As they rode Malik pointed out the caves in the cliffs and showed his children the roughly hewn steps their ancestors had carved into the rocks to reach their dwellings. All three children were enthralled and once again Malik could not believe only a few short weeks ago he had been afraid to reach out in case they rejected him.
‘They kept many of their nomadic ways, relying on livestock for food, but after a few years of living here they realised the oasis gave them the opportunity to grow crops and it was then their community really began to thrive.’
Malik told the story of his ancestors just as his father had, with a mixture of pride and awe. It would take hardy people to first settle the barren lands of Huria and make them prosper.
‘Over the years many tribes became jealous of what they had here and attacked to try and gain control of the oasis, but our ancestors always stood firm and defended their fledgling kingdom.’
As the camels picked a path over the rocky ground Malik slowed slightly so Aahil would have chance to catch up with him. They rode side by side, Malik pointing out the markers that identified the route as they went, and Aahil taking in everything his father said with wide eyes.
After twenty minutes of riding through the gorge Malik stopped and slid off his camel. Quickly he secured it to a small tree that was growing out of the rock face.
He went first to Hakim’s camel, uttering the command that made it lurch forward and backwards to sit, and helped his youngest son off. He repeated the process with Ameera and Aahil. Only Rachel was left on her camel and she was looking decidedly nervous at the idea of getting off.
‘Hold on tight and you’ll be fine,’ Malik said, gripping her camel by the bridle.
Rachel gave a short nod, but Malik could tell she was apprehensive. For a woman so in control, so on top of things, it was strange to see her nervous of a beast Malik had grown up with. He could ride a camel better than he could ride a horse, but he supposed Rachel had only set eyes on the strange-looking creatures for the first time a few weeks previously, it was natural for her to be afraid.
Gently Malik commanded the camel to sit and he had to hide a smile when Rachel let out a strangled squeal of panic as she lurched towards the ground. Once the beast was seated Malik offered Rachel his hand, pulling her out of the saddle and trying not to look too hard at the way his trousers clung to the curve of her thighs.
He led Rachel over to where his children were gathered, feeling the undercurrent of excitement buzzing through their little group.
‘What now, Father?’ Ameera asked.
‘Now we climb.’
* * *
Rachel looked up at the sheer rock face and wondered whether she had misheard.
‘Climb?’ she asked.
There was no staircase hewn into the rock, no handholds or ledges to scramble up. The rock face was smooth and insurmountable to Rachel’s eye.
‘If it were obvious then the way to the high place wouldn’t be a secret,’ Malik said, teasingly. His mood seemed lighter out here in the desert, as if just being away from the palace and the weight of responsibility that bore down on him was enough to bring out his mischievous side. ‘Follow me.’
They left the camels behind them, tracing their way along the gorge for about a hundred yards before Malik stopped and motioned to the rock face.
‘Do you see the sign?’ he asked, directing the question at Aahil.
The Prince studied the rock and then suddenly grinned. He looked triumphant and although Rachel felt as though she were walking through a bizarre dream where she didn’t quite understand anything, she was pleased he and Malik were finally bonding over something.
After a few seconds Malik put her out of her misery by tracing his fingers across a set of grooves in the rock. They were three horizontal lines bisected by one vertical line. Once you knew it was there the marks did look man-made, but to the casual observer they could just be another set of cracks made by time and the elements.
‘The sign of the high place,’ Malik explained. ‘Left as a marker to guide us to the high place.’
‘I still can’t see where we climb,’ Rachel said, studying the walls of the gorge.
‘Aahil, would you like to guide us?’
Aahil turned to his father, his eyes wide. ‘Really, Father?’
‘Really. I know you can do it.’
Malik stepped back beside Rachel as together they watched Aahil start his search. Rachel felt proud at the systematic way he studied the rock face, running his hand over the amber-coloured rock, taking a step back to observe the different cracks and crannies.
‘Are you sure he’ll find it?’ Rachel whispered, knowing Aahil would be devastated if he thought he had failed.
‘He’ll find it,’ Malik said confidently, turning to her briefly to give her a reassuring smile before refocusing his attention back on his son.
Rachel tried to concentrate on Aahil’s search as well, but she felt distracted by the man beside her. He had so many sides to him, so many hidden depths. To see him now, encouraging his son to grasp a piece of his heritage, bolstering the young boy’s confidence at the same time, you would never believe a few weeks ago he barely spent any time with his children. The transformation was incredible and Rachel knew that she had played some part in that.
The only problem was she couldn’t help feeling as though Malik’s transformation was a double-edged sword. She loved that he was taking an interest in his children, but this trait, this man he was now, was a man it was difficult not to be attracted to. He was powerful and confident, handsome and charming, and he was turning into a good father. In reality he didn’t even have to be the best father ever, it was the fact that he was trying so hard to give his children what they needed. It didn’t matter if he made a few mistakes along the way.
