Till Shiloh Comes (25 page)

“You have a far more generous nature than I.”

Joseph smiled. “You are different than when I first met you.”

Asenath's cheeks flamed. “I'd hoped you had forgotten that, but how could you?” She swallowed hard. “I must do something I should have done years ago. I must ask your pardon for my unpardonable behavior.”

“You already have my pardon. You had no need to ask for it.”

Asenath could not speak, she was so overcome by his generosity. “Will you be so generous to all your enemies?”

“I have no enemies.”

“What about Lady Kesi?” When she saw him hesitate, she added, “She told me the truth—that you were innocent of all the charges.”

“What do you think I should do?”

“Most men in your position would have her executed.”

“Would you, my lady?”

“No, no. She's only a foolish woman. She deserves to be pitied.”

They continued to talk, and to her amazement Asenath found herself feeling comfortable with this man with whom she'd had such a strange relationship. When her father came in to tell her that the pharaoh required their presence, she nodded. “We'll be there in a moment, Father.” She arose, and Joseph rose with her. “I must thank you for my friend Kesi, and for the whole house of Potiphar.”

“You've already done so, my lady. There's no need to repeat it.”

Asenath hesitated, then put out her hand. Joseph took it, enclosing her small, fragile hand with his large, strong one. His hand was warm and his eyes gentle as he gazed down at her.

“I thank you for your forgiveness,” she said, “and I … I hope you are right when you say I am no longer the foolish girl I once was.”

“You are not a foolish girl,” Joseph said. He started to say something else but changed his mind. Instead he leaned over, kissed her hand, and said, “Come, my lady, the pharaoh demands our attendance.”

The palm-frond fans that two servants waved stirred the air in a gentle sweeping sound. The breeze brushed across the faces of Joseph and Rashidi, who were playing their never-ending game of Hounds and Jackals. The contest had begun when Joseph was in prison and had scarcely been interrupted by Joseph's rise to the position of Great Provider of Egypt.

Rashidi was leaning back, his arms folded, studying Joseph carefully. The younger man had his eyes fixed on the board and appeared lost in a reverie. Finally Rashidi said, “It's your move, Great Provider, or have you forgotten?”

With a start, Joseph shook his head, looked at the board, and then made a wry gesture with his lips. “It appears that you have won, Rashidi.”

“Of course I have. Anyone could beat you the way you've been playing lately.”

“Well, I've had many things on my mind.” Joseph leaned back, stretched, and yawned. “It's late. Let's go to bed.”

“One more game. I'll win enough off of you to buy that vineyard I've been coveting.”

Joseph shook his head. “No, not tonight.”

Rashidi picked up one of the carved pieces with a jackal's head and stared at it for a moment, then looked up. “Your mind is on something else, eh?”

“As I told you, I've got many things on my mind. You know that.”

“That never troubled you before. There's only one thing that could make a man like you be careless.”

“And what's that?”

“A woman!”

Joseph blinked with surprised. “No!” he denied vehemently.

“Why so great a
no
? If it weren't so, a simple, soft-spoken
no
would have been enough.” When Joseph did not respond, Rashidi went on, “You can have any woman in Egypt you want. All these society women are drooling over you as a dog drools over a piece of meat it can't have!”

Joseph laughed. “For a poet you make absurd similes.” He rose to his feet. “You are wrong this time.”

But Rashidi had studied Joseph carefully and now remarked casually, “I hear that the daughter of the priest of On has a suitor.”

“Why do you bother me with these trifles?” Joseph said loudly. “I don't care anything about these society matches!”

Rashidi smiled gently. “Why do you protest so loudly? You know, it's a proven fact that when you throw a rock at a pack of dogs, the only one that yelps is the one you hit.”

“You're getting senile, Rashidi! I'm going to bed.” Joseph turned and hurried out of the room.

Rashidi toyed with the jackal's head and murmured softly, “Well, so you're human after all, Joseph, the Great Provider of all Egypt … but you won't admit it.”

