As Sure as the Dawn by Francine Rivers Read Free Book Online

take Caleb and run away where no one could find them.
    And will you hide from me also, beloved?
    The question had come so clear, she knew she couldn’t pretend she didn’t know the will of God. She put her forehead against the door, tears running down her cheeks. She knew if she waited at all, she’d give in to temptation and never go.
    Caleb always roused hungry. Lifting the babe from his box-bed, she had nursed him before setting out to meet his father. All along the long walk, she prayed God would soften Atretes’ heart and that Caleb would be left in her care.
    Now, walking across this barren yard and into the silent house, she felt the cold remoteness of the place. Did it reflect the man?
    Lord, help me. Help me!
    She followed the servant through the front door and entered a large atrium, which was designed for receiving guests. Light streamed down from the opening in the roof, making the fountain pool shimmer with reflected light. A soft mist rose from the spilling water, cooling the chamber. It was a welcome relief after so many hours on the dusty road.
    “Wait here, my lady,” the servant said. Rizpah watched him walk beneath an archway and disappear around the corner.
    Pacing nervously, she rubbed Caleb’s back. He was stirring and would be hungry soon. Her breasts were full in readiness.
    She heard footsteps coming, and her heart thumped. Closing her eyes, she prayed fervently that Atretes would consider his son’s needs above all else.
    Lord, help me. O Father, how can I give up my son? How can you ask it of me? Isn’t it enough that I have lost Shimei and Rachel? You gave Caleb to me. Surely you do not give that you might take away again?
    “The Lady Rizpah, my lord,” the servant said, and she opened her eyes. Alarm spread through her as she saw the man with him. Tall and powerfully built, his hair long, blonde, and unkempt, he stared at her, his blue eyes blazing with fury. She’d never seen so fierce a countenance. She felt the power of his anger from across the chamber.
    “Leave us,” Atretes said, and the servant departed with an alacrity that was even more alarming.
    Her trepidation grew as she found herself alone with the imposing master of the house. The only sound was that of the running water in the fountain. Her heart beat wildly as Atretes walked toward her, slowly, his blue eyes narrowing coldly as they drifted over her from head to foot, pausing with an almost cursory interest on his son, and then returning to her eyes. She sensed the violence in him. She could feel the dark force of it emanating from him.
    This man was her sweet little Caleb’s father? How could it be?
    She held her son closer, enfolding him in her arms.
    Atretes felt the anger grow in him with each step he took. The woman who held his son so possessively reminded him of Julia. She was small and the drab woven shawl that covered her hair failed to conceal the fact that she was exquisitely beautiful. Strands of damp, curling black hair framed a smooth, oval, olive-skinned face. Her mouth was full and soft, like Julia’s. Her eyes were brown, like Julia’s. Her body lush, like Julia’s.
    He would have torn his son from her arms were the boy not wound into her shawl.
    He tossed the pouch of coins at her feet. “Two hundred denarii,” he snarled.
    Rizpah’s lips parted in shock at the gesture. She stepped back. She’d never seen such a hard, cold, implacable face.
    “Not enough?” he said coldly.
    “You think to buy the boy back from me?”
    “No! I’m paying you for services rendered.”
    The hurtful words roused a fierce anger within her. “Money? What recompense is that for tearing a child she loves from a woman’s arms? You don’t seem to understand. I love Caleb.”
    “Caleb?” he said, remembering a Jewish gladiator long ago in Rome, a man he’d respected—and killed.
    “His given name.”
    “Not a name I gave him.”
    “You were not there to name him!”
    “I was told he was dead,” Atretes