars. She mewled mournfully through the entire drive, and my head was pounding by the time I reached the vet
'
s. I reflected once again that the tranquilizers had been prescribed for the wrong party.

As I sat in the waiting room, I was amused to hear two women talking about the museum.
"
I don
'
t like having that mummy in town,
"
one said.
"
It
'
s bad luck. They
'
re all cursed.
"

The other nodded her head.
"
Remember what happened when King Tut went on tour? Accidents everywhere. There are some things that shouldn
'
t be messed with. Leave them in their secret places, and let them lie in peace.
"

I was about to say that Egyptians did not want to lay forgotten. If no one visited their tombs and spoke their names aloud, it was a second death far worse than the first. But I didn
'
t get the impression that these women would welcome my input. If I argued with every person who labored under such misapprehensions, I would soon have no breath left.

"
The lady who discovered this grave—an English lady, you know—the curse got her. It killed her daughter in a plane crash. And then her grandson
'
s wife went crazy. She
'
s locked up in Argentina or Africa or some such place. Doesn
'
t really seem fair, her just marrying into the family, but I guess the mummy isn
'
t too particular. This website says you can get cursed just by
looking
at the faces of the dead. I wouldn
'
t go to that exhibit for all the tea in China.
"

I couldn
'
t keep still any longer.
"
That is absolutely ridiculous. I happen to know the grandsons and there is no wife, crazy or otherwise. There
'
s no curse, either. It
'
s all nonsense.
"

The women looked at me as if I had suddenly grown another head. The first one opened her mouth, but I was spared a confrontation by the appearance of the vet technician.
"
Archie is coming out of the anesthesia now, Mrs. Roth. You can come in and hold his paw if you
'
d like.
"

Mrs. Roth rose to do just that, apparently deciding it was beneath her dignity to speak to me. Her companion sniffed in my direction and then followed along behind the tech.

Idiots
, I thought crossly.
Believing everything they read online.
They probably subscribed to the
Weekly Enquirer
too. Slandering Kent
'
s family when they didn
'
t have the least idea what they were talking about made me angry.

When I was summoned for my turn inside the office, the doctor
'
s assistant was waiting with gloves so thick, a lion couldn
'
t penetrate them. She was experienced with Cleo by now.

It took fifteen minutes to pry the stubborn cat out of the carrier. She had an amazing ability to stretch out all four legs and cling, limpet-like, to the bars. When she actually got onto the table, the noise she made was indescribable. Nails on a blackboard were melodious by comparison. With both the assistant and I holding her down, the doctor was able to give her the exam.

After it was over, Cleocatra purred all the way home, but I was far from happy. As silly as it was, I just had to call Kent and share my anger at the two women. He would laugh, and then I would feel better.

When I got inside the house, Cleo immediately ran under the bed. She would stay there until she deemed I had been sufficiently punished. As I was putting her toy into exile with her, the phone rang. I reached up from the floor and grabbed it.
"
Hello?
"

"
Lily. It
'
s Kent.
"

"
Kent!
"
I exclaimed.
"
I was just about to call you. You must be psychic.
"

"
Lily, listen.
"
His serious tone sent a shiver through me.
"
Something has come up. There
'
s been a family emergency.
"

"
Ursula.
"
My heart lurched.
"
Oh, Kent, is it Ursula?
"

"
No, Gram is fine. I
'
m sorry, but I can
'
t really talk about it right now. I have to go back to England and take care of some things. When I
'
ve got it sorted out, I can explain, but I
'
m in a terrible rush at the moment. My plane
'
s leaving in a few hours. I wanted to let you know, and I
'
ll be in touch with you soon.
"

"
Is there anything I can do?
"
I asked anxiously.
"
Do you need me?
"

"
It
'
s very sweet of you, but I can handle it. I do wish I had a chance to say goodbye.
"

This time, my heart stopped.
"
Aren
'
t you—aren
'
t you coming back?
"
I stammered.

"
Oh, yes, of course I am. I must be off now. I
'
ll ring you as soon as I get to London. Right?
"

"
Right,
"
I said mechanically.

"
Bye then.
"

"
Bye.
"

I felt as cold as if I
'
d stepped into ice water. Strange then how the heat rose up in my throat and turned into a torrent of tears. I lay back on the floor and sobbed. Cleocatra came out of hiding in alarm. She rubbed against me, and I buried my face in her soft fur.
"
Oh, Cleo!
"
I wailed.
"
He
'
s gone. He
'
s gone already and he didn
'
t even come to see me. What
'
s happened? Why couldn
'
t he tell me? What if I never see him again? Oh, Cleo...
"

I blubbered on for some minutes, then slowly began to regain control. I sat up and blew my nose while Cleo batted at the box of tissues.

"
Go on, then,
"
I said, giving her a few tissues to shred.
"
You deserve it. What a day we
'
ve had. But there
'
s no sense in going to pieces, is there? Poor Kent has had some kind of family trouble and here I am feeling sorry for myself. Think of
him
. He said he would call me and I
'
m sure he will. Then I
'
ll find out what I can do for him. And of course, he
'
ll be back. He wouldn
'
t lie. Hasn
'
t everything been wonderful with him? It
has
. So I have no reason to be getting hysterical. Just stop it, Lily Evans.
"

I received only a blizzard of flying tissue in reply, but I felt better. I went into the bathroom and washed my face. I didn
'
t have to work today and had planned on meeting Moira for lunch. That no longer appealed to me.

I called her to cancel, and then the doorbell rang.
Definitely not
, I thought.
The last thing I want right now is company.

I ignored the sound until it stopped.

A tap on the bedroom window nearly made me jump out of my skin. I spun around. Stephen peered at me through the glass.
Oh, great.
"
You scared me half to death!
"
I shouted.

"
Sorry.
"
He waved his hand in what I took to be an apologetic gesture.
"
But I saw your car so I figured you were home. Can I come in?
"

I should have resented his easy familiarity, but instead it was comforting. I went around to the front to open the door.
"
What
'
s wrong?
"
he asked immediately upon sight of me.
"
You look terrible.
"

"
Thanks a lot,
"
I said as he followed me inside.
"
I
'
m quite all right. I just got some upsetting news. There
'
s a problem in Kent
'
s family and he
'
s had to go back to England.
"

"
That
'
s too bad. Is someone ill?
"

I couldn
'
t admit that I didn
'
t know.
"
At least it
'
s not Ursula,
"
I hedged.
"
He
'
ll call later with the details. It doesn
'
t sound like anything he can
'
t handle, but of course, it worries me.
"

"
Naturally. And speaking of worry...well, I saw your Mom last night.
"

I groaned.
"
Stephen, please tell me that she didn
'
t send you over here to check on me. What kind of nonsense has she been bothering you with?
"

We were sitting on the couch by now and Cleocatra had come out to rub against Stephen
'
s leg.
"
Hello, Cleo,
"
he greeted her.
"
How have you been? You
'
re more beautiful than ever. Yes you are.
"
He patted her black fur.

Cleo purred and blinked, for all the world as if she were batting her lashes. She couldn
'
t have looked less like the spitting she-beast of the morning.

"
Stephen?
"
I prompted.
"
Mom?
"

"
She called to invite me over for dinner. Naturally, I accepted. I
'
ve missed her cooking. I get tired of grabbing something out all the time and hospital food is not my favorite. She made lasagna, and it was
great
.
"

"
Never mind the menu. What did she tell you about
me
?
"

"
Well, basically she just hinted that you and I should not have drifted apart.
"
He paused.