The Cinnamon Garden by Danielle S. LeBlanc

Author:Danielle S. LeBlanc
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: books about Ancient Egypt novels of Egypt historical novels, Egyptian queens hatshepsut cleopatra nefertiti Sekhmet meritneith, Pharaoh Ramses King Tut Khufu Thutmose Akhenaten, Egyptian fantasy temples and religion, gods and goddesses Isis Hathor Ra Akhenaten, African history Nile River Sahara Desert, Strong female lead history of Egypt
Publisher: La Venta West
Published: 2022-12-14T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15 - Banquets

"Don’t see why anyone would want to leave Kemet like that Nehesy fellow did," the thin man with a bulbous nose said. He did not look at Imi when he spoke. Even though she was standing next to him on Betrest and Amun’s rooftop, and he’d approached her in the first place.

Instead, he glared at the mug of wine a servant had just handed to him. He sniffed the contents and said, “Why defy your parents and leave a perfectly good position with the governor so you can spend all your time with savages and slaves, and haggling like a fishwife at market?”

Imi bit back the urge to tell him that he actually smelled like a fish. A fish packed in a crate with rotting onions and a packet of stale incense. But it was not a polite thing to mention. Even if he was the impolite one insulting their host’s brother, who happened to be ten times the man this rude, close-minded man was.

The man, whose name Imi could not remember, was one of almost three dozen guests milling about the rooftop. Several seating areas consisted of braided flax rugs, cushions, and low tables. Potted trees lined the edge of the roof, and torches cast flickering light into the darkness. Cones of incense burned in bowls to deter night insects. On the far side of the massive roof, a harpist, a flutist, and a singer played soft music.

It would have been a lovely evening, had Imi not felt like a desert mouse in a jackal's den. Betrest had quietly put it out that Imi was an heiress contemplating marriage. The evening was still early, but this man was one of several to approach her already. She was trying hard to be polite and agreeable and remember names and consider these men as marriage candidates. But being the focus of so much attention for the first time in her life was unsettling.

Imi said, "I think it takes great courage to leave a comfortable life in search of something more. I think it would be wonderful to travel.”

The man harumphed, as if Imi were a strange bug that had suddenly appeared next to him.

"I’d like to see the cinnamon gardens in Eelam one day,” she continued, beginning to feel belligerent. “I think it would be fascinating. I use cinnamon in my fragrances but have never seen the actual trees. Or plants. I'm not even certain how it grows, but I should like to see it."

The man spoke to the air somewhere to the right of her shoulder, "Especially don't see why a woman would want to travel. Ought to be at home, keeping house and watching the babies."

“Some women do both,” Imi felt compelled to point out. “Queen Merneith serves as regent for her son, Pharaoh Den, and travels all over Kemet to maintain peace. And our host, Betrest, has two children, but still serves as priestess in the Temple of Mehyt. They seem to manage quite well, and enjoy what they do.

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