Ipuit bowed low before the chair of the Queen Mother, her forehead touching the flank of a hippopotamus that was part of a hunting scene painted on the reception room floor. “I am blessed by this honor, Queen Ankhnes-Mery-Re.” Ipuit did not feel quite as blessed as perhaps she should, for she had been happy far away from the royal city of Menfi. The mud brick palace crowded with people disconcerted her after years spent studying in a quiet, isolated temple. But duty and family obligation called her from her quiet retreat, and she could not feel sorry for herself, either. Being a great wife to the lord of the two lands was hardly a fate to cry herself to sleep over. She and Pepi had been friends when they were children. She had missed him when she went away, and enjoyed their occasional exchange of letters and presents. Still, it had been nearly a year since she’d heard from him, which was one of the reasons the queen mother’s summons had taken Ipuit so much by surprise. “Come, girl, and sit beside me,”