****

Rashidi had been right about Asenath. A young man had appeared on her horizon named Lostris. He was considered quite a catch among the unmarried society women of Egypt. Many a mother had unceremoniously shoved her daughter in his direction, for he had position, his family had plenty of money, and he was a handsome fellow. He also was witty and could sing fairly well—although not as well as he supposed! He dressed stylishly, giving rather too much attention to his personal attractiveness. It was often said of him, “Whatever time Lostris can steal away from doing nothing, he will devote to primping his hair.”

But such character weaknesses were no impediment to the mothers and young women who saw in him a possible fortuitous marriage. When he had started calling upon Asenath, her father had been overjoyed. Since her mother was dead, he himself had to see to her future marriage prospects. He realized that at the age of twenty-seven, she was beginning to be eliminated as a possible mate by eligible young men. Several much older men had sought her hand, but Asenath had coldly refused them.
“I would sooner be entombed with the Pharaoh than to marry such decrepit old men,”
she had told her father. She had, as a matter of fact, shown no interest in any of her suitors—even the young ones—but now Potiphera insisted it was time for his daughter to marry.

“Asenath, you must think of the future. You are not getting any younger, and Lostris is a very good prospect for you. I'm sure he would be willing too if you showed him some interest.”

Her father's words did cause Asenath some concern. All of her friends were married by now, and most of them had babies. She alone remained single, and although she vehemently denied that it bothered her, the subject caused her much irritation. “There's not a lot of depth in him, is there, Father?”

“When a man has money, position, and looks, he doesn't
need
depth. You can hire a philosopher to talk to you about deep things if you're interested.”

Asenath came over and put her arms around her father. “Don't worry, Father. I think he's attracted to me.”

“Well, it wouldn't hurt if you would give him a little help.”

“What sort of help?”

“Oh, the things women do to attract men.”

“What sort of things?”

“You know what I mean,” he said, red-faced.

“You mean flutter my eyes at him and lean against him from time to time?”

“Don't be impertinent, young woman!”

“I won't, Father. I'm really flattered that Lord Lostris is interested in me.”

“Well, see that it bears fruit. That's all I have to say.”

****

About six weeks later Pharaoh Abadmon and Isiri discussed the courtship of young Lostris and Asenath. During that time Lostris had pressed his suit, and Isiri mentioned this to her husband. “I really feel quite good about this match between Lostris and Asenath.”

“It would be a good match”—the pharaoh shrugged—“but it's not certain yet. She's turned down a great many suitors.”

“But I've been talking to her, and I think I have changed her mind,” Isiri said with a smile. She was an inveterate matchmaker, and if she had a hobby, this might be considered it.

While the pharaoh and his wife were talking, Joseph was sitting at a table in the same room working on tax proposals for the coming year. He could not help overhearing their conversation, but he did not let on that he could hear them. He did look up, however, when Pharaoh addressed him.

“You never take any interest in these things, do you, Joseph?”

“Very little, Your Majesty.”

“You remember I told you once that I was going to find you a wife? I think you claimed you were too busy.”

“I am still very busy, Your Majesty, as you well know.”

Pharaoh laughed and turned to Isiri. “My dear wife, you will have to seek out a wife for Joseph. He's too busy to do such unimportant things himself.”

Isiri sniffed. “Unimportant indeed! There's nothing more important than a man's finding a bride!”

“You're right, of course, my dear. I merely spoke in jest. Now put your talents to it.”

“Please do not bother, Your Majesty,” Joseph said quickly. “It is much more important that we fill the granaries of Egypt than that we find me a wife.”

“Perhaps it would be possible to do both.” Isiri smiled. “I shall put my mind to it.”

****

A few days later Isiri held a banquet, inviting the most important members of Pharaoh's inner circle. She decided to keep the number down to thirty guests, which left out several hundred who would have given their eyeteeth to have been invited.

