Agatha Christie: Death Comes as the End

"And my excellent Hori, so clever with his accounts and his pen! All has prospered? I am sure it has."

Then, the greetings finished and the surrounding murmur dying down, Imhotep raised his hand for silence and spoke out loud and clear:

"My sons and daughters - friends. I have a piece of news for you. For many years, as you all know, I have been a lonely man in one respect. My wife - your mother, Yahmose and Sobek - and my sister - your mother, Ipy - have both gone to Osiris many years ago. So to you, Satipy and Kait, I bring a new sister to share your home. Behold, this is my concubine, Nofret, whom you shall love for my sake. She has come with me from Memphis in the north and will dwell here with you when I go away again."

As he spoke he drew forward a woman by the hand. She stood there beside him, her head flung back, her eyes narrowed, young, arrogant and beautiful.

Renisenb thought with a shock of surprise: "But she's quite young - perhaps not as old as I am."

Nofret stood quite still. There was a faint smile on her lips - it had more derision in it than any anxiety to please.

She had very straight black brows and a rich bronze skin, and her eyelashes were so long and thick that one could hardly see her eyes.

The family, taken aback, stared in dumb silence. With a faint edge of irritation in his voice, Imhotep said:

"Come now, children, welcome Nofret. Don't you know how to greet your father's concubine when he brings her to his house?"

Haltingly and stumblingly the greetings were given.

Imhotep, affecting a heartiness that perhaps concealed some uneasiness, exclaimed cheerfully:

"That is better! Nofret, Satipy and Kait and Renisenb will take you to the women's quarters. Where are the trunks? Have the trunks been brought ashore ?"

The round-topped traveling trunks were being carried from the barge. Imhotep said to Nofret:

"Your jewels and your clothes are here safely. Go and see to their bestowing."

Then, as the women moved away together, he turned to his sons.

"And what of the estate? Does all go well?"

"The lower fields that were rented to Nehkte -" began Yahmose, but his father cut him short.

"No details now, good Yahmose. They can wait. Tonight is rejoicing. Tomorrow you and I and Hori here will get to business. Come here, Ipy, my boy, let us walk to the house. How tall you have grown - your head is above mine."

Scowling, Sobek walked behind his father and Ipy. Into Yahmose's ear he murmured:

"Jewels and clothes - did you hear? That is where the profits of the northern estates have gone. Our profits."

"Hush," whispered Yahmose. "Our father will hear."

"What if he does? I am not afraid of him as you are."

Once in the house, Henet came to Imhotep's room to prepare the bath. She was all smiles.

Imhotep abandoned a little of his defensive heartiness.

"Well, Henet, and what do you think of my choice?"

Although he had determined to carry things off with a high hand, he had known quite well that the arrival of Nofret would provoke a storm - at least in the women's part of the house. Henet was different - a singularly devoted creature. She did not disappoint him.

"She is beautiful! Quite beautiful! What hair, what limbs! She is worthy of you, Imhotep. What can I say more than that? Your dear wife who is dead will be glad that you have chosen such a companion to gladden your days."

"You think so, Henet?"

"I am sure of it, Imhotep. After mourning her so many years it is time that you once more enjoyed life."

"You knew her well... I, too, felt it was time to live as a man should live. Er - ahem - my sons' wives and my daughter - they will take this with resentment perhaps?"

"They had better not," said Henet. "After all, do they not all depend upon you in this house?"

"Very true, very true," said Imhotep.

"Your bounty feeds and clothes them - their welfare is entirely the result of your efforts."

"Yes, indeed." Imhotep sighed. "I am continually active on their behalf. I sometimes doubt if they realize all they owe to me."

"You must remind them of it," said Henet, nodding her head. "I, your humble devoted Henet, never forget what I owe you - but children are sometimes thoughtless and selfish, thinking, perhaps, that it is they who are important and not realizing that they only carry out the instructions that you give."

"That is indeed most true," said Imhotep. "I have always said you were an intelligent creature, Henet."

Henet sighed.

"If others only thought so."

"What is this? Has anyone been unkind to you?"

"No, no - that is, they do not mean it - it is a matter of course to them that I should work unceasingly - which I am glad to do - but a word of affection and appreciation, that is what makes all the difference."

"That you will always have from me," said Imhotep. "And this is always your home, remember."

"You are too kind, master." She paused and added: "The slaves are ready in the bathroom with the hot water - and when you have bathed and dressed, your mother asks that you should go to her."

"Ah, my mother? Yes - yes, of course..."

Imhotep looked suddenly slightly embarrassed. He covered his confusion by saying quickly:

"Naturally - I had intended that - tell Esa I shall come."

II

Esa, dressed in her best pleated linen gown, peered across at her son with a kind of sardonic amusement.

"Welcome, Imhotep. So you have returned to us - and not alone, I hear."

Imhotep, drawing himself up, replied rather shamefacedly:

"Oh, so you have heard?"

"Naturally. The house is humming with the news. The girl is beautiful, they say, and quite young."

"She is nineteen and - er - not ill-looking."

Esa laughed - an old woman's spiteful cackle.

"Ah, well," she said, "there's no fool like an old fool."

"My dear mother. I am really at a loss to understand what you mean."

Esa replied composedly:

"You always were a fool, Imhotep."

Imhotep drew himself up and spluttered angrily. Though usually comfortably conscious of his own importance, his mother could always pierce the armor of his self-esteem. In her presence he felt himself dwindling. The faint sarcastic gleam of her nearly sightless eyes never failed to disconcert him. His mother, there was no denying, had never had an exaggerated opinion of his capabilities. And although he knew well that his own estimate of himself was the true one and his mother's a maternal idiosyncrasy of no importance - yet her attitude never failed to puncture his happy conceit of himself.

"Is it so unusual for a man to bring home a concubine?"

"Not at all unusual. Men are usually fools."

"I fail to see where the folly comes in."

"Do you imagine that the presence of this girl is going to make for harmony in the household? Satipy and Kait will be beside themselves and will inflame their husbands."

"What has it to do with them? What right have they to object?"

"None."

Imhotep began to walk up and down angrily.

"Can I not do as I please in my own house? Do I not support my sons and their wives? Do they not owe the very bread they eat to me? Do I not tell them so without ceasing?"

"You are too fond of saying so, Imhotep."

"It is the truth. They all depend on me. All of them!"

"And are you sure that that is a good thing?"

"Are you saying that it is not a good thing for a man to support his family?"

Esa sighed.

"They work for you, remember."

"Do you want me to encourage them in idleness? Naturally they work."

"They are grown men - at least Yahmose and Sobek are - more than grown."

"Sobek has no judgment. He does everything wrong. Also he is frequently impertinent, which I will not tolerate. Yahmose is a good obedient boy -"