Eleanor Jong - Delilah

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.

AVON

A division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain by

HarperCollinsPublishers 2011

DELILAH. Copyright © Working Partners Two 2011. 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 ebook 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 ebooks.

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

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

Source ISBN: 978-1-84756-238-8

Ebook Edition © APRIL 2011 ISBN: 9780007443192

Version: 2018-07-19

Title Page Eleanor De Jong Delilah

Copyright Copyright 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. AVON A division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 2011 DELILAH. Copyright © Working Partners Two 2011. 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 ebook 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 ebooks. 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 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 Source ISBN: 978-1-84756-238-8 Ebook Edition © APRIL 2011 ISBN: 9780007443192 Version: 2018-07-19

Chapter One

‘Lilah! Where are you?’

Chapter Two

‘It’s just as well, Delilah, that it was I who…

Chapter Three

Delilah put down the tray of empty drinking bowls, and…

Chapter Four

Due to their late arrival, Delilah had found herself too…

Chapter Five

‘How could you have let it come to that, Father?’

Chapter Six

Delilah would have been happy never to see Samson again.

Chapter Seven

The man’s hollow, watery eyes settled on Delilah for a…

Chapter Eight

Delilah regretted having pushed her shawl back so far from…

Chapter Nine

Samson appeared not to have heard her. ‘Your rescue will…

Chapter Ten

Delilah always enjoyed her visits to the centre of Ashkelon.

Chapter Eleven

‘So the Chass’ela vines have done better than we expected…

Chapter Twelve

It took a lot of eyelash-fluttering to convince Ekron to…

Chapter Thirteen

‘So Achish has you investigating your competitor’s wines.’

Chapter Fourteen

‘I don’t remember you wearing out your sandals so quickly…

Chapter Fifteen

Delilah had not noticed it the first time she entered…

Chapter Sixteen

The vineyard shimmered in the afternoon sun. The green leaves…

Chapter Seventeen

Phicol might have spies everywhere, but she doubted Samson’s reach…

Chapter Eighteen

By the time Delilah arrived at the market just after…

Chapter Nineteen

She lifted herself from him, genuinely alarmed. Were Phicol’s men…

Chapter Twenty

Joshua was terrified. ‘You shouldn’t have told your mother that,’…

Chapter Twenty-One

Delilah was studiously tying up the laden vine branches one…

Chapter Twenty-Two

Joshua helped Delilah climb into Achish’s best carriage, then he…

Chapter Twenty-Three

‘If I didn’t know better,’ said Phicol, ‘I’d say you…

Chapter Twenty-Four

The boats were drawn up on the shore, well clear…

Chapter Twenty-Five

The crowds were already gathering in the centre of Ashkelon.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Delilah looked at Phicol, searching his face for any sign…

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The waves, normally so soothing and peaceful, jarred at Delilah’s…

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Delilah wanted to avoid the breakfast table at all costs,…

Chapter Twenty-Nine

It took four long days for the bruise on Delilah’s…

Chapter Thirty

The watery sky was just tinged with the first red…

Chapter Thirty-One

Delilah barely stirred when Samson left the tent before dawn,…

Chapter Thirty-Two

Delilah traversed the edges of the crowd until she was…

Chapter Thirty-Three

Delilah hardly left her room for three days. She was…

Chapter Thirty-Four

There were soldiers too. At least ten, clustering around Phicol.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Though the night passed peacefully, Delilah was aware that her…

Chapter Thirty-Six

‘I had to go back,’ she said. ‘You understand that,…

Chapter Thirty-Seven

She explained to Joshua about the drugged drink. He listened…

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Ekron shuddered, a thin groan escaping his lips. His hair…

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Ariel reined in the donkeys and the wagon halted.

Chapter Forty

The sky was heavy with low-lying clouds that lingered but…

Jezebel

The Darling Strumpet

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Credits

About the Publisher

‘Lilah! Where are you?’

Delilah tucked her feet more tightly beneath her and closed her eyes. She knew she couldn’t be seen – that was the magic of her tiny nest between the vines, especially now, with the leaves so broad and green and the clusters of grapes beginning to swell on their stems – but it made sense to keep still and wait for Ekron to pass. Up the slope behind her, the sounds of the wedding party were like the rush of a distant river.

‘Delilah? I know you’re—’ She heard him break off and clear his throat, growling to himself, trying to keep his voice deep, to give the impression of being the man she knew he longed to be. He sounded so close; he must be in the next row over beside the well.