Tangled Tales

Ann Port

Description

A dramatic historical novel set in both ancient and modern Ephesus, Tangled Tales tells
intertwining stories of women facing dangers, solving mysteries, and finding love.
The last two weeks have been a whirlwind, Victoria Morgan, reflects as she approaches the ancient ruins of Ephesus, Turkey. I’m putting my humdrum life behind and embarking on a new, hopefully, exciting path. The only remaining question is, where will that path lead?
As the weeks progress, Tori’s hoped-for exciting summer adventure morphs into a tale of mystery, danger, and romance when she, her long-time friend, Mark, a theologian, and their two roommates, an archeologist and an historian, set out to solve the mystery of a 2000-year-old local legend. As they seek clues to uncover the truth about Flavia, a patrician Ephesian girl, and her slave, Junea, Tori’s tale becomes tangled with that of her first-century heroines. Like Flavia, whose life hangs in the balance in 56 A.D, Tori, faces a life-threatening situation in 2022. Was Flavia, with Junea’s help, be able to escape death? Will death be Tori’s fate?
In this well-researched historical novel, the reader is transported back and forth between the once magnificent Ephesus of the first century and the city that lies in ruins today. As Tori and Flavia walk their separate paths, the reader comes to realize that life’s challenges can be similar for women of every century.
Beautifully illustrated with many photographs of the Ephesus ruins as they are today and some of Ephesus as it would have looked during the first century, Tangled Tales presents an unforgettable story of Ephesus then and now.

Sujets

• Thrillers
• Historical fiction
• 1st century
• Roman Empire
• Paul the Apostle
• Ephesus
• Mystery
• Romance
• Suspense
• Fiction
• Saint Paul

Informations

• Publié par: iUniverse
• Date de parution: 08 novembre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781663247315
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

TANGLED TALES
A Story of Ephesus Then and Now
ANN PORT


TANGLED TALES A STORY OF EPHESUS THEN AND NOW
 
Copyright © 2022 Ann Port.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
 
 
 
 
iUniverse
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Bloomington, IN 47403
www.iuniverse.com
844-349-9409
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6632-4730-8 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6632-4731-5 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022919982
 
 
iUniverse rev. date: 11/02/2022
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
 
Addendum
Acknowledgements

Also by Ann Port
It’s all in the Title
The Bernini Quest
A Fair Exchange
The Iznik Enigma
Full Circle
Unforeseen Paths
Without Reason
Last Resort
Murder on the Mont
Family Ties


The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change
Heraclitus, The Weeping Philosopher, 535-475 B.C.
Chapter 1

Flavia
Ephesus 56 A.D.
S uddenly wide awake, I sit up in bed. It is dark, the only light in the room coming from a single candle on a table opposite my bed. I breathe deeply, struggling to get my bearings. I tremble, remembering the terrifying nightmare that jolted me from sleep. Trying to remember the details, I lie down and stare at the walls, their lovely frescos visible in the glow of the candlelight. While concentrating on their beauty, I feel my breathing slow. As my heartbeat returns to normal, I realize that what happened in my dreadful dream will soon become my reality.
Trying to discern the time, I listen, but I hear only silence. I turn over, willing myself to fall back to sleep but fearing that, if I do, my nightmare will recur in all its sickening and frightening detail.
To pass the time, I think about tomorrow, my wedding day, a day that for most brides is filled with joy and expectation. But I am not any bride. I am Flavia, the daughter of the Ephesus Town Clerk. Because Pater is a powerful and well-respected man, I have a position to maintain. That is why, from start to finish, my wedding day will be one of sorrow and pain. Why? Because I am marrying the man of Pater’s choice, not Cassius, the man I love. The man whose smile I live to see. The man whose touch makes me quiver with pleasure.
Determined to have one day and night of joy before the horrors of my future life begin, I have devised a plan so dangerous that even the slightest miscalculation could bring about my ruination or, if Pater deems it so, my death.
But there is no more time to speculate about the dangers my perilous plan could cause. Junea, my slave, is stirring. Sensing my distress and worried that I might need her, last night she chose to sleep on the floor beside me rather than in her small room next to mine.
Still unwilling to rise and face the day to come, I think back to the morning when I first shared my plan with Junea. Her face pale with concern, she pleaded, “You must not do this, Flavia.”
“I will!” I declared. “And you will help me, Junea!”
“Yes, Domina,” Junea replied, addressing me as my slave and not my dear friend.
“Junea,” I said when I saw her eyebrows arched in concern. “My fate is in the hands of our Mother Goddess, Artemis—the source of life. It is she who will determine my future. It is she who will determine if I am entitled to a taste of joy before my life is over.”
Returning to the moment at hand, as Junea rises to greet me, I cease to dwell on what was and begin to think about what will be in the hours ahead. If I’m to be successful, Mater, though unknowingly, must play a part.
“Flavia,” Junea says. “You are up early. What is wrong?”
“You know what is wrong,” I say, my fears and concerns causing me to react angrily. “Why do you ask such a question?”
I throw back the bed coverings and rise. In the dim candlelight, I notice the distress on Junea’s face. She, too, though without a choice, is living my nightmare. Like mine, her life hangs in the balance.
“I am sorry, Junea,” I say, reaching out and grasping her hand. “Please prepare me for the day. I must speak with my mother before she leaves for Great Temple of Artemis.”
Sighing deeply, but without protest, Junea lights more candles, filling my room with light. As she lays out my clothes and leaves to prepare my bath, I creep out the door and look down at the large courtyard on the first floor of our house. Though the sun has yet to rise, the slaves are in the kitchen preparing the food and the house for the great banquet that will be held this evening. Mater will be down soon, so I must not tarry.
Chapter 2

