***
Dunya entered the tent with a tray filled with tea, nuts, and dates for the foreign girl and set the tray before her. She tried not to stare at the girl's beauty. Her hair was like a bright light in the dark tent.
Katharine recognized the chubby little Arab girl from the tryst she’d spied from her tent and knew the girl was going to run away with her boyfriend.
"I need your help," Katharine said abruptly.
Dunya was startled at the woman's knowledge of Arabic and even more afraid of her words.
"I'm only a servant. How can I help you?" she asked. Dunya stared at the tent's flap, wanting to be free.
"I heard you and your lover outside this tent today. I need your help to escape this place. If I make it to England safely, my family and I can pay you a fortune. I can reimburse you
for my traveling expenses.” She knew her father would reimburse them when she safely returned to England.
Katharine had a plan in mind. Wearing the long abaya and covering, she could pretend to be a servant to the girl’s lover. He would serve as her escort, as women were not allowed to travel without a man. This ruse would enable her to leave Arabia with no suspicion and be free once and for all.
Dunya was stunned. She had not known that their conversation was overhead and she had never thought to rescue anyone. But once the money was mentioned, she knew Adib would consent.
"I must speak with Adib, my lady," Dunya told her.
"Please let me know before nightfall, and keep this a secret from everyone else. If your answer is no, I must make other plans."
***
Lord Fairfax paced back and forth on the floor of the library. Edward Fairfax had been indulgent with his daughter and had admired her spirit and intelligence in a world where most women lacked both, but he had to wonder how she was faring halfway across the globe.
When Sarah had returned from shopping in a state of hysteria, it took hours to get the story from her. All she knew was that Katharine had disappeared. Who would dare kidnap his beloved daughter? It was unheard of.
He had hired Bow Street Runners to track her down and find out what had happened. When the truth emerged, it had been disturbing. Baron Horace Adams had pressed his attentions upon Katharine and been snubbed. It had even been discovered that the repulsive man had offered her position of mistress! When she had rejected him, and rightly so, Edward thought, he had hired mercenaries to kidnap her.
Edward was in disbelief that his beloved daughter had been subjected to the odious man’s attentions and then become the victim of foul play.
He tracked down the baron and demanded a duel for his Katharine’s honor. He secretly wanted the man to pay for his actions. The morning of the duel, however, the baron disappeared.
Edward despaired of ever finding out what became of his daughter until he and his wife attended an extended shooting party in a secluded country estate. There, Edward and Anne made an astonishing discovery. Another gentleman in attendance was an old boyhood friend of Edward's named Martin Eldridge, Earl of Wolcott.
Martin took Edward aside and privately told him of the coffee purchase expedition he had been on and the powerful sheik who grew and exported it out of Arabia. Other foreign merchants had attended, but it was the appearance of Katharine that had shocked Martin the most. He had tried to speak with her privately, but it had not been possible.
Edward almost choked on his brandy and Anne swooned when they learned that their beloved daughter was in Arabia and in the hands of a powerful sheik.
***
"And once in England, I will be paid?" Adib asked her.
"Yes!" she answered. Katharine felt faint with relief. "I speak the truth. My family is there. You will be paid once I can reach them."
Adib looked strangely at his soon-to-be-wife and the foreign woman. When Dunya had come to him with the tale, he thought she was crazy, but the money soon enticed him to speak to the foreign woman. Now, he was certain. She would accompany them onto the ship as a servant, as women could not travel alone. When they reached England, he and Dunya would be paid in full.
"I agree," Adib told her.
***
Majeed slept late and woke to the sounds of servants scurrying around, whispering to one another. Once questioned, it was soon revealed that his female servant, Dunya, and his prize possession, the lovely foreigner, were missing.
When Mohammed came upon his brother, Majeed was in a rage.
"Calm yourself, my brother. What is it? Can I help?" Mohammed asked, trying to calm his younger brother.