'Leave us, Nu.'
'That isn't necessary,' Bentanta said. 'I came only to tell you I'm going home.'
'Leave,' Meren said to the boy, who was already on his feet. When they were alone, Meren offered Bentanta a chair, but she refused.
'You could have told me you'd solved Sennefer's murder instead of sending a servant to tell me I was free. And I had to get the tale of Sennefer's death from Idut,' Bentanta said.
'Forgive me. I was distracted.'
'You were ashamed.'
He looked at her wordlessly. That familiar feeling of annoyance he often experienced in her presence was growing again.
'And I hear Wah is dead of an accident. Such a number of mishaps. One is tempted to suspect them when they come in so great a quantity.'
'I ask your forgiveness,' Meren said as he stooped to pick up the unfinished report. 'I'm sure you can see that my conclusions were reasonable, given what we knew.'
'Oh, of course. Quite reasonable, but you're a greater fool than I thought if you expect me to believe this tale of suicide.'
Pretending to peruse the report, Meren said lightly, 'People seldom question my judgment.'
'That, my lord, has had a noxious effect on your character.'
Lowering the report, Meren asked, 'Are you here to take your leave or to quarrel?'
Bentanta alarmed him by closing the distance between them and taking the papyrus from his hands.
'You're in retreat,' she said, tapping his arm with the papyrus. 'Routed and on guard against attack. Don't you realize I didn't want you to know about Djet any more than you wished to be told? Do you think I wanted to be dragged here to expose my foolish mistake, one of which
I'm ashamed? We should find some way to measure mortification to see whose is greater.'
Meren snatched the report from Bentanta and walked away from her. 'I can't speak of this now.'
'All I want is your assurance that you'll stop trying to find ways to be rid of me in order to save yourself pain.'
'You think I'd accuse you of a crime for such a reason? Why would you need consolation from my cousin for, for…'
'Don't confuse the past with the present, Meren.'
'Don't confuse what I do as the Eyes of Pharaoh with my private actions.'
'We haven't spoken privately, not about Djet.'
He waited, but she didn't continue. Keeping his back to her, he said, 'Go home, Bentanta. There's nothing for us to discuss.'
'Merciful gods, you really would rather face a horde of nomad bandits unarmed than-'
Turning quickly, he faced her with his courtier's impassive mask in place. 'Please don't force me to be any more discourteous than I have already been.'
She met his gaze with a gasp of exasperation, then stalked out of the room. The last thing he heard was her voice sailing to him from the stairwell.
'Coward!'
Kysen came in, staring over his shoulder in the direction of her voice. He didn't comment.
'Nento is hiding on the barge and refuses to return to the haunted temple.'
Fighting an onslaught of confused emotions he didn't want to face, Meren finally responded. 'What? Oh yes- well, we won't be using the temple much longer. I've just received word from pharaoh.'
'Nento will be overjoyed. You're distracted. Is something wrong?'
'No. Nothing. Help me with these reports, Ky, and then I must go to Memphis. I'm going to take the girls with me. They're too much for Idut.'
'Too clever, you mean.'
Meren collapsed in a chair and sighed. 'Do you know I'm more weary now than when I arrived here for a rest? Interfering relatives are far more dangerous than ordinary murderers and spies.'
'They're tolerable separately, Father, just not all at once.'
Meren picked up a royal letter from a stack on the table beside his chair. His eye caught a passage mentioning his promise to take the king on a raid, and he groaned. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he thought for a few moments, then sat up and slapped the arm of his chair.
'Ky, fetch those acrobats from the feast, and we'll leave at once, before Aunt Cherit can find me and have that long talk she's been wanting.'
'And what am I to do with the musicians and singers and acrobats?'
'They're coming with us.' Meren swept his arm across the table piled with correspondence, sending the letters tumbling to the floor. 'We're going to have a feast, a sailing feast on Wings of Horus. Not with the pests Idut thinks I should invite, but with those who know the true meaning of the word rejoice.'
Kysen gave a loud whoop. 'At last. It's been months since you gave one of your entertainments. Maya spoke to me about it before we left Thebes. Said the whole court was complaining.'
'Maya has a fondness for singers. We'll send for him too,' Meren said as he kicked his way through scattered papyri to find a clean sheet on which to write. 'And I'll tell him to bring lots of pomegranate wine. I've acquired a taste for pomegranate wine.'
'Oh?'
At Kysen's tone, Meren turned to smile at him. 'Only the wine, damn you. Only the wine.'
