by Carol Ashby
The master paused as he reached out to push a strand of hair behind her ear. Then he rested his palm on her cheek and stroked it with his thumb. She fought against the tears that were trying to escape.
As much as she loved his gentle touch, she wished he wasn’t touching her that way. Her heart longed to stay with the man she loved, but nothing would ever come of that love. Someday the master would marry, and she wasn’t sure she could bear watching him love another woman. It would be much better in the long run if she could stay with the mistress who loved her like a sister.
“You’ve always been willing to try something new when I ask you to.”
“I’ll try to do whatever you tell me, master. What do you want me to do?”
“Look at me, Miriam.”
She obeyed because, no matter how hard it was, he was still the master.
His gaze felt like a caress. Her eyebrows rose. Why had his tightened lips been replaced by a teasing smile?
“I want you to become my wife. I’m going to set you free, and then you’re going to marry me. You’ve shown me what faithful love is, and I want us to love each other that way for the rest of our lives.”
Her eyes saucered as she heard the words she’d only dreamed of. Had he really spoken them? She’d never even prayed for this because she thought it was impossible. Wasn’t she only the great cook who cost him four hundred denarii?
She froze, speechless, gazing up at him.
“Of course, under Roman law, you have no choice since I'm freeing you for that purpose, but Claudia tells me she thinks you might want to do it anyway.”
Titus let his grin escape. His little Jewish slave stood with her head tipped back, blinking faster as her lips parted. It took all his self-control not to kiss them before she answered.
“Do you want to marry me, Miriam?”
Her blinks slowed, but no words came.
“Well? Aren’t you going to answer me?” His grin broadened. She was a funny little thing sometimes. He would enjoy the years with her beside him.
Finally, she found her voice. “Oh, yes, master. Yes!”
He placed both hands on her face and tilted it to just the right angle.
“Titus, not master.”
As captivating brown eyes stared up at him, he slid his hands down her neck and across her shoulders before pulling her against him. For the first time, she didn’t blush or try to move away when he touched her. Her dark eyes were luminous, and there was that beautiful smile he found so enchanting. He lowered his lips to hers, and she wrapped her arms around him as she melted against him in their first embrace.
When he finally withdrew from their first kiss, he placed his fingertips under her chin to keep her face tilted upward. The love in her eyes deepened in response to his own.
“That’s more like it. I consider myself released from my promise not to make you my nighttime entertainment. I expect you to entertain me day and night for the rest of our lives.”
He rested his hand on her cheek and stroked it with his thumb. She leaned her face into his hand and closed her eyes until he spoke again.
“There is one thing you do now that you’ll still have to do after we marry.”
Her head tilted. “What’s that, mast...Titus?”
“You’re still going to direct the kitchen. I’m not willing to give up having the best cook in the city just to have the best wife.”
Her eyes sparkled. “I wouldn’t want you to. I’ll always try to do anything you want.”
The corner of his mouth lifted. “I know. I got the greatest treasure for only four hundred denarii.”
Her smile mirrored his own. “I’m glad you think so, m...Titus.”
As he drew her back into his embrace and once more lowered his lips to hers, Titus found himself thanking God...for Lucius.
It was ironic. What his brother had intended for evil, God had used for good. Good for Claudia and Philip, good for Miriam and him. Maybe, in the long run, there would even be good for Lucius. He would pray for that. Vengeance belonged to the Lord, and only God knew how best to repay.
Coming in 2018
Faithful
Is the price of true friendship ever too high?
In AD 122, Adela, the fiery daughter of a Germanic chieftain, is kidnapped and taken across the Roman frontier to be sold as a slave. When horse-trader Otto wins her while gambling with her kidnappers, he entrusts her to his friend and trading partner, Galen. Then Otto is kidnapped by the same men, and Galen must track them half way across the Empire before his best friend loses a fight to the death in a Roman arena.
Adela joins Galen in the chase, hungry for vengeance. As the perilous journey deepens their friendship, will the kind, faithful man open her eyes to a life she never dreamed she’d want?
A trip to the heart of the Empire poses mortal danger to a man who follows Jesus, especially when he must seek the help of an enemy of the faith for Otto to survive. Tiberius hunted Christians when he governed Germania Superior and banished his own son when he became one.
When Tiberius learns sparing Galen offers a chance at reconciliation, he joins the trio on their journey home. Can his animosity toward the followers of Jesus survive a trip with the Christian man whose courage and faithfulness demand his respect?
Follow the continuing saga of the people you met in Blind Ambition from the frontier of Germany to the heart of the Empire.
Second Chances
Sometimes it takes more than love to conquer all.
In AD 122, Cornelia Scipia, proud daughter of one of the noblest Roman families, learns her adulterous husband plans to betroth their daughter to the vicious son of his best friend. Only over her dead body! Cornelia divorces him, reclaims her enormous dowry, and kidnaps her own daughter. She plans to start over with Drusilla a thousand miles away. No more husbands for her! But she hadn’t counted on meeting Hector, the widowed Greek captain of the ship carrying them to their new life.
