Caesar's Lord by Bryan Litfin

Author:Bryan Litfin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical Fiction;Church history—­Primitive and early church (ca 30–600)—­Fiction;Rome—­History—­Constantine I the Great;306–337—­Fiction;Historical fiction;Christian fiction;Novels;FIC042030;FIC014010;FIC027050
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2022-08-30T00:00:00+00:00

For two months, Flavia had been enduring the rigors of the road. Though long-distance travel could often be physically taxing, she didn’t hate it. The jostling of the carriage, the long stretches of boredom, and the lack of privacy were counterbalanced by the excitement of discovering what was around the next bend. And the fact that Rex was probably waiting at the end of the journey made every hardship worthwhile. Flavia decided she would gladly step into the traces and pull the carriage herself just to see her husband again. We probably wouldn’t get very far each day, she thought, laughing at the absurd idea. Better to ride inside and leave the pulling to the mules.

Yet now that the long, arduous trip from Aegyptus to Nicaea was finally coming to an end, Flavia found herself strangely sad. While she was definitely ready to arrive, she had also bonded with her traveling companions in the shared conviviality of the road. After Bishop Alexander invited her to serve as the delegation’s scribe, his original reluctance to include her was replaced by enthusiastic acceptance. He often sought her counsel about important matters or consulted her notes about the events she was recording. “The church has always welcomed godly women in its midst,” he told her one night around the campfire. “I fell back into the pagan way of thinking that women are inferior.” Flavia once again assured Alexander that she had forgiven him, and he finally dropped the subject.

By the time the delegation rolled into Nicaea, the original party of five had swollen into a huge caravan of ecclesiastical travelers. Bishops from other cities had decided to accompany the Aegyptians, and the farther they went down the road, the more delegations joined the parade. Flavia guessed that around two hundred people had just arrived at Nicaea, adding their numbers to those already here. The encampment outside the walls just kept growing.

Fortunately, Flavia wasn’t designated to sleep in the tents. There was a house of devoted sisters inside the city, and Flavia was one of the few attendees who could lodge with them. For about a week, she lived quietly with these new friends, whom she found to be prayerful and congenial companions. No one knew exactly when Rex and Sophronia might arrive. And then, one bright morning, everything changed when Flavia answered the door and her husband burst into her life again.

“Rex!” she exclaimed as she saw his handsome, smiling face. He came to her swiftly, scooping her into his arms. Instead of speaking, Flavia let her passionate kiss convey what words never could. Rex’s embrace felt so strong, so comforting and familiar, so utterly good that she felt she might burst. Her tumultuous emotions were a combination of joy, relief, exhilaration, and desire. Yet beneath them all was a deep and abiding love for this boisterous, courageous, rock-solid man.

Separating from the embrace, Rex stared at Flavia’s face. “You look so good to me,” he said softly, holding her cheeks in his hands.

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