“Sure,” he said. “Where?”
Somewhere private, where no one would barge in on us. If it was warmer, we could go to the gazebo (how veryThe Sound of Music), but in this dark, drizzly weather, no one was venturing outdoors. “We could try the library.”
The library was a small room where Grandpa often lounged when he wasn’t in his study. It was in the older section of the house, with low ceilings and old, warped glass looking out over the lawns. I liked it because there was only one entrance, instead of serving as a pathway between other rooms like the music room or the downstairs parlors.
I settled in Grandpa’s ancient leather chair while Isaac sat in its matching twin across from me. Old books lined the walls: an encyclopedia set, travel books, thrillers by Michael Crichton and Palmer and Connelly. I pulled the small chain of the tasseled lamp, and a warm, orange-yellow glow pushed back the gloom. Outside, rain still pattered down.
We flipped open our scripts, scanning for our scenes. Isaac grimaced. “I hope the triplets don’t expect me to memorize any lines.”
Erm. They most definitely would. “Maybe a few? You’re helping them out, though, so I’m sure they’ll appreciate whatever you’re willing to do.”
“Cool,” he said. “I think we start on page forty-nine.”
“Okay.” Judith had just taken matters into her own hands: after her local menfolk failed to stave off the invading Assyrian army, she put on her best dress (relatable), ate sacred foods (less relatable), prayed real hard (occasionally relatable), and set off to infiltrate the invaders. Stunned by her beauty, soldiers escorted her to General Holofernes’s tent when she arrived, because probably a dude had written the original text.
Our scene began with stage directions:
JUDITHenters the tent preceded by two soldiers holding silver lanterns.HOLOFERNESreclines beneath a gold-and-purple canopy.
SERVANT: We present Judith of the Hebrews, who has come seeking sanctuary.
JUDITHprostrates herself; the servants raise her up, bow, and exit.
Isaac started reading. “ ‘Be steadfast, woman, and have no fear. I have never harmed any willing to serve Nebuchadnezzar. But your people have brought war upon themselves by insulting the king. Tell me—why have you fled them and come to me?’ ”
“ ‘Listen to me, my lord,’ ” I read, flushing a bit to call Isaacmy lord. “ ‘You alone are known to be good and powerful in Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom, and your brilliance is known throughout the land.’ ” I gave Isaac a quick smile. “Bit of a suck-up, isn’t she?”
He returned the smile. “I’m guessing it’s going to work.”
We traded lines back and forth in the dim lamplight. Judith expounded on the reasons she’d come, fooling Holofernes into a false sense of security. He rewarded her with her own tent, where she stayed for four days.
On the fourth day, Holofernes told his eunuch to invite Judith to a private banquet. Isaac leaned forward, his soft voice backed by the distant patter of rain. “ ‘Go and persuade the Hebrew woman to come and eat and drink with me. For it will bring shame upon me if I let such a woman go not having enjoyed her company. She will laugh and scorn me.’ ” Isaac glanced at me, amused. “As we all know, it’s a horrible thing for a man to be laughed at.”
I smiled, trying to look dazzling. “Then you better enjoy my company.”
We stared at each other for a charged moment.
Then I skimmed down, past the eunuch asking Judith to join Holofernes, to her answer. “ ‘Who am I to gainsay my lord? Whatever is pleasing to him I will do. This will be a joy for me until the day of my death.’ ”
In silence, we both read the stage directions:
JUDITHdresses in her finery, whileHANDMAIDENspreads a blanket on the ground beforeHOLOFERNESforJUDITHto come recline on—which she does.
HOLOFERNESburns with desire forJUDITH.
I looked up again and caught Isaac looking at me. My heart rate increased; my tongue darted out to lick my lips. “Um,” I said. “I think it’s your line.”
“Right.” He swallowed, hard. “ ‘Drink now and be merry, for you have found favor before me.’ ”
“ ‘I will drink now, my lord, because my life is magnified in me this day more than all the days since I was born.’ ”
Once more, our gazes locked. My breath came fast, and Isaac shifted in his seat before offering me a smile. “They definitely sleep together, right?”
The tension broke, and I smiled back. “I think he’s too drunk. Look—stage directions say they drink and drink, or at least the general does, until he collapses in exhaustion.”
“Pretty ballsy of Judith.”
“Very. Listen to this.” I read out the stage directions following Judith’s last line as she stood beside Holofernes’s prone body. “ ‘Judith strikes Holofernes’s neck twice, cutting off his head. She wraps it up in her blanket, then leaves the tent, handsthe head to her handmaiden, who puts it in her food bag.’ ”
