The Hidden Flame
Page 31
With tears of thanksgiving upon her cheeks, she thanked her Lord for relief of the dark despair that had threatened to consume her. There was reason to go on. And she had God's promise. And though she missed Stephen with all her heart, knowledge that the Lord was with her was enough.
My dear sister in Christ, Leah, Abigail mentally composed as she sorted produce for the day's distribution tables. Her silent musings had become somewhat of a habit. There was no way for her to communicate with Leah in reality, so Abigail expressed her thoughts, her feelings, in the only way she could. Silently. I have so much I wish to share with you, she mused on. God willing, one day we will be able to see one another face-to-face, but for now ...
Our work here carries on. There are so many who need our help at the tables. Women like you and me, but with no one else in the community to care for their needs.
I have a small room here again and no longer live in the little lean-to that I had shared with Jacob and then my dear husband. I still miss them both. But with the death of my beloved Stephen, a part of my heart was lost also. He was a wonderful man.
But God is good. He has given me such special friends and a peace that I cannot even describe. It carries me through each new day.
There are still many dangers, but in a strange way, I no longer carry that intense fear. I have already lost what was dearest to me. What more can they take? Besides, they are much less threatening to women and children. It is our leaders who are in the most danger A young rabbi by the name of Saul seems to be our greatest threat.
But I do have something that I long to tell you. It-
"Abigail." A young girl suddenly appeared in the doorway, breathless. "There is someone to see you. You are to come now."
Abigail straightened and rubbed her hands against the towel at her waist. Who would be looking for her?
When she entered the courtyard, she stopped midstep, not expecting to see someone from her recent past. That world of yesterday seemed so far away. So disconnected from her life now.
Linux was seated on a shaded bench, a cup in his hand. Someone must have already served him. He rose and moved a step toward her.
She could not have put her feelings into words. She did not understand them herself. Here stood a man who had attracted yet repelled her-at the same time. She had feared him-then had come to trust him enough to search for him at the time of her deepest need. He had been an enemy-and the most loyal of friends. An outsider-and now a fellow believer. Most of all, he had been someone that her dear Stephen had taught, had led into the faith. For that reason alone, Linux would always have a place in her heart.
Abigail could feel the blood rush from her face, her heart pick up a more rapid beat. She feared she would not be able to speak.
"Linux," she managed to say.
"Abigail," he said with a nod. She thought his eyes appeared as haunted as her own must be. For a brief time neither of them moved. Linux was the first to recover. He stepped forward and motioned to the bench. "Please, take a seat here in the shade."
She walked to the bench. When she had been seated and had recovered her breath, she was able to ask, "When did you come?"
"I just arrived back in Jerusalem. I came straight here. I have word for you from Alban and Leah."
He withdrew a letter from inside his tunic. Leah accepted it with shaking hand. She would need to find someone to read it to her. She sat and stared at the parchment, caressing it gently. She blinked determinedly at tears. She would not weep. She had spent far too much time over the past two months in tears. She would not shed them now.
Linux waited patiently.
At length she was able to lift her head and turn to him.
"How are they?"
He gave a slight smile. "They are well. Jacob is helping Alban with the caravans. They travel north mostly, or in the area. It is still not safe...." He let those words drop. "You should see their little one. A strong, healthy boy. They named him Gabriel. But I'm sure she will have told you all about him in the letter. Alban is strutting like a rooster. And the little one already adores Alban and smiles each time. . . "
Abigail had lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry," he said. "I am thoughtlessly rambling on when-"
"No-it's fine." She lifted her head. "It is so good to hear news of them. I have missed them all so much."
He nodded.
"And Leah?" she questioned.
He spoke more quietly this time. "Leah sends her love. She is well-and busy. She meets with the local women for study of Scripture and prayer. She . . ." He paused, then said, "She misses you. Is so sorry that she was not here when you needed her. She begs you to join them. I believe she thinks of you as her younger sister," he finished somewhat lamely. "She wants you to come back with me, to Galilee."
Abigail felt her heart constrict.
"And I cannot," she said, though the words seemed to tear at her heart.
"But-"
"I cannot. I wish so much to see her. And of course my dear Jacob. But I cannot go. I am needed here." She waved her hand toward the tables at the far side of the compound, busy now with servers and receivers. "There is so much-"
"Surely someone else can take your place."
Abigail straightened. "Perhaps. Perhaps I am not as necessary to running the distribution center as I tell myself. But it is more than that. I belong here. With my people. Serving my Lord. I would feel ... I would feel like a deserter should I leave. Do you ..." She turned to look directly at him. "Can you understand that?"
Linux nodded. "I can indeed."
"And Martha, she needs me. She has not been well. I fear if I were not here to help Mary care for her . . ." She let the thought drop.
Again they sat in silence. There seemed to be so much to say, and yet so little that could be said.
"That is your answer, then?"
"It must be. I have every reason to remain here."
"I understand." She didn't think he truly did, but that would have to be.
He stood. "I will return to Galilee in three days. If you wish to send a letter ..."
"Oh-yes, I do." Abigail too was on her feet. She had so longed to write Leah all of the feelings of her heart. Somehow she would find someone who could put all of those thoughts in writing. One of the young Greek widows, perhaps. They are schooled. Her hurried thoughts ran on, but Linux was speaking.
"It has been good to see you again, Abigail. I have thought much of you-of your sorrow."
She nodded her gratitude.
"Stephen was a good man. A good teacher and a better friend. I shall always think of him with deep appreciation."
Abigail could not respond. She merely nodded once more.
