FOURTEEN: The House of Women pt 3

Lord Hegai whispered for several moments to the attendant he'd called over, forcing Esther to stand in awkward anticipation.

When he'd finished instructing the man, he turned back to her, holding out both of his hands.

Gingerly, afraid the butterflies flitting around her stomach would find their way to her fingertips, Esther laid her hands in his. With a smile, the man clasped her hands and brought them to his lips in an intimate, yet extremely uncomfortable for Esther, farewell.

"I truly hope you will enjoy your time here in my home," he spoke, releasing her hands. "This man will show you to your room."

"I thank you for your hospitality," Esther replied, wondering if she should be offering a kiss on his hands in return.

The moment to return the gesture passed quickly, however, and she soon found herself exiting the room with Baara stepping into line behind her.

"You did well," the woman whispered, giving her hand a small squeeze as the door closed behind them.

Esther smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. She had cleared the first hurdle, and though the results of her efforts still remained to be seen, she felt a great sense of accomplishment.

She thought she would have a long walk to revel in her relief and wonder where she would be placed, possibly even all the way to the small back rooms, but their trip was rather short.

They were only a single hallway from Lord Hegai's audience room when the attendant stopped.

"This will be your room," he announced, opening the door. "Please let me know immediately if you find anything lacking."

"Thank you," Esther nearly tripped over herself in shock as she moved to step past the man.

She could hardly believe the scene in front of her eyes was real.

The ceilings were as high as four men stacked on top of each other and there were at least three other chambers aside from the main one. Without even seeing the size of the siderooms, she knew at once that this place was bigger than the house she lived in with Mordecai.

The furnishings were elegant and expensive-looking. The bed was large enough for an entire family to share. On one of the tables already lay a tray of desserts that were as beautiful as jewels.

She turned back to the attendant, but he had already guessed what she wished to ask him.

"This is the second largest room in this house," he explained. "The only larger room belongs to the Lord himself."

Esther's throat was too dry to respond to the man.

It seemed the interview with Lord Hegai had gone very well, indeed. Baara's wish for her to enjoy her time in the House of Women seemed to be coming true, while Mordecai's wish for her to remain inconspicuous had effectively been shattered.

"Your maids will be here shortly to attend to your needs," the attendant spoke again. "They will remain with you for the duration of your stay."

"... maids?" Esther echoed the man's words as he left the room. "Baara, did he say maids?"

"Of course, how could a single maid keep up with this entire room?" her handmaiden chuckled. "Congratulations, Queen Candidate, Esther. You have found great favor with Lord Hegai."

"So it seems," Esther grinned, her cheeks turning red.

She was overcome with a feeling she had never experienced before--the feeling of being well-liked, of earning merit because she was likable.

"Perhaps, this is why people are so hasty to covet the Throne," she mused. "Being beloved is certainly a delightful feeling."

"I doubt your innocent enthusiasm is even close to the ambition others hold for the Throne," Baara laughed again. "You are truly a kind person, My Lady."

Before Esther had the time to be embarrassed again at the woman's praise, there was a knock at the door.

"My Lady, we have arrived to serve you," called a woman from outside.

Baara looked at Esther, who gulped and then nodded.

"Enter!" the handmaiden called.

One by one, the maids entered the room.

An average-looking girl with dark hair.

A tall woman with lovely olive skin.

A stout woman with curly hair.

Two more girls with light hair.

And two more behind them.

In total, seven maids had entered the room.

"We greet our new master," the tall woman spoke, and the others repeated her sentiments.

"I shall be in your care," Esther answered. "Please proceed with your duties."

At her invitation, the women all scattered. Some disappeared into other chambers in the room, and some exited the room altogether. Two of them, the girls with light hair, stayed behind and gazed at Esther expectantly.

"Shall we assist you to change your attire, My Lady?" one of them asked.

The sun was approaching the middle of the sky, but it was still morning. There was no need for her to change her clothes after wearing them for such a short amount of time. Mordecai had informed her that upper class citizens in Shushan tended to change their attire frequently, but was it really this often?

Then another idea struck Esther. Were there certain kinds of clothes that were inappropriate to wear while she was relaxing in her room?

Not wanting to break any unknown rules of etiquette, Esther accepted the maids' help.

The outfit they helped her into, however, was nearly identical to the one she'd just taken off. The only difference was gold-colored silk in place of the plum-colored silk.

"You look beautiful, My Lady!" the maids gushed before quietly retreating.

Esther snorted at herself as she sat down on one of the chairs in the room. Of course, there wasn't such a thing as 'inappropriate clothes for lounging'. Next time, she would politely refuse the maids' offer to change her attire.

Over the next several days, she refused her maids' invitation to change her clothes many times as she learned to adjust to her new life. The Queen Candidates had only been afforded a week to settle in before candidate preparations would begin, and those days quickly came to an end.

Long before Esther felt truly settled, it was time to face the next challenge.

The start of candidate preparations.