Master of the Desert

Mariam pretty much confirmed these thoughts, explaining that once the most powerful tribe in Sinnebar had accepted Antonia as a daughter she would have no trouble persuading the rest of the country to support her.

Well, anything that would help to spread the reach of the charity was a good thing, Antonia supposed. Learning that Ra’id was the head of this most powerful tribe came as no surprise—but if he was also the head of the ruling council, who was going to refuse him? ‘How does that work?’ Antonia murmured, thinking out loud.

With a faint smile and a low bow, the woman called Mariam walked gracefully out of the pavilion.

Ruling council, my foot! Antonia thought, starting to pace. Once again, everything had been decided by Ra’id. She could see the point of the fabulous costume now. This wasn’t a treat, it was a set-up, a shrewd move by Ra’id to involve her in some ceremony far away from the prying eyes of the world in an exotic setting he believed would seduce her. The ceremony probably wasn’t even legal. She would be no more secure than her mother—no more visible, certainly. So much for her fantasy of the silken veil! She would be a prisoner in a silken veil, Ra’id’s love-slave, until he tired of her.

She whirled around when he strode into the tent. ‘Ra’id!’ Mariam had entered behind him, and she was followed by the girls who had helped to prepare Antonia for their sheikh.

Ra’id stood in the centre of the pavilion, an ominous force dressed all in black, still with the howlis wrapped round his face. ‘From now on,’ he informed her, ‘this is how it will be. These women will wait on you and I will not see you alone again until we are married.’

‘Married?’ The word choked off any air supply she might have had in her lungs.

‘That is what you wanted, isn’t it?’And before she could protest—Yes! No! Not like this!—he went on, ‘Now you are an accepted daughter of the tribe, I must observe the formalities laid down.’

‘Centuries ago?’ Antonia challenged him, almost beside herself with shock.

‘Oh no,’ Ra’id replied evenly. ‘Somewhat longer than that, I should think.’

‘You are joking?’ Then, realising the women standing behind Ra’id were still waiting for her instruction, Antonia remembered her manners and invited them to sit down.

Once everyone was seated, she went up to Ra’id; staring into his eyes, which was all she could see of his fierce face behind the headdress, she hissed, ‘Did you think to ask me first? Did I miss something before you disappeared yesterday?’

The expression in Ra’id’s eyes remained as shrewd and as dangerous as ever. ‘I thought you liked surprises,’ he said mildly.

‘Some surprises,’Antonia agreed. But surprises came in many forms. The chance to dress up in pretty clothes was nice, but when it came to matters of the heart—things that really mattered—like a marriage between two people…

She’d done with surprises, Antonia realised. It would be helpful if an alarm rang on the day you grew up, she reflected—helpful to everyone, especially Ra’id. She could no longer be seduced by a visit behind the silken veil, or by fabulous jewels and clothes that looked as if they had been sequestered from the set of a Hollywood movie. Or by some hasty marriage ceremony that probably had no legal standing outside this tent. Before she’d come to Sinnebar? Yes; she had been impressionable then, before she had met and fallen in love with a man called Saif. But now there was just one man and one woman, or there should have been. And you could forget the trimmings; she didn’t need them. She would never settle for anything less than a real marriage based on love. She certainly didn’t intend to be bulldozed into the most important decision of her life just because this was expedient for Ra’id.

‘What do you think you’re doing?’ he demanded as she started tugging off the rope of jewels holding her veil in place.

Ra’id had underestimated her for the last time, Antonia determined. ‘If you don’t know…’ she said, and then, conscious that they weren’t alone, she added more discreetly, ‘Do you mind if we walk outside? Only I’m feeling a little faint in here.’

‘Of course.’

Ra’id was immediately concerned about her.

About her pregnancy, and the welfare of his child, Antonia amended as the ruler of Sinnebar escorted her out of the tent.

He was at her side in a moment. Pregnancy must have weakened her, he realized. There was some shade inside the pavilion, but no air-conditioning, plus he and the other women were used to the heat.

Having removed her veil and carefully placed the rope of precious jewels on top of it, she took a moment to reassure the women and thank them by miming with expressive hands. They looked at him for reassurance too, and with a brief dip of his chin as he strode past them he confirmed Antonia’s wishes. This was not the child-woman he had first encountered on his yacht, but a woman of purpose who made her own decisions.