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The thought hitched in her throat. What would her father do without him? “Perhaps, he might stay.”
“What of his people? Have you thought of them? He might have a wife.”
Although she’d often wondered where Ari had come from she never once had imagined he might have a wife. True, he often left their villa with her father’s permission, but she never thought it was to visit family. Surely, if he’d had one she would have known.
“You need a local man. What of Esha? He seems to like you well enough. He works hard and is handsome.” Rubiel raised the jar full of water from the well.
“Esha works hard on drinking Abba’s wine.”
Rubiel laughed. “What does that matter? He’d be a good husband sleeping all the time as he does.”
“Bah, I would rather have no husband than one of Esha’s character, even if he is handsome enough as you say. I have enough chores to attend. I do not need to take care of a drunkard, as well.”
“Mira, you must truly consider Esha. My Nathan says he is the one man who does not mind that you are maimed. Besides, if Ari stays, he can help you take care of your husband.” Rubiel glanced at the man walking beside her father with appreciation. “He’s certainly strong enough to tend to your future husband. Ari does everything else for you.”
“Esha is not my betrothed, nor will he ever be.” Heat flooded her cheeks. “Besides, if Ari stays it’ll be for Abba and no other reason. He only helps me to repay a debt he believes he owes.”
“For saving his life?” Rubiel nodded toward Mira’s hand. “It is commendable of you, sister, for saving him from those dogs when he was left for dead, especially with your fear of the beasts. Does the slave know? Does he know why your fingers are scarred and twisted?”
Mira shook her head and curled her mangled fingers into the folds of her tunic. If only she had listened to her father when she was but a girl she never would have wandered off alone and been attacked by a wild dog. Then she could have married long ago. Married for love, not for the price of her father’s land, which she had no doubt was all Esha hoped to gain. She closed her eyes and gathered what courage she could find.
“Abba’s patience is at an end. I heard him speaking with Ima. If you do not find a husband soon, he’ll accept Esha’s suit.”
Esha might be handsome, but she didn’t miss the look of revulsion whenever he spied her. No doubt, he would be a cruel husband. Perhaps not abusive, but he would neglect her. Given the way he reacted whenever he glanced at her hand, there would be no union between them. No children. She was certain he only coveted her father’s land and his wine.
“If only there were more men as diligent as Ari. One who has not forsaken God. One who will see Abba’s land become even more prosperous.” One who made her heart flutter as Ari had done when he’d smoothed her hair behind her shoulder earlier. If only he felt something besides pity for her, maybe a little respect for her abilities to care for a household.
“Your slave will be free in a few days’ time. He’ll leave as they all do.”
“Ari will stay,” Mira predicted. “He has to. Abba depends on him too much.” If he didn’t, then she would follow him and convince him to return to her father’s house.
Mira hefted the yoke upon her shoulders. Rubiel attached the jars of water to their hooks, the weight boring into her neck. Before Mira headed toward her father, Rubiel dipped a cup into the earthen jar and placed it in her good hand draped over the yoke.
“Here, take this to Father. He is weakening.” Her sister kissed her cheek. “Mira, I hope for your sake you are right, but please, for me, beware your heart.”
Beware her heart? The man may have caused her pulse to beat a little faster, but she did not love him. He was good. Honest. Hardworking, and he cared for her father as a son should. “It is not for my heart, dear sister, but for Father’s that Ari must stay.”
She met her father and Ari as they reached the bottom of the hill. She gave Ari an apologetic look when he took the cup from her hand and pressed it to her father’s lips. Her father labored to control his breathing.
“You should not be here, Abba,” she chastised.
Ari handed the cup back to her and lifted the yoke from her neck.
“You would deny me your beauty, Sh’mira,” her father said, a twinkle in his eye.
“Father, do not think you can charm your way out of this. Does Ima know you have left your bed?” She wrapped her arm around her father’s frail shoulders and ushered him back toward home.
“It was your mother’s idea I get fresh air.”
“I do not think she meant for you to walk so far. Are you trying to meet your death?”
Ari raised a dark, winged brow. He must have gained confidence from their earlier encounter with the guards if he dared chastise her, even if it was a silent one. It had not escaped her notice over the years that this man’s size could probably command an entire army, especially since he easily managed her father. But now, she had no doubt there was much more to him than servanthood. Knew with certainty he could command respect from his enemies with one look.
“Would it be such a bad thing, daughter?”
“Abba,” she cried.
“Adon, you should not speak so carelessly.” Ari’s words were for her father, but his gaze bored into hers. He seemed to will her strength and understanding. “As much as we would all long to pass from this earth and into the great rest of our God, you would be greatly missed.”
“My apologies, Sh’mira. My bones are weary.”
