Honor Bound – Carol Ashby (1)

It stood open, and the pasture beyond held the newest lambs and their mothers. Vera leaned against the gatepost. “Mistress told me all about Jesus, about how he paid for the sins separating us from God. She called him the lamb that God himself provided as the final perfect sacrifice. She told me how she confessed and told him she believed he took her sins away. That she would follow and worship only him.”

The persistent bleating of a lamb was followed by silence as it found its mother’s milk and began to drink. “After you prayed with her, she said she knew she’d give Master a son because your god had healed her. She wanted me to believe like her, to be her sister in Christ like you and Primula.”

Her sandal traced a circle in the dirt. “I was almost ready to join you until Mistress died in childbirth. She said your god had helped her carry a baby to birth for the first time, but I saw him abandon her and let her die after Marcus was born.” She drew a line across it. “I couldn’t understand how Mistress Camilla could still be joyful and giving thanks to that god, even when she knew she was dying.” One lamb feeding gave three others the same idea, and their corner of the field turned quiet.

“New life and joy―she said they were gifts from the Christian god. And even though she wanted to see her son grow up, she said she wasn’t afraid to die. Eternal life was his gift, too.” With a sweep of her sandal, she erased the drawing before raising her eyes to Licinia. “But if he was the loving god Mistress claimed, why did he give her the son she’d wanted for so long and then let her die?”

Licinia met her gaze. “I don’t know why God says ‘yes’ to some of our prayers and ‘no’ to others. But I trust that He gives us what’s best, even when I don’t understand. Those ‘nos’ can hurt so much when I first hear them. But with time, the pain fades. Only then can I see why. But not always and sometimes only partly.” A lamb bleated and chased the ewe that was walking away.

“I don’t understand why Camilla died, but I can see God’s hand in taking me from Rome and bringing me here.” A smile curved Vera’s lips. “The answer was ‘yes’ for Africanus. Your prayers pulled him back from what he and the master thought was certain death.” The smile faded. “They’ve both seen enough death to know.” “Not our prayers. It was the healing power of the Holy Spirit that saved him. We only asked Him to heal.”

Chapter 2: His Mother’s Eyes Chapter 3: A Wise and Careful Man Chapter 4: Finding the Weak Point Chapter 5: Protected by God Chapter 6: When No One Is Watching Chapter 7: The Special Gift Chapter 8: The Best Kind of Escort Chapter 9: Hunting the Christian Chapter 10: The Wisest Choice Chapter 11: The Decurion Chapter 12: To Earn Her Respect Chapter 13: Raising a Son Properly Chapter 14: The End of the Journey Chapter 15: Germanic Hospitality Chapter 16: Not As It Should Be Chapter 17: The Fate of a Human Soul Chapter 18: Disturbing Questions Chapter 19: Enemies Within the Walls Chapter 20: A Dangerous Pair Chapter 21: No Longer a Problem?

Chapter 22: Seeking the Weak Spot Chapter 23: Too Content with Less Chapter 24: A Secret Worth Hiding? Chapter 25: The Perfect Place for Septimus Chapter 26: A Father’s Care Chapter 27: Leaving for Lousonna Chapter 28: The Accident Chapter 29: Gifts of Love and Friendship Chapter 30: If Only She’d Stayed Chapter 31: What He Couldn’t Know Chapter 32: Something Peculiar Chapter 33: Intriguing Relationships Chapter 34: Difference of Opinion Chapter 35: Lions and Jackals Chapter 36: Snakes and Crocodiles Chapter 37: Suitable Entertainment Chapter 38: More Like a Brother Chapter 39: Resigned to His Fate Chapter 40: What’s in a Name?

Chapter 41: Keeping Secrets Chapter 42: Discovered! Chapter 43: What Honor Demands Chapter 44: For Her Own Safety Chapter 45: Two Letters Chapter 46: No Need to Worry? Chapter 47: Dealer in Death Chapter 48: When a Man Must Choose Chapter 49: If He Would Turn Chapter 50: More Than He Expected Chapter 51: A Breach in His Armor Chapter 52: Where Is the Sister? Chapter 53: Unreasonable Attraction Chapter 54: Not What He Expected Chapter 55: What’s Proof Enough?

Chapter 56: Brothers and Sisters Chapter 57: Getting Rid of a Spy Chapter 58: Opportunities Too Good to Miss Chapter 59: Somewhere Safe? Chapter 60: A Surprise When He Returns Chapter 61: Another One in the Family Chapter 62: A Man of Honor MORE LIGHT IN THE EMPIRE Historical Note: Christians as Criminals Under Roman Law Historical Note: The Daily Life of Gladiators: Celebrities Yet Social Outcasts in the Roman World Discussion Guide Glossary Scripture References Acknowledgements About the Author The Light in the Empire Series I’d Love to Hear from You!

OceanofPDF.com Copyright HONOR BOUND Copyright 2020 by Carol Ashby All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means―electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other―except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: cb596472150aa98f
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 3,297,405 bytes (3.145 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• ISBN: 9781946139214, 9781946139221, 9781946139238
• Pages: 409
• Language: English (en)

Reading & Word Statistics

• Estimated Reading Time: 677.8 minutes
• Total Words: 135,561
• Total Characters: 750,193
• Average Words per Page: 331.44
• Average Characters per Page: 1834.21

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