Death Comes As the End (13 page)

Renisenb found herself staring at him. Ipy, the spoilt child of the family, the handsome, wilful little boy she remembered when she had gone away with Khay…

‘Why, Renisenb, what is it? Why are you looking at me so strangely?’

‘Was I?’

Ipy laughed.

‘You are looking as half-witted as Henet.’

Renisenb shook her head.

‘Henet is not half-witted. She is very astute.’

‘She has plenty of malice, that I know. In fact she’s a nuisance about the house. I mean to get rid of her.’

Renisenb’s lips opened and closed. She whispered, ‘Get rid of her?’

‘My dear sister, what is the matter with you? Have you, too, been seeing evil spirits like that miserable, half-witted black child?’

‘You think everyone is half-witted!’

‘That child certainly was. Well, it’s true I’m inclined to be impatient of stupidity. I’ve had too much of it. It’s no fun, I can tell you, being plagued with two slow-going elder brothers who can’t see beyond their own noses! Now that they are out of the way, and there is only my
father to deal with, you will soon see the difference. My father will do what
I
say.’

Renisenb looked up at him. He looked unusually handsome and arrogant. There was a vitality about him, a sense of triumphant life and vigour, that struck her as above the normal. Some inner consciousness seemed to be affording him this vital sense of well-being.

Renisenb said sharply:

‘My brothers are not both out of the way, as you put it. Yahmose is alive.’

Ipy looked at her with an air of contemptuous mockery.

‘And I suppose you think he will get quite well again?’

‘Why not?’

Ipy laughed.

‘Why not? Well, let us say simply that I disagree with you. Yahmose is finished, done for–he may crawl about for a little and sit and moan in the sun. But he is no longer a man. He has recovered from the first effects of the poison, but you can see, yourself, he makes no further headway.’

‘Then why doesn’t he?’ Renisenb demanded. ‘The physician said it would only take a little time before he was quite strong and himself again.’

Ipy shrugged his shoulders.

‘Physicians do not know everything. They talk wisely
and use long words. Blame the wicked Nofret if you like–but Yahmose, your dear brother Yahmose, is doomed.’

‘And have you no fear yourself, Ipy?’

‘Fear? I?’ The boy laughed, throwing back his handsome head.

‘Nofret did not love you overwell, Ipy.’

‘Nothing can harm me, Renisenb, unless I choose to let it! I am young still, but I am one of those people who are born to succeed. As for you, Renisenb, you would do well to be on my side, do you hear? You treat me, often, as an irresponsible boy. But I am more than that now. Every month will show a difference. Soon there will be no will but mine in this place. My father may give the orders, but though his voice speaks them, the brain that conceives them will be mine!’

He took a step or two, paused, and said over his shoulder: ‘So be careful, Renisenb, that I do not become displeased with
you
.’

As Renisenb stood staring after him, she heard a footstep and turned to see Kait standing beside her.

‘What was Ipy saying, Renisenb?’

Renisenb said slowly:

‘He says that he will be master here soon.’

‘Does he?’ said Kait. ‘I think otherwise.’

V

Ipy ran lightly up the steps of the porch and into the house.

The sight of Yahmose lying on a couch seemed to please him. He said gaily:

‘Well, how goes it, brother? Are we never to see you back on the cultivation? I cannot understand why everything has not gone to pieces without you!’

Yahmose said fretfully in a weak voice:

‘I do not understand it at all. The poison is now climinated. Why do I not regain my strength? I tried to walk this morning and my legs would not support me. I am weak–weak–and what is worse, I seem to grow weaker every day.’

Ipy shook his head with facile commiseration.

‘That is indeed bad. And the physicians give no help?’

‘Mersu’s assistant comes every day. He cannot understand my condition. I drink strong decoctions of herbs. The daily incantations are made to the goddess. Special food full of nourishment is prepared for me. There is no reason, so the physician assures me, why I should not rapidly grow strong. Yet instead, I seem to waste away.’

‘That is too bad,’ said Ipy.

He went on, singing softly under his breath till he came upon his father and Hori engaged with a sheet of accounts. Imhotep’s face, anxious and careworn, lightened at the sight of his much-loved youngest son.