Devastated by the loss of his wife and daughter, Hector’s heart begins to heal as he befriends Drusilla. Cornelia’s sacrificial love for Drusilla and her courage and humor in the face of the unknown earn his admiration…as a friend. Is he ready for more?
Marriage to the kind, honest sea captain would finally give Drusilla the father she deserves…and Cornelia the faithful husband she’s always longed for. But there are secrets in his past and unspoken misunderstandings born of the chasms between their social classes and different faiths. Will they keep two lonely hearts from the second chance at happiness that God so unexpectedly offers?
Join the people you met in The Legacy eight years later in this tale of hope and a future never imagined until God opens the door.
Legacies have impact even before someone dies. If you wonder about the consequences of Lucius’s treachery in the lives of his sons when they’re grown, you’ll find that story in Forgiven.
If you’re curious about Decimus’s story, you can find it in Blind Ambition.
For a preview of Second Chances, keep reading here!
Sneak Peek at Second Chances
Chapter 1: Husbands and Fathers
Mare Nostrum, AD 122
Hector awoke, once more drenched in sweat. He lay on his bunk, staring at the wall as the ship rose and fell on the waves. He willed his breathing to match the rhythm of the ship.
The nightmares of his childhood were long past, the pain that caused them mostly forgotten. But now his dreams were red and raw, a stark reminder of reality, and they tore his heart each time he had one.
The dreams started well enough. It was the end of the final voyage of autumn. As his ship glided up against the pier and his crew prepared to secure it with ropes, his beloved Damara and their ten-year-old Charissa waved from the road above the wharfs. Even after seventeen years of marriage, his heart beat faster as he thought about spending the cold winter nights in the warm embrace of the incredible woman God had given him to make him whole.
As the
gangplank was lowered, they started down the ramp. He trotted down the plank and loped up the pier. As he dodged the crates and barrels waiting to be loaded, he lost sight of them. When he finally stepped clear of the stacks of cargo, Philip stood before him. He placed his hand on Hector’s shoulder, tightened his lips, and shook his head.
Philip dissolved in a swirl of smoke, and Hector remained on the dock...alone.
He’d known loneliness before God brought Damara into his life, or so he’d thought. But when two have become one, and suddenly one is gone... Those first four months when the sea was closed and he’d been home at his farm, where they’d planned on growing old together―that was when the sweet memories of what he’d lost engulfed him, tormenting his days and haunting his nights.
It hadn’t been as bad when he was back at sea, at least not during the daytime. He’d often been gone for weeks at a time, and he didn't expect to see Damara smiling at him when he turned around on deck or Charissa running to wrap her arms around him when he walked through the cabin doorway.
Hector rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. If only Damara hadn’t heard his ship might reach home port early and come to the wharfs to see. If only he’d thought to tell her to stay well away from where the wagons unloaded, no matter how much Charissa begged to get closer to watch.
It had been almost a year since the accident, and the pain still cut deep. The shipping season was almost over. One more stop in Rome, then home to Perinthus...and another winter in a cold bed with empty arms.
Experience told him that sleep would not come again that night, so he rose and headed out to the ship’s rail. There, alone in the moonlight, he watched his ship cutting through the waves and once more asked God why.
Rome
Tertius didn’t want to believe what his best friend, Gaius, had just told him. It shouldn’t be true, but given what his father was like, he was afraid not to ask. He wasn’t going to let his sister be killed if he could prevent it.
His father, Lucius Drusus Fidelis, was reading at his desk when Tertius walked into the library. Tertius’s entrance drew a smile.
“I hadn’t expected to see you today. I thought you were staying with Gaius at the Corvinus estate this week.” His father set the scroll down and turned his attention to the youngest of his three sons.
“I hadn’t expected to come, Father, but Gaius just told me you were talking with his father about betrothing Drusilla to Gnaeus.”
“That's true. Marcus told me he’s looking for the right girl to betroth to Gnaeus now that he’s fourteen. Drusilla’s ten now, so she’ll be exactly the right age to marry him in five or six years.”
"You can’t do that, Father. Gaius told me his brother is dangerous. Just last year, he and Gaius were riding out at their estate. His horse stumbled and threw him. He took a hoe from one of the slaves, and when he was through, Gaius had to slit its throat to put it out of its misery. He’s already beaten one of the house slaves to death and almost killed one of the slave girls after taking her. Don’t betroth Drusilla to him. He’s vicious, and she’s going to get hurt or killed.”
His father picked up a stylus and rolled it between his fingers while he listened, then shrugged. “Marcus is my closest friend, and he hasn’t found anyone else who wants his daughter to be married to the boy. I have a daughter the right age, so I can solve Marcus’s problem.”
Tertius was stunned. “You can’t be serious about marrying Drusilla to a monster.”
His father’s brows dipped as a frown appeared. “What I choose to do with Drusilla is none of your business, Tertius. Marcus wants a wife for Gnaeus, and I can give him one. Gnaeus is no worse than many boys his age. Even if he did want to hurt her, Marcus wouldn’t let him. She'll be safe enough.”
Tertius was appalled, but he knew better than to let it show. “I hope you're right, Father. Drusilla’s a sweet little thing. You’d really like her if you spent more time at the eastern estate. Mother and I would hate to see anything bad happen to her.”
