She felt the muscles beneath her fingers flex. His eyes snapped up and locked hers in place. Once again, she struggled to control her reaction around him. Everything about the man willed Eshe to welcome him, to open up and share every single hope and fear with him. Her instincts screamed for her to trust him, begged for her to let him in.
Sitting there, trapped in his gaze, Eshe could not deny there was a connection. She felt like she knew Lome, like she’d known him for a long time, and she knew it had nothing to do with his good looks. It was something else.
Jostling at the front of the room drew the crowd’s attention. Subsequent applause and eager calls signaled the beginning of the play. Eshe withdrew her hand and leaned back to face the stage, willing the flush from her cheeks to fade. Lome maintained his gaze for a moment longer before he focused on the actors appearing in front of them and leaned back in his seat.
The two did not look at each other during the play, but the occasional brush of his arm against hers sent Eshe’s heart soaring. She didn’t know what was happening to her, why Lome made her feel so alive, but a small part of Eshe started to wonder if she should stop fighting it. Perhaps she would give the odd feelings a try.
7
The roar of the audience was deafening. Thunderous applause followed the actors as they disappeared down the sides of the stage. Eshe stood on her feet, her hands stinging from the force she used to show her appreciation of the actors’ talents.
Lome leaned down to her ear and said, “What did you think?”
“Amazing!” Eshe shouted back. The drama which had unfolded before her was suspenseful, intriguing, and heart-wrenching. Its plot and characters were so unlike anything Egyptian playwrights dreamed up. The young woman already wondered when she would be able to enjoy the Theatre again.
The man beside her stopped clapping, his focus entirely on her. It was then Eshe realized she was smiling up at him with uninhibited joy. Slowly, her smile faded, but she did not turn away. Instead, she held his gaze, her heart pounding as she waited for him to say something.
Des interrupted before Lome had the chance. “The crowd is dispersing.” He pointed towards the exit. “Let us try to beat the majority of them out.”
Lome nodded and gestured for Eshe to lead the group out of the aisle. Once on the stone steps, Lome placed a steadying hand against her back to keep her from being lost in the crowd. She tried to hide the shiver that raced down her spine.
The group stepped onto the street. Lome moved to the side to wave down the young man who stored the cart during the play. After the young boy bounded away, he returned to Eshe’s side.
An unfamiliar voice called out her sister’s name. “Nebet, is that you?”
Eshe and her sister both turned to see the owner of the voice. Nebet stilled when her eyes fell upon the overweight man heading her direction.
Eshe’s hands clenched into fists when she recognized him. It was Benipe, the wealthy merchant who expressed interest in Nebet. It took everything Eshe had to not grab her sister’s arm and pull her away from the approaching grotesque man.
Their companions saw the sisters’ preoccupation and followed their stares to take in the man themselves. “A friend of yours?” Des asked.
“No,” Eshe said as Benipe took his final steps. Her sister merely watched his approach with dread.
“Nebet,” Benipe repeated. “Eshe.” The portly man tilted his head in greeting. “A pleasure to see you, ladies. Tell me, did you two see Andrade as well?” he asked, referencing the play.
“We did,” Nebet managed to say. The eighteen-year-old’s face had grown deathly pale.
“Is your father about?” Benipe questioned, completely ignoring the two men standing between the sisters.
“No. These men are our escorts.” Eshe felt pleasure in revealing the information as Benipe finally took in the attractive men. His eyes narrowed, no doubt noting how close Des stood behind Nebet.
Lome stepped forward and extended a hand. “Lome. This is my older brother, Des.”
“An honor, I am sure,” Benipe managed as he took Lome’s palm. After shaking Des’ hand, the older man returned his gaze to Nebet.
“You are looking well, Nebet,” the words slipped past his dry lips and yellowed teeth.
“Th-thank you,” Nebet returned, her eyes darting from his face to his hands and back again.
Benipe continued to leer at Nebet. Eshe swore she could see the desire seeping out of his sweaty pores. He was truly disgusting.