The cold and distant Sheikh Rachel had met a few weeks ago might have been handsome and confident, but Rachel would have had no trouble resisting a smouldering look from that man. But if Malik turned to her now and moved towards her in that possessive way of his, she doubted she’d have the strength to push him away, whatever her best intentions.
Not for the first time since they’d shared their kiss in the sunken garden Rachel considered her position. She questioned whether it really would be so bad to fall for the Sheikh, whether any romance would truly be doomed.
With an inner sigh she knew it would. She loved the three children in her care, even after just a few short weeks, and she knew that if she and Malik became romantically entangled she would not be able to focus her attention on Aahil, Ameera and Hakim. Her childhood had been marred by the adults in her life arguing and putting their needs first, and the royal children didn’t deserve the same. They’d already lost their mother; they needed stability from her and Malik, not a passionate affair with a painful aftermath.
Rachel found herself blushing at the idea of an affair with Malik. She wasn’t naive enough to think there could be anything more between them. Malik’s first wife had been from the second most powerful family of Huria, a woman brought up to be Queen. Rachel had been brought up to be a governess and in real life governesses did not get the powerful and charismatic man for more than a short affair. Still, as she watched Malik encouraging his son, Rachel couldn’t help wondering what even a short affair with this surprising man might be like.
‘Here. It’s here!’ Aahil exclaimed after a few minutes. He’d walked a few paces to the left, rounding a natural curve in the rock face and almost disappearing from view.
‘Brilliant,’ Malik said, grabbing Rachel’s hand and pulling her forward. Hakim and Ameera were already crowding behind their older brother trying to see what he had seen.
As Rachel slipped into the crevice in the gorge wall, her body dangerously close to Malik’s, she saw what Aahil had seen. Carved into the rock face, carefully hidden from view, wa
s a roughly hewn set of stairs zig-zagging steeply upwards.
Malik regarded their little group as if trying to decide the best way to proceed.
‘Aahil, you will go first. I will go behind you, then Hakim, then Ameera and then Miss Talbot at the back.’
Rachel saw Ameera pull a face, but before she could say anything Malik held up a placating hand.
‘The stairs are steep and worn in places, Ameera, and Hakim is still quite small. I will need to help him over the rough areas. You can help Miss Talbot, she isn’t used to the desert terrain.’
As Ameera lost her defiant look Malik caught Rachel’s eye and quickly winked at her. Rachel couldn’t help but smile in return, wondering whether the royal advisors and palace secretaries would recognise the Sheikh with his current demeanour.
They began to climb, slowly rising up the edge of the gorge, tracing a path backwards and forward along the cliff edge. Their progress was steady, although a few times the group had to stop when the path became a little too uneven for Hakim to keep his balance and Malik had to effortlessly hoist him on to his shoulders.
They had been climbing for nearly twenty minutes when Aahil at the front of the group paused.
‘Father,’ he called out, sounding unsure.
Rachel watched as Malik set Hakim down on the path and moved forward. She wondered how many times he had climbed this same route. He seemed confident on the rocky terrain, never stumbling or missing a step, but she wasn’t sure if that was because he was a frequent visitor or if a childhood spent in the desert meant he had traversed many routes like this one.
For her part Rachel climbed slowly but surely, never looking back. Luckily she wasn’t afraid of heights. Sometimes at school, when the chatter of the other girls had got too much for her, Rachel had climbed up to the attic, pushed open one of the rickety windows and sat on the ledge looking out over the Wiltshire countryside. She had found the height and the small sense of danger refreshing and when she climbed back down she always felt renewed. After Grace had gone through the trauma of giving birth and having to give her baby away, Rachel had shown her friend her special place and often the two girls had sat up there together, holding hands and taking solace from the peace.
‘Ah,’ Malik said. ‘We have a small problem.’
Rachel craned her neck to try and see what had caused them to halt. Ahead of Aahil the path seemed to have completely disappeared, instead there was a mound of rocks blocking their path.
‘Do we have to turn back?’ Aahil asked, looking devastated.
Malik shook his head. ‘It’ll just take us a little longer. I’ll go first. Aahil, you come with me. Once we’ve mapped out a route I’ll come back for Hakim, Ameera and Miss Talbot.’
Father and son began their scramble over the rocks. They were only out of view for a minute before Malik returned without Aahil.
‘It’s only a short distance,’ he reassured them. ‘Climb on, Hakim.’
Rachel watched as Malik ferried his two younger children across the rockfall. He seemed so at ease with them, and they with him, it was lovely to watch. Once all three royal children were safe on the other side Malik reappeared.
‘Your turn,’ he said.
Rachel didn’t move, wondering what he had planned. She thought she could probably manage the scramble over, especially if Aahil had, but Malik looked as though he were preparing to carry her.
Malik held out a hand and Rachel stepped forward uncertainly.
‘I can carry you if you’re nervous,’ he said quietly, his strong hand gripping hers reassuringly.
Rachel hesitated only a moment before shaking her head. She didn’t need to be carried, however tempting the thought.
‘Shame,’ she thought she heard Malik mutter, but before she could react he was guiding her up over the rockfall.
