by Carol Ashby
Miriam gazed at her image in the polished silver mirror. “I almost look like a Roman lady, mistress.”
“Not almost. You really do. If we went to the Baths of Titus, like I used to, we could fool any of my friends.”
The mistress picked up the perfume bottle.
“No, mistress. I don’t want the master to smell your perfume on me again." Heat rushed from her cheeks to the tips of her ears as she remembered his face pressed against her neck.
“Then I’m done. Now stand up and let me see you. Go over by the window where the light is better and turn so I can see everything.”
Miriam moved over to the window. As she looked out, two strange men walked through the gate. They were looking around in a way that seemed suspicious.
“Mistress. There are two strangers in the stable yard.”
As she watched, Nestor came out of the stable and walked over to the two men. Suddenly, the tall man grabbed Nestor. While he pinned Nestor’s arms, the shorter man drew his sword and struck Nestor hard with the handle. Nestor crumpled to the ground when the tall one released him.
Miriam stepped back from the window.
“Someone is going to try to take you, mistress. They’ve knocked out Nestor. Quick. I’m going to hide you under my blankets in the corner. You must lie as still and quiet as you can until they take me instead. Don’t come out too soon, or they’ll see you. Wait until we’re gone. Then run up to Master Philip’s house. You’ll be safe there.”
Claudia blanched. “Lucius. He’s found me.”
“But we won’t let him take you. Hurry. Before they come into the house.”
Miriam snatched one of the narrow fabric chestbands from the topmost cupboard drawer and began wrapping her bad ankle. “I’m going to be you, mistress. Hide now.”
“I can’t let you do that, Miriam.”
“You have to. If they take both of us, then no one can help us. If they only take me, you can run to Master Philip’s and be safe while you send someone to rescue me.”
“But―”
“No time to argue, mistress. Quick. Under my blankets.”
Miriam had finished wrapping her ankle. She began pushing Claudia over to her pallet in the corner of the room. She pulled it a little way out from the wall.
“Lie here next to the wall. Hurry, so I can get you covered before they get here.”
Mistress Claudia did as Miriam ordered, and Miriam threw the blankets over her as if they’d been tossed back when someone got out of the bed.
As her mistress lay silently under the covers, trying to lie perfectly still, Miriam sat at the dressing table and waited for what was to come.
She heard them coming up the stairs. She could see the door in the mirror, and she watched the pair of them approaching. She picked up the perfume bottle and dabbed a small amount behind each ear.
“Miriam? I didn’t expect you back so soon.” She turned in her chair to face them. “Who are you?” She tried to sound commanding, like the mistress of a house might.
The shorter one stepped forward as the tall one blocked the door. He addressed her in Latin. “Are you Claudia Drusilla?”
Miriam drew herself up proudly while remaining seated. Thank you, God, for Mistress teaching me Latin. It was uncommon to hear it spoken in Thracia. Using it should convince them they had the real Claudia.
“Of course. Get out of my house.” She stood and acted like it hurt to put weight on her wrapped ankle. She cried out as loudly as she could. “Nestor! There are men here.”
The taller man uttered a cruel laugh. “It won’t do you any good to call for Nestor. We already took care of him.”
Claudia was in agony as she listened, but Miriam had told her not to make a sound so they wouldn’t find her. She struggled to obey. Tears pooled in her eyes, but she fought to keep them in check while she kept her breathing quiet and her body deathly still.
“Your brother Lucius has sent us to escort you back to Rome. You didn’t have his permission to leave, and you’re going back to him now.”
“I don’t need his permission. He’s not the true head of my father’s household. He murdered Father, and he should have been sewn in a leather bag and tossed in the river. Titus is my guardian, not Lucius.”
“Not anymore. You’re coming back to Rome with us.”
The agent stepped up to Miriam and took her arm.
“Take your filthy hand off me. Nestor! Help me!”
The agent clamped his free hand over her mouth. “One more shout from you, and we’ll kill your man before we leave.” Miriam’s eyes saucered. “Is that what you want?”
She shook her head, so he uncovered her mouth.
He started to drag her forward, and she began hopping on one foot.
“Wait. I can’t walk fast right now. I sprained my ankle. Please, go slower.”
The short agent looked down, saw the fabric tightly wrapped around her ankle, and let out a string of curses. “Start walking.”
Miriam took a short hop, then paused. “Wait.”
He took her arm and tugged. She jerked it free. “I said keep your hands off me. You’ll answer to my brother if you don’t. I’m trying to go as I fast as I can.”
The tall man took her other arm. “He said to bring you back no matter how hard you fight, so he won’t do a thing. Get her other arm and lift when she hops. She’ll go farther.”
Miriam tried to hold them back, but they swung her three feet forward on each hop.
At the head of the stairs, the tall man paused. “I saw a big basket by the stable and a donkey cart.”
The shorter one nodded. “When we get her outside, that should help.” He scooped Miriam up, draped her across his shoulder, and carried her down the stairs.
