“Guards!” Hatshepsut cried. “Come to me atonce!”
The curtain flew aside and two burly guardsrushed in.
“Arrest him,” she ordered, pointing. “ArrestHapuseneb! He has tried to murder me.”
“But I thought you had…” Hapuseneb sputtered.“I did nothing, I swear…”
“Be silent, traitor,” Hatshepsut ordered.“Take him out of my sight, and see that he does not escape. Send amessage to the army and have General Snefru arrested, too. He is amember of this conspiracy and is behind the murder of Lord Senemut.Bind the assassins and cast them off the peak of the Temple ofAmun, and feed their bodies to the crocodiles so that all may seehow Egypt deals with treason and treachery. Go!”
The guards saluted her, then dragged thestill-protesting Hapuseneb away.
The scene dimmed and Hattie found herselfalone again in the dark. The dizziness returned. She fell to theground and knew no more.
CHAPTER 26
Consciousness returned slowly to Hattie. Herhead ached abominably. She was lying on a cold, hard floor. Sheopened her eyes a slit. The worktable and file cabinets of thestorage room at the museum swam into view. Was her sojourn inancient Egypt merely a dream, then? Had she hallucinated it allduring a period of oblivion brought on by the blow to her head whenshe fell?
No, it couldn’t be adream, she thought, asshe squeezed her eyes shut. She recalled every detail of her timein Egypt—the battle with the Nubians, her coronation, theassassination attempts against her. She could smell the incense andlotus blossoms, taste the honey cakes and date wine. Surely, shecouldn’t dream such richness and detail, could she? She sawSenemut’s handsome features before her; she felt his warm lips onhers, his gentle hands caressing her. Her heart ached fiercely atthe loss of him. Could she imagine such pain, such profoundsorrow?
“Hattie? Can you hear me? Are you allright?”
The voice sounded familiar. Hattie opened hereyes again and saw Tom bending over her.
“Thank goodness,” he exclaimed. “Whathappened? Oh, I never should’ve left you alone.”
“It’s…it’s all right,” she whispered. “It wasmy fault. I touched the necklace and then something happened. I gotdizzy…I’m not sure why…and I fell.” She touched the back of herhead gingerly and winced. “I hit my head on the table. I must’vepassed out.”
“You may have a concussion. Don’t move,” Tomurged. “Just lie back. I’ve called the paramedics and they shouldbe here any minute.”
“I don’t need the paramedics. I’m fine.” Shetried to rise, but lightheadedness assailed her and she layback.
“Now, you see? I told you not to move.” Hepatted her shoulder comfortingly.
“What…what time is it?” she whispered. “Howlong have I been here?”
“I left you here two hours ago. I should’vestayed with you! I hope you’ll forgive—” Tom turned at the sound ofapproaching footsteps. “That must be them. Stay still, will you?I’ll be right back.”
Only two hours? She had lived a lifetimein that short period. Hattie groaned, but made no further attemptto sit up. Ihave no reason to hurry home, she thought. No one waits for me. I’ve lost Senemut and allthat I hold dear.
“Can you speak to me? Do you know yourname?”
The voice was male, but it wasn’t Tom. Aparamedic in a white uniform leaned over her. The sound of anothervoice drifted back to her…Are you all right, Majesty? Do you know yourname? A tear ran downher cheek. “My…my name is Hattie,” she whispered, a knife cleavingher heart in two. “Hattie Williams, from Chicago.”
“Very good,” the man said brusquely. “Howmany fingers am I holding up?”
“Three.”
“Can you tell me what happened?” he asked,taking her pulse as he spoke.
She shrugged. “I had some kind of a dizzyspell and I fell. I must’ve hit my head on the table. That’s all Iremember.” That’s all I’m going to tell you, anyway, she added silently. I don’t want to be carted off tothe funny farm.
After endless questions and tests, theparamedic announced she should spend the night in the hospital “forobservation”.
“Oh no,” Hattie protested, taking an interestin the proceedings for the first time. “I’m not going to thehospital. I want to go home.”
“You’ve had a head injury. Twenty-four hoursof observation is the usual procedure in these cases,” theparamedic said stiffly.
“Well, call me unusual then,” Hattie snapped.“I’m going home.”
The man frowned. “Of course, I can’t forceyou to check into the hospital. I can only urge you to do so. Doyou have someone to stay with you? Someone should wake you everytwo hours to make sure you’re not unconscious.”
She shook her head.
“Do you at least have someone to drive youhome?” he persisted. “You can’t drive yourself. It isn’t safe.”
“I’ll take a taxi,” she murmured.I have no one. Ihave no one, thrummedthrough her head.
“I’ll drive you home,” Tom said. “And I’llstay the night. You need someone to look after you.”
“No, you don’t have to—”
Tom held up his hand to cut short herprotest. “I insist. It’s the least I can do! I feel guilty enoughabout this whole thing.”
Hattie sighed. “All right. I don’t have theenergy to fight you about it. Thanks, Tom.”
He grinned. “My pleasure. Ready to go home,lady? Your taxi’s here.” He helped her to her feet and ushered herand the ambulance crew out the door, closing and locking it behindhim.
Hattie followed him to his car, steelingherself to avoid backward glances. Her life with Senemut was over.She had to accept that and move on. Somehow.
* * *
The phone rang and jolted Hattie out of adaydream of gliding down the Nile on the Avenging Falcon with Senemut, the sun glinting on hisbronzed body, his face lit up with a smile as he told her tales ofpharaohs and slaves, priests and courtiers. Great Amun, she thought irritably, when will I get over this?
She picked up the receiver. “Hello?”
“Hello, Hattie, it’s Tom. How are you feelingtoday?”
“Swell,” she replied wearily.
“Are you up to a visitor?”
“A visitor?” She shook her head. “Tom, you’vebeen over here every day for the past week since I fell and hit myhead in the storage room. My refrigerator is full of chicken soup,and my apartment is so clean, it glows. You don’t need to visit meevery day. I’m fine, really.”
He laughed. “All
