'So, the whore has returned to her nest.' Susa sneered. 'Did you enjoy making a spectacle of yourself and my husband today?'

'Give me back my daughter,' said Eliana, shortly.

'Oh, this one? Please, I have no interest in her. I will gladly exchange her for the one in your arms though.'

Eliana's arms tightened around her son, 'you will not have either of my children. Nor Sarri or Kisuri either.'

Susa laughed; a thin, brittle sound. 'What would I want with them? You will hand your son into my custody – I told you many moons ago that if your sister had a boy child, I would have the raising of him. Why would you think that yours would be any different?'

'You have no right to him. You are the first wife, but you are not queen yet.' Eliana tried to be reasonable.

'Not yet,' agreed Susa. 'But it is only a matter of time. I am a princess born; you are a common catfish that my husband caught in a palace pond.'

'Better a catfish than a trout!' Eliana snapped back. 'You are a bitter old woman, intent on stealing my child because you cannot give Samsu one of your own! Well you shall not have him! Give Nisala over to Mari.'

From the doorway to the nursery where Sarri and Kisuri were napping, Mari edged tentatively forward, certain that it would not be so easy.

'And better a trout than a whore!' hissed Susa. 'My pride and my dignity are unsullied – I never gave my body to a man who was not my husband.'

'I did not give it, it was taken.' Eliana shook with rage at the implication, trying to keep her temper under control for the sake of her daughter, though her blood boiled.

'Enough!' Susa shrilled. 'I will not tolerate this insolence. Your sister knew her place, know yours, whore. Give over the boy, or you will find that some accident befalls this pretty girl of yours. Perhaps you don't realise how easy it would be? A slip of the finger, stroking her face, and she is blinded... a twitch of the arms, and she is dashed on the floor.'

She made to open her arms, giving Nisala a jolt and waking her. The little girl began to wail. Susa laughed again to see how Eliana had flinched when she thought the child would fall. 'You will comply, or there will be dire retribution. I will remove the boy by force and kill the girl, if that's what it takes.'

Eliana clenched her fist and gritted her teeth, wondering what her chances would be if she simply charged the woman and snatched her daughter from those bony arms. She kept her feet rooted to the floor – it was too much to risk injuring Nisala.

'You'd never get away with it,' she snarled. 'Samsu would have your head. He may not care for her as a daughter, but he cares for her as his property. You should know as well as I that he cannot abide other people damaging his belongings.'

Susa's eyes lit up with cold malice. 'Yes... Samsu. Perhaps he will have an opinion on who should raise his son.'

Her heart stopping momentarily as she realised Susa's intent, Eliana was stunned into silence. Samsu surely would have ideas about who should care for his son. Given that he still called her karkittu in private, and accorded her little more respect in public, she thought it unlikely that his decision would go in her favour.

Reading Eliana's face, Susa knew that she had struck a nerve. She stood and placed Nisala on the seat behind her; Mari hurried to pick her up and soothe her pitiful cries.

Susa made for the door, followed closely by Ani. 'I think I'll go and ask him now,' she laughed over her shoulder. 'Don't go far, whore. I'll be sending Ani back for the boy within the quarter-hour.'

'No!' shouted Eliana in desperation. 'You can't! Anyway, Samsu is in urgent audience, he'll never see you now!'

If Susa heard her, she did not acknowledge it, but sped off in search of Samsu.

Turning wildly to Mari, Eliana cried, 'what do I do now?'

Mari took Eshu from Eliana's arms. 'You fight,' she said. 'Go after her. You are high in Samsu's favour at the moment, he might take your argument into account. You know how to handle him – be humble and prostrate yourself, perhaps he'll listen!'

Eliana nodded, turned and fled after Susa. She flew across courtyards and down passageways, not paying attention to where she was going – her feet knew the way. She caught up with Susa just as the audience chamber doors were opening; the woman threw her a spiteful look before stepping over the threshold to her announcement.

Without waiting to be invited, Eliana dashed after her.

Susa stalked up to the dais and stood before Samsu, tall and proud. 'Husband, I have come to demand that the prince Eshu be given into my custody for his raising and education. It is not appropriate that the future King of Babylon be brought up by a whore.'

