certainly the impression he gave to Taheb’s gatekeeper, a squat man with one wall-eye, who appraised him pessimistically with the other when he asked for the mistress of the house. He was saved by another servant who recognised him from the banquet. Amid apologies, he was ushered in, and led to a familiar inner courtyard to wait.
The courtyard was where he had last seen his friend Amotju. Then, it had been an austere place, with only plain wooden furniture, painted dull red, to relieve the stark whiteness of the walls. Now, Taheb had set it with large earthenware tubs, from which a profusion of tall dark-green plants grew. Two of them bore long fruits like courgettes, though pink in colour and set with needles like a cactus. Two-thirds of the way up the wall a frieze had been painted, depicting the work of the shipping company which Amotju had inherited from his father. There, unmistakably, were the pylons of the port of Perunefer, near the Northern Capital. Further along, there was an Eastern Seaship, beating down under its huge sail along the desert coast on its way south to Punt to collect a cargo of exotica: blackwood so dense it sank in water; the fierce spotted cats which could be tamed to become the pets, or hunting land falcons of the rich; myrrh; the long teeth of the great forest beast. On another wall, the heavier ships which crossed the Great Green on less arduous journeys to Byblos and Kheftyu.
‘Do you approve?’ a voice behind him said, and he turned to see Taheb, dressed in a pleated robe of light wool, slit for coolness on one side to the top of her brown thigh, and edged in dark blue threaded with gold.
‘Yes. You have made many changes.’
‘It is important, if you are to continue to live in the same house.’
‘Had you considered moving?’
She shrugged. ‘I am comfortable here, and there is the office. I bear no ill-will, so there are no ghosts to rise against me.’
Huy spread his hands. ‘You invited me, so I came. But I should have sent word.’
She smiled. ‘You have chosen a good time. The wind freshened, and the two diorite barges in harbour due to go south sailed early. So — you may command me.’ She opened her long arms and let them fall gently to her sides again with another smile, gesturing to a couch and taking a seat herself nearby. As she walked to it, Huy wished that he could see more than the slit in the dress revealed. How could this woman have become so attractive? She had been withered before; now she was in bloom.
‘Do you know why Merymose was called away from here so urgently?’ he asked, as a body servant brought honey cakes and wine.
Taheb’s face became sad. ‘Yes. Poor Iritnefert.’
‘I want to ask you about her.’
She raised her eyebrows. ‘Has Merymose brought you in on his investigation?’
‘No — but thank you for the contact.’
She shrugged. ‘Your work is interesting, and I think you are good at it. Merymose is an intelligent man. You might learn from each other.’
Huy wanted to ask more about the policeman, but decided that now was not the time. He did not know Taheb well enough to trust her yet.
‘Did you know the girl?’ He said.
‘We knew the family. Occasionally we would be contracted by Ipuky to bring a cargo of silver ingots north from the mines on the Eastern Sea, and then upriver from the Delta. There is an overland trade-route now, so we do less business with them.’
‘What sort of man is he?’
Taheb’s smile did not slip, but she was immediately guarded. ‘How much further is this going?’
‘No further than me. I cannot speak to Ipuky myself, though no doubt Merymose will.’ He hesitated, and then continued. ‘I am interested. That is all. Merymose asked me to look at the body.’
‘Poor girl. Was she mutilated?’
Huy looked at her curiously. ‘No. She was unblemished. Do you ask that for any reason?’
‘I associate murder with violence. I imagined she’d been knifed, violated. You have an
The courtyard was where he had last seen his friend Amotju. Then, it had been an austere place, with only plain wooden furniture, painted dull red, to relieve the stark whiteness of the walls. Now, Taheb had set it with large earthenware tubs, from which a profusion of tall dark-green plants grew. Two of them bore long fruits like courgettes, though pink in colour and set with needles like a cactus. Two-thirds of the way up the wall a frieze had been painted, depicting the work of the shipping company which Amotju had inherited from his father. There, unmistakably, were the pylons of the port of Perunefer, near the Northern Capital. Further along, there was an Eastern Seaship, beating down under its huge sail along the desert coast on its way south to Punt to collect a cargo of exotica: blackwood so dense it sank in water; the fierce spotted cats which could be tamed to become the pets, or hunting land falcons of the rich; myrrh; the long teeth of the great forest beast. On another wall, the heavier ships which crossed the Great Green on less arduous journeys to Byblos and Kheftyu.
‘Do you approve?’ a voice behind him said, and he turned to see Taheb, dressed in a pleated robe of light wool, slit for coolness on one side to the top of her brown thigh, and edged in dark blue threaded with gold.
‘Yes. You have made many changes.’
‘It is important, if you are to continue to live in the same house.’
‘Had you considered moving?’
She shrugged. ‘I am comfortable here, and there is the office. I bear no ill-will, so there are no ghosts to rise against me.’
Huy spread his hands. ‘You invited me, so I came. But I should have sent word.’
She smiled. ‘You have chosen a good time. The wind freshened, and the two diorite barges in harbour due to go south sailed early. So — you may command me.’ She opened her long arms and let them fall gently to her sides again with another smile, gesturing to a couch and taking a seat herself nearby. As she walked to it, Huy wished that he could see more than the slit in the dress revealed. How could this woman have become so attractive? She had been withered before; now she was in bloom.
‘Do you know why Merymose was called away from here so urgently?’ he asked, as a body servant brought honey cakes and wine.
Taheb’s face became sad. ‘Yes. Poor Iritnefert.’
‘I want to ask you about her.’
She raised her eyebrows. ‘Has Merymose brought you in on his investigation?’
‘No — but thank you for the contact.’
She shrugged. ‘Your work is interesting, and I think you are good at it. Merymose is an intelligent man. You might learn from each other.’
Huy wanted to ask more about the policeman, but decided that now was not the time. He did not know Taheb well enough to trust her yet.
‘Did you know the girl?’ He said.
‘We knew the family. Occasionally we would be contracted by Ipuky to bring a cargo of silver ingots north from the mines on the Eastern Sea, and then upriver from the Delta. There is an overland trade-route now, so we do less business with them.’
‘What sort of man is he?’
Taheb’s smile did not slip, but she was immediately guarded. ‘How much further is this going?’
‘No further than me. I cannot speak to Ipuky myself, though no doubt Merymose will.’ He hesitated, and then continued. ‘I am interested. That is all. Merymose asked me to look at the body.’
‘Poor girl. Was she mutilated?’
Huy looked at her curiously. ‘No. She was unblemished. Do you ask that for any reason?’
‘I associate murder with violence. I imagined she’d been knifed, violated. You have an
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