They reached the top of the collapsed cliff within a minute and Rachel looked around her with awe. Although half the horizon was blocked by the gently sloping rock rising up ahead of them, the view behind was spectacular. She peered down into the gorge they had left the camels waiting in and marvelled at the vibrant rock face they had just climbed. In the distance she could make out the rolling sand dunes, shimmering in the heat of the morning.
‘One last scramble and we’re there,’ Malik said, his eyes flashing with excitement.
Rachel had never seen him so animated, so enthusiastic, and she could tell the children were loving this side of their father, too.
They set off up the gently sloping, smooth rock, and not for the first time Rachel was glad she was wearing Malik’s breeches. There was no way she would have made it this far in her cumbersome dress and she would have been devastated if she’d had to stay at the bottom of the gorge.
Carefully Rachel followed Malik, gripping Ameera’s hand tightly in case the young girl should slip. Up ahead Malik had hoisted Hakim on to his shoulders and in front of them Aahil was proudly leading the way.
As they mounted the crest of the rock Rachel couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath; the view from up here was incredible. She could see for miles in every direction, only the haze from the heat obscuring the far horizon.
‘It’s beautiful,’ Rachel murmured to herself.
Quickly she caught up with Malik and the children, to see them all gathered around a large, flat stone.
‘The high place,’ whispered Aahil, as if he couldn’t quite believe he was there.
Malik drew his children to him, and motioned for Rachel to draw closer as well.
‘The high place of sacrifice,’ Malik said reverently.
Rachel felt a chill travel down here spine. The large, flat stone did look like it could be a sacrificial altar. Its position, so high above the desert, certainly meant they were closer to any gods in the heavens.
‘Many, many years ago our ancestors likely sacrificed animals and left offerings of food here to gain the blessing of the gods,’ Malik said. ‘But for centuries our family has been the sole guardians of the location of this sacred place. We come here to ask for our ancestors’ blessing and guidance for any journey we are to make.’
He motioned for them all to join hands, then spoke a few sentences in Hurian.
Rachel felt the tears begin to well in her eyes at the sentimentality of the moment. Malik had included her in this trip to his most sacred place, an honour indeed for someone who wasn’t part of the family. Just standing here, looking out over the rolling orange sands, Rachel could feel the centuries of tradition bearing down on her and wondered what it felt like to be part of something that was bigger than yourself. She could see much of Malik’s self-assurance sprang from the fact that he had a strong sense of belonging. Rachel had never really experienced that. Home had always been lonely without her parents and, despite her wonderful friends, school wasn’t a place where you really felt as though you belonged. She’d always wanted to travel, to see the world and not be tied down by the normal constraints of a young lady’s existence, but right now Rachel wondered whether she was missing out on something. A place to call home, somewhere she truly belonged.
She was shaken from her reverie by Malik stepping back to stand beside her.
‘Thank you,’ she said softly.
‘What for?’
‘For including me.’
A puzzled look dawned on Malik’s face and he said, more to himself than to her, ‘I didn’t ever consider not bringing you here with us.’
* * *
The climb back down into the bed of the gorge was quick now Rachel and the children had grown in confidence and their steps over the uneven terrain were surer.
Malik allowed Aahil to lead the way again. He could see how much it meant to his eldest son to be given the responsibility and honour of leading their party, and Malik realised that he needed to encourage this aspect of his son’s
personality. Aahil would make a wonderful Sheikh one day and already he was eager to learn everything he could about his country and his heritage.
Malik was quiet on the descent from the high place, his mind preoccupied with Rachel’s words and his response to them. He supposed he should have considered bringing his children here alone, but somehow that didn’t seem right. In just a few weeks Rachel had become such an integral part of their lives, and Malik knew all three of his children followed him with confidence because Rachel was smiling her encouragement behind them.
He knew he had to address the consequences of this realisation, but something held him back. He didn’t want to examine his feelings too closely—he was afraid of what he might discover.
Malik glanced back over his shoulder, watching as Rachel held Ameera’s hand over a particularly uneven set of steps, and realised he had never once contemplated bringing his late wife to the high place. Not that she would have deigned to accompany him on a trip like this. In the nine years they were married Malik could count on one hand the number of times she had left her set of rooms at the palace. But the fact remained he had never wanted to bring her here either. The high place was special, sacred, and only a select few knew of its location. He hadn’t wanted his thoughts of a place so dear to him to be marred by his wife’s unavoidable low mood, but he’d had no qualms with Rachel.
He doubted that Rachel had ever had a truly depressing thought in her whole life. Her entire outlook was sunny, optimistic, and cheerfulness was woven through her personality. She didn’t mar his positive thoughts of the high place, she enhanced them.
There was the temptation to build his relationship with Rachel into something much more. Already he desired her, but more than that he admired her. He admired her self-confidence, her happy demeanour and her ability to bring out the best in his children. She had all the qualities of a good governess, but Malik knew some part of him wanted her to be more than that.
GOVERNESS TO THE SHEIKH Page 14