Eleanor Jong - Jezebel

This novel is entirely a work of fiction.

The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

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A Paperback Original 2012

First published in Great Britain by

HarperCollinsPublishers 2012

JEZEBEL. Copyright © Working Partners Two 2012. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

Eleanor de Jong asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

HarperCollins Publishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication

Source ISBN: 9781847562555

Ebook Edition © DECEMBER 2011 ISBN: 9780007443215

Version: 2018-07-19

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Map

872 BC – Girl

Chapter One

Salt spray glistened in the stallion’s mane and stung Jezebel’s…

Chapter Two

There was indeed a faintly frosty welcome when she returned…

Chapter Three

Later that evening, Jezebel entered her father’s crowded chambers for…

Chapter Four

In the sharp morning light, Tyre looked almost more beautiful…

Chapter Five

She was late to the banquet that night, having spent…

Chapter Six

Jehu held his hand out to Jezebel as she stepped…

Chapter Seven

‘Hail, Hail!’ cried the crowd at the head of the…

Chapter Eight

The next morning it was not the unfamiliar light that…

Chapter Nine

‘This city was built to keep strangers out,’ murmured Jezebel…

Chapter Ten

The chambers she had been allocated were a pleasant surprise.

Chapter Eleven

In the light from flickering lanterns, the young woman stared…

Chapter Twelve

Jezebel tried to sit still on the couch in her…

Chapter Thirteen

In the light of dawn the Palace did seem more…

Chapter Fourteen

A few days later, Jezebel stood in front of a…

Chapter Fifteen

The hot and barren summer did little more than stifle…

Chapter Sixteen

Jezebel recovered quickly from the birth and within two days…

Chapter Seventeen

From the roof of the Palace, Jezebel could see the…

Four years later 868 BC – Mother

Chapter Eighteen

‘Yahweh has blessed the House of Omri once again!’ cried…

Chapter Nineteen

The energy of her fury abated during a sleepless night…

Chapter Twenty

The courtyard was already crowded with crates and chests as…

Chapter Twenty-One

She didn’t dwell on Jehu’s unceremonious departure for long. As…

Chapter Twenty-Two

The trees in the Palace courtyard were just beginning to…

Chapter Twenty-Three

That evening in the King’s office, Ahab sat at his…

Chapter Twenty-Four

She couldn’t reach the city before the processions of priests…

Chapter Twenty-Five

Ahab had been sitting on his bed, head in his…

Eight years later 860 BC – Queen Consort

Chapter Twenty-Six

Jezebel shifted her weight on Ahab’s throne. At least none…

Chapter Twenty-Seven

But that afternoon, Balazar insisted on a private audience with…

Chapter Twenty-Eight

‘Come away from the window,’ said Beset. ‘You will catch…

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Boaz thrust open the Council Chamber doors.

Chapter Thirty

Jezebel carefully removed the Consort gown before going up to…

Chapter Thirty-One

Jezebel made a great fuss of Athaliah that afternoon. They…

Chapter Thirty-Two

The Palace felt empty after Balazar and Esther returned to…

Chapter Thirty-Three

Though night had long since fallen, the Council Chamber was…

Chapter Thirty-Four

In the days that followed Naboth’s death, the mood in…

Chapter Thirty-Five

Athaliah grabbed her mother tightly, sobbing into Jezebel’s neck, her…

Chapter Thirty-Six

As the carriage turned onto the causeway at Tyre, Jezebel…

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Two days later, Jezebel stood alone on the roof of…

Chapter Thirty-Eight

For more than a week, Jezebel remained inside the Palace…

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Jezebel left the throne room, her chin held high, but…

Five years later 854 BC – Regent

Chapter Forty

From the banks of the River Jordan, the encampment of…

Chapter Forty-One

Through the archway of the Court of the Priests, Jezebel…

Chapter Forty-Two

Though it pained Jezebel dreadfully to leave Athaliah behind in…

Chapter Forty-Three

The plains around Samaria were almost unrecognisable, so thick were…

Chapter Forty-Four

A prophecy was just a set of words, Jezebel told…

Chapter Forty-Five

Jezebel called for Beset, who summoned the commander of the…

Chapter Forty-Six

Down in the stableyard, several horses were already harnessed and…

Chapter Forty-Seven

Messengers were dispatched to Samaria, Tyre and Jerusalem to spread…

Chapter Forty-Eight

The coronation was set for the following day, and from…

Chapter Forty-Nine

Throughout the coronation ceremony, Jezebel kept looking around the fringes…

Chapter Fifty

The Palace was full of noise that evening, but Jezebel…

Two years later 852 BC – Queen Mother

Chapter Fifty-One

The spring sunshine brought a light breeze with it, and…

Chapter Fifty-Two

Beset dropped her spoon on the platter, a dull thud…

Chapter Fifty-Three

Shadows from the lamp danced on the walls of Jezebel’s…

Chapter Fifty-Four

A terrible pall of silence had fallen over Samaria after…

Chapter Fifty-Five

‘It’s too dangerous,’ said Daniel, as Jezebel stood on the…

Chapter Fifty-Six

Jezebel’s melancholy was infectious. She and Raisa sat for a…

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Even after a month, Jerusalem still felt like a foreign…

Chapter Fifty-Eight

It wasn’t Athaliah who called on Jezebel the next day.

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Without the protection of her anonymity in Jerusalem, Jezebel found…

Chapter Sixty

Five days later Jezebel received word that Joram had returned…

Ten years later 842 BC – Jezebel

Chapter Sixty-One

The tiny stone house in the corner of the Palace…

Chapter Sixty-Two

Jezebel rode out to meet the carriage that brought Joram…

Chapter Sixty-Three

Once again it was Ahaziah who spotted the arrival of…

Chapter Sixty-Four

Jezebel blinked in the darkness, unsure at first what had…

Epilogue

Who will stop and drop a coin to hear the…

Acknowledgements