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At his parents’ house, Nehesy let Imi use the House of Morning. The room had a bathing tub and mirror, and she could have some privacy. Meanwhile he scrubbed a cloth over his body and dipped his head in a bowl of water to remove the last vestiges of grime.
It felt strange to stand in his old bedroom, knowing the silent house now belonged to him even though he hadn’t stepped inside in years.
Long forgotten memories surfaced. Perhaps because Imi was with him. He could see the back courtyard through his window, and the acacia tree they used to climb as children. One night, when Imi was seven, she had spotted a large bird gliding across the courtyard and demanded they investigate. They discovered the small, plump speckled owl had nestled three yellowish eggs into a hole in the acacia tree, shrouded by deep green fronds and puffy yellow flowers.
Almost every day, he and Imi climbed the fig tree next to the acacia and peered at the nest from a distance, so as not to disturb the owls. When the eggs finally hatched, they sat on the rooftop, feet dangling over the edge, watching as both the male and female owl flew back and forth to fed their young, listening to the small cheeping and hooting sounds.
Nehesy would never admit it – for no eleven-year-old boy would – but he saw something wondrous in the way both male and female owl tended to their hatchlings. Watching over them, ensuring they thrived and learned to survive in the world. He was almost envious.
Imi had been there for him through it all. She’d always been a part of his life. And then, when she hadn’t been, he’d spent those years adrift. It was only in the past few days that he realized how much better his life was with her in it, then and now. He didn’t want to fathom an existence without her.
“D’you know, I always loved this house,” Imi said from the doorway. Her damp hair draped down her back. She wore a clean white wrap dress, and the morning sunlight kissed her clover-honey skin and cinnamon freckles, lending her a luminous glow. She was lovely. And here. By some miracle of the gods, she hadn’t told him off and gone home with Mahu instead.
That was why he’d brought Mahu tonight in the first place. So she would have the freedom to choose for herself if she thought Mahu was the better man for her. And so Nehesy wouldn’t have an unfair advantage over his friend.
Oblivious to his thoughts, she trailed her fingers over the door frame. “We always had so much fun here.”
She was right. There were good memories here. He’d just been too bitter and angry to see them. “Well then,” he said, “perhaps I won’t raze the place to the ground after all.”
She shook her head. “You wouldn’t, anyway. What were you thinking about when I came in the door? You looked very serious.”
He took a deep breath. Now was the time for honesty. “I was thinking about you. And my parents.”
Imi’s brow furrowed. “Huh.”
He grinned. Throwing her off balance was like winning a small victory. It always had been. He said, “My mother invited me to come visit her sometime.”
“I see. That’s a good thing, right? Or not?”
Nehesy chuckled. Of course Imi would understand his conflicting feelings about his mother. “It is a good thing. I think. Just before she left, she told Betrest and I we were welcome to come to her when the season here got too hot and we needed some relief.”
It was as if watching her husband’s sarcophagus lowered into the ground had brought about some sort of epiphany for her. When they’d parted, his mother had stretched out a hand for him to kiss and put to his forehead in a show of respect. She’d actually clasped her fingers about his and held on longer than necessary and given him an awkward smile.
It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.
“Then I’m happy for you,” Imi said, bouncing on the soles of her feet. She glanced about the room.
Ah. She was nervous.
“Imi, come here,” he said softly. She hesitated. He held his breath, waiting.
Then she moved. “How did you know about my trenches?” she asked when she was standing before him.
He shrugged. “Amun found me and told me last night he might not have enough workers for you. Some of them came down with a stomach sickness.”
Imi nodded, her gaze touching on everything but him. “And the merchant who sold me the cinnamon? He’s one of your men, isn’t he. I saw him tonight.”
“Ah.”
Her eyes snapped to him. “And what about the other merchant who bought my perfume? Does he work for you also? Did you make him do it?”
Ra’s Balls. He should have expected her to recognize his worker, but he’d been too focused on winning her back.
“Damn it, Nehesy! Did you think I couldn’t sell it on my own? Did you think it was that bad?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
She looked angry. And vulnerable. He wanted to take her in his arms. She might hit him, but it was worth the risk. He slid an arm about her waist and pulled her close. She didn’t resist, but held stiff, keeping herself at a distance, their bodies not quite touching except where the tips of her breasts brushed his chest.