“We should be going,” Eshe said to save her sister from enduring any more of the man’s presence. “Come, Nebet.”
Eshe reached for her sister’s thin arm but Benipe’s grubby fingers managed to beat her there. The plump hand locked onto Nebet’s wrist.
“Please,” Benipe began, his breath causing Eshe to nearly gag, “Allow me to escort you two home.”
He turned mindful eyes to Lome and Des, “You two are relieved of your duty. I shall see the Akil girls home.”
The hell he is.
Eshe opened her mouth to demand Benipe remove his hands from her sister’s arm or subject himself to a swift kick to the groin. Before she could utter a word, Des stepped forward, placing himself between Eshe and Benipe where the latter still held her sister.
The green-eyed man bestowed a stern but friendly enough smile upon Benipe. “I would prefer, sir, if I had the privilege to finish my evening with Ms. Akil.”
The older man looked ready to object, but just as Eshe was sure the denial would spill from his lips, Benipe’s face slackened. The heavy man blinked twice then removed his hold on Nebet.
“Of course,” he said, sounding completely unlike himself. “My apologies. How rude of me. I shall call on you another time, Nebet.” With that, Benipe turned and waddled away. Eshe watched his departure until he disappeared into the thinning crowd.
Nebet’s sigh drew back her attention.
The older sister’s shoulders sagged. “Thank you,” she told Des. The handsome man nodded and held out the crook of his arm for her to take. Nebet clung to him gratefully and allowed herself to be led away. Eshe remained where she stood, trying to process her jumbled thoughts.
How could her father consider Benipe as a suitor for Nebet? He was even older and more repulsive than Eshe remembered. How could anyone subject their daughter to such a fate?
A tap on her shoulder made Eshe jump in surprise.
Lome held up innocent hands as she whirled on him. “It’s just me,” he said immediately. Eshe lowered the fist she did not realize she raised.
“Sorry,” she said.
He observed her carefully. “Are you alright?”
Eshe was not sure. “Yes.” She forced herself to pick up her feet and follow Des and Nebet as they left the main road. Lome could stay behind and wait for the cart, but Eshe could not stomach not being near her sister at the moment.
“I take it that man is not a friend of yours,” Lome stated, slowing down the pace he used to catch up to her sudden departure. Apparently, he was unconcerned with waiting for his fancy cart.
“No,” she replied.
“Nebet’s then?”
“Of my father’s.”
“Slow down, Eshe. Not all at once.”
She stopped walking and looked at Lome’s teasing expression with confusion. “What?”
Lome’s smile faded. “I was joking.”
“You are being very short with your words,” he explained when her confusion remained. “Will you tell me why your sister looked scared to death when that man spoke with her? Who is he?”
She intended to deny his request, but Eshe realized she needed to share her fears for Nebet. But not with just anyone. For some unknown reason, she really wanted to confide in Lome. Eshe did not allow herself to question the feeling. She looped her arm through his elbow and the pair slowly continued to follow their companions already far ahead of them in the distance.
The sixteen-year-old proceeded to tell Lome, not ju
st about her sister, but about everything.
Eshe revealed her mother’s premature death. How it left Nebet and Eshe in charge of the household at a young age. She told Lome of her father’s recurrent bouts of illness, and how he is beginning to press Nebet to make a beneficial match for the family.
“And Benipe is a beneficial match?” Lome asked when Eshe took a breath.
“He is wealthy,” Eshe said.
“Is that all that matters to your father?” The question held no judgement, only genuine curiosity.
Feeling the unreasonable need to defend the man who helped raise her, Eshe revealed her family’s biggest shame. “With my father being ill so often, my family often experiences financial difficulties. I fear that fact is what motivates him to contemplate Benipe’s offer so persistently.”
“Benipe offers compensation for marrying Nebet?”
“No,” Eshe shook her head. “Thank the gods, no. My father would have insisted the marriage immediately if Benipe made such an offer.”
