TWO NIGHTS LATER, there was a knock at Shana's door. It was already dark, and she knew no one who would come to her at this time of night. She climbed onto the chest to peer out of the high window and could make out two figures, a man and a woman.
“Shana,” the woman called softly, a voice she knew and loved – Beth! With Nathan beside her. Shana opened the door apprehensively, fearing bad news, but Beth’s greeting was full of gladness. Nothing could have been more comforting than seeing her beloved sister.
“I’ll leave Beth with you and return to the brothers,” said Nathan. “We will meet at the main market at dawn after the Sabbath to return to Halhul.”
“I've left the children with Mama,” said Beth. “They are all well and very excited about me visiting you, but first, tell me everything that has been happening here. I've been so concerned about you.”
That night, as the sisters lay side by side sharing the blanket, it was just like when they were children and would whisper to each other in the darkness until their responses became less and less frequent and sentences hung unfinished in the slumbering silence.
On the Sabbath day, they visited Haziel. Instead of his usual attitude of casual disregard, which Shana understood was just his way of covering up his pleasure in seeing her, she was surprised to see his dark, bristly face light up with undisguised delight. Instead of his sarcasm and demands to be waited upon, he stood up and served them with as close to chivalry as could be expected from one such as he.
Beth graciously ignored the muddle of dirty bowls, wool samples, and crumpled articles of clothing strewn throughout the room, and sat down amongst it with regal poise. Her graceful, unhurried movements always had a soothing effect on those in her company, and she had a wonderful way of giving her full attention to whoever was speaking, regarding them lovingly through softly lashed eyes, her lips curving upwards in a ready smile, with never a hint of judgement or unkindness. Her effect on Haziel secretly amused Shana; he was like a lamb in bear’s clothing, clumsy and bumbling in his unpractised efforts at hospitality.
Beth departed the following morning, leaving behind the lingering fragrance of her presence. Her visit had provided a refreshing oasis in the wilderness of Shana’s existence, which did much to sustain her in the days to come.
The final countdown towards Rafael’s trial kept Shana perpetually on edge, and added to this was the strain of the judicious path she was forced to tread in light of Josiah’s confession of love. His amorousness was a nuisance which complicated everything, and making a wrong move now could seriously affect the outcome of the trial.
Although it had been obvious from the start that Josiah found her attractive, he had previously kept his affections reigned in as a matter of honour, but now that his infatuation had got the better of him, he became almost fawning at times in his desire for her favour. It required great shrewdness to keep him at arm’s length without compromising his dignity. She did not entirely trust him because, if he felt rejected or humiliated, she would not put it past him to turn his clever mind towards having Rafael condemned as an act of revenge. He was a dangerously proud man. So each time Josiah sought her out to ‘discuss the case,’ she had to employ all her innate feminine wiles to play the part she had carved out for herself. She hated herself for it but found she was surprisingly good at it. It was easiest when he lost himself in devising various courses of argument for the court case, testing them out on Shana until she herself became quite well versed in the process of applying the law.
“I will emphasise that your brother has never caused a disturbance in the temple and is on trial mainly for his belief in the resurrection of the dead. This is bound to result in a disagreement between the Sadducees and the Pharisees, which will at least weaken their unity. I will then point out that if the council themselves cannot agree on such a matter, it cannot be considered an offence worthy of death. Finally, I will press home the fact that your brother believes everything that is written in the Law and the Prophets and is meticulous about observing Jewish customs and keeping the moral law; therefore there can be no charge against him. Can he provide witnesses to this effect?”
“Any of his friends will testify to this. But what about the charge of blasphemy?” asked Shana with trembling lips.
“They could try to impose that, but if their witnesses cannot prove that he spoke his views in a public place in order to mislead people, they will not have much to go by.”
“There have been many false witnesses,” said Shana, tight with fear.
“That is the problem,” replied Josiah.
A few times during those last weeks, Josiah requested Shana’s presence at social events, and on these occasions, he was sometimes so boldly affectionate towards her that she had to remind him tactfully about his waiting bride and hint of her cousin who guarded her with an iron fist. Once, he indulged himself with too much wine and grew sloppy and amorous, gazing into her eyes and muttering about her beauty. This was the most dangerous time when she had to find a way to wriggle out from between his grasping fingers and slip away. Since Josiah’s declaration of love, she had developed a strong aversion to him physically and she was terribly afraid he might sense it. She knew she would not be able to keep artfully dodging his advances very much longer, for sooner or later he would demand a response, and she prayed fervently that the trial would come first.