Elaina ran to the throne with a mind full of Mari's advice – no matter how it demeaned her, she would do what it took to keep her son from the claws of this wretched woman. She threw herself into a bow at Samsu's feet. 'Please, please, sir – I beg you, don't take him from me!' she looked up, her eyes full of tears. 'He belongs with me.'

Ashan stood behind the throne, his face drawn taut at the open conflict between his mother and his love; for once, Eliana barely even saw him.

Samsu regarded the two women gravely. The atmosphere in the room was sombre. 'This is a matter that I have already given a great deal of thought to,' he said. 'I had thought to make the announcement at a more pertinent time, but seeing as my wife has forced the issue, and in light of recent events...'

'Please,' Eliana implored him. 'I am his mother – I promise to raise him exactly as you wish, just allow him to remain in my care.'

'Silence,' commanded Samsu. 'The decision is already made. Stand up.'

She pulled herself to her feet, clasping her hands before her to stop them from shaking, staring at the floor as she willed herself not to collapse from sheer fatigue and anxiety.

Susa looked across triumphantly.

'It is only fitting that the new Queen of Babylon should raise the prince,' said Samsu, looking at Eliana. Her stomach heaved and her head reeled – Ashan's son would be taken away from her, would no longer be her child.

'Queen of Babylon?' said Susa. 'King Hammurabi...?'

'Dead,' said Samsu, abruptly. 'Last week, on the very day of my son's birth. I am now King of Babylon, and my son will be raised by the queen I have chosen.' He was still looking at Eliana.

A ray of hope began to break through her fug of grief as realisation dawned. 'You mean...?' she whispered, not wanting to speak the words, to sound foolish if she had misunderstood. She did not quite dare to believe it... it could be some kind of sick joke.

Susa laughed harshly, 'you jest! Very funny!'

Turning a hard stare on her, Samsu said, 'madam, we have been married for more than twenty years. When have you ever known me to jest?'

The woman's face contorted with fury, 'no! You cannot be serious. You would raise your whore to be queen? I am daughter of a king, born to the position! She is a wanton slut who weaselled her way into your bed and your affections.'

Eliana was overwhelmed – her, queen? She must have misheard, misunderstood. Any moment, Samsu would laugh at her, tell her she was stupid, his foolish karkittu, believing she could be queen. He would sent the Brute to hit her, would punish her for her idiocy.

She struggled to stand on shaking knees as the argument raged over her head.

'You are nothing but a bitter and twisted old woman!' Samsu bellowed. 'You have only ever been interested in affairs of state for the sake of your own power. She,' he jabbed a finger towards Eliana without looking, 'cares about politics only for the sake of the people, only wants to improve their lives. And they love her.'

'She is a whore!' screamed Susa. 'The great whore of Babylon! Putting a crown on her head won't change that. You may as well crown a stray cat!'

'Well that cat would still make a better queen than you!' roared Samsu. 'You think that just because I have been chained to you since I was a child, you have some sort of claim over me? Some sort of power over me? Well, madam, the power is mine to bestow upon whomsoever I choose, and it is time you learned that!'

Almost purple with rage, Susa turned and spat at Eliana. It fell short, dropping near the hem of her gown. 'She will never be a queen. She will never be more than a jumped-up whore who has played you for a fool.'

'She is Queen of Babylon, and you would do well to show her the proper respect. And if any attempt is made to harm her, be sure that yours shall be the first head to roll.'

Apoplectic with ire, Susa turned and stormed out, Ani scuttling at her heels like a tame dog.

The long day, the festivities, the rituals, the stresses and strains, the terror and excitement... it was all too much for Eliana. As the reality of Samsu's choice began to sink in, her vision darkened and her knees buckled. She staggered.

'Ashan!' barked Samsu.

Her lover sprang off the dais and caught her under the arm, holding her upright.

'Take her away. Keep your thrice-damned mother away from the queen. Have her rooms guarded. I will speak to her when she is well – the day has been a trying one for all of us.'

He dropped heavily onto his throne as Ashan guided Eliana from the hall.