Stephanie Dray - Lily of the Nile  

Table of Contents

PRAISE FOR LILY OF THE NILE

In this account of the fate of Cleopatras daughter in the household of Augustus Caesar, Dray reveals the same events weve seen in Rome and I, Claudius from a very different perspective, that of a teenage girl. Cleopatra Selene has unusual gifts and problems, but her struggle to understand herself and her destiny is universal. The glimpses of the cult of Isis leave one wanting to know more, and the story keeps you turning the pages until the end.

Diana L. Paxson,
author of Marion Zimmer Bradleys Sword of Avalon

With clear prose, careful research, vivid detail, and a dash of magic, Stephanie Dray brings true life to one of Egypts most intriguing women.

Susan Fraser King,
bestselling and award-winning author of
Queen Hereafter and Lady Macbeth

Lily of the Nile is graceful history infused with subtle magic and veiled ancient mysteries, at a time of immense flux and transition. Cleopatra Seleneregal, stoic, and indomitable daughter of the legendary pharaoh-queen Cleopatracarries on the spirit of her mother, the goddess Isis, and the soul of Egypt itself into the lair of the conquering imperial enemy. Selene, whose skin speaks the words of queen and goddess in blood, channels the dynastic pride that is her birthright, and seals the fate of the Roman Empire. Meticulously researched, thoroughly believable, this is a different kind of book, and a true achievement.

Vera Nazarian,
two-time Nebula Award-nominated author of
Lords of Rainbow and Mansfield Park and Mummies

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada
(a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephens Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)
Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia
(a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)
Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi110 017, India
Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand
(a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196,
South Africa

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

Copyright 2011 by Stephanie Dray.

Readers Guide copyright 2010 by Stephanie Dray.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

BERKLEY is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. The B design is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

PRINTING HISTORY

Berkley trade paperback edition / January 2011

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Dray, Stephanie.

Lily of the Nile / Stephanie Dray.Berkley trade pbk. ed. p. cm.

eISBN : 978-1-101-47832-5

1. Cleopatra, Queen, consort of Juba II, King of Mauretania, b. 40 B.C.Fiction. 2. Cleopatra,
Queen of Egypt, d. 30 B.C.FamilyFiction. 3. RomeHistoryAugustus, 30 B.C.-A.D.
14Fiction. 4. Augustus, Emperor of Rome, 63 B.C.-A.D. 14Fiction. I. Title.
PS3604.R39L55 2011
813.6dc22
2010037153

http://us.penguingroup.com

To Adam,
the man who has made this
and everything else in my life possible.

Dear Reader,

In this book, Ive adopted some conventions that bear explanation. To start with, Ive embraced the most familiar spellings and naming conventions for historical figures. For example, Ive used Mark Antony for Marcus Antonius, Octavian instead of Octavius or Octavianus, and Cleopatra instead of Kleopatra. Ive also used English words for Latin concepts whenever possible. One instance is my adoption of the word lady when the word domina may have been more accurate.

Moreover, Ive addressed Octavian as the emperor throughout the novel even though our modern understanding of the word differs greatly from the traditional Roman concept of an imperator . I stand by this choice because of Octavians nontraditional use of imperatora title he held lawfully in 43 B.C. and should have relinquished that same year but continued to use in front of his name until he acquired the new honorific of Augustus .

Ive tried to respect this work as a novel more than as a biography. The historical events, such as Triumphs, battles, dedications, and weddings, actually happened, but Ive altered the timeline slightly to keep my protagonist at the center of documented events. My choices and changes are explained in the Authors Note at the end of this book. Finally, this novels portrayal of the Romans is skewed by my protagonists biases, not my own. Whenever the historical record was in doubt, Ive unabashedly adopted the slant most favorable to Egypt, Selene, her family, or to the Isiac faith in which she was raised; this is her story, after all.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book was a labor of love and there are a staggering number of people to thank, foremost amongst them: My agent, Jennifer Schober, who believed in this book and in me. Cindy Hwang, my editor at Berkley. All my friends at FiranMUX. My classmates and instructors at Clarion East, 2003. My Writers from Hell Group for critiquing an early draft of this manuscript. My intern, Stephanie Wolfinger. My family, for all their support. Rachel Blackman for all her help with archaeology over the years and for her horse sense. And Sabrina Darby for her insight and enthusiasm.

When it came to the academic side of this book, I enlisted the help of Dave Collier, whose keen eye for historical detail forced me to justify my choices. I also consulted with Professor Duane W. Roller. While both men were generous with their time and theories, any errors in this book are mine alone.

Im indebted to the work of other authors who have also tried to bring Selenes world to life, including Andrea Ashton and Alice Curtis Desmond, the latter of whom also imagined Selene carrying a basket of figs to her mother. Though this novel was written before the publication of Michelle Morans Cleopatras Daughter , Michelles wonderful book and personal encouragement helped renew my passion. However, it was Beatrice Chanlers 1934 novel, Cleopatras Daughter, Queen of Mauretania , that inspired me most. My work is heavily influenced by her ideas, imagery, and lofty prose. In particular, Ms. Chanlers book captured my imagination because of its unusual theorythat Cleopatra Selene and her twin brother were religious symbols.

In adopting and modernizing this theory by reimagining Isiac worship, I relied not just upon ancient sources and current scholarship but also upon the worship of Isis as it is currently practiced. M. Isadora Forrests Isis Magic was invaluable on that count, as was Ms. Forrest herself, who kindly offered advice on rituals that Selene may have been familiar with. For other magic spells and formulations, I also consulted the classic works of E. A. Wallis Budge, with particular emphasis on his two-volume study of Egyptian mythology, The Gods of the Egyptians .