He didn’t want her mad at him, but he wasn’t going to lie. So he said, “Yes, the cinnamon merchant works for me. But the one who bought your perfume does not. I do know him, though.”
She began angrily, “So you-”
He held up a finger. “I didn’t make him buy your perfumes. I shared a sample with a few other traders I know. I knew it was good, and I wanted to help give you some exposure, that’s all. Ra-hotep loved it enough that he decided to buy it all before anyone else got to it. It was entirely his choice.” He gave her waist a little squeeze. “Do you really believe I don’t have faith in you?”
Her mouth opened, then closed. She muttered, “I don’t know what to think.”
He bent his head and nuzzled her neck. Her skin carried the lingering hint of cinnamon and orange blossoms. By Ra, he wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anything in his life. And he was fairly certain she wanted him, too.
He pressed his mouth to her neck in a small kiss. Her breath hitched. She didn’t pull away. Triumph surged through him. He said, “Did you consider it might be because I do have faith in you?” He kissed her jaw. “Because I think you’re incredibly talented, and your fragrances should be sold all along the river, and the rest of the world, and I want to see that happen for you? Because I love you and want you to be happy?”
Nehesy cradled her head and tilted her jaw up so he could stamp his mouth over hers. Imi kissed him right back, locking her arms about his neck and pressing her body flush against his. The kiss was long and sweet. Soft, then hard, then soft again, tongues meeting and tasting. Until he was desperate for her.
Imi pulled away, breathing heavily. “Say it again.”
“Mmmm?” He sought her mouth. He couldn’t remember what they’d been talking about.
Imi’s hand came up to stop him. “Say it. How you feel about me.”
Nehesy blinked. Oh. Right. That. “I love you?”
“Are you asking, or telling me?” She frowned, starting to slip away from him.
He grinned and pulled her back. “Definitely telling. I love you, Imi. I want you.” She didn’t protest when he kissed her again. Instead, her hands smoothed down his chest, her fingers trailing along the edge of his shenti, dipping beneath. Holy gods he was hard and ready for her. He would say or do whatever she wanted, if only she’d let him make love to her.
Thankfully, she was the one who curled her fingers into his wrap skirt and tugged him to the bed. They fell onto it, tangled in fabric, clothes and bedsheets, which they quickly shoved aside or tore off. He took her breasts into his mouth, one by one, sucking and licking their sweet tips. His fingers moved through the damp curls between her thighs and swirled over the sensitive nub there until she was gasping and clutching at him. And then he was spreading her legs, positioning himself, and thrusting deep inside.
They both groaned and held still. It was too much. The pleasure was ready to explode through him already. He rested his forehead on hers, willing the sensations to subside so that he could make this last. Make it good for her, too. Not the rushed sex of an untried youth.
“I love you, Imi,” he whispered. Waiting. Hoping. Not daring to hope.
Her fingertips traced his jaw. She tilted her mouth up to kiss him. His heart galloped in his chest.
“I love you, too,” she whispered.
It was as if his racing heart leapt off a cliff, free-falling. Euphoric. Terrified. Awestruck.
He thrust, and everything else disappeared except the gasp and clutch and feel of Imi’s breath and body and the enormous ecstasy of it all.
***
Later, Imi rested her head on Nehesy’s shoulder, playing her fingers over his chest. She was both exhausted and euphoric. Her body still buzzed with the pleasure of their lovemaking, and her skin was sensitive everywhere. She ought to just sleep, but her mind kept coming back to the revelation that he loved her.
She didn’t know what it meant for her future – for their future, if there was one together – but the fact that he loved her obliterated any notion of marrying someone else just to obtain control of her fields. If she even needed to, anymore, thanks to his visit to the elders.
“What changed?” she said, her voice a rasp. She had, perhaps, been a little loud during their lovemaking.
“Mmm?” Nehesy’s eyes opened blearily. He had one arm wrapped around her, and he tightened it now. The other he placed on her thigh, adjusting her so her leg draped over his.
