Not what he expected, certainly. He blinked.
“This Roman’s wife was also a Hebrew, and she wanted a girl to teach, to share her days. My mistress taught me the Laws of our people, and my master taught me the laws and the language of Rome. Though a slave, I was raised to think all men are equal, no matter their lot in life or where they were born. And when I married their son, a Roman centurion, they raised me from my slavery altogether and called me a mistress along with those I once served.
“Months ago, my husband and his father were both killed in an uprising in Jerusalem. I came to Rome with my husband’s friend,” she said, nodding toward Titus, “to claim his estates for our son. On my way here, I had Titus to protect me. On my way home again, I will have no such friend. But I do not plan to return to Rome for more than a visit, so if you agreed to serve me, you would make your home in Israel. I would ask you to learn the laws of my God and to listen with an open heart to the faith that I hold dearer than life. I served my masters with love, not from duty, and that is how I wish to be served if served I must be. I would not ask you to do anything I can do myself; only to step in when my strength or abilities fail. The choice is as much yours as mine, Phillip, and while I would see the money I give your master to be buying your freedom, not your life, if you cannot see it that way, and if you would not freely help me in return for all your physical needs, then I will not make this transaction.”
She halted and regarded him evenly, obviously waiting for a response. But what response could he possibly make? Here sat this beautiful woman, saying she had once been as much a slave as he, claiming to want to free him if only he would protect her from her enemies. Here sat this beautiful woman, looking at him as though he were her friend, never so much as questioning his ability to do the labor he had been trained for, only asking if he could soften his heart.
That was harder for a man like him than killing. But she seemed to think he could accomplish it, and strangely, that inspired him to think that perhaps he could, as well. His gaze flitted to Titus, and he wondered if maybe this girl had something to do with the softening in him. He was holding her son tenderly, and the hard mask he had always associated with the man was absent.
Phillip nodded. “I would serve you eagerly, Mistress, no matter where you go. I will listen to whatever words you wish to teach me, and take them into my heart in hopes that it becomes like yours.”
She gave him a brilliant smile. “Then we will get along well. Right now, my entourage consists of you and a six-year old boy whom my husband bought but who has since become my son. When we return to Israel, we will join my mother’s house, where there are three others. Andrew, who is probably about your age, Simon, the head of slaves who has always been like a father to me, and his wife, Dinah, the cook, beside whom I served happily for many years.”
Phillip nodded again but had to ask, “But does Mistress not have a handmaiden? I am able to protect you, but not to see to your personal needs.”
Abigail’s smile turned wry. “Mistress has been a handmaiden too long to know what to do with one for herself, my friend.”
“But Phillip has a point, Abigail,” Titus said from behind the couch on which she had sat. “If you truly want to make the journey in safety, you must project the image of an affluent woman to whom an affront would mean trouble. The more servants you travel with, the safer you will be.”
Abigail sighed and looked at him over her shoulder. “Titus, I had no attendants on the way over, and in spite of your multitude of warnings, I met with no problems. I grant that I cannot travel alone, but Phillip certainly strikes me as perfectly capable of protecting me without the help of a girl who can only braid hair and bathe my feet.”
“On the way over you were with me, on a ship that I owned, with men who were all either under my employ or owned by my family. If they had touched you, their lives would have been forfeit, and they all knew it. But you will not be sailing back on one of my ships, and I will not be there to strike fear into the sailors. Phillip may certainly intimidate, but they would fear only immediate pain, not the far-reaching kind. Make them think you are important, and you will command respect, as well.”
Abigail rolled her eyes. “But I am not important, and there would be no far-reaching effects!”