Bathsheba, Reluctant Beauty by Angela Hunt

Author:Angela Hunt [Hunt, Angela]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FIC042030, FIC042040, FIC027050, Bathsheba (Biblical figure)—Fiction, David, King of Israel—Fiction, Women in the Bible—Fiction, Mothers and sons—Fiction, Bible. Old Testament—History of Biblical events—Fiction
ISBN: 9781441269409
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2015-07-29T16:00:00+00:00

One afternoon in the palace garden, as Solomon studied with his tutor and I embroidered the sleeves of his new tunic, Tamar sidled over and sat beside me on my bench. She leaned forward, resting her head on her hand, then abruptly sat up and frowned. “I have to stop doing that,” she said, casting me a sidelong glance. “Mother says I will ruin my face if I keep touching it.”

Remembering my own mother’s obsession with beauty, I resisted the urge to laugh. “Does your mother often give you beauty secrets?”

Tamar sighed. “All the time. She says my future happiness depends on marrying a rich and powerful king, so I must be tob beautiful lest I be scorned and left alone to grow old.”

I gave her a sympathetic smile, remembering how I had been similarly frustrated with my own mother. Samuel’s prophecy should have been enough to assure her that I’d possess some degree of beauty, but she believed her duty lay in helping me be the most beautiful I could be. I was not allowed to play in casual clothing or step outside in anything but the finest garments my parents could afford. And I was never, ever to nibble my nails, pull at my hair, or play outside with bare feet.

Yet my mother wasn’t the only woman concerned about her daughter’s future. Almost from birth, all young girls were trained for their lives as wives and mothers. Failure to achieve either goal would be unthinkable.

“I do not think occasionally touching your face will mar your beauty,” I told Tamar, keeping my voice gentle. “But perhaps I do not know as much about such things as your mother.”

“Oh, but you must!” Tamar turned toward me, her brown eyes shining. “I have always thought you the most beautiful woman in the harem. Mother says I shouldn’t make comparisons, but I can’t help it. Your eyes are perfect, your skin flawless, and you have not allowed yourself to get fat like so many women here—”

“Thank you,” I interrupted, not wanting to encourage her by saying anything that might be repeated or misconstrued. “I will agree that beauty does tend to catch a man’s eye. But once you have captured his attention, then what? If you would be more than a beautiful frame, you must know how to hold a man’s interest, entertain him, and understand him. If you want to bind him to your heart, you must offer a man more than mere beauty.”

I stopped sewing as my thoughts returned to the previous night. David had called for me, and we spent the night talking about Shlomo, the grape harvest, and the competence of the new cook. He gave me a silk scarf, yet another gift, and then he played his harp until I fell asleep. Hardly the stuff of passionate romance, but a lovely evening nonetheless.

“So what do you offer the king?” Tamar asked, snapping me back to reality. “If beauty doesn’t bind him to your heart, what does?”

I took a deep breath as a dozen different emotions pricked at my 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.