Paul, Apostle of Christ by Angela Hunt

Author:Angela Hunt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Biblical Fiction;FIC042030;FIC026000;FIC021000
ISBN: 9781493416202
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2018-01-25T05:00:00+00:00

Priscilla tried to control her emotions on the walk home, but her chin kept wobbling and her eyes filled in spite of her resolve. She kept her head down and her steps quick, and within a quarter hour she had entered the gate of her own courtyard. After nodding to the men who kept watch there, she left her shopping basket with Octavia, gave her brief instructions about dinner, and ran up the stairs.

She found Aquila in their bedroom, working on Luke’s notes. Thankfully, he was alone.

“Husband?”

He looked up, his smile twisting when he saw her face. “What happened?”

She forced the words out. “I saw Moria.”

“And?”

Priscilla curled her hands into fists, fighting back the sobs that swelled in her chest. “We could not have been more wrong.”

“Come.” Aquila turned away from the table and held out his arms. “Tell me why we were wrong.”

A whimper escaped Priscilla’s lips as she went to her husband and sat on his lap, allowing herself to be comforted like a child. “I saw Moria,” she began, “and she wept in my arms. She and Carmine did go back to their master, and he was grateful to see them. He said they had saved him a fortune in slave-hunter fees. Then he sent Moria to the slaves’ quarters and he had Carmine taken away.”

“Taken where?”

Priscilla gulped as hot tears slipped down her cheeks. “To the slave market. The dominus said he would sell Carmine so Moria would never be tempted to run again.”

Aquila patted her shoulder, his expression tight with strain.

“I just—” she brought her hand to her mouth in an effort to stifle a sob—“I can’t help feeling we were wrong to send them back. They could still be here with us, safe and united. They had been together so many years, and now their master has torn them apart!”

“It could have been worse, Priscilla. At least Carmine wasn’t beaten. And while I regret that Moria’s child will never know its father—”

“No.” Priscilla put her hands on his shoulders. “We were wrong about that, too. We assumed the child was Carmine’s.”

Aquila lifted a brow. “The child wasn’t his?”

“Carmine is Moria’s brother,” Priscilla explained, trembling. “Her unborn child was fathered by their master. He sends for his female slaves whenever he chooses and sells their children as slaves once they are old enough to be weaned. Think of it, husband—he treats them like brood mares.”

Aquila’s frowned deepened. “I am sorry to hear it.”

“Moria wants to honor God,” Priscilla went on, floundering in a maelstrom of emotion. “But how can she when her dominus treats her like a prostitute? Her brother used to comfort her, but now he is gone and she may never see him again. How is she supposed to serve her master willingly in that kind of situation?”

Aquila closed his eyes and pulled at his beard. Priscilla waited, her throat aching with regret, as he sorted through his thoughts.

“Dear wife,” he said, his eyes gentle and contemplative as he smiled. “You should not listen to your heart.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.