“Put me down! Lucius will hear of the way you’re treating me, and he won’t be happy. He wants to sell me to Flavius Sabinus, and he won’t get his money if you hurt me in any way.”
The second man cursed again. Claudia strained to understand what they were saying, but their voices were getting fainter. She heard the man with the deep voice one more time. “Let’s gag her, and use the basket.”
What the other man muttered in response, she couldn’t hear.
She stayed still as a statue as she tried to decide how long she should remain there before she ran for help. The house had become deathly quiet.
Miriam was gone.
Chapter 71: No Longer Impossible
It had been four and a half weeks since he’d broken her heart, and Philip felt his chest tighten as he turned off the main road and started up the street that ran past Claudia’s house. He couldn’t count how many times he’d begged God to claim her heart so she could become his wife. Most would consider him a brave man, but it took every ounce of courage he possessed to ride through her gate and risk her telling him to leave and never come back.
He didn’t expect what he saw when he rode around the back of the house. He hoped to see Claudia in the garden or the kitchen with Miriam. Instead, Nestor was lying unconscious, bound, and gagged just outside the kitchen door.
A wave of his arm ordered his men to check Nestor as Philip slid from his horse. As he bolted through the kitchen and up the stairs to search for her, he kept praying that he would find her hiding somewhere, safe.
“Claudia! Are you here? Claudia!”
No answer.
He looped back through the dining room, store room, and kitchen. No sign of anyone.
As Philip emerged from the kitchen, his men were kneeling beside Nestor.
“He’s alive, master. Just knocked out.”
“Antyllus, stay with Nestor. Callias, Milo, come with me.”
He hurled himself onto his horse and wheeled him to gallop out the gate. He headed up the hill to his own house, dreading what he might find there as well.
Philip cantered into his stable yard, and his pulse jumped as he caught sight of her reddish-blonde hair. He reined i
n and trotted to where Claudia stood by his steward. He swung his leg across his horse’s neck and dismounted while it was still moving. He landed at a run and was by her side before she could fully turn to face him.
“I found Nestor. When you weren’t at the house, I was so afraid...”
He pulled her into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his chest and pressed her cheek against his tunic before tipping her head back to gaze at him. Her eyes swam in tears.
“They took her, Philip. Lucius’s men…they came for me, and they took Miriam. Just like Jesus...she took my place. We’ve got to find her and get her back.”
Philip’s heart leaped at the sound of her voice saying “just like Jesus.” All his prayers for the last three months were answered in those three words.
He pushed her hair behind her ear and swept a teardrop from her cheek. He stepped back but left his hands on her arms.
“What happened?”
“Miriam saw them attack Nestor. She hid me under her blankets and told me to wait until they took her away before I came here for help. She was afraid they’d see me if I came out too soon. When I couldn’t hear them anymore, I ran here as fast as I could.”
“Which way did they go?”
“I don’t know. First, I hid too long, and then I stopped to check Nestor, so I didn’t see. I should have gone to the end of the balcony and watched to see which way they went. Why didn’t I think of that? We’ve got to find her, Philip.”
Philip turned to his steward. “Gather the men. Mount as many as you can. We’re going to fan out and look for her.”
His steward nodded and moved to obey.
Philip turned to his two armed men, who were still mounted. “They’ll probably be heading west or toward the harbor. Check the western road for the first five miles out. They can’t have gone farther than that.”
His traveling companions wheeled their horses and cantered out the gate.
Philip’s brow furrowed. By land or by sea? It was late in the season, so the large ships like his that sailed all the way to Rome were now moored until spring. Some smaller ships were making short coastal runs for another couple of weeks. They could take one as far west as Thessalonica and catch the Via Egnatia there. That would be his own choice if he’d kidnapped someone.
It was late afternoon, so they weren’t likely to leave the harbor before morning. Most captains cast off early if they didn’t have to time their departure with the tides, and Perinthus had almost no tidal variation in the harbor.
“If they’re going by ship, I only need to find out who arranged for the row boats to pull them out of the harbor. Then we can search all the ships that are about to sail.”
If the kidnappers went by land, there were too many possible routes. They must find her much quicker, or she would be gone. Claudia’s worried eyes kept him from speaking that concern.
“We’ll find her. I’ll go to Titus, and he can have his troops look for her, too.”
She managed a smile through her tears. “I’m so glad you’re back. If anyone can find her, it’s you.” She laid her hand on his cheek and stroked his scars with her thumb. “I’ve missed you terribly. I’m so ashamed of what I said. I should never have hurt you like that. Please forgive me.”
“Always, but there’s nothing to forgive.” He wiped more tears away. “Now, tell me what you know about the men. How could they have mistaken a slave for you?”
His eyebrow rose at that thought. How could anyone be so stupid?
Philip slid his hands up and down Claudia’s arms. She took a deep breath, and when she released it, she seemed much calmer.
“The more you can tell me, the easier it will be to find her.”
“I was having fun dressing Miriam up in some of my things. I had her in that lovely green tunic with my small gold necklace and my big gold bracelet. I’d just finished styling her hair with my gold hair net. She looked just like a Roman lady should. Her hair’s brown, but a little dye could make mine match hers. She really is very pretty, so someone might think she was me.”
