The Pharaoh's Daughter by Mesu Andrews Read Free Book Online Page B

age. What if I’m barren like Sarah or Rachel?”
    â€œSarah and Rachel gave birth to children of promise, remember? What if God is simply waiting for the proper time to give us a child—as He did with Sarah and Rachel?”
    â€œYou’re not listening to me.” She buried her face in his chest, unleashing a fresh torrent.
    Mered pulled her closer, rubbing her back for reassurance. “I am listening. I hear your heart. You want to be an ummi.” She nodded her head but didn’t speak. “But I need you to listen to me as well. Have you considered God may delay giving us children because of His mercy rather than wrath or vengeance?”
    At this she looked up. “How is it merciful to deny me a child?”
    Her knitted brow and pout made her even more beautiful, nearly distracting him from his perfectly reasonable argument.
    â€œWhat if you and Shiphrah attend the birth of a wife of a Ramessid and her baby dies? What if she decides to take our child in return for the loss of her child?” Even in the dim lamplight, Mered saw Puah’s face pale. “It’s heartbreaking to be childless, my love, but are you prepared for the heartbreak of bearing a slave child?”
    â€œDo you think that’s why neither Shiphrah nor I have children? El-Shaddai closed our wombs to protect us?” She began shaking her head, tears flowing in earnest again.
    â€œI didn’t say that, Puah.”
    â€œI don’t want to be a midwife then. I want children, Mered. I want your children. I want a family.”
    â€œShh, my wife. Shh.” He gathered her into his arms again, wishing he could infuse her with the peace he’d found in El-Shaddai but knowing she must seek Him for herself. “We have no choice, Puah—not you as a midwife, nor me as Chief Linen Keeper. Our lives are not our own. We belong to El-Shaddai—and Master Sebak.”

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    [Pharaoh] said to his people, “The Israelites have become far too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”
    â€”E XODUS 1 : 9 – 10
    Anippe hurried toward the double doors to escape her husband, but Sebak’s long, steady strides kept pace, and his relentless hand on her back nearly set her aflame. She stopped at the doors, head bowed, refusing to acknowledge his presence but waiting while he reached for the latch.
    He peered beneath her spiraled wig with that infuriating smile. “When I open this door, I will escort you. If you try to run, I will carry you.”
    How did he know she planned to run back to her chamber? Was he a diviner or a soldier?
    The Medjays on the other side of the door swung it wide open, and Anippe resumed her hurried pace—not a run exactly, but a walk that would prepare Sebak for tonight’s hunt. She refused to be an easy catch.
    Only four steps into the chase, Sebak’s arm encircled her waist and her feet left the mosaic tiles. He stopped, holding her against his muscled chest with one arm, openly appraising her flushed cheeks. “Are you frightened of me specifically or of men in general?”
    Her mouth, as dry as the Eastern Desert, couldn’t form a single word, let alone a coherent sentence. He bent as though to set her feet on the tiles but then slipped his other arm beneath her knees, cradling her in his arms. He walkedleisurely toward the harem corridor, carrying her as if she were as light as a feather.
    Her neck and cheeks felt as if she’d been in the sun too long. What was she supposed to say? Or do? She’d never really talked to a man—other than Tut or Abbi Horem or her old tutor. She kept her head forward, hiding her cheeks with the spiraled wig, and fidgeted with her gold and turquoise clasp.
    â€œYou’ve no need to fear me, Anippe. I’ve been chosen to protect you, not harm