She paused to take a calming breath. “My father holds the delusion Benipe will offer us assistance during times of trouble if Nebet is his bride. I do not know if it is foolish hope or not.”
“I see.”
The pair continued walking. Eshe observed Lome from the corner of her eye. He looked contemplative, lost in his own thoughts enough to not notice Eshe’s attention. She took the opportunity to admire him. The moonlight shadowed his strong features and made him look even more handsome than in the daylight… if that was even possible.
“Do you go hungry?” Lome asked, his face suddenly turning to face her. They stopped walking.
The intensity of the gaze left her speechless. She managed to shake her head.
“Are you sure? Your brothers? Anyone?”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “No. We own a farm. Food is not an issue for us.”
Workers for the field, though, that is a different matter.
Lome’s gaze did not waver as he continued to observe her, looking for any sign of deception. Finally, he gave a curt nod. “Good.”
Without another word, they moved again. Nebet and Des were now small figures further down the dirt road leading from the edge of the city to their farm.
The walk was tense. At least, it was for Eshe. She did not know what to think of Lome’s behavior and questions. She wasn’t entirely sure how it came about in the first place. It was almost like she… mattered to him. But that was ridiculous. He hardly knew her.
Resolved to avoid any more awkwardness, Eshe decided to make the rest of the walk in silence. She turned her attention to the passing fields and the crops swaying gently in the breeze. Lome seemed just as inclined to not speak.
For ten minutes, the pair proceeded without a word. Even strangers who called a greeting as they passed by did not receive more than a head bob in reply.
Finally, they reached the edge of the Akil property. Eshe could see a lit lantern and assumed Des and Nebet were inside speaking with her father. Eager to be free of her current situation, Eshe stepped that direction. She was halted by a light tug on her arm.
Hesitating for a moment, Eshe turned and looked at Lome.
His eyes seemed to glow in the dark. “I am sorry for the distress the man caused you and your sister this evening. Aside from that, I hope you both had a nice time.”
The tension left Eshe’s shoulders. “I had a wonderful time. Even with Benipe’s intrusion.” She was not lying. Nothing the man did or said could take away the joy she experienced while attending the play. “Thank you for inviting us to join the two of you.”
“It was my pleasure. Forgive me for bringing the subject back up, but I hope your sister escapes a life with that old man.”
Unable to prevent her response, Eshe’s eyes glistened. “I will do anything to keep her from it. Absolutely anything.”
Without warning, Lome lifted a palm and rested in gently against Eshe’s cheek. His eyes examined her, seeming to search deep within her soul for a piece of information which evaded him. Whatever he found, Lome’s eyes widened with realization before promptly falling into a gentle expression. Eshe watched him without breathing.
Lome brushed away the lone tear which managed to escape the corner of her eye. “You really mean that. Don’t you? You would do anything for your family.”
“Yes,” she whispered. Nebet meant the world to her. Eshe would do anything to secure her sister’s happiness. There was no person sweeter or more genuine than Nebet. She deserved better than Benipe–better than anything that man could offer.
Lome gave a quiet smile. “Those you care for are lucky to have someone like you in their lives.”
The words… his tone…
Eshe couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was something more to his words. She could feel it. Hear it. Lome’s statement was made with knowing. Like he’d seen into her soul and knew the deepest parts of her and her mind.
“Thank you,” she said. She hoped the darkness hid her colored cheeks.
Lome lowered the palm cupping her face but did not remove his gaze. Their dark color glittered in the starlight. “I meant every word, Eshe. Every single word.”
8
Two days had passed since the night of the play. Eshe spent each one daydreaming and reliving her experience at the theatre. Her mind whirled with possibilities for other tales in the world of Andrade, developing complex back stories and histories for each character.
In addition to her fantasies of the show, Eshe could not help but think of the handsome man who made her imagination possible. Lome’s probing gaze and thoughtful stares crossed her mind as much as the plot of the play.