‘Here is my Ipy. What have you to report from the estate?’

‘All goes well, father. We have been reaping the barley. A good crop.’

‘Yes, thanks to Ra all goes well outside. Would it went as well inside. Still I must have faith in Ashayet–she will not refuse to aid us in our distress. I am worried about Yahmose. I cannot understand this lassitude–the unaccountable weakness.’

Ipy smiled scornfully.

‘Yahmose was always a weakling,’ he said.

‘That is not so,’ said Hori mildly. ‘His health has always been good.’

Ipy said assertively:

‘Health depends on the spirit of a man. Yahmose never had any spirit. He was afraid, even, to give orders.’

‘That is not so lately,’ said Imhotep. ‘Yahmose has shown himself to be full of authority in these last months. I have been surprised. But this weakness in the limbs worries me. Mersu assured me that once
the effects of the poison had worn off, recovery should be swift.’

Hori moved some of the papyrus aside.

‘There are other poisons,’ he said quietly.

‘What do you mean?’ Imhotep wheeled round.

Hori spoke in a gentle, speculative voice.

‘There are poisons known which do not act at once, with violence. They are insidious. A little taken every day accumulates in the system. Only after long months of weakness, does death come…There is a knowledge of such things among women–they use them sometimes to remove a husband and to make it seem as though his death were natural.’

Imhotep grew pale.

‘Do you suggest that that–
that
–is what is the matter with Yahmose?’

‘I am suggesting that it is a possibility. Though his food is now tasted by a slave before he gets it, such a precaution means nothing, since the amount in any one dish on any one day would cause no ill effect.’

‘Folly,’ cried Ipy, loudly. ‘Absolute folly! I do not believe there are such poisons.
I
have never heard of them.’

Hori raised his eyes. ‘You are very young, Ipy. There are still things you do not know.’

Imhotep exclaimed, ‘But what can we do? We have
appealed to Ashayet. We have sent offerings to the Temple–not that I have ever had much belief in temples. It is women who are credulous about such things. What more can be done?’

Hori said thoughtfully:

‘Let Yahmose’s food be prepared by one trustworthy slave, and let that slave be watched all the time.’

‘But that means–that
here
in this house–’

‘Rubbish,’ shouted Ipy. ‘Absolute rubbish.’

Hori raised his eyebrows.

‘Let it be tried,’ he said. ‘We shall soon see if it is rubbish.’

Ipy went angrily out of the room. Hori stared thoughtfully after him with a perplexed frown on his face.

VI

Ipy went out of the house in such a rage that he almost knocked over Henet.

‘Get out of my way, Henet. You are always creeping about and getting in the way.’

‘How rough you are, Ipy, you have bruised my arm.’

‘A good thing. I am tired of you and your snivelling ways. The sooner you are out of this house for good the better–and I shall see that you go.’

Henet’s eyes flashed maliciously.

‘So you would turn me out, would you? After all the care and love I have bestowed on you all. Devoted, I’ve been, to the whole family. Your father knows it well enough.’

‘He’s heard about it enough, I’m sure! And so have we! In my opinion you’re just an evil-tongued old mischief maker. You helped Nofret with her schemes–that I know well enough. Then she died and you came fawning round us again. But you’ll see–in the end my father will listen to
me
and not to your lying tales.’

‘You’re very angry, Ipy, what has made you angry?’

‘Never mind.’

‘You’re not afraid of something are you, Ipy? There are odd things going on here.’

‘You can’t frighten me, you old cat.’

He flung himself past her and out of the house.

Henet turned slowly inwards. A groan from Yahmose attracted her attention. He had raised himself from the couch and was trying to walk. But his legs seemed to fail him almost at once, and but for Henet’s rapid assistance he would have fallen to the ground.

‘There, Yahmose, there. Lie back again.’

‘How strong you are, Henet. One would not think it to look at you.’ He settled back again with his head on the wooden headrest. ‘Thank you. But what is the matter
with me? Why this feeling as though my muscles were turned into water?’

‘The matter is that this house is bewitched. The work of a she-devil who came to us from the North. No good ever came out of the North.’

