Chapter 6 | The Punishment of Sin

"How could this have happened?!"

I look at him with disbelief. He paces across the length of his chamber, his sandals clicking against the tiles. A flame of anger ignites within me.

Tightening my grip around my arms, I reply scornfully, "I can't believe I trusted you... You are not the man I thought you were. The David that used to chase me in the courtyard with my brother and the other noble children, who would place me on his knee and read his poems to me- That David would be ashamed of you."

I have never spoken to a man this way before, but I have nothing more to lose. He would taste the sting of my words just like I have tasted the sting of our adultery. Knowing that there is a child nestled within me gives me courage I never knew I was capable of possessing.

His footsteps halt and his face hardens like stone. His bright eyes that once looked over me with passionate desire now rake across my frame scrutinizingly. I fight against the urge to take a step backward.

"Do not speak to me as if I am your equal! I am your King!"

My fingers loosen around my arms and instinctively travel to my concealed stomach. I smooth over the silk fabrics draping down my legs, then catch him stealing a lingering glance at my stomach. His eyes shift away.

"And how do I know that this child is indeed my own," He says, spitting his words like venom while his hand motions toward me almost impulsively.

"Believe me, Sire... You are the last man on this earth that I wish to share a child with, but I cannot go by my wishes. For if my wishes came true then my husband would be home with me and this child would be his. You may have tainted my virtue but you cannot taint my words. They are all I have left. I speak the truth and it pains me to do so. So let my pain be my witness. I carry your heir."

An eerie silence settles between us. I watch as King David's clenched fists relax enough for his knuckles to regain color. His hands shake as he pushes them through his flaming red hair. Before he turns his back to me I catch a glimpse of his lip beginning to quiver.

"You have surely condemned me," I whisper.

I can only imagine the expression taking shape of his face as he looks through his open air window and into the light of the setting sun. The waning rays from the sun reflect off of his golden rings and bangles causing bursts of light to scatter onto the walls of the large room.

His silence only strengthens the fear within me. The muscle within my chest begins to pound relentlessly. I take a hesitant step forward.

"You must claim this child as yours... I will be stoned in the streets. And if not for my sake, then for your very blood and flesh cradled in my womb."

He breathes a heated sigh.

"That is the least of our worries, Bathsheba."

"Our?"

He faces me slowly then nods his head.

"I will get us out of this mess," He whispers. His eyes gleam genuinely, but my fears are not quieted.

"You are mine now. I always take care of what is mine. Please, go home and rest. Stay hidden inside. I will send word to you soon."