A Stray Drop of Blood (54 page)

The words brought her eyes up to his, though she had to shift her head to make that possible. She said nothing in response. As much as she may feel the same, it did not change the fact that their homes were in very different worlds. Who knew how much longer they would be together? To keep from thinking about it now, she asked, “Did Samuel show you his tooth?”

Titus chuckled, pulling her a little closer to his side. “Only about four times. And of course, I saw the gap every time he grinned, which was practically all evening.”

Abigail chuckled too. “He is such a good child. Do you know, I think he is even beginning to win over your mother.”

At that news, Titus lifted a brow. “I find that curious indeed.”

Abigail smiled. “It is true. We were outside yesterday, as was she, only I did not realize it. Apparently Samuel came across her while he was playing, and of course it did not occur to him that he would be intruding, so he sat down and started entertaining her. I apologized when I found him, and she said nothing. But today, we were all out again, and she called him to her to finish telling her the story he had begun yesterday.”

The tale brought a smile to Titus’s lips. “My mother is a kind enough woman at heart. She just has so few chances to show it, in this house. Life has not been gentle with her, nor has my father.” Titus untied the end of Abigail’s braid and ran his fingers through her hair. “I noticed she actually spoke to you at dinner tonight, too. I was quite surprised. I think that is the first time she has done such a thing, and you have been with us for almost a month.”

Abigail grinned. “I suspect she did it mainly to irritate your father. I heard them arguing earlier today.”

“
If they speak at all, it is to argue. One thing I learned from them is that a marriage for politics is quite simply not worth it if the parties do not at least like one another.”

Abigail nodded her agreement but decided not to contemplate who Titus would end up marrying one of these days, when she had gone back to Israel. Instead, she considered his parents. “It is a pity they cannot get along. Ester and Cleopas loved each other so very deeply, and it made their years together wonderful and their house a peaceful place in which to reside.”

“
From what I understand, my parents never got along. According to Antonia, the hostility in this house has been there since the day they entered it.”

“
Your mother is beautiful, though. I am surprised your father . . .” she tapered off, heat rushing her cheeks.

Titus smiled. “My father likes beautiful women, it is true, but he likes only the ones he can rule. My mother has always been an independent woman. She had her own wealth, you see, and has never needed to rely on my father. Moreover, she brought him connections he needed, and he cannot tolerate being indebted to anyone. But they remain married because it provides them both with a necessary level of respect in the eyes of the city. Even if everyone in it does know that they would prefer to have nothing to do with each other.”

Abigail shook her head. “Promise me you will never subject yourself to such a marriage, Titus.”

“
Oh, you have my word on that. Need I request the same promise from you?”

Abigail dropped her gaze and pulled away a bit. “I will never remarry. I am a widow with another man’s child.”

He rubbed a hand over her arm. “It is not the hindrance you think it. In fact, you may need to be careful. Your son has his inheritance, and you are beautiful. You may be just what many men are dreaming of.”

Abigail straightened her spine and silently met his gaze.

Titus grinned. “I dream about you, my love, but not for those reasons.”

“
I know that. But then, we will never be married.”

Titus’s brows drew together. “It is not that I do not wish it, Abigail. It is simply not poss–”

She halted him with a finger on his lips. “I know. You need not explain what I myself have already considered. But the point remains: I will not remarry. My body was Jason’s. My heart is yours. My soul belongs to my God. I have nothing else to give another.”

Their gazes held for a long moment, and Titus buried his fingers deep in her hair. “Is it wrong of me to feel relief at that?”

Abigail felt herself smile. “No more so than it is for me to be jealous of your future wife, when you have not even found her yet.”

He smiled, too, and leaned down to kiss her again. “We should pray. Then sleep. The day is catching up to me.”

Abigail nodded and bowed her head to obey. They each took a turn speaking, sharing their thoughts and worship, and were soon kissing good night and standing up. Abigail glanced at the boys as she entered their chamber, smiling softly at both of them. She was truly blessed, in spite of all the dark times she had come through. She would have to keep focusing on that in the upcoming weeks, reminding herself of all of her blessings instead of worrying over what could not be helped. But at the same time, she needed to prepare herself for that inevitable moment’s approach.

As she slipped into bed, she let her mind move over those who had been her life up until a few months ago; Ester and Andrew, Simon and Dinah. Right now, they seemed very far away, and terribly long ago. They had never even seen Benjamin, who was now the biggest part of her life. They did not know that she had put her faith in Jesus the Christ, they would probably not even believe her if she told them Jason had visited her while she was in labor. They were probably nervous about her being with Titus, because they could not realize how much he had changed. So they would certainly not understand if she confessed her love for him.

Sighing, she buried her face in the cool cover on her pillow and drew in a deep breath. She missed her family. It was a ball in her chest every time she thought about them. She missed the city she knew so well, the gold and alabaster beauty of her homeland. But something new bloomed alongside her love for Titus. Something that made her wonder if she was still the girl they knew, and if they would welcome the changes she had made. Something that made her question her ability to go back to the way things were.

She was not even certain anymore exactly how things had been. Those weeks after the uprising had been a blur, a collection of unpleasant impressions with that sheen of pain over everything. She remembered her resentment when Ester would not respond, she remembered the awkwardness with Andrew. Would he still hold that love for her in his heart? Did he still hope that somehow they would be together?

It was impossible now, for her son’s sake if for no other reason. But it was something she would have to deal with when they were reunited, along with all the other issues that had been left dangling because of the unanticipated separation. It would be strange to face them all again now, when they had been living with different concerns for the past two months.

