She reached up and stroked his cheek. “Icannot be unhappy for long when I am in your presence.”
“Oh, is that true? Well, then, let medemonstrate for you how this device works.” He grinned.
“Aye, Senemut. Show me,” she murmured.
* * *
The next morning, Hattie felt well rested andmore cheerful than she had in weeks. “What shall we do today?” sheasked Senemut, as she slipped into her gown.
“Today, we must plan the first accomplishmentof your reign,” he answered. “A military campaign, I think. Mayhapagainst Canaan? They have not felt the wrath of Egypt’s sword formany a season.”
“A campaign? Nay. Definitely not.” Sheshuddered. “I will not send men to their death again.”
“But Pharaoh Maatkare Khenmet-Amun Hatshepsutmust prove his strength,” he protested. “Else the vassal stateswill take it as a sign of weakness, and rebel.”
“There are other ways to prove that Egypt ismighty, and a force to be reckoned with. It is not necessary to usebrute force,” Hattie insisted. “If I am to remain pharaoh, then myreign will be a peaceful one, if possible. We will deal with othernations on an equal basis. We will trade with them, invite them tosend ambassadors to our court, and we will protect them, ifnecessary. We will make them all our allies and our friends.”
“Ast!” Senemut struck the heel of his hand to hisforehead. “That policy will bring Egypt down in ruins, crumblingaround our ears! You must be strong, Hattie. There must be acampaign.”
She shook her head. “Nay. There will be nocampaign. At least, not now,” she temporized, seeing the genuinedespair on his face. “Let us give my plan a try. If it does notwork—if, in a year or two, rebellions crop up—I will follow youradvice and launch a campaign. But we will try my way first. Please,Senemut?”
He paced back and forth like a caged lion,glancing at her occasionally and then turning away and shaking hishead. At last, he stopped directly in front of her. “I agree. Wewill try your reign of peace for one year. But—” He held up afinger in warning, his face stern. “—if during that time arebellion occurs, you must order out your army to quell it. I donot wish to see my country defeated and laughed at.”
“Egypt is my country now, too,” she protestedsoftly. “I would not see her defeated. Very well, Senemut, I agreeto your terms.” She held out her hand.
Senemut stared at her extended handskeptically. “What is that for?”
Hattie couldn’t suppress a grin. “Where Icome from, when people who trust one another come to an agreement,they shake hands to seal the bargain. Will you shake hands with meon our arrangement?”
He shook his head. “A silly custom, but Iwill indulge you.” He took her hand in his, and they shook. Then hegrasped her arm with his other hand and pulled her close.“In mycountry, we have a much morepleasant way of sealing a bargain between a man and a woman,” hemurmured.
She raised her face to his. “I would like tolearn this custom,” she breathed. “Teach me.”
“Aye, Your Majesty. It will be my pleasure.”He leaned down, but stopped with his lips a tantalizing inch fromhers. “But then we must decide what your first royal accomplishmentshall be.”
“That is easy,” Hattie said, remembering asmall portion of ancient Egyptian history. “We shall send a tradingexpedition to Punt.”
“Punt? Your first accomplishment will be anexpedition to a mythical land? By the sacred beard of Ptah, I thinkI was foolish to agree to your scheme.” He scowled down at her.
“Trust me,” she insisted. “Punt does exist,and my expedition there will be a great success. It will be spokenof for many generations.”
His eyes narrowed. “Oh, aye? Well, mayhap itwill at that. I must remember that you have traveled here from thefuture, and know what is to happen. And do you know what I intendto do to you now?”
She smiled warmly. “I do not need to see intothe future to determine that.”
* * *
Hattie tapped her foot impatiently, waitingfor the ceremony to begin. The Atef ceremonial crown, similar tothe White Crown of Upper Egypt in shape and color but decoratedwith white ostrich feathers, pressed heavily on her forehead, andshe felt the beginnings of a headache creep into her temples. Themidday air was stifling under the summer sun, without even a hintof a cooling breeze. She wished she were still inside the temple,where at least the stone and mud-brick walls kept it a littlecooler.
Earlier, before the heat had grownunbearable, she had participated in the ceremony to bless herexpedition to Punt. Hapuseneb conducted the ceremony at the templecomplex at Karnak, in the beautiful Red Chapel which Senemut hadconstructed in Hatshepsut’s name. The small red-quartzite chapelwas the sanctuary of the sacred barque of Amun, Userhat-Amun, “Mighty of Prow is Amun”. The barque wasa small, gilded wooden barge on which the statue of Amun wastransported by priests from the temple at Karnak to the temple atLuxor and back again on feast days and special occasions. UnderHapuseneb’s direction, both Hattie and Chancellor Neshi, the leaderof the Punt expedition, offered incense to Amun and prayed for hisblessing on the voyage. Then Neshi hurried away, as quickly as hecould without offending the gods, to oversee the final preparationsfor the first leg of the expedition.
Now Hattie stood atop the immense pylon atthe entrance to Karnak with Hapuseneb on her right and Senemutbehind. The pylon, decorated with colorful murals and topped withpennants hanging limp in the still, sweltering air, gave her aperfect vantage point to watch Chancellor Neshi scurrying to andfro as five small, unassembled ships were loaded onto ox-drawncarts just east of the temple complex. Other carts were laden withtrade goods: bolts of fine Egyptian linen, polished bronze andcopper mirrors, dozens of beaded necklaces and bracelets, smallaxes and daggers, and cask after cask of Egyptian wine and beer.One cart carried water and food for the travelers’ consumption onthe trip.
Scores of sweating soldiers and oarsmenswarmed around the carts, getting underfoot more often than not, tojudge by Neshi’s bellowing. His commanding voice rose clearly toHattie above the clamor. Senemut had obviously