Yahmose murmured with sudden despondency:

‘I am dying. Yes, I am dying…’

‘Others will die before you,’ said Henet, grimly.

‘What? What do you mean?’ He raised himself on an elbow and stared at her.

‘I know what I am saying.’ Henet nodded her head several times. ‘It is not you who will die next. Wait and see.’

VII

‘Why do you avoid me, Renisenb?’

Kameni planted himself directly in Renisenb’s way. She flushed and found it difficult to give a suitable answer. It was true that she had deliberately turned aside when she saw Kameni coming.

‘Why, Renisenb, tell me why?’

But she had no answer ready, could only shake her head dumbly.

Then she glanced up at him as he stood facing her.
She had had a faint dread that Kameni’s face, too, might seem different. It was with a curious gladness that she saw it unchanged, his eyes looked at her gravely and there was for once no smile upon his lips.

Before the look in his eyes her own fell. Kameni could always disturb her. His nearness affected her physically. Her heart beat a shade faster.

‘I know why you avoid me, Renisenb.’

She found her voice.

‘I–was not avoiding you. I did not see you coming.’

‘That is a lie.’ He was smiling now, she could hear it in his voice.

‘Renisenb, beautiful Renisenb.’

She felt his warm, strong hand around her arm and immediately she shook herself free.

‘Do not touch me! I do not like to be touched.’

‘Why do you fight against me, Renisenb? You know well enough the thing that is between us. You are young and strong and beautiful. It is against nature that you should go on grieving for a husband all your life. I will take you away from this house. It is full of deaths and evil spells. You shall come away with me and be safe.’

‘And suppose I do not want to come?’ said Renisenb with spirit.

Kameni laughed. His teeth gleamed white and strong.

‘But you do want to come, only you will not admit
it! Life is good, Renisenb, when a sister and brother are together. I will love you and make you happy and you shall be a glorious field to me, your Lord. See, I shall no longer sing to Ptah, “
Give me my sister tonight
,” but I shall go to Imhotep and say, “Give me my sister Renisenb.” But I think it is not safe for you here, so I shall take you away. I am a good scribe and I can enter the household of one of the great nobles of Thebes if I wish, though actually I like the country life here–the cultivation and the cattle and the songs of the men who reap, and the little pleasure craft on the River. I would like to sail with you on the River, Renisenb. And we will take Teti with us. She is a beautiful, strong child and I will love her and be a good father to her. Come, Renisenb, what do you say?’

Renisenb stood silent. She was conscious of her heart beating fast and she felt a kind of languor stealing over her senses. Yet with this feeling of softness, this yielding, went something else–a feeling of antagonism.

‘The touch of his hand on my arm and I am all weakness…’ she thought. ‘Because of his strength…of his square shoulders…his laughing mouth…But I know nothing of his mind, of his thoughts, of his heart. There is no peace between us and no sweetness…What do I want? I do not know…But not this…No, not this–’

She heard herself saying, and even in her own ears the words sounded weak and uncertain:

‘I do not want another husband…I want to be alone…to be myself…’

‘No, Renisenb, you are wrong. You were not meant to live alone. Your hand says so when it trembles with mine…See?’

With an effort Renisenb drew her hand away.

‘I do not love you, Kameni. I think I hate you.’

He smiled.

‘I do not mind you hating me, Renisenb. Your hate is very close to love. We will speak of this again.’

He left her, moving with the swiftness and easy gait of a young gazelle. Renisenb went slowly on to where Kait and the children were playing by the lake.

Kait spoke to her, but Renisenb answered at random.

Kait, however, did not seem to notice, or else, as usual, her mind was too full of the children to pay much attention to other things.

Suddenly, breaking the silence, Renisenb said:

‘Shall I take another husband? What do you say, Kait?’

Kait replied placidly without any great interest:

‘It would be as well, I think. You are strong and young, Renisenb, and you can have many more children.’

‘Is that all a woman’s life, Kait? To busy myself in
the back of the house, to have children, to spend the afternoons with them by the lake under the sycamore trees?’

‘It is all that matters to a woman. Surely you know that. Do not speak as though you were a slave–women have power in Egypt–inheritance passes through them to their children. Women are the life blood of Egypt.’