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In the days of Xerxes, who reigned from India to Ethiopia over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces …

This was supposed to be a sexy book?

Eleanor kept reading She read it all, beginning to end There was soht Esther … and the king … did they really …? No way But ain in his office

"Did I just read what I think I just read?" Eleanor asked without preamble

"What do you think you read?" Søren asked as he closed a book and gave her his full attention

"King Xerxes fired his queen and then needed a new queen"

"Yes"

"And he auditioned for a new queen"

"That he did"

"Ain queen candidates by fking theraphic, albeit accurate, way of putting it"

"So he did?"

"Yes"

"So King Xerxes had virgins brought in froave them a year to pretty theht audition with him in his bedroom to become queen"

"Is there a question in there somewhere, Eleanor?"

"Yes What did Esther do?"

"I don’t follow"

"To the king to get him to pick her, I irls didn’t do so she could be queen?"

"I assuaped at Søren

"What?" he asked

"The reason she was the person chosen to save the Jewish people was because she was good in the sack?"

"The Lord works in h sex?"

"All the tih sexual intercourse There’s nothing un-biblical about that"

"But Esther wasn’tShe was part of a harem She had premarital sex Catholics aren’t allowed to have premarital sex"

"Esther wasn’t Catholic Catholicislowered at hi, isn’t it?" He didn’t sound the least shocked, only a?"

"Because I found a biblical heroine who is a biblical heroine because she spread for a king It’s seriously sexy but seems like a piss-poor way to choose a world leader Or not Maybe that’s hoe got President Clinton"

"In all fairness to Esther, she was a prisoner and didn’t havequeen"

"She was a in bed and that helped her save her people"

"I knew you’d like her"