‘Ah,’ said Kareem coming out of the meeting room he was just heading into. ‘We have been waiting for you to begin.’
And Rashid knew what she’d said was right. No amount of money in the world could help him now.
* * *
Tora and Yousra were sitting in the Pavilion of Mahabbah the next morning where it was still deliciously cool alongside the lake, a soft breeze stirring the curtains. Atiyah lay on a rug on her stomach on the floor attempting mini push-ups on her chubby arms. Tora was keeping out of her line of sight, but every now and then the baby would look around until she found her before resuming her exercises, assuring herself that, yes, Tora was still there. She was so alert and way too knowing for such a small bundle, Tora thought, and she was just about to disappear for a walk around the garden to see if she might forget, even for a little while, when they heard the voices, young and older.
Through the gossamer curtains Tora could see the three women, two striking dark-haired beauties and one blonde and equally stunning, heading towards the pavilion with a clutch of children in tow.
‘It looks like we have visitors,’ she said to Yousra. ‘Do you know who they are?’
‘No,’ the other woman said, watching their progress. ‘I’ve never seen them before.’
Tora forgot about hiding and scooped up Atiyah from the floor, the child gumming at her fist as the women hovered at the door. ‘We’re sorry to intrude, but we were told we’d find Atiyah here. We couldn’t wait to meet her.’
‘This is Atiyah,’ said Tora, holding the baby in her lap.
‘Oh, she’s gorgeous,’ said the first, coming closer. ‘You must excuse us. We’ve been so excited since we heard the news that Rashid had a baby sister. We’re the wives of Rashid’s desert brothers—his good friends—and we’ve arrived for the coronation. I’m Aisha, wife to Zoltan, who has been here advising Rashid, and this is my sister Marina, wife to Bahir, and Amber, wife to Kadar. And these,’ she said, gesturing to the active group around her, ‘are our children.’
‘It’s lovely to meet you,’ said Tora, introducing herself, feeling a little overwhelmed but delighted too that Atiyah would have more distractions over the coming days. There were three toddlers and two children a little older, a girl and a boy. Other children would be the best entertainment of all. Already she was watching them eagerly, smiling when they came to say hello to her, kicking her little legs with delight.
‘One more baby for the desert brothers tribe,’ laughed the second dark-haired woman called Marina who was kneeling down and holding Atiyah’s hands. ‘And now the children have an aunty. Hello, little Atiyah,’ she said with a broad smile, earning one back from the infant.
‘You’re Australian,’ said the blonde woman called Amber, who settled herself down on the sofa next to Tora, a sizeable bump under her dress. ‘Me, too. Where are you from?’
‘Sydney,’ Tora said.
‘I’m from Melbourne.’
‘And now you live—somewhere around here?’
‘Kadar and I live mostly in Istanbul. We were married six months ago.’ She smiled. ‘It’s kind of a long story.’ She patted her stomach and her smile widened. ‘We’re expecting our own first baby in a few months. But how did you end up here, looking after Atiyah?’
It was Tora’s turn to smile. ‘That’s kind of a long story, too. But I’m only here temporarily. I’ll be going home soon.’
‘Oh,’ said Aisha, exchanging glances with the other women, ‘for a moment I thought—I was hoping...’
‘We were all hoping,’ her sister said. ‘As soon as we saw you, we were hoping. Rashid needs a good woman, and we thought, maybe he has found one at last.’
‘He’s the only desert brother left,’ added Amber, ‘and now he will need a woman by his side, more than ever.’
Tora said nothing, just bounced Atiyah on her knee, silently cursing this stupid marriage and the position it put her in, because it wasn’t her place to say anything. Just then the peacocks put in an appearance and distracted everyone and the conversation changed direction and Tora could breathe again and enjoy being in the company of other women.
They drank honey tea and laughed and talked of their children and their husbands. They were bright and beautiful like butterflies in the garden and Tora found herself wishing she could be one of them, but that would mean marrying Rashid for real.