Salome protested , pleaded , reasoned , and finally declared her defiance . Her
mother slapped her and told her it was her own fault . What had she expected , flaunting
herself at court , a little temptress , arousing the lust of the generals and the high officials
of the realm ? Making them call her a little whore , a plum ripe for the plucking , a
Godless slut ? From now on , Salome would go veiled , be modest , a true lady , as all good
women should .
Salome was dumbfounded by her mother ’ s accusations . She had never danced
with an audience in mind , she had danced solely for her own delight . She had noticed
the men at court had paid more attention to her dancing of late , as they never had when
she was a child . They had smiled at , wide smiles full of teeth and tongue , and their eyes
had gleamed , but Salome had not thought , not even suspected , what they had thought in
turn . What they had called her .
Of course , her mother would be sensitive about such matters . Salome had heard
her mother ’ s waiting women whispering , heard court gossip , saying that some people
believed that her stepfather , King Herod , was not truly married to her mother . Because
Salome ’ s father had been Herod ’ s brother , and it was against God ’ s will to marry your
brother ’ s wife . The people of the realm bowed respectfully when her mother , arrayed in