I shucked the beans, filling up the bowls before passing them to Margo as Abner walked past us. He was too busy communing with the spirits and muttering prayers underneath his breath to pay us any attention. Bekah’s son, Miles, toddled behind him, doing his best to keep up. Even though Abner tried to pretend like all the children were equal in his eyes, he had a special spot in his heart for Miles. He favored him so much that he allowed him to sleep with him at night, and Abner always slept alone. I watched as they disappeared into his tent, wondering what they did in there. Sometimes they didn’t come out for hours.

Margo eyed me from across the table. “They make an interesting pair.”

My cheeks flushed. I was embarrassed she’d caught me watching them so closely. “Yeah, they really do, and I just don’t understand it.”

“It’s because she was his. That’s the real reason she kept her relationship with Sam a secret.”

“What do you mean?”

“She’d never been with anyone else besides Abner.”

I almost dropped my bowl. “She was with Abner?”

“Yes.” She raised her eyebrows. “You didn’t know that? I thought everyone knew that.”

I shook my head, unable to speak around the emotions working their way up my throat. Abner had told me years ago that he practiced sexual abstinence, and he must’ve preached on sexual purity hundreds of times. Every time I was starting to soften toward Abner, he did something horrendous again. He’d done much worse things in the past, but I’d never caught him in such a big lie. Something about his dishonesty was unsettling in a way that none of his actions had been before.

“Wow, you really had no idea, did you?” she asked after a few minutes had passed and I still hadn’t regained my composure.

“How many other disciples has he been with?” I asked, finally finding my voice.

“There weren’t any others—just Bekah. Like I said, she was his.”

Was that the real reason he was so angry with Sam? Jealousy? My knees felt weak. I needed to sit down. How did I never see it?

“Were they in love?” I asked, steadying myself against the table.

Margo let out a bitter laugh. “Love? No. He wanted a virgin, so that’s what he got.”

My stomach rolled. “What are you talking about?”

“You think people get here by accident?”

How else would they get here? Was this some kind of weird test? Had Abner put her up to it? I stopped what I was doing and dried my hands on my shirt. “None of this is making sense.”

Her eyes swept the area around us before she spoke, making sure we were alone. “Back in the beginning, Abner made exchanges for what we brought in—”

“What do you mean by what you brought in?”