Linux looked at her for a long moment, nodded at her, and turned to go.
Abigail stood and watched him as he walked from the courtyard. At the entrance he turned once more and lifted his hand. She raised hers in return. Then he was gone.
It was several minutes before Abigail could rouse herself enough to return to the storage area and her task. Her thoughts led her in many directions. She had just turned down an opportunity that would have taken her to Leah-yet in spite of her longing, her heart was at peace. She did indeed belong here. Here where she was needed. Here where she could serve. Here with her own people.
She entered the shed, its stifling heat nearly overcoming her, and bent once again to the routine of dividing up food portions. Even as she did, her mind went back to the letter she had been mentally composing to her dear friend. The letter that soon would be put on papyrus and delivered. Her hand went inside her robe to where Leah's letter was tucked. As soon as her responsibilities were completed, she would search out a friend who could read it to her. It was all she could do to wait.
I had to say no, Leah, her private message went on. I do hope you will understand. I wanted so much to come. To see you-and meet your new son. But I could not. All of the reasons that I gave to Linux, our friend, were true. But I did not tell him the most important reason why I
must stay here, among my people. You see, I have just made a discovery that has changed my world. It has been both so sorrowful and so joyous that at first I struggled. Now I feel nothing but intense wonder. Intense happiness. I can hardly believe it to be true. But it is. It is. And I am so happy. I cannot wait for the days to pass. My whole life has taken on new meaning. New excitement. With every waking hour I have longed to share it with you. And now the opportunity has come so I can.
Leah, I am with child! Stephen's legacy will now continue in the next generation. I am so blessed!
One of the apostles, Nathanael, was teaching us one evening from one of King David's psalms, and I have made David's testimony my own. He wrote, "I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. I will praise You forever, because You have done it; And in the presence of Your saints I will wait on Your name, for it is good."
That is what I am doing, Leah, praising our Lord.
With love and prayers, Abigail.
Books by Janette Oke and Davis Bunn
ACTS OF FAITH
The Centurion's Wife
The Hidden Flame
SONG OF ACADIA
The Meeting Place
The Sacred Shore
The Birthright
The Distant Beacon
The Beloved Land
Books by Davis Bunn
Gold of Kings
The Book of Hours
The Great Divide
Winner Take All
The Lazarus Trap
Elixir
Imposter
All Through the Night
My Soul to Keep
HEIRS OF ACADIA *
The Solitary Envoy
The Innocent Libertine
The Noble Fugitive
The Night Angel
Falconer's Quest
Books by Janette Oke
CANADIAN WEST
When Calls the Heart • When Comes the Spring
When Breaks the Dawn • When Hope Springs New
Beyond the Gathering Storm
When Tomorrow Comes
LOVE COMES SOFTLY
Love Comes Softly • Love's Enduring Promise
Love's Long Journey • Love's Abiding Joy
Love's Unending Legacy • Love's Unfolding Dream
Love Takes Wing • Love Finds a Home
A PRAIRIE LEGACY
The Tender Years • A Searching Heart
A Quiet Strength • Like Gold Refined
SEASONS OF THE HEART
Once Upon a Summer • The Winds of Autumn
Winter Is Not Forever • Spring's Gentle Promise
Seasons of the Heart (4 in 1)
WOMEN OF THE WEST
The Calling of Emily Evans • Julia's Last Hope
Roses for Mama • A Woman Named Damaris
They Called Her Mrs. Doc • The Measure of a Heart
A Bride for Donnigan • Heart of the Wilderness
Too Long a Stranger • The Bluebird and the Sparrow
A Gown of Spanish Lace • Drums of Change
DAVIS BUNN has been a professional novelist for twenty years. His books have sold in excess of six million copies in sixteen languages, appearing on numerous national bestseller lists.
Davis is known for the diversity of his writing talent, from gentle gift books like The Quilt to high-powered thrillers like The Great Divide. He has also enjoyed great success in his collaborations with Janette Oke, with whom he has co-authored a series of groundbreaking historical novels.
In developing his work, Davis draws on a rich background of international experience. Raised in North Carolina, he completed his undergraduate studies at Wake Forest University. He then traveled to London to earn a master's degree in international economics and finance before embarking on a distinguished business career that took him to more than thirty countries in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. His wife, Isabella, is a professor of human rights law and international ethics, and holds positions in both the United States and England.
Davis has received numerous literary accolades, including three Christy Awards for excellence in fiction. He currently serves as Writer-in-Residence at Regent's Park College, Oxford University, and is a sought-after lecturer on the craft of writing.
JANETTE OKE was born in Champion, Alberta, to a Canadian prairie farmer and his wife, and she grew up in a large family full of laughter and love. She is a graduate of Mountain View Bible College in Alberta, where she met her husband, Edward, and they were married in May of 1957. After pastoring churches in Indiana and Canada, the Okes spent some years in Calgary, where Edward served in several positions on college faculties while Janette continued her writing. She has written novels for both adults and children, and her book sales total nearly thirty million copies.
Her numerous literary awards include the ECPA President's Award and the CBA Life Impact Award for her significant contribution to establishing the category of Christian fiction. She also has won both Gold Medallion and Christy Awards of excellence, and her novels have been translated into fourteen languages. The Hallmark Channel has enjoyed great success with films based on her LOVE COMES SOFTLY series.
The Okes have three sons and one daughter, all married, and are enjoying their fifteen grandchildren. Edward and Janette are active in their local church and make their home near Didsbury, Alberta.
Table of Contents
HEIRS OF ACADIA *