“Soon. Soon, Abba, you will rest.” She patted his arm. Her father longed for an eternal rest, but a selfish desire to cling to him claimed her. Losing him would break her heart.
Her father halted his steps. The dust covering the pathway swirled over his sandaled feet. “First, I must tend to business in town.” He glanced at Ari. “I need the mind of Solomon and the strength of Samson. I need you to attend me, Ari.”
The corners of Ari’s mouth curved upward. “Of course, adon.”
Panic filled her chest, squeezing and tightening. The guards promised to return. Who would protect her? Certainly not Esha. And what if they accosted her father on the road? Would Ari’s lone strength be enough to see her father protected? “You cannot, Abba. Not until you are much improved.” Mira used her eyes to plead with Ari to not placate her father.
“The matter is of importance. It can wait no longer, daughter. Besides, Hebron is a day there, a day back. Not much at all, you will see,” her father replied.
“But...”
Ari’s brow furrowed.
“The queen’s—”
“She is right, adon. You cannot think to leave your family unprotected.”
She silently thanked Ari for not revealing the earlier events to her father. He’d only fret, weakening his health.
“I would send another, but I do not trust...” Her father began to wheeze and cough. She patted him on the back as Ari held on to his arm.
“We will discuss the matter more after you rest,” Ari said, shadows evident in his eyes. Grim lines etched his handsome face. It was as if the yoke he bore for her was not the only burden he carried. For the first time, with her sister’s words fresh in her mind, she wondered about his days before he arrived on her father’s land, lips parched and body battered. Dying.
Footsteps on the path interrupted her musings. Fear pounded in her blood. Had the soldiers returned? She lifted her eyes, shielding them against the sun with her free hand, and breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Joash.
He ran toward them, his dark curls bouncing just above his shoulders. His tunic danced against his thighs, exposing his scarred knees. The scrapes the only evidence that this young boy, seven summers old, was but a child. Such a shame he did not laugh and play more. He was too serious, much like the man who diligently taught him God’s Law. Ari’s arrival had truly been a gift from God, not just to her father, but as a mentor to their people during a time when the leader of Judah had banned God from the land.
Joash stopped. And as if in command of all the world, he lifted his head and looked her father in the eye. “Abba, Leah has sent me to fetch you.”
“Is that so?”
“I would not lie,” Joash replied as if offended. Mira wanted to smile at the boy who had filled a special place in her heart, who had placated the emptiness of her womb all these years.
“Of course not, my son.” Her father extended his hand out for Joash to escort him home. “You should do as you are bid.”
“Yes, Abba.” Joash placed his small hand into her father’s frail palm. “Leah has made challah.”
“Has she now?”
Her stomach grumbled at the mention of her mother’s fresh-baked bread. Brushing her troublesome veil back over her shoulders, she fell into step beside Ari.
“That one is too serious,” she said.
“As he should be,” Ari replied.
She tilted her chin and considered the boy. Her cousin had arrived with the boy near six years before, only days after Ari had. She’d claimed the babe’s parents had been killed, left an orphan. Her father took him in and began raising him as his own. “How so? He’s only a child. He should run and play. He takes his studies too much to heart.”
Ari twisted his lips, which she found endearing, although what she really wanted to do was to run her fingers along the seam and smooth them into the heart-warming smile she had found appealing.
“If there were more men such as that child, there would be less horror in the land.”
It was the closest she’d ever heard him come to speaking about the terror ruling Judah. “You speak of our queen?”
He looked into her eyes as if searching her soul. “It does not matter of what I speak. But the boy...it is obvious God has destined great things for him.”
Mira laughed. “It is not likely Joash will rise one morning from tending sheep and become a king like David.”
It was barely perceptible. If she hadn’t made it her duty to memorize Ari’s every nuance and bearing over the years—not because she fancied herself in love with him but rather so she could find his weaknesses, make him feel helpless as he did her—she never would have known. But she saw. It was almost unbelievable. He stumbled. This sure, strong man tripped over his feet and stumbled.
“Be careful, Mira.” Her name, a mere whisper, rolled over his tongue and curled into her heart. Her breath caught in her throat for he had never before addressed her by her name. “Our Lord may decide to prove you wrong.”
Chapter Four
“I do not like your leaving, Ari.”
He finished rinsing the plaster from the pottery bowl and rose to greet the woman who had risked her life to carry Joash away from Athaliah’s clutches. “I do not like it either, Tama. There is naught to be done, unless you wish to tell your uncle the truth about the boy. Would you place your people in more danger than they already are? Would you risk sacrificing Judah’s future king?”
