happen to me?”
“It won’t happen to you, chicken. No man would ever want to put you away.”
“You say that because you love me, Uncle Mordecai.”
“Esther, look at me.” He waited until her eyes were looking directly into his. “Do you trust me?”
“Of course I trust you.”
“Then know that I would never give you into the keeping of a man whom I did not think would take care of you for the rest of your life. Do you trust me to do that?”
She smiled. “Yes, Uncle Mordecai, I do.”
“Then finish your dinner,” he said with mock sternness, and obediently she took a bite of her fish.
C HAPTER T WO
I t was one of those beautiful spring days in Susa where the sun was bright but not hot and a cool breeze still blew from the mountains. Esther had taken the house oil lamps out into the courtyard to clean them, and she was wiping down the simple clay containers and humming a tune when she heard Rachel call her name. She looked up and saw her friend and Abraham standing in the doorway.
“Come out, come out,” Rachel called. “I’ll move these lamps. It’s too nice a day to be indoors.”
“Let me move those lamps for you.” Abraham hurried to the table and, as he took the lamps from the table to put on the ground, Esther went into the house for refreshments. When she came out again carrying a tray with cups of pomegranate juice and honey cakes, Rachel and Abraham were sitting at the table, waiting for her.
Esther served the refreshments, then sat down herself and took a long, thirsty drink of the juice. She put her cup on the table and smiled at her friends. “How nice of you to call on me.”
Abraham smiled back. “I should be at work with my father, but something happened that Rachel insisted she must share with you. So I brought her.”
Esther briefly lowered her eyes. Abraham was finding many reasons to come to her house these days. She said, “It is always nice to see you, Abraham.”
She turned to Rachel, who was clearly bursting to speak. “So, Rachel, what is your news?”
“The king has announced that he is going to hold a contest to find the most beautiful woman in the empire to be his wife.” Rachel managed to look both excited and disapproving at the same time. “Isn’t that disgusting?”
“A contest? What kind of contest?”
“He has sent out a proclamation to all the countries in the empire that they should send beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa to be candidates for his hand. He said that the one who pleased him most would reign in place of Vashti.”
Esther pictured the capital city being inundated day after day with waves of beautiful young girls hoping for a chance to be queen. It was the maddest idea she had ever heard.
She said, “This king certainly has a strange way of dealing with women. He chooses them and gets rid of them as if they were horses.”
Abraham chuckled. “It does sound rather like a horse fair.” His arched black eyebrows rose a little higher. “I am sorry to have to inform you girls that the proclamation my father and I saw posted specified that only girls of the Achaemenid clan may apply for the position of queen.” He shook his head with mock sorrow. “Neither of you will be eligible.”
Esther laughed. “Oh, Abraham, you just broke my heart.”
He grinned back at her and she felt her cheeks grow a little warm. Abraham had a nice smile.
Rachel’s long-lashed eyes had been darting between her brother and her friend. She said, “Oh well, I suppose if you are a Persian woman and have to be shut up anyway, you might as well be queen and get shut up in a palace.”
Esther’s tender heart was touched. “That may be true. Poor things, what a life they are forced to lead.”
She and Rachel looked at each other in mutual recognition of their own superiority to the pitiful Persian women who had not been lucky enough to be born Jews.
Even though the Jewish women of Esther’s community condemned the Great King’s way of
“It won’t happen to you, chicken. No man would ever want to put you away.”
“You say that because you love me, Uncle Mordecai.”
“Esther, look at me.” He waited until her eyes were looking directly into his. “Do you trust me?”
“Of course I trust you.”
“Then know that I would never give you into the keeping of a man whom I did not think would take care of you for the rest of your life. Do you trust me to do that?”
She smiled. “Yes, Uncle Mordecai, I do.”
“Then finish your dinner,” he said with mock sternness, and obediently she took a bite of her fish.
C HAPTER T WO
I t was one of those beautiful spring days in Susa where the sun was bright but not hot and a cool breeze still blew from the mountains. Esther had taken the house oil lamps out into the courtyard to clean them, and she was wiping down the simple clay containers and humming a tune when she heard Rachel call her name. She looked up and saw her friend and Abraham standing in the doorway.
“Come out, come out,” Rachel called. “I’ll move these lamps. It’s too nice a day to be indoors.”
“Let me move those lamps for you.” Abraham hurried to the table and, as he took the lamps from the table to put on the ground, Esther went into the house for refreshments. When she came out again carrying a tray with cups of pomegranate juice and honey cakes, Rachel and Abraham were sitting at the table, waiting for her.
Esther served the refreshments, then sat down herself and took a long, thirsty drink of the juice. She put her cup on the table and smiled at her friends. “How nice of you to call on me.”
Abraham smiled back. “I should be at work with my father, but something happened that Rachel insisted she must share with you. So I brought her.”
Esther briefly lowered her eyes. Abraham was finding many reasons to come to her house these days. She said, “It is always nice to see you, Abraham.”
She turned to Rachel, who was clearly bursting to speak. “So, Rachel, what is your news?”
“The king has announced that he is going to hold a contest to find the most beautiful woman in the empire to be his wife.” Rachel managed to look both excited and disapproving at the same time. “Isn’t that disgusting?”
“A contest? What kind of contest?”
“He has sent out a proclamation to all the countries in the empire that they should send beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa to be candidates for his hand. He said that the one who pleased him most would reign in place of Vashti.”
Esther pictured the capital city being inundated day after day with waves of beautiful young girls hoping for a chance to be queen. It was the maddest idea she had ever heard.
She said, “This king certainly has a strange way of dealing with women. He chooses them and gets rid of them as if they were horses.”
Abraham chuckled. “It does sound rather like a horse fair.” His arched black eyebrows rose a little higher. “I am sorry to have to inform you girls that the proclamation my father and I saw posted specified that only girls of the Achaemenid clan may apply for the position of queen.” He shook his head with mock sorrow. “Neither of you will be eligible.”
Esther laughed. “Oh, Abraham, you just broke my heart.”
He grinned back at her and she felt her cheeks grow a little warm. Abraham had a nice smile.
Rachel’s long-lashed eyes had been darting between her brother and her friend. She said, “Oh well, I suppose if you are a Persian woman and have to be shut up anyway, you might as well be queen and get shut up in a palace.”
Esther’s tender heart was touched. “That may be true. Poor things, what a life they are forced to lead.”
She and Rachel looked at each other in mutual recognition of their own superiority to the pitiful Persian women who had not been lucky enough to be born Jews.
Even though the Jewish women of Esther’s community condemned the Great King’s way of
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