She had spent the long, hot day standing over the hearth cooking lentils and chickpeas, stirring Penina’s savory lamb stew, keeping the hearth fire going and the baking oven hot. Her master would return home from Jerusalem today, bringing guests, so the kitchen staff had to prepare an elaborate evening meal for them. Penina bustled around the courtyard shouting, “Watch what you’re doing! . . . Be careful! Don’t let that burn!” Everything had to be perfect. Nava was drawing water from the well for her goats late in the afternoon when Master Malkijah and his guests arrived. She stood with her water jar, peering at the group as they dismounted near the stables, and it shocked her to see that one of the guests was the man who had conspired at dinner in Jerusalem. Her master had invited him to his estate—which meant that Malkijah was a traitor. Then Nava saw him help his fiancée, Chana, down from the saddle, and her remaining shards of hope vanished like snow in the sunshine.
What do You think about On This Foundation (2015)?
