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know he has surrendered.
    As she had anticipated, once he had begun to speak, Prince Jotham gradually revealed far more than he thought; certainly far more than he had intended when he strode into her presence. The chance to boast of the virtues of his monarch and the greatness of his kingdom inspired him to long-winded praise.
    And if I believed even half of what he says of his wise king, I would have to fall down and worship Solomon! To hear Jotham of Judah tell it, King Solomon was more god than man.
    “Handsome, generous, and wise in everything; your king is a true paragon
of all the virtues.” Smiling, Bilqis plied her peacock fan, sending a warm breeze over Jotham’s sweat-damp face. The movement of the heavy air carried the scent of her perfume to him, a tantalizing fragrance of frankincense and roses. She noted that, without realizing it, Jotham leaned towards her, instinctively seeking to draw nearer.
    “Solomon is a great king indeed—almost as great as his father, King David. Do you know how exalted our king is, in what regard he is held by the kings of all the world?”
    “In most high regard?” Bilqis asked the question lightly, as if she jested; Jotham sprang to his ruler’s defense.
    “So high his wives are kings’ daughters—yes, and his concubines too. Even Pharaoh gave a daughter to King Solomon, and sent her to him with the city of Gezer as dowry.” Jotham spoke as intently as a suitor seeking to impress his beloved’s mother.
    And although she revealed no emotion other than amused interest, Bilqis was impressed. Royal Egypt did not grant its daughters lightly. To send a Daughter of the Two Lands to an alien kingdom to wed an outlander king had been unheard of—until now. That King Solomon could be granted such a wife spoke more clearly of his influence than an hour’s effusive praise by his loyal brother.
    “King Solomon is favored by the Lord as well, for all his wives bear him only sons.”
    The poor man! Bilqis lowered the peacock fan and ran her fingers over the iridescent feathers as if to smooth them. “Nothing but sons? How unfortunate.”
    King Solomon’s emissary stared at her, plainly baffled; she laughed softly.
    So, Prince Jotham, you have forgotten that, in Sheba, it is the mother who weighs heaviest in the scales. It is good to know I can still bedazzle an outlander. I am not yet useless.
    “So great, so favored a king—with so loyal a servant, so faithful a brother. And so astute a king; did you not speak of him as Solomon the Wise?”
    “So he has been called since he became king. On his first night as king, Solomon prayed to the Lord our god for wisdom to rule well and justly. And the Lord was pleased with Solomon, for he had not asked for riches or power for himself. And so the Lord granted the king the wisdom he had desired. Solomon has ruled wisely as king ever since that day.”
    How pious — and what a clever tale to plant; what sweet fruit it produces! Perhaps this Solomon is truly wise.
    “So now I know something of the king who desires Sheba’s spice.” Bilqis regarded Solomon’s advocate with a tolerant smile. “A wise man born under fortunate stars. It must be hard to refuse such a king anything he might desire.”
    “Why refuse? Grant King Solomon what he desires, and he will repay you with friendship.”
    “I have not said Sheba will refuse—but Solomon will need to give more than friendship for Sheba’s spices. Does he offer nothing more, this god-favored king?”
    Before Prince Jotham could summon an answer, Bilqis laughed softly to assure him that she had taken no offense at his words. “No, do not answer; this is not the time or place to discuss trade and treaties. Come walk with me in the gardens and I shall display our finest flowers to you—and you, Prince Jotham, shall tell me how our blooms compare to those of Solomon’s kingdom.”
     
     
    But by the time the sun rose towards midmorning, Bilqis abandoned the attempt to stroll the