Joseph sat at Pharaoh's right hand, enduring what to him were boring ceremonies with a smile. He was not unaware of the women at the banquet who vied for his attentions. He recognized all of their tricks—giving him coy looks, reaching out to touch his hand, leaning against him as if unintentionally. None of them that night impressed him, however, and as he sat eating the roast fowl that was before him, he could not keep his eyes off Asenath and her escort, Lord Lostris. He had been in their company twice before, and each time he had found Lostris an obnoxious bore.

As the meal progressed, he saw that Asenath was embarrassed by Lostris's loud boasting about how he would fight Egypt's enemies. Joseph happened to know that the young lord had no military experience at all, but aristocrats enjoying playing soldier by dressing up in uniform, armed with a spear and bow, and riding around in a war chariot. It was Joseph's opinion that the first sight of a Nubian warrior would send young Lostris off in full flight.

Though Joseph found Lostris a bore, several of the young women at the table found him amusing and hung on his every word. While Lostris continued to entertain them, Joseph noticed Asenath getting up to leave. When she stepped out of the banquet hall into the adjoining atrium outside, he excused himself and followed her.

He stepped outside and saw Asenath standing beside a stone banister. The air was fragrant with the scent of flowers, and for a moment he stood quietly in the shadows and watched her. The moonlight bathed her in its beams, and he admired her profile. Her skin seemed like alabaster, and her delicate gown floated on the breeze.

Joseph approached, and she turned suddenly, her eyes wide.

“Are you well, Asenath?” he asked.

“Very well, my lord.”

“When you left the hall I thought perhaps you might be ill.”

“No, I'm very well, thank you.”

She seemed stiff in his presence, and he tried to put her at ease by remarking casually, “The sky is glorious tonight, isn't it?” He looked up and gestured with his hand at the heavens. A broad band of light encircled the moon, and the luster of the stars scattered across the sky was brilliant. “There's my favorite star,” he murmured.

“Which one?” Asenath asked.

“There. It's called Sirius. If a man could have a ring made with such beauty, it would be priceless, wouldn't it? Clear, living, blue-white fire with dark rays of brilliance.”

“You know the stars, Your Grace?”

“I know a little.”

“What is that one over there?” She gestured to a star glittering brightly on the southern horizon.

“That is not a star but the planet Anum. And look. You see that one up there?” Joseph pointed upward. “That is Quibilah. What a splendid red fellow he is! He's like a huntsman, girded and armed with a bow and arrow.”

“I have heard people talk about such things, but I can never see them.”

“Look. Let me show you.” He moved closer to her and said, “Look upward. You see those bright stars in a straight line?”

“Yes, I see them.”

“Well, imagine that they are a belt, and then up over the belt those stars to the right and left mark his shoulders.” Joseph went on explaining the constellations to her, very much aware that her perfume was more intoxicating to him than the heady fragrance of all the flowers that filled the atrium. He showed her the great lion constellation and then the great bear, and finally he noticed that she had relaxed. “You're really interested in the stars, aren't you?” he asked.

“I know a little about them.” She hesitated, then said, “Some say they determine our fate.”

“I don't believe that.”

“You don't?”

“Not at all.”

“Do you believe that they have anything to do with love? I have friends who claim they chart the stars to find out the man they're going to marry.”

“They would be much wiser to simply find a man who treats his mother well.”

Asenath laughed. “I believe you're right, Provider.”

“You don't intend, then, to chart the stars to find whom to marry?”

“No, I shall probably marry Lord Lostris.”

Joseph hesitated, then spoke boldly from his heart. “But you don't love him,” he said bluntly.

His words startled Asenath, and her eyes flew open. “Yes, I do!” she said angrily. “Why would you say such a thing?”

“You couldn't love such a boorish man.”

She faced Joseph squarely, her eyes aflame, her lips stern. “How can you say that? You don't know anything about me!”

“I know a great deal about you, Asenath.” Joseph moved closer so that she was forced to look up at him. “I can prove that you don't love him,” he said.