Annabeth hovered at her husband’s elbow. “He’s been so fussy lately. Thank the Lord I finally got him to sleep.”
Daniel turned to focus on his wife. He was struck by the dark circles under her eyes. “You must be getting very little sleep yourself. I’m sorry the baby is keeping you awake.”
Annabeth’s hands flew to her cheeks in an involuntary gesture of embarrassment. “I... uh... hadn’t noticed.” She nervously smoothed her hair again and gave him a tight little smile. “The wakefulness is to be expected with newborns. I’m sure I’ll look more pleasing to you in a few weeks. Why don’t you sit down,” she suggested, taking him by the hand and leading him to the armchairs. “You see how much nicer this new room is. I’m sure it’s the sort of place where you’ll want to spend more time in the future.”
When he was settled, she sat on the ottoman across from him, an expectant look on her face. “I hope you’ll be visiting me again soon...” She hesitated. “The way you did before the baby arrived.” She blushed.
He was taken aback by the suggestion. “Annabeth, you’ve just given birth. Surely, you’re in no condition to resume... “He faltered. “Um... conjugal relations.”
A fleeting expression of panic crossed her face. “Of course, I am, Daniel. God has ordained it as my purpose in life. How else can you build your celestial kingdom?”
He shifted around uncomfortably in his chair. “Can we please discuss this another time? I have something important to say to you.”
“Oh?” She appeared genuinely puzzled.
He averted his eyes, bracing himself for yet another tense confrontation. “I understand that our daughter isn’t residing with you in these chambers.”
Annabeth stared at him blankly. “Why should she be?”
“Because she’s your daughter!” His words came out more sharply than he intended. In a quieter tone, he added, “Your sister-wives tell me you haven’t gone to see her at all since the baby arrived. It’s been weeks, Annabeth.”
His wife bristled with indignation. “So, they’ve been tattling about me again. It’s jealousy plain and simple! That’s all it is. I have a son, and they don’t. That’s why they want to spoil things between you and me.”
Daniel guided the conversation back. “This isn’t about you and me. It’s about our other child. Your sister-wives say she wakes up crying in the middle of the night, calling for you.”
“I have my hands full with a newborn,” Annabeth hurled back. “Our daughter is better off with the other girls!” She gave the final word a dismissive emphasis.
“She needs her mother too, Annabeth.”
Contrary to his expectations, his principal wife didn’t flinch in the face of his rebuke. She met his reproach with a look of cold fury. “The girl has two half-sisters and my sister-wives to look after her. She’s growing selfish. If anyone needs to be scolded, it’s her. Why don’t you go and tell the child to behave properly?”
Annabeth stood up and marched over to the crib. She stared down pointedly at the sleeping baby. In her own indirect way, she was showing Daniel that their conversation was over.
He slumped forward in his chair, silently upbraiding himself for bungling things. He had just made the situation worse for his daughter rather than better. Annabeth now had reason to do more than neglect her eldest child. She would actively resent the girl’s existence. If Daniel persisted in forcing the two of them together, he knew that Annabeth would make the child pay. His principal wife’s nature was cowardly. Like all cowards, she would vent her rage on a victim who was too weak to fight back. Since Annabeth couldn’t punish Daniel, she would certainly punish their daughter in sly ways. He shuddered at the damage that his well-intentioned interference was likely to cause.
He walked across the room and came to stand behind his wife who pointedly kept her back to him. Resting a hand on her shoulder, he sighed. “Never mind, Annabeth. I’ll handle the situation with our daughter. Don’t trouble yourself about it.”
Now she turned to face him, wreathed in smiles. “I knew you’d understand. You’re so wise, Daniel. Talk to the girl. Tell her to behave properly. She respects her father, and she’ll listen to you.”
“Yes, I’ll do that,” he replied half-heartedly.
“And...” she hesitated. “You will come to visit me again soon. Won’t you, Daniel?”
He forced a smile. “Certainly. As soon as I can get away from my work. Father is keeping me quite busy just now.” He loathed himself for misleading her, but it was in a good cause. If he could preserve her good will, she might forget to be spiteful to their little girl. He wondered if the sinners who were cast into hell began this way. One small well-intentioned lie at a time.
Chapter 14—Urban Decay
Cassie strolled out the door of the Archaeology Rest-house, idling away the time until her teammates finished their breakfast and joined her. She shielded her eyes and surveyed the jumble of brick structures which lay ahead. Today they would tackle the ruins of Mohenjo-Daro. The name meant “mound of the dead,” and it was one of the largest cities of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization—IVC for short. As Griffin himself admitted, it was a bit of a stretch to imagine they would find any trace of the Minoans here. The latitude was several degrees north of where the riddle told them to look. The scrivener had tried to argue that the site possessed a tower and was once surrounded by rivers, which technically made it an island, but neither of his colleagues gave that theory much credence. Still, the pythia was curious about the place and was glad to get the chance to see it for herself.
Although not far from Mumbai, this out-of-the-way location had been hard to reach. First, the trio had flown to Karachi, the