She smiled, liking this intimacy, and the way it brought her body even closer to him. She lifted her head, folding her hands on his chest and resting her chin on top of them. “Before, when we made love and you proposed, you never said how you felt.”
“Ah.” His mouth twisted. “That’s because I was an idiot. I didn’t realize it myself. But,” he frowned, “I think I’ve always loved you. D’you remember how you said that it’s hard for someone to find something that should come from within? I think I found it. I was just afraid of it for so long. That if I let myself love someone, and be happy, it wouldn’t last.”
“But why?”
His chest expanded on a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. “There’s something you should know. Something I should have told you a long time ago, but couldn’t.”
His tone was so serious, his face so wary, that dread swept through Imi, raising the hairs on her arms. She stilled. “What is it?”
“I’m not my mother’s son.”
“What?” Imi sat up. Nehesy’s hands fell away. He gave a sad, tight smile, as if he’d expected her rejection. She took his hand in hers and cupped it. “What do you mean?”
He told her about his father’s affair, and the low-born birth mother he’d never known. That he’d recently learned she’d died in childbirth and had no other family.
“I thought you were better off not being shackled to someone like me,” he said.
“That’s ridiculous!” Imi said, offended he would think her so shallow. “Why in the living world would I care about that? My parents were labourers, for Ra’s sake!”
“I know that now. But I thought you might resent me for not telling you. And I couldn’t be honest with you because I’d promised my parents I wouldn’t say anything. The shame for my mother – the one who raised me – would be too great. You know how she feels about appearances. I haven’t even told my sister.”
Imi’s heart ached for the Nehesy of years ago, who’d had to grapple with this all alone.
“And that’s when you started acting out,” she said, “when you found out about it.”
He nodded. “I was so angry at my father for hurting my mother – both my mothers – that I wanted to hurt him, too.”
Imi sat next to him and cradled his jaw in her hands. “I’m sorry that happened, and that you had no one to talk to about it. I’m grateful you’ve told me now. But frankly, I don’t care.”
“Uhm,” he began, but she pressed her mouth to his in a hard kiss. His hands closed over her waist. Then he was hoisting her up, so that she straddled him. His long fingers cupped her sides, stroking up, up just beneath her breasts, then back down to the curve of her hips.
She drew away to say, “I never wanted to marry you because of your lineage.”
“Ah. It was because of my good looks and charm, then.” He nodded.
Imi rolled her eyes, but her mouth quirked up. “It was because you’re you.”
“And now?” he asked. “Do you still want to marry me?”
Yes. Of course. Yet she hesitated. She loved Nehesy, and she admired and respected his work. But she also knew that he was wealthy enough now to settle, if he wanted, and oversee his business in Thinis. She didn’t want to be left alone for months at a time while he travelled the world without her.
And then there was the most practical reason. She hedged, “It’s not that. I told you before, if I marry and my husband leaves immediately, Ludim could claim it’s a sham marriage. I could lose control of my fields and my inheritance.”
Nehesy nodded. “I realize that’s still a risk. But what if you came with me?”
“What?”
“Sail with me. You said you wanted to see the cinnamon gardens in Eelam one day. Let me take you there after we find your brother. I need to make one last trip anyway. Then we can come home and settle in Thinis. Here, in this house that you apparently love. Maybe even start a family of our own. If you like.”
Imi forgot to breathe for a few moments, she was so stunned. A vision unfolded before her, of them on a ship together, looking out over the great sea. Before them, land. Cinnamon trees. Or bushes. Or whatever they were. A forest of them. Or a garden. It didn’t matter. It was beautiful. The sun shimmered on the water and the bright beauty of it all was nearly blinding.
“What do you say, Imi?” Nehesy’s voice broke into her vision. “Will you marry me?”
She looked down at him and saw the uncertainty in his eyes. This charming, confident man was afraid she’d say no. This man who was offering her everything she’d ever wanted.
“Yes. Of course. Yes!”
He grinned, cupped the back of her head, and pulled her down for a kiss. The kiss turned into much more, of course, and soon Imi discovered that sex was great fun when she was the one on top.