Truth and Honor


 
 Copyright Page
 
 TRUTH AND HONOR
 Copyright 2023 by Carol Ashby
 All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
 Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.
 Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001, 2007, 2011, 2016 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
 Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
 Cover and interior design by Roseanna White Designs
 Cover images from Shutterstock.com
 
 ISBN: 978-1-946139-33-7 (paperback)
 978-1-946139-34-4 (ebook)
 978-1-946139-35-1 (hardcover)
 Cerrillo Press
 Edgewood, NM
 
 Copyright Page
 Scripture
 Dedication
 A Note from the Author
 Characters
 Locations
 Chapter 1: The New Man in Charge
 Chapter 2: Almost the Last Time
 Chapter 3: The New Order
 Chapter 4: Unexpected Opportunities
 Chapter 5: The Right Man for the Job
 Chapter 6: Good Enough
 Chapter 7: The Funeral
 Chapter 8: Not to Be Tolerated
 Chapter 9: The Opinions of Others
 Chapter 10: The New Command
 Chapter 11: Meeting the Men in Charge
 Chapter 12: First Dinner in Carthago
 Chapter 13: An Independent Woman
 Chapter 14: Time for Some Changes
 Chapter 15: Settling In
 Chapter 16: Setting Expectations
 Chapter 17: Not Like in Rome
 Chapter 18: Disappointment
 Chapter 19: A Visit from the Tribune
 Chapter 20: Road Trip
 Chapter 21: Problems with Tribunes
 Chapter 22: Fake and Real
 Chapter 23: A New Plan of Attack
 Chapter 24: Strategic Moves
 Chapter 25: Nice Enough
 Chapter 26: Sooner Than Expected
 Chapter 27: Not the Best Idea
 Chapter 28: Top Priority
 Chapter 29: What Happened to Nepos?
 Chapter 30: The Next Step
 Chapter 31: The Problem with Partners
 Chapter 32: More Than He Expected
 Chapter 33: From Bad to Worse
 Chapter 34: Could It Be Worse?
 Chapter 35: Not Where He Should Be
 Chapter 36: Fooling the Enemy
 Chapter 37: Return to Carthago—Almost
 Chapter 38: Only Goodbye for Now
 Chapter 39: Better Than Expected
 Chapter 40: Whatever Is Needed
 Chapter 41: Going Upriver
 Chapter 42: Walking with Martina
 Chapter 43: Not by Chance
 Chapter 44: An Unexpected Offer
 Chapter 45: Meanwhile, Back in Carthago
 Chapter 46: Two More Secrets to Keep
 Chapter 47: No Harm Accepting an Invitation
 Chapter 48: Not What He Expected
 Chapter 49: Beginning to See?
 Chapter 50: Too Much to Hope For
 Chapter 51: The Wiser Choice
 Chapter 52: Return to Carthago
 Chapter 53: First Step in the Hunt
 Chapter 54: What's the Next Move?
 Chapter 55: Probably No One Listening
 Chapter 56: The Tribune Returns
 Chapter 57: No Other Choice
 Chapter 58: A Welcome Distraction
 Chapter 59: No Ordinary Man
 Chapter 60: Too High a Cost
 Chapter 61: Time to Make Him Sweat
 Chapter 62: No Longer Missing
 Chapter 63: Settling for What’s Possible
 Chapter 64: Nothing Could Be Better
 Chapter 65: Sharing the News
 Chapter 66: Back in Rome
 Chapter 67: Facing Father
 Chapter 68: Charting a New Path
 Chapter 69: Coming Scripture
 
 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake,
 you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,
 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy,
 always being prepared to make a defense to anyone
 who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you;
 yet do it with gentleness and respect.
 1 Peter 3:14-15 (ESV)
 
 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house
 or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands,
 for my sake and for the gospel,
 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time,
 houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands,
 with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.
 Mark 10:29-30 (ESV)
 
 And we know that for those who love God
 all things work together for good,
 for those who are called according to his purpose.
 Romans 8:28 (ESV)
 
 Dedication
 
 To my children, Paul and Lydia, 
 for their love, support, and encouragement
 and my new granddaughter, Payton,
 for the joy she brings to our lives.
 And especially to my husband, Jim,
 whose love and encouragement
 make every burden lighter.
 
 And most of all, to Jesus.
 
 Soli Deo gloria.
 
 
 A Note from the Author
 Skepticism and resistance. For many, that’s their initial reaction to anything related to Jesus. For some, it’s social conditioning from a childhood where no one at home or school or in the media ever said anything positive about God. For others, it stems from seeing how suffering touches everyone, whether they believe in Jesus or not.
 When God’s answer to prayer is no and suffering or death comes to someone we love, it’s natural to ask why.
 For those who believe, who know the reality of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we may not like how something ends, but we trust there’s more going on than we can see. Somehow, God is working all things together for good for those who love Him.
 The more I see of life, the more I can look back and glimpse the greater good that came from what only seemed bad at the time.
 But for those who don’t know God, who haven’t recognized