“You know I would not.” Tama wrapped her arms around her waist. Fine lines crinkled at the corners of her eyes. Her youth had long since vanished. “With the soldiers prowling...” Dropping her hands to her sides, she bowed her head in defeat.
Ari lifted her chin with the tip of his finger. There was no doubt the burden of their secret weighed heavy on her shoulders, as it did his. The soldiers’ presence seemed to be weakening her resolve to see their mission through. He stared into her eyes and willed her strength, courage. “Tama, if not for you and Jehosheba, the boy would have perished along with all the others. You’ve been a dauntless protector, and I believe you will continue to do so in my absence.”
“I am not sure I can.”
“You have no choice.” His voice sounded harsh even to his own ears. Given the widening of her eyes, she heard it, too. He meant to encourage not dishearten her. He scrubbed his palm over his face and released a frustrated sigh. “My apologies, Tama. I did not intend to speak harshly. I will only be gone two days. Three at the most. Be vigilant, as I know you are. If trouble should arise, you know what to do. All will be well, Tama. You will see. We must place our hope in our God.”
Tama nodded. She stiffened and seemed to stand taller. “You are correct, Ari. Our Lord has not hidden us here for all these years only to deliver us into the hands of our enemies.” She glanced up to the darkening sky. “I cannot say I look forward to our return to Jerusalem when the time comes, but I’ll be happy when Jehoiada sends for us.”
Ari understood. The elders had continually praised him for his gift of perseverance, and even though he considered his current duty an honor, he longed for the day when he didn’t have to be on guard and ever watchful, the day when the child would become another’s responsibility.
Henna lightly danced in the air, and an awareness of her presence pricked his nape. “Hello, Mira.”
“Mira,” Tama greeted her cousin with a kiss to each cheek. “I was admiring the work Ari has done to your home. Not much longer and it will be complete.”
Mira’s cheeks reddened, and she dipped her chin, looking to her feet. “That is what I’m told.”
His heart saddened at her lack of enthusiasm. Did she not want a home of her own? Did she not want to marry? Given her suitor, he did not blame her.
“I do not mean to interrupt.” She glanced at him through hooded eyes. “Abba seeks word with you, Ari.”
“Shalom, Ari.” Tama bowed.
“Shalom, Tama.” She skirted around the corner of what was to be Mira’s home.
“I pray our hope is not in vain,” he said beneath his breath. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he regretted speaking them. His lack of faith soured his stomach.
“Not in vain?”
He shook his muddled thoughts. “Pardon?”
“You pray our hope is not in vain for what?” Mira waited for an answer.
He half growled and half laughed at his lack of secrecy. “Given, you do not seem pleased with your home—”
“Oh, it is not that,” she said, ducking beneath the doorposts. Her fingers glided along the scrolling. Her eyes filled with delight. She glanced at him. “It is beautiful, Ari. The time you’ve taken to build—the artistry—I am very pleased.” She twisted her lips. “It is Esha I am displeased with. I had hoped he would find another bride, but I fear my father’s land is too much a prize.”
He smiled. “In that, I fear you are correct. Have you taken your concerns to God?”
She tilted her head in consideration. “I—I have not thought—that is, no, I have not.”
“One thing I know.” He paused, glancing through the window he had shaped with the stones so the evening twilight could shine. “God delights in our conversation with Him. He asks we seek His face, even in small matters.”
She dipped her chin, kicking the toe of her sandal into the ground. “Even our fears?”
He drew in a shuddering breath. “Even our fears. Did not King David write, ‘Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me’?”
The corners of her mouth turned upward. “‘For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.’”
“Mira, you must seek God in times of trouble, and trust He’ll be your rock and fortress.”
Dropping her hands to her sides, her smile disappeared. “I fear the guards will return while you’re gone.”
He longed to reach out and hold her hand, to reassure her all would be well. He took a step from her. “I do not like leaving, either. Even if I were to stay, I am only one man. A servant. I would not be able to defend your father’s village against the queen’s men.”
She shook her head, the bronze silk veil ornamented with tiny beads covering her hair danced at her shoulders. “But I saw you. I saw them tremble before you—”
“Enough. Every day since I have been in your father’s house you have scorned my help and now you seek what I cannot give.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I am only a man, unworthy of your faith. Forgive—”
Mira held up her hand and pushed past him, but not before he witnessed a tear sliding down her cheek.
“Wait.” He followed behind her. “If we tell your father...”
She swiped at her eyes before facing him. “No. I refuse to be the cause of his health failing any further. He’d only worry. You go, as you must. As I said before, I’m neither defenseless nor helpless.”
He watched the gentle sway of her hips as she walked away and wondered what had just happened. Her behavior left him confused. Her lack of courage and diminishing pride proved the incident with the soldiers had pierced her sheltered innocence.
* * *