Eshe was young and inexperienced in the ways of men. Given their mother’s early death, neither she nor Nebet had the luxury of such instruction from the female figure in their lives. Regardless of the lack of education, and after careful recollection and analysis, Eshe could not deny the attention Lome bestowed upon her very likely spoke of his romantic interest.
At first, Eshe tried to convince herself Nebet was the object of his interest. The older girl was, after all, the more attractive sister. Nebet quickly shot the idea down.
“You are naïve,” the older sister stated. “Lome barely allows a minute to pass before he looks at you. He sees no one else. His infatuation is obvious.”
Eshe shook her head, unable to give the words credence. “He does not know me. He cannot have feelings for me.” The teenager did not delude herself into thinking she was attractive enough to warrant a man’s blind adoration.
Nebet frowned. “Do not insult yourself. You are lovely, and you should be honored such a man gives you his attention. It is not every day a girl is so lucky.”
Sadness flashed across Nebet’s face. No doubt, her mind wandered to her unwanted suitor.
The memory of Des’ chivalrous behavior played in Eshe’s head. If she did not know of the man’s recent loss, Eshe would have attempted to console her sister by insisting Des’ actions spoke of his regard for Nebet. As it was, she was unable to offer the comfort to take Nebet’s thoughts off of Benipe.
“Even if what you say is true,” Eshe began, “Nothing will come of it. Lome is a visitor to Alexandria. In time, he will leave and return to his home. He will forget us. Forget me.”
Nebet’s knowing eyes read every emotion and thought her sister withheld. Whatever she realized, it made the corner of her mouth raise ever so slightly. “I would not be so sure.”
“Ani!” Her brothers’ simultaneous greeting pulled Eshe out of the memory. She put down the plate she washed and dried her hands on a cloth before walking towards the home’s main entrance.
Sure enough, her childhood friend stood at the front door, Ruia and Sab circled him like wild dogs.
“Are you staying for a bit?”
“Do you want to play jacks?”
“I’ll go get the game!”
Eshe stepped over the threshold and held up her palms. “Enough,�
� she told her brothers. Both immediately ceased their jumping and endless questioning. “Ani may not be here to entertain you.”
She looked up at her friend. “Hello Ani,” she smiled, always happy to see him.
He smiled in return. “Eshe.”
“Would you like to come inside? Have a glass of wine?”
“Thank you, but no.” Ani’s smile promptly fell. “I’m actually here to speak with you. May we talk outside?”
Ruia and Sab immediately started making kissing noises and teasing sounds; they must have overheard one of Nebet’s comments regarding Ani’s feelings for her. Eshe merely rolled her eyes and pushed them inside. She closed the door and gestured Ani towards a shaded bench further away from the house. She had no doubt her brothers would be trying to eavesdrop on the conversation.
Once settled on the bench, Eshe turned her attention to Ani. “I hope you are well.”
Ani looked stressed as he ran a shaky hand through his thick hair. “I have been better,” he admitted. He looked ready to faint.
Concerned, Eshe placed her small hand against his arm. “Ani?”
He swallowed and averted his gaze.
“Ani, what is it? Whatever it is, it cannot be that bad.”
Her friend took a fortifying breath and released it. “The crops are gone.”
The world stopped.
No sound reached Eshe’s ears.
No breeze touched her skin.
Her eyes locked onto Ani’s as he turned back towards her. “What?”
“The crops are gone.”
Where it was quiet seconds before, now Eshe heard blood roaring in her ears. “What do you mean? Gone?”
“I arranged for a buyer,” Ani began. “I went to the silo to retrieve the wheat he ordered. But… nothing was there.”
No.
“I retrieved my father. Confirmed he did not empty the silo. He swears he did not, and I believe him. The lock was broken on the door,” he explained. “My father has a key, he would not have needed to ruin the lock.”
Eshe couldn’t move. Didn’t blink. Her family’s crops. Their only source of income. All of it. Was gone…
Enticed: An Immortal Chronicles Story Page 4