A sneer flitted across Lucius’s lips. “What your mother thinks means less than nothing to me. Marcus will make sure nothing happens to Drusilla. Her safety is not your concern.” He fixed irritated eyes on his son. “We won’t discuss this again.”
“As you wish, Father. I need to leave now, anyway. I’m meeting Gaius at the Circus Maximus for the afternoon races.”
“I hope your team wins. Enjoy yourself.” His father turned his attention back to his scroll as Tertius walked out of the room.
When his father could no longer see him, Tertius’s brow furrowed as his lips tightened. He should have known it would be pointless trying to convince Father not to put Drusilla in mortal danger. Time for a different approach to protect the little sister he loved.
Chapter 2: Time for a Change
Tertius told his father he was going to the chariot races, but he headed to the eastern estate instead. Although he mostly stayed in Rome now he was eighteen, his mother and sister never came to the town house that had been Grandfather’s before Father arranged for him to be killed in the arena for his Christian faith. Aunt Claudia had accused Father of murder. To punish her, Father had tried to marry her to a rich, sadistic old man from one of the noblest Roman families. Mother had tried to stop him, and they’d hardly spoken to each other in the eight years since.
Drusilla meant the world to Mother. It took no imagination to believe Father would let something terrible happen to her just to hurt Mother. But Father wouldn’t hurt Drusilla if he could stop it.
Tertius trotted into the stable yard, and a slave scurried over to take his horse. He threw his leg over the horse’s neck and slid to the ground. “Where’s my mother?”
“In the garden, Master Tertius.”
He tossed the reins to the slave and strode through the archway that separated the garden from the stable area. “Mother? Are you here?”
Cornelia Scipia’s eyes snapped up from her codex when she heard Tertius calling. She rose from the seat under the grape arbor and waved at him. When he reached her, she embraced her youngest son.
“What a pleasant surprise. I hadn’t expected to see you until next week.”
“I had to come today because there’s something you need to know.”
The grim set of his mouth ramped up Cornelia’s heart rate. “What’s wrong? Are you well?”
“I'm fine, but Drusilla won’t be if we don’t do something to protect her.”
A cold hand of foreboding gripped her heart. “What’s going to happen to Drusilla?”
“Father is planning to betroth her to Gnaeus Corvinus.”
“To Marcus’s youngest son? Are you sure?” She’d heard too many rumors about the boy.
“After Gaius told me, I went to Father and asked him. I told him how dangerous Gnaeus is, and he didn’t care. He’s planning to do it anyway just to help out his friend. We can’t let him do that, Mother. She’ll end up hurt or dead if she marries him.”
Cornelia drew herself up to her full height, and her mouth set into a determined line. “Your father is a traitor to this family. He murdered your grandfather, he would have hurt Claudia if she hadn’t escaped, and now he’s planning to get Drusilla killed. Well, I won't let him. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her.”
“How can I help?” Eager intensity lit his eyes as he squared his shoulders.
Cornelia’s brow furrowed as she pursed her lips. “First, don’t tell your father you came here. He mustn’t know I’ve been warned, or he’ll take her away from me before I can do anything.”
“I can’t tell him. Father already told me we wouldn’t discuss this again.” His lips twisted up in a wry smile. “If I’m to be a good son, I must never say anything to him about it.”
If Drusilla hadn’t been in mortal danger, Cornelia would have laughed at her son’s twisted interpretation of the duty to a paterfamilias that grown sons continue to obey their fathers in everything. Her mouth turned
up a little anyway.
Cornelia clenched her left hand and tapped the side of her forefinger against her pursed lips. “I’ve stayed married to your father only so he wouldn’t take you all away from me, but you boys are all grown. It’s been eight years since he completely abandoned me for other women. It’s time I divorce him and reclaim my dowry. Then I can take Drusilla where he can’t get to her.”
“But children always belong to the father in a divorce. Where could you go that he couldn't get her?”
“Away from Rome. Maybe even away from Italia. Far enough away that he might decide it’s not worth the effort to find her and bring her back.”
“I want to help. Just tell me what to do.”
Cornelia covered her mouth and stroked her cheek with her forefinger. “I think, for now, it’s best that you not know what I’m going to do. If he thinks you’re not part of this, we might get advance warning of what he’s doing to get her back. Later, I’ll let you know where we are so you can warn me of anything he might be planning.”
She wrapped her arms around Tertius’s chest and stretched up to kiss his cheek. “I’m so proud of you and your brother Lucius. Two of my sons grew into fine men like your grandfather Publius. Marcus...well, he’s too much like his father.”
Tertius hugged her back. “If I can’t help right now, I should go back to the Circus Maximus. I told Father I was going there to meet Gaius, and I’d better know who won.”
“Go. I already have an idea what to do, but I need to think about it more.”
Tertius kissed his mother’s cheek and left.
Cornelia began pacing. She would need her whole dowry. As steward and overseer of all the Drusus estates and Lucius’s under-the-table business ventures, Malleolus was the only person who could help her do that quickly and without Lucius knowing what she was planning. The moment he knew she was divorcing him, he’d come to get Drusilla.