“
Father, I give these cares to you,” she whispered into her pillow. “Please protect them on their passage over, heal my mother, touch their hearts. Guide us all, and help me to handle the situation as you would see fit when we are together again.” She felt a peace as soon as she spoke the words and breathed it in gratefully. Closing her eyes, she let go of all thoughts, all worries, and let herself fall into sleep. It was in the last moments of consciousness that she realized her period of mourning had ended that day, and that tomorrow would be her time of purification from giving birth. It was one more thing to remind her that even the Lord pronounced it time to move on.

~*~

“
You, eunuch.”

Phillip turned at the unfamiliar voice. His shoulders tensed, even though it was a feminine voice that called him, probably not a direct threat to his mistress. But one never knew. After being in this house for several weeks, he knew that Abigail was despised by almost everyone, and that danger could lie anywhere.

The woman who materialized from the shadows was one he had seen only a few times, usually on his way to his quarters. Abigail refused to let him stay with her through the nights; he understood her need for privacy, but he also knew the darkness was the best time for dark motives. It was in the night that he had seen this woman emerging from her room, usually headed toward Caius’s chambers. She was one of many women to make that trek, and most of them he pitied, knowing they had no say over their lives. This one, though, did not arouse any compassion. She held her head high, arrogantly, and walked around as though she were a mistress instead of a whore. There was pride in her eyes now, too, as she looked up at him. She held her spine straight, and still she reached only to his chest.

He said nothing, just waited for her to state her purpose.

She smiled. “I am Caelia.”

He flicked his gaze through the open door he had been about to go through, where he could see Abigail just inside, sitting in the sun that came through the window, Benjamin nursing at her breast. He felt himself relax, since his ward was in sight. He disliked leaving her even on the errands she sent him on, at least when Titus or Panther was not there to watch her in his stead. She did not seem to realize that a threat could pounce at any moment.

Caelia followed his gaze, her eyes turning dry, then kindling. “Your mistress is a beautiful woman. Did you know I met her husband before he went back to Israel last year? A handsome man. Charming. I had no chance to get to know him, though; Titus was protective of me. Possessive.”

Phillip regarded her evenly, wondering what her point was.

Caelia raised her chin another degree. “Now my master will not even look at me. And why? For
her
?” She let out a mocking laugh. “I know the laundress, and she assures me that if they are lovers, they hide it well, even from their sheets.”

Phillip stiffened, and the woman smirked. “I have bribed her to keep the information to herself. But know this: I will tell Caius if I want to, and he will be so angry at the deception that he will take her and teach her her place. He will throw her into the streets and disown Titus for succumbing to her spells. He is not the man he was when he left, and it is all
her
doing!”

“
What do you want?” Phillip demanded.

Her eyes smoldered, and it reminded him of his childhood, his aunt. . . she was a priestess, and this was the look on her face as she prophesied destruction. Almost unconsciously, he whispered a silent prayer to his mistress’s God. For her protection. Not for his.

Her hands balled into fists. “I want Titus, and I will have him again. Tell your mistress that if she stands in my way, I will give her over to Caius, and Titus will be the one blamed for her death when I kill her in her sleep after he’s through with her.”

Moving with lightning speed, Phillip closed a hand around her throat, picked her up, and slammed her into the wall. He kept his voice a bare murmur. “You will die by my hand before you will raise yours against Abigail. You will not blame my mistress for your master’s decisions.” He noticed with satisfaction that her eyes were not so powerful when they were bulging, nor her lips so poisonous when they were gasping for breath. He released her as suddenly as he had grabbed her, and she slumped against the wall.

“
Harm me, and you will die,” she said through her gasps.

Phillip smiled. “I will tell Caius it was on Abigail’s orders when she found you in Titus’s arms, and he will slap my wrist and proceed to rejoice that his son is not so devoted to Abigail after all. He will buy three women to replace you, and you will never be missed.”

She faltered for a moment, obviously wondering if he may be right, but soon regained her confidence. “We shall see. If I were you, I would not bargain my mistress’s life on that possibility.”

She walked away, and Phillip was left knowing she had scored a victory. He would not risk Abigail’s life. Which meant he would have to make sure he was not alone in his plan.

~*~

Titus slammed his fist against the wall. “I am such an idiot! I should have bribed the laundress myself.”

Phillip folded his arms across his chest. “Regrets are not to the point, Lord. More pressing is what to do now that Caelia knows.”

Titus sighed, raking a hand through his hair as he paced his chamber. “She will do it. I know her well, and she is a viper. If she approaches me and I turn her away, she will go to my father and tell him everything.”

“
Perhaps Mistress should leave this house,” Phillip suggested soberly. “We can go to that estate of her son’s.”

“
And you think my father will not find her there? It is the first place he will look, and he will be angry enough to follow her immediately. Will you fend off all the army he brings with him?”

“
Then what?” More irritation entered his voice than Titus had ever imagined him displaying; proof, to his mind, of the slave’s devotion to Abigail.

“
I know not.” Titus raked his hand through his hair and cursed. “Perhaps. . . perhaps I will just have to
not
turn her away.”

“
What?”

Titus spun around when Abigail’s voice invaded the room. Guilt vied with frustration in his chest. “Abigail, this does not concern you. Go back to your room.”

She looked at him as though he had taken leave of his senses. “Am I now your slave to be commanded? And is it none of my concern when you talk about taking another woman to your bed?”