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“My apologies for bringing an end to our camaraderie. I meant no disrespect.” He rose from his seat and bowed to his parents, and then turned to his grandmother. “Savta.”
Without a glance toward Mira he left.
Chapter Twenty-Two
She watched his retreating form. Head high, shoulders straight, his gait full of purpose. Someone should go after him. A glance around the table proved she wasn’t the only one shocked over Ari’s behavior.
“I have never before heard Ari raise his voice in anger, nor have I seen him show a hint of disrespect,” she said, recalling all the times she’d lashed out at him and not once had he spoken in anger. “Even when it was well deserved.” She looked at Anna wondering if she had spoken out of turn, and then to Jacob. “I fear the danger we’ve experienced the past few days has taken its toll,” she defended.
Ishiah firmed his lips as if he was fighting back laughter but a twinkle of joy betrayed his intentions. “Danger has never before bothered Ari. Perhaps...” He trailed off, his gaze bored into hers. The occupants at the table remained silent waiting for his next words. “Mira, you would do me an honor if you spoke to my son. Perhaps, he’ll speak to you about what bothers him.”
Mira’s eyes widened in horror. The thought of being alone with Ari scared the breath from her. Would he try to hold her hand? To kiss her?
It was something she could not allow. She chewed on her lower lip as she bowed her head to Ishiah. “Of course,” she said.
She slid off the bench and walked from the room. A shiver of anticipation raced down her back.
Once out of sight of the others, she halted her steps upon the tiled foyer to gather her courage. She wiped her hands down the front of her tunic and wondered what it was she was supposed to say. Or why his family had chosen her when his brother Jesse seemed to be his closest friend.
“Sh’mira.” She heard the soft grandmotherly voice behind her.
Mira faced Sybil and waited for the woman to speak.
“You are nervous, child.”
Was that why the palms of her hands beaded with moisture? Was that why her stomach tumbled like a boulder slipping from a mountain?
“What I do not understand is why?” Sybil reached out and squeezed her hand. Mira halted the reaction to jerk her fingers back from the kindly woman’s grasp. “It is obvious you hold deep affection for my grandson.”
Mira swallowed past the lump in her throat. She cared more than she should. “It is not my rightful place.”
“Then whose is it?”
She shook her head. “His mother’s? His father’s?” Mira shrugged her shoulders. “Yours or his brothers’? I mean no disrespect, Sybil. I will do as asked. However, you must know I do not know what words to speak to Ari.”
“Why, Sh’mira? If you love—”
Mira disengaged her fingers from the soft papery ones of Sybil. “This,” she said, waving her hand, “has nothing to do with my feelings for Ari. I intend to ask to be returned to my father as soon as possible.”
“You do not mean to travel to Jerusalem?” Sybil’s eyes grew wide, her lips pursed.
“Sybil, I’ve not the Lord’s wisdom. Whatever His purpose He brought Ari to my home along with Joash, but our lives...they can never be as...as one.”
The elderly woman’s gaze traveled over her. Mira tucked her fingers into the folds of her tunic.
“Sh’mira, my grandson is much like his father, ever a rock. His strength and fortitude know no boundaries.” The woman paused, as if to relent in her argument. “I will not pry, Sh’mira, but my grandson draws his strength from you. It is evident in the way he looks at you. If ever he needed anyone, it is you. It is you, and it is now that he needs your support the most.”
Sybil pressed a kiss to her cheek. When she pulled back, concern etched in the lines of her wrinkled brow. “Do not allow your pride to carve your future.”
Before she could deny the sin of pride, Sybil shuffled away. Couldn’t the woman see pride had nothing to do with her not wanting to be in Ari’s presence?
She took a deep breath and fought for calm. She’d never been able to deny a person in need, not even if it meant much pain and inner turmoil. If Ari needed her to sustain his strength in order to see Joash to his rightful place then how could she walk away? Her heart was already broken, shattered. A few more missing pieces wouldn’t matter. As it was, she’d never be whole again. Especially when the time came to part ways.
She strode through the entryway and leaned against the cut stones forming columns as she glanced around the terrace. She peered deeper into the shadows, and then stepped out onto the flagstones.
