Page 121 of Cleopatra

“My catch,” I said, looking at Antonius. “Now, how ever did that get into your bucket, Marcus?”

The Roman took the fish from Caesarion’s hands, and upon touching it knew the ruse was over.

He laughed, unashamed of being caught. If anything, he seemed even more pleased to have been played so well.

“I suppose I must concede that Alexandria is the greatest city in the world.”

“It is, as I told you,” I said.

“Tomorrow, might you give me a tour?”

I looked at him. “Tomorrow?”

He met my eyes levelly. “Yes.”

And so he stayed another night in my country.

Chapter Twenty-Four

40 BCE

“our city is vibrant,” Antonius said as we travelled down the causeway from the lighthouse to the main thoroughfare.

“It is,” I agreed.

“It has been some time since I last visited and the change is remarkable.”

Palm trees lined the streets, their boughs laden with sweet-smelling dates. I paused beneath one to see the city as Antonius did, with fresh eyes.

The new harbour was to my right, teeming with merchant ships. To my left stood the newly erected temple for my late beloved—the Caesareum. Porticoes decorated the entranceway, through which you could see the lemon groves I had sent for from Rome. As the branches swayed in the breeze I could see glimpses of the statue of Jupiter, surrounded by fountains, in the centre of the courtyard.

One of my greatest regrets is that I was not able to finish the temple during my reign. Four rooms stood empty on the day I died. I had intended to fill them with gold replicas of Caesar’s triumphs, but instead Octavian’s soldiers used them to celebrate their own.

I’m sure Caesar’s grand-nephew thought to honour him by concluding his triumph in the vacant halls of the temple. But I knew Caesar all the better, and he would rather have kept the hallowed grounds peaceful. And kept me alive.

But in this moment, I was still wholly ignorant of my fate, so I simply responded to Antonius, “I am an excellent queen.”

He looked at me, and as usual I felt the strength of his gaze disarm me. “You are.”

The city tour took us through the harbour and the new library, ending at the Hospital of Isis.

As I entered, I was approached by two priestesses with questions about a remedy I had concocted. I advised them while Antonius looked on.

“I had heard of your skills in healing, but I had not quite believed it,” he said softly once they had departed. “Few rulers would consort with their citizens so casually.”

“Potion work is one of the few things in life I understand clearly. It is logical, and a little illogical.”

“How so?”

“Take the plant wolfsbane. If consumed on the tongue or in the blood, it will kill you. But if I dilute its sap with two parts olive oil and one part lemon balm, I can create a tincture that will bring down inflammation on the skin.”

Antonius’s eyebrows rose. “A dangerous vocation.”

“It can be. It is why I wish to educate as many people as possible on the properties of plants.”

He smiled. “You are a very unusual person, Pharaoh.”

I searched his face for the insult, but there was none and so I nodded. “I have always wished to be a scholar.”