An Echo in the Darkness(147)

“How can you be so sure?”

“Oh, I am very sure. John will love you as God loves you. Go to him, Prometheus. If you can’t yet fashion your life after Jesus, fashion it after a man who walked with the Lord while he was on this earth. Observe how he continues to do so.”

“I will go,” Prometheus said, “but what of you?”

“I’ll remain with Lady Julia as long as she lives.”

“I am grateful to her for my freedom, my lady, but this was one isolated act of kindness after a long list of cruelties. A whim, not a change of character. If she ever finds out who you really are, I’m afraid to think what she’ll do to you.”

“What real danger do I face, Prometheus? My soul belongs to God. Renew your mind and remember what you have learned. Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.” She touched his face tenderly. “And nothing can separate us who are of the family of God.”

He put his hand over hers. “I wish you were coming with me.”

She lowered her hand to her lap. “I am where I must be.” She rose slowly. “I must go to Lady Julia.” She limped toward the antechamber. Prometheus went with her, measuring his steps to hers. She looked up at him as she limped toward the door. “Will you remain here until the villa is sold?”

“Yes. What about your things?” he said, seeking any way he could to delay her departure.

“They were packed and sent along with Julia’s. I’ve nothing left to carry but this walking stick.” She saw his deep concern and tried to reassure him. “It’s not a far distance, Prometheus. I’ll manage very well.”

“When will I ever see you again?”

“I’ll attend meetings whenever possible. We’ll see one another there.”

He was afraid of the separation. “It’s not enough. You’ve kept me accountable,” he said, and she knew to what he referred.

“Solomon said, ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.‘”

“I’ll try to remember.”

“Don’t try. Say it over and over to yourself until it’s engraved upon your heart. And remember this as well.” She recited the song of the shepherd. “Say it to me.” She repeated it with him until he had it memorized. “Say it over morning, noon, and night, and lay it upon your mind as a pattern for thinking.”

She opened the door and went out. Prometheus gave her support as she went down the steps. When they reached the gate, he opened it for her. She paused and looked up at him. “Do you know what happened to make Lord Marcus hate his sister so much?”

“No,” he said. “I was too caught up in my own misery to notice anyone else’s. Besides that, it wasn’t long after you were sent to the arena that I ran away.”

Hadassah sighed. “I wish I knew what happened between them.”

“Perhaps it was you.”

She glanced back at him in surprise. “Why would you think that?”

“He was in love with you, wasn’t he?”

She was deeply saddened by his words, for they roused poignant memories. Had Marcus ever truly loved her? “I think I was merely different from the women he had known. A challenge of sorts. But I don’t think he ever loved me in a way that would have lasted.” Had he loved her, wouldn’t he have listened to her words about the Lord?

She remembered Marcus’ declaration of love in Julia’s bedchamber. She remembered his anger when she had refused to marry him. She had wounded his pride, not his heart. And because of it, he had cursed her and left. She had never seen him again until the day he bumped into her outside the public baths. She had never thought to see him again after that, and now she was to live under his roof. She was filled with trepidation—and a disturbing excitement. Marcus might never have truly loved her, but she was still in love with him.

“Primus thought Marcus Valerian loved you,” Prometheus said. “He used to taunt Lady Julia about it. He’d say Lord Marcus came to see a slave rather than his own sister.”

“That wasn’t true. He was absolutely devoted to Julia. Marcus always loved his sister. He adored her.”

“He doesn’t love her anymore.”

She was silent, wondering. “Perhaps he will again.” She reached out and touched Prometheus’ arm. “You’ll be in my prayers each day. Stand firm in the Lord.”

“I will.”

“He will protect you.” Stretching up, she embraced him. “You are my dear brother, Prometheus. I love you very much.”