His
name is Jesus.”
“Aye. Aye, we do.” He
drank in the serenity of his wife’s smile. “I need you to remind me of it from
time to time. We have a heavenly kingdom.”
The pair stayed quiet
for a time while Bricius continued to eat. As he wiped the last crumbs from
his beard, Lydia brought up her earlier question. “And now may I guess why you
were so glad?”
“When?”
Lydia’s eyes told him
not to play the fool. “Standing in the doorway of your shop, Bricius, son of
Alain.”
“Yes, yes, I remember.
I suppose I did look rather happy, didn’t I?” Bricius’ eyes twinkled. “And
can you guess why, Lydia, daughter of Aulus?”
She rose to her feet
and, smoothing her work dress, started for the pottery
workshop-cum-living-quarters. “I don’t need to guess, Bricius. I’ve known you
for too many years not to know.”
Bricius leapt to his
feet as quickly as his old bones allowed and followed her. “Well, then?”
She stopped and turned
toward him with her thick brows raised high. “You were pondering the certain
matrimonial bliss of your Timothy. Am I right? Well?”
He shook his head,
defeated happily. Lydia had referred to the commander of the guards as his
“Timothy” because their relationship felt so like that of the apostle and his
young preacher. Now he smiled, thinking again of Calum’s protective guidance
of the kitchen maid on her journey. “Why not? Bethan’s a bonny girl for our
Calum. A good Christian wife for him. ‘Twill comfort him.”
“God should be his
comfort, Bricius.”
“God uses means.”
Lydia changed tactics.
“She’s young, dear one. No more than sixteen, surely, if that,” Lydia reminded
him.
Bricius frowned. “Aye.
But what of it? Many a girl marries younger and is happy. And Calum is yet a
young man, not the old geezer I was when I married you, Lydia.”
Lydia smiled sweetly and
stopped to brush a kiss on his wrinkled cheek. “No, not a geezer, dearie.
More like one of the walking dead. No wonder I met you near Samhain.”
“Very funny. Seriously,
though, Lydia, I don’t know why you hesitate to encourage something that would
make Calum a happy man indeed. And think of us, too, love. What a blessing
from the Lord his marriage would be. His children would grow up around our
feet like the grandchildren we never had,” he coaxed. “You know if you
encouraged him toward it, he would consider marriage more readily.”
His wife remained silent
for a moment as they turned their steps homeward once more. Finally, she
spoke. “I don’t think ‘twould make Calum happier in the long run. He’s never
dealt with his past, Bricius. That you know. Eventually, I think he would
feel that by marrying the girl, he had bound her with his own curse.” She
paused. “But say that it did make him happy, love. Even so, how do you know
that marriage is best for Calum? Or for Bethan, for that matter? We don’t
live by happiness, dear, you know.”
“Better to marry than to
burn with passion.”
Lydia’s eyebrows rose.
“Calum doesn’t seem as if he’s exactly burning. I wouldn’t even say that he’s
smoldering, Bricius.”
“‘He who finds a wife
finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the LORD,’” the potter reminded her.
“‘Each man should remain
in the condition in which he was called,’” Lydia replied.
“‘But because of the
temptation, each man should have his own wife,’” Bricius countered, taking
Lydia’s hand.
“Which is a concession,
not a command, if they can’t exercise self-control,” his wife pointed out,
pulling away with a smile.
“Are you against
Christians marrying, then, my Lydia?” Bricius spouted as they reached the
doorway of the workshop. Lydia was as well-learned in Scripture as himself, if
not more so, and her prayerful, obedient life strengthened her wisdom, making
her a fierce warrior indeed. However,
name is Jesus.”
“Aye. Aye, we do.” He
drank in the serenity of his wife’s smile. “I need you to remind me of it from
time to time. We have a heavenly kingdom.”
The pair stayed quiet
for a time while Bricius continued to eat. As he wiped the last crumbs from
his beard, Lydia brought up her earlier question. “And now may I guess why you
were so glad?”
“When?”
Lydia’s eyes told him
not to play the fool. “Standing in the doorway of your shop, Bricius, son of
Alain.”
“Yes, yes, I remember.
I suppose I did look rather happy, didn’t I?” Bricius’ eyes twinkled. “And
can you guess why, Lydia, daughter of Aulus?”
She rose to her feet
and, smoothing her work dress, started for the pottery
workshop-cum-living-quarters. “I don’t need to guess, Bricius. I’ve known you
for too many years not to know.”
Bricius leapt to his
feet as quickly as his old bones allowed and followed her. “Well, then?”
She stopped and turned
toward him with her thick brows raised high. “You were pondering the certain
matrimonial bliss of your Timothy. Am I right? Well?”
He shook his head,
defeated happily. Lydia had referred to the commander of the guards as his
“Timothy” because their relationship felt so like that of the apostle and his
young preacher. Now he smiled, thinking again of Calum’s protective guidance
of the kitchen maid on her journey. “Why not? Bethan’s a bonny girl for our
Calum. A good Christian wife for him. ‘Twill comfort him.”
“God should be his
comfort, Bricius.”
“God uses means.”
Lydia changed tactics.
“She’s young, dear one. No more than sixteen, surely, if that,” Lydia reminded
him.
Bricius frowned. “Aye.
But what of it? Many a girl marries younger and is happy. And Calum is yet a
young man, not the old geezer I was when I married you, Lydia.”
Lydia smiled sweetly and
stopped to brush a kiss on his wrinkled cheek. “No, not a geezer, dearie.
More like one of the walking dead. No wonder I met you near Samhain.”
“Very funny. Seriously,
though, Lydia, I don’t know why you hesitate to encourage something that would
make Calum a happy man indeed. And think of us, too, love. What a blessing
from the Lord his marriage would be. His children would grow up around our
feet like the grandchildren we never had,” he coaxed. “You know if you
encouraged him toward it, he would consider marriage more readily.”
His wife remained silent
for a moment as they turned their steps homeward once more. Finally, she
spoke. “I don’t think ‘twould make Calum happier in the long run. He’s never
dealt with his past, Bricius. That you know. Eventually, I think he would
feel that by marrying the girl, he had bound her with his own curse.” She
paused. “But say that it did make him happy, love. Even so, how do you know
that marriage is best for Calum? Or for Bethan, for that matter? We don’t
live by happiness, dear, you know.”
“Better to marry than to
burn with passion.”
Lydia’s eyebrows rose.
“Calum doesn’t seem as if he’s exactly burning. I wouldn’t even say that he’s
smoldering, Bricius.”
“‘He who finds a wife
finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the LORD,’” the potter reminded her.
“‘Each man should remain
in the condition in which he was called,’” Lydia replied.
“‘But because of the
temptation, each man should have his own wife,’” Bricius countered, taking
Lydia’s hand.
“Which is a concession,
not a command, if they can’t exercise self-control,” his wife pointed out,
pulling away with a smile.
“Are you against
Christians marrying, then, my Lydia?” Bricius spouted as they reached the
doorway of the workshop. Lydia was as well-learned in Scripture as himself, if
not more so, and her prayerful, obedient life strengthened her wisdom, making
her a fierce warrior indeed. However,
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