Chapter 24

Bilhah knew she had to do something. Talk to someone. She had never seen Rachel so upset. If only she could talk to Jacob about it. But what could she tell him about Rachel? Didn't Jacob see her every day? Wasn't he blessed with the spirit of Wisdom? He must already know what was wrong. Or else it was the will of God that he not know. Either way, what could Bilhah say to him?

Oh, Jacob, in case you haven't noticed, Rachel is working herself into some kind of frenzy over the idea of marrying you. Zilpah noticed it first, and I certainly noticed it today. Yes, she weeps at the thought of marrying you. You didn't detect this in your conversations with her for hours every day? Well, aren't you the unobservant one.

Of course he knew.

So it would be all right. Bilhah didn't have to do anything about Rachel, except encourage her.

Even as she reached this conclusion, she knew it was false. She could feel it—an emptiness inside her that told her that she knew she had to do something.

Was this how the spirit of Wisdom whispered to a woman like Bilhah? Would the voice of God seem like hunger? Indigestion? Not likely.

And yet here she was in front of Laban's tent.

"He's busy," said the woman who was waiting at the door.

Bilhah almost walked away. "He's always busy."

"He's talking to Choraz."

"How much could they have to say to each other after being apart for nine years?" said Bilhah. "I'll wait."

"I'm ahead of you in line," said the woman.

"I can see that."

"Tell me what you want to see him for."

"I have to confess something to him."

The woman leaned in, pretending not to be eager. "What?"

"I've been minding my own business so much, it's starting to cause trouble in the camp."

It took the woman a moment to realize that it was a rebuke. "Aren't you the clever one," she said dryly.

They waited in silence for a long time. Now and then, there was a burst of laughter from inside the tent. But Bilhah couldn't make out any words.

Finally the woman stood up. "Some of us have too much work to do to spend the whole morning waiting outside Lord Laban's tent."

"I'm doing my work right here," said Bilhah.

"What work are you doing?"

Bilhah grinned at her.

The woman smiled sourly. "Oh. Yes. Minding your own business. And to think I've missed so many chances to be amused by your wit."

Bilhah waited alone for a little while longer, when she was wakened by someone's foot prodding her.

"Oh," she said, sitting up. "I fell asleep."

"So that's it," said Nahor. "And here we thought you were dead."

Terah grinned at her. "Unless you spent the night here."

"She must have stayed up all night doing her work," said Nahor. "How else would she have time to take a nap in front of Father's tent?"

Bilhah said nothing, but looked right into their eyes, looking first at Nahor, then at Terah, then back to Nahor. Apparently they found either her silence or her gaze disconcerting, because they gave up and went inside.

Bilhah meant to stay awake, but either Nahor and Terah spent only a few moments inside the tent or she dozed again, because they seemed to emerge right away, Choraz with them.

"Look, Choraz," said Terah. "We're so prosperous here that Father can afford to feed girls who just lie about in the shade of his tent."

Bilhah looked up into Choraz's eyes. He studied her for a moment, then stepped back inside the tent.

When he came back out, Laban was with him.

"Choraz says you're worried about something, Bilhah," said Laban.

Bilhah looked again at Choraz and gave him a wan smile. "Thank you," she said.

Choraz nodded and led his older brothers away from the tent.

"Come inside, Bilhah," said Laban.

Sitting just inside the tent, it took Bilhah only a few moments to tell her concern. What Zilpah had said about Rachel not knowing what she needed to know, and then Rachel crying after talking to Hassaweh.

"She's afraid of the marriage, sir," said Bilhah. "And when I encourage her, it does no good."

"Because you're not married," said Laban.

"Hassaweh's married, and she made it worse."

"An interesting woman, this wife of my son Choraz," said Laban.

"Sir, you must talk to her. What if she doesn't want to marry Jacob?"

Laban looked at her as if she were insane. "My promise is given."

"I know," said Bilhah. "But if she's terrified, would you force her to go ahead?"

"What's to be terrified about? People get married all the time."

"She never saw her own mother and father as husband and wife," said Bilhah. "So what marriages has she seen? The marriages of servants, of course. Do you think that will reassure her?"

"Her brothers are married," said Laban dismissively.

Bilhah said nothing, while she let Laban realize what he had just said.

"Well, I suppose that isn't very reassuring either, is it," said Laban. "Nothing wrong with the girls, though—they have lots of babies."

"And they and their husbands are constantly quarreling. And it's well known that your sons used to go to Byblos and—"

"In Byblos they conducted business," said Laban coldly. "Or do you listen to idle gossip?"

"Does Rachel?"

Laban sighed. "She knows that Jacob is a better man than Nahor and Terah."

"But is he a better husband? She's afraid, sir. Talk to her. Or would you have her weeping all the way through her wedding?"

"And talking to Hassaweh didn't help?" said Laban hopefully.

"Made it worse, sir."

He touched his forehead and sighed. "What can a man do, when women decide to have a fit about something? She's always been a sensible girl till now." His voice suddenly got louder. "For seven years, she couldn't figure things out? Now suddenly it's time to panic?"

"I don't know if I'd be any different, sir," said Bilhah. "It's one thing to know it's coming far in the future. Something else when it's coming in a few weeks."

"I'll talk to her."

"Thank you, sir."

"Unless you can get her calmed down first," said Laban.

"If I thought I could, I wouldn't have bothered you, sir."

"Leah was always the problem child," said Laban. "Not Rachel."

"Maybe now it's Rachel's turn," said Bilhah.

"Why did God make her so beautiful, and not make her desire marriage?"

But Laban seemed to be asking God, or maybe just himself. Bilhah didn't attempt to answer.