Love, The Painter's Wife and The Queen of Sheba by Aliette Armel

Even with her eyes closed, the Queen is aware of the new presence from the first instant. An erect body stands before the door. It does not bend, does not participate in the fluid movement that possesses the three laughing and playful maidservants. The woman who has just entered the room scarcely makes a sound, she brushes against the ground. Her rigidly upright stance stiffens the atmosphere. She reminds the sovereign of the gravity that the conduct of the kingdom demands, of the requisite vigilance: since her father's death a treasonable atmosphere has hovered over the palace. The Queen's life is incessantly menaced by the forming of alliances and plots. Nour - the maidservant chosen from among the women of the Nasir tribe - has become the indispensable intermediary between the intriguing world of the counsellors and the quarters in which the Queen retires.

"The messenger has returned, my Queen."

"Which one? Where from?"

The queen is delighted, she claps her hands, impatient! The event that she has so intensely desired has finally come about! One of her emissaries in the distant courts has discovered the prince whom she so eagerly awaits. Nour has come to announce the arrival of her future husband!

"He has brought the response of Solomon to your mission: the King of Israel refuses your gifts and threatens us with war."

The queen's sigh is as deep as her disappointment: she does not wish to be separated from her dream, and she has even less desire to hear talk of Solomon or of war -- conduct which she refuses to regard as human.

"What did the counselors say? What advice are they preparing to give? What did you hear in the corridors?

"They won't make any suggestion. They will let you make a decision, inevitably a bad one: they are hoping for war, but they don't dare to declare it. The name of David and the memory of his conquests are still too fresh. The power of his son Solomon makes them tremble. But how can they renounce war that puts their manly worth to the test? For them, war is a unique opportunity to take possession of a hitherto inaccessible portion of power. They want your inexperience to bear the responsibility for the eventual defeat. However, if there is an unexpected victory, that will be attributed exclusively to their bravery, coming to the rescue of your imprudent and irrational decision.

"They are seeking to catch you in the trap of errors for which you alone are responsible. In the event that they will find themselves confronting armies that are too powerful for them, they will fall back to their tribe, waiting for the invader to show them gratitude for their non-participation. They cannot go into to such a battle in disarray, but are not resolved to unite beneath the banner of a woman! Your father bequeathed his kingdom to you but the men of the tribes do not recognize you as chief. They don't want to offer you the opportunity to unite them. If you declare war, then they will only assemble after having laid all the risks at your door and having forced you to entreat them. If you give in to Solomon, if you plan to submit yourself to an alien god, they will revolt in the name of Almaqah: all the tribes will rise up and it will be the end of the order established n this country by your father and by his father before him."

The Queen listens to Nour's report as she continues to stare at the mirror in which the tall figure of the maidservant is reflected….Slowly, as Nour's words sink into her, the mask descends, covering her features: her cheekbones tense under the clenching of her jaws, her gaze hardens…Two creases form on her forehead, that of anxiety and that of responsibility. She once again becomes determined, hard, a sovereign stiffened in the execution of her duty, obliged to dispel the child in her. She attempts to keep her neck high and upright, to maintain a regal bearing and to master her emotions.

The smoothness of the fine coral necklace feels inappropriate to the current situation; she requires a heavy silver necklace, assertive and imposing. She unfastens the fine gold clasp, giving a parting glance to the sober and harmonious jewel, lays it on the table in front of her and once more stares at her image in the mirror. Nevertheless, it is me as well, she sighs inwardly, I am this queen just as much as the child longing to pursue her dreams.

A glance at Nour's reflection suffices; Nour understands the silent order: "Give me your advice."