and he showed it to his mother. His fingers on the toy were chubby, and she knew he would never survive without her. He was a baby still. Tears ran down her cheeks, and she held him tighter for a moment, then let him go.
He stared at her, bewildered. His eyes looked just like Antonyâs had in those last moments. Antony, whoâd been convinced she had betrayed him.
The twins comforted their brother. Cleopatra Selene, the beautiful, black-haired daughter, looked back as she was led toward the doorway. Her eyes smoldered at Cleopatra.
âWho are you?â she asked, her tone sharp. âYou are not our mother.â
Cleopatra was silent for a moment, though her daughterâs words felt as the sun had, searing and blistering. What did her daughter see?
âI am not well,â Cleopatra told her finally, her voice shaking. âYour mother is not well.â
âThey say you betrayed our father,â Selene said.
âThey lie!â Cleopatra shouted. Her sons cringed away from her, and she pushed herself back into her chair. She should not scream at this child. Her own child. âWho told you that?â
âThey say that you killed a man in the mausoleum,â the daughter persisted, her eyes wide and scared but her tone harsh.
âWho says that?â Cleopatra asked again. âTell me who.â
âIs it true?â
âYou must not speak to your mother that way, Selene,â said a voice from the doorway. âIt is not respectful. She is your queen.â
Cleopatra raised her head slowly.
There the monster stood, a slight blond man with unsettlingly pale gray eyes. He had not bothered to put on formal dress for the meeting.
Ptolemy ran to the conqueror, and Octavian scooped the child up into his arms. Cleopatra stood up, her muscles aching with the effort of remaining on her own side of the room. She must keep them safe. She must pretend she didnât care.
Octavian put Ptolemy down and waved his hand at Cleopatraâs twins. They let themselves be led from the chamber, only Selene looking back.
âYou betrayed us ,â Selene said. âThey say you betrayed our father, but you betrayed us.â
Then they were gone.
Octavian sat down disrespectfully in Cleopatraâs chair, leaving her standing. He appraised the queen, slowly looking her up and down. Discomfited, she sat on her couch. She would not be forced onto the bed.
âI thought youâd be beautiful,â he finally said, âgiven all the lives youâve ruined.â
In spite of her pain, Cleopatra nearly laughed. Was this the conversation theyâd have, here, now, after all that had come before? Did he think beauty mattered to her? And yet, even as she thought this, she wondered what she looked like. Was she no longer beautiful, even gilded and glittered, wrapped in diaphanous silks like a gift to the conquerors? No. Sheâd seen herself in the mirror. He was merely trying, in his small way, to wound her.
She was disgusted to realize heâd succeeded.
âJust as I thought you would be a man,â hissed Cleopatra. âIt seems we are both disappointed.â
âYouâve dallied too long in the company of eunuchs and drunkards,â Octavian said. âIt is no wonder you do not recognize a man when you see one. Your consortââ
âMy husband ,â Cleopatra corrected.
âMy sister Octaviaâs husband, Mark Antony, was a glutton. He never saw wine nor woman he didnât sample. You were an exotic meal, nothing more. He tasted Cleopatra, and then he moved down the table, dipping his spoon in every other dish. You do not imagine your lover was faithful, do you? Not to Fulvia, not to Octavia, and certainly not to you.â
Cleopatra was not injured by this liar. Antony had had a queen at his disposal, ready to make love to him and counsel him on battle, all at once. Theyâd spent countless nights together, their bedchamber filled with
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