She knew the truth. And yet she still went through with the wedding. Still wanted to have Father as her husband again. It wasn’t just so she could see her children again, either. She could have told Rebekah that first night who she really was, and Rebekah would have arranged for Laban to come also and find out the truth. In her rage at Father, Rebekah might even have crept off to go live with her in Ezbaal’s household, not as a new bride, but as a long-lost daughter. But Akyas did not handle things that way. She did nothing to undercut Father’s authority. Indeed, she went to great lengths to make sure Father was married to her before he found out who she really was.

It could only mean that she forgave Father. She had seen how firmly Rebekah was committed to serving the God of Abraham, so that Father’s victory was complete, and yet she still wanted to return to the marriage.

There are desires here that in my anger I did not think of. Laban, for all his grieving, he saw it. But Rebekah the fool, all I could see was how they lied to me, how I had been betrayed, how I was humiliated. Me? Mother was the one who humbled herself. Father was the one the trick was played on; his shame was far greater than any I might feel.

Ezbaal must be so grateful that God saved him from being married to a brat like me.

“Would you like some supper?” asked Deborah.

“What?”

“You’ve been asleep,” said Deborah. “They’ve all come to the tent—your father, your mother, Laban, several of the women, even Ezbaal. But I wouldn’t let them in because you were asleep and I thought you needed to rest. You looked so peaceful lying there.”

“How can I have been . . . I’ve been awake the whole time, thinking about . . .”

“Were you just pretending? You’re really good at it, then, because I shook you and you never seemed even to know it.”

Rebekah felt her cheeks. Dry. Her eyes were still tender from crying, but her eyelashes were caked with dried-on tears, and her clothes damp with sweat and wrinkled from lying on them.

And she was hungry.

“Yes, I’d like to eat.”

“Good!” said Deborah. “There’s an awful lot of meat. The whole wedding feast!”

“They went ahead without me?” She felt stupid as soon as she said it. What did she expect, that the whole feast would be put off until she woke up from her nap and gave them permission to proceed?

The feast had gone on. Which meant the wedding was considered valid. Father hadn’t renounced it because of the deception. Father and Mother were married. Again. After fifteen years. After my whole life. I will finally know what it’s like to have my own mother with me.