“But her ankle and her limp…” Confusing the two of them was still beyond Philip’s comprehension.
“She wrapped it to hide it and told them she’d sprained it.”
The corner of Philip’s mouth rose. “Clever. That should keep them from walking anywhere too fast. Did you hear a carriage?”
“No…and I would have recognized carriage sounds. I didn’t hear horses, either. But maybe they’d left them down the street somewhere.” Her face brightened. “One of them did say he saw a big basket and the donkey cart as they were taking her down the stairs. She was making them go very slowly because of her ankle. The last thing I heard was something about gagging her and using the basket.”
“Does that basket have a cover?”
“Yes, and it would hold her. She’s not very big.”
Philip turned to one of his men. “Go see if the basket is still there and if the donkey cart is gone.”
The man nodded, mounted one of the horses, and cantered out the gate.
“Can you remember anything else?”
“Yes. When they asked Miriam if she was me, they asked in good Latin. I’ve been teaching her Latin almost since Titus bought her, so she spoke it back to them. I’m sure that helped convince them they had me.”
“So they might be Romans. That could help us find them. Anything else?”
“Well, there were two of them that came to my room. I don’t know if there were any left in the courtyard, but it took long enough between when Miriam saw them knock out Nestor and when they came up the stairs that they probably tied him up themselves. If there were more men, I think they would have been upstairs faster.”
Philip nodded. He rested his hand on her cheek and brushed away one of her last tears with his thumb. His brilliant little general had observed plenty to help them find her.
“One had a deep voice. Not as deep as yours, but close. The other sounded more like Titus. He’s the one who asked Miriam if she was me. One had heavy footsteps, too, so maybe he’s tall or fat. I didn’t see anything, though.”
The man he’d sent to check on the donkey cart trotted through the gate and rode directly to Philip.
“The basket is gone, and so is the donkey cart.”
“Good. See if you can follow the cart tracks down to the main road and tell if the cart turned left back into town or right to go west.” The man nodded and headed back through the gate.
Philip stroked Claudia’s hair. “It looks like they took her away in a basket using the donkey cart. We should soon know which way they went. Then I’ll go to Titus, and we can all start looking for them.”
She’d stopped crying, but fear still clouded her eyes.
“But what if we don’t find her? If they take her to Lucius…” The tears started to pool in her eyes again.
“I don’t think it will come to that. God will help us find her. You just need to be praying that we’ll find her soon.”
“Oh, I am. When Titus was so sick with fever and now…I don’t know what I’d do without Jesus.”
Philip took her hands in his as he gazed at the beautiful woman who was now his sister in Christ. “You’ll never have to find out.”
He took a deep breath before his next question. He was almost sure he knew what the answer would be, but he was still nervous asking.
“This might not be the best time to ask, but I don’t want to wait any longer. You’ve told me before that you want to stay with me forever. If you still do...” He paused before plunging ahead. “Will you be my wife?”
Claudia pulled one hand free to reach up and caress his scars. “I want that more now than ever.”
She’d loved looking at this ugly man for many weeks, but his look of sheer joy at her answer made him the handsomest man her eyes had ever beheld.
She slid her hand behind his head and guided his lips down to meet her own. In that first lingering k
iss was the promise of years of joy together as husband and wife.
She stepped back and gazed up at him. “I’ve dreamed of that for so long.” She caressed his scars again. “I’m so thankful God gave you scars so no other woman would win your heart before I could.”
He grinned at her as he moved a strand of hair behind her ear. “My heart is all yours, mighty general.”
Philip pulled Claudia back into his arms and held her tight as his unscarred cheek felt the softness of her hair. He’d held her many times when she was broken-hearted, and it had made him glad when he could comfort her. To hold her like this when she was joyful was precious beyond words. He might never have let her go if his man hadn’t returned to report.
“Master. The tracks headed back toward town. And Nestor is awake now. He can give us a good description of the two men and the donkey cart.”
“Excellent. Gather the men. We’ll hear from Nestor, and then we hunt.”
Philip turned back to Claudia. “They’ve probably taken her to the harbor. The time is wrong for setting sail, so we should have plenty of time to find her before they can leave. I’ll have your precious Miriam back to you in time for her to help you prepare for our wedding. Stay here with Penelope so you’ll be safe.”
Claudia caressed his scars again. “I’ve always trusted you to make things turn out right. I know you will again, with God’s help.”
Philip mounted and turned his horse toward the gate. He looked back at her as he passed through. Even in the midst of her fear for Miriam, she was smiling at him. Penelope had been right. God had brought someone special into his life when he least expected it, and the impossible had happened. The most beautiful woman in the Empire was thrilled to be marrying the ugliest man.
Chapter 72: Hunting for Miriam
Philip left his men at the wharfs with instructions to find out from the harbor master which ships had requested the rowboats for the next day. They were each to pick one of the ships and watch for signs of Miriam. He then rode on to the garrison to find Titus.