Victoria
Ephesus 2022
T he last two weeks have been a whirlwind, Victoria Morgan, reflected, sighing with relief as she settled into her seat for the sixty-minute flight from Istanbul to Izmir, Turkey, a city less than an hour away from her final destination, the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus. I’m putting my humdrum life behind and embarking on a new and, hopefully, exciting path. The only remaining question is where will that path take me?
So far, every leg of Tori’s trip had gone perfectly. Her flight from Phoenix to New York had landed early, giving her sufficient time to change terminals and board a Turkish airliner at 12:45 p.m. for the 9½ hour flight to Istanbul. Throughout the long flight, thoughts of an exciting, jam-packed summer had filled her head, preventing her from sleeping soundly so, when the plane landed at 5:20 a.m., she was exhausted and more than ready for her long journey to end.
She had easily cleared passport control and customs. Pulling her small carry on, she made her way to the opposite side of the monstrous terminal where, after a ninety-minute layover, she’d boarded the flight that would take her on next leg of her long journey.
I can’t believe that in a little over twenty-four hours from now, I’ll be sitting on a train making the ninety-minute trip from Izmir to Selçuk, she thought as the aircraft taxied into take off position. Three weeks ago, who would have thought?
“Welcome to Turkish Airlines,” the flight attendant announced, interrupting Tori’s musings. “We’re third in line to depart. Because the flight to Izmir is of short duration, the seatbelt sign will remain on. Unless there is a need, please remain in your seats. We will be landing at Adnan Menderes Airport on time.”
As soon as the plane reached flying altitude, Tori adjusted her seat into a reclining position. She lay back, closed her eyes, and considered the myriad of incidents that had brought her to this point—Godwinks, she’d begun to call them—when she realized that none of what was happening in her life could have fallen into place without a little help from above. In fact, she mused, I’ve recently come to believe that every major event in my life has brought me to this particular moment in time.
Brought up in Winnetka, Illinois, on the north shore of Lake Michigan five miles from the city of Evanston, Tori had always dreamed of attending Northwestern University. With that in mind, in November of her senior year at New Trier Township High School, with outstanding grades and a plethora of activities, she had applied for early admission to the university’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. In December, her acceptance letter arrived. She had achieved her goal. She’d be attending NU.
Tori’s parents, Linda and Richard, were thrilled, urging their daughter to choose a major that would allow her to embark on a successful career in the modern world. Their hopes that their always impulsive daughter would show some common sense when planning her future were quickly dashed. Two days after the letter arrived, Tori announced that she would not be working toward a degree in business, education, or in her mind, any other equally boring profession. “I’m majoring in the classics,” she boldly asserted.
Which means?” Linda asked.
“I’ll be studying the language, literature, religion, and culture of the various classes of people who inhabited Rome and other major cities under Rome’s rule during the first century. I’ve already selected my first quarter classes.”
And do what when you graduate?” her always pr