A calm smile lit Chloe's eyes and crossed her lips as she realized that release and freedom would soon be hers. Peace filled her. Peace such as she had not known since her kidnapping twelve years earlier. Peace captured her thoughts and tongue. The silence echoed like pending thunder in the dark barn as everyone waited for Chloe to redeem herself. Finally she spoke, "I have nothing to say."
    Relief escaped with Reuben's breath. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his woolen coat and waited.
    Father Jacob again paused to gather a deep breath. The sun silhouetted him against the shadows. To the watching assembly he appeared to grow even larger in stature and strength. He exhaled, using the rush of air to project his voice the depth and length of the barn. The technique effectively drew the Family's attention away from the palsied tremors that racked his body.
    "The Word of the Lord cannot be mocked or deceived. The penalty for adultery is death by stoning."
    He looked down at Chloe, tears streaming down his cheeks.  "My poor daughter, may God have pity on your soul."
    A simple flicker of his hand dismissed her and the waiting assembly. Reuben and Simeon grabbed her arms. Dragged from the building between the two brothers, the Family followed Chloe and her executioners. Jacob watched, his tears dried and forgotten, his attention diverted to hiding the tremors that were steadily increasing in both strength and frequency.
    They circled her in the barnyard. Chloe, in the center, stood with her back straight and her head held high. A smile lit her face and her natural beauty, a beauty that had been hidden beneath fear, dirt, and pain for twelve years, shone through.
    Reuben's younger cousin, Leah, picked up the first stone. Her strawberry-blonde hair glittered like gold in the wintry sunshine, but her sparkling green eyes held an unholy glee. She glanced at Reuben. Her tongue lightly brushed her upper lip in an obscene and lustful gesture. Reuben's eyes found hers. He nodded. She lifted the stone high overhead, aiming... 
    Benjamin turned his head away. Angry tears filled his eyes. Chloe's sons and daughters enthusiastic and encouraging yells rang high above the crowd's calls and taunts. He tried to shut out the cries, the shouts. They proved stronger than his will. Disgust gagged him and his bile rose in a choking torrent. 
    His hands hung at his sides, clenched into tight angry fists. Helpless to prevent Chloe's death, his loathing and hatred shot like a poisoned arrow into his heart, killing all hope, and damning him with their accusations.
    His slow footsteps kicked up clouds of dust but he knew they would not be noticed. A vulture of despair and hopelessness sat heavily on his shoulders and bent his back in pain and sorrow. Soon it would be his turn. Soon, he knew, he would be forced to marry.

Benjamin's Bride will be released on May 1, 2004 from Winter Wolf Publishing. To place an advanced order click here.