Read Online Lilah by Marek Halter - Free Book Online Page B

welcome Ezra with open arms. But, oh, no!’
    â€˜Aunt Sarah, there are laws for the Hebrews,’ Lilah said, passionately now, and rose from the cushions. ‘Laws for all of us, at every moment of our lives. Laws that come from the God of heaven. In our exile we’ve forgotten them. They’re written on Moses’ scroll, which has been passed from father to son in our family for generations. Now the scroll of the Law has come to Ezra. He wants to study it. Not only to study it – he wants to obey its teachings. Isn’t that his right? Perhaps even his duty! Shouldn’t we admire him for it as we’re taught to admire the ancients, the patriarchs, the prophets?’
    â€˜What modesty! Is Ezra the equal of the ancients, the patriarchs and the prophets now?’ For a moment, they glared at each other. Then Sarah shrugged. ‘You sound more and more like him,’ she said, disappointment in her voice.
    â€˜I don’t sound like him. But I understand why he says what he does.’
    â€˜You’re lucky, then.’ Sarah rubbed her brow and eyes, as if trying to extract an image from them. ‘The three of you were in the house, in the garden,’ she sighed, ‘always squabbling, but always adoringeach other. My brother Ezra here, my brother Antinoes there! I can still hear you.’
    â€˜Ezra is not the same as he was, Aunt Sarah,’ Lilah replied, severely.
    â€˜Oh, I’ve noticed that! And you’re not the same, either.’ Sarah’s voice broke, and her neck and chin quivered. ‘Antinoes is a chariot captain!’ she sobbed. ‘He fights beside the great Tribazes. He can enter the Apadana whenever he likes and be invited to share a meal with the King of Kings . . .’
    Lilah knew exactly what her aunt was feeling. Sarah had always loved Antinoes like a son – but she also loved the fact that his family was noble, and his name renowned. She was proud to be able to tell her customers that Antinoes, son of Artobasanez, the late satrap of Margiana, would soon be her niece’s husband and Mordechai’s heir.
    Lilah moved away from the table and the cushions. Immediately her aunt stood up and rushed to her. ‘Lilah! Forgive me, my dear. I know how difficult this is for you. You love Ezra and . . . we all love him.’
    Lilah let Sarah take her hands.
    Her aunt sighed, and mustered a little smile. ‘Perhaps you’re right. You’ve always got on with him well. Perhaps it’s better not to speak to him about Antinoes for the moment. His mood can be so changeable. In a few days . . .’
    It sounded like a false hope, and Lilah turned away, embarrassed. But her aunt held her back, her face serious again, her voice low and firm. ‘It’s better not to say anything to your uncle either, my dear, until Ezra’s made up his mind. Mordechai so much wants you to be happy. This marriage is really important to him – to all of us. And to the workshops. Do you understand?’

The Queen’s Friends
    HOW COULD SHE sleep?
    Antinoes’ voice said, ‘We are together for ever. Without your love, even a Greek child could vanquish me.’
    Ezra’s voice said, ‘Do not soil the walls of this room with his name.’
    Aunt Sarah’s voice said, ‘This marriage is really important to all of us.’
    Lilah flung off the blanket, which had got tangled between her legs. A bad dream had woken her, and she had tried in vain to go back to sleep. The darkness of her bedchamber seemed to weigh on her, the air as stifling as if someone had been burning sticks of cedar.
    She groped for her shawl and put it on over her night tunic. Then she pushed back the shutternoiselessly and stepped out, barefoot, onto the narrow terrace that ran alongside the women’s rooms, its crenellated wall overlooking the inner courtyard.
    She took a deep breath, and the constriction eased in