Escape from the Harem

by Mary Lyons

  Leonie’s mouth curved into an ironic smile at the thought of her husband trying to cope with Jade’s boisterous spirits, her non-stop chatter and the interminable questions. lf he thought that he was due to meet a sweet, demure little girl--well, he was certainly going to be in for a surprise!

  Glancing down at her watch, she gave a small yelp of dismay. She must stop day-dreaming here in the park and hurry back to the car, otherwise she would be late in picking up Jade from her playschool.

  When they returned home, it was to find Mrs Elliot in a thoroughly flustered state.

  ‘Thank goodness you’ve arrived! I don’t know what’s going on--I really don’t . . . I mean--where am I going to put everything? And what about insurance . . .?’

  Leonie looked at her mother in astonishment. ‘What’s the matter?’ she asked, hanging up Jade’s coat as the small girl ran off into the sitting-room.

  ‘It was all those men, you see.’ The older woman sighed and brushed a tired hand through her grey hair. ‘You’ve simply no idea--I mean, the doorbell hasn’t stopped ringing all morning! It was: "Sign here and "Sign there", till I thought I’d go mad.’

  ‘Mother, for heaven’s sake, calm down! I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about and—Jade . . .!’ Leonie gasped as her daughter came back into the hall. ‘What DO you think you’re wearing?’

  ‘There—you see!’ Mrs Elliot exclaimed as she and her daughter stared at the small girl pirouetting in front of them. What appeared to be a diamond tiara was set on her dark head, while two long, glittering strands of a diamond necklace dangled down over her short blue dress.

  ‘Mummy--Mummy! Do look at me. Don’t I look stu-pen-dous?’ Jade laughed happily as the tiara slipped sideways to hang drunkenly down over her ear.

  ‘Take it off’, at once,’ Leonie commanded, before turning to her mother in bewilderment. ‘They can’t possibly be . . .? I mean--they aren’t real diamonds, are they'?’

  'The man from the jewellers assured me that they were. But that’s not all--not by a long chalk!’ Mrs Elliot said. Catching hold of Jade, and ignoring the little girl’s protests, she firmly removed the sparkling jewellery. ‘The sitting-room has become nothing more nor less than an Aladdin’s Cave! Come and see for yourself.’

  ‘Oh, my G-God!’ Leonie stuttered, as with incredulous eyes she viewed the overflowing boxes piled high on every table and chair. ‘Where did all this stuff come from?’

  ‘Well, all the jewellery comes from Aspreys,’ Mrs Elliot waved a distracted hand towards a mound of black leather cases. ‘They are mostly sapphires and diamonds, I think, although maybe there was an emerald necklace as well.’ She shook her head bemusedly and walked over to the drinks cabinet. ‘God knows, I don’t usually drink in the middle of the day, but I suddenly find myself in dire need of some alcohol!’

  ‘But . . . but who . . .?’

  ‘Well, dear, I really think it must be Badyr, don’t you? I mean--who else do you know with enough money to buy all these things? Her mother sighed heavily and took a large sip from her glass. ‘Now, what else? Oh, yes,’ she added as Jade excitedly delved into a large box and pulled out a dark brown fur coat. ‘When the man from the shop told me how much that sable coat was worth, I nearly had hysterics! And as for all those parcels of pure silk and satin underwear from The White House, they must have cost a fortune. Of course, it’s wonderfully generous of Badyr,’ she added quickly, ‘but where on earth are we going to put everything? You should see the dining-room—it’s full to the brim with what must be at least ten years’ supply of cosmetics! Do you think you could possibly have a word with him and . .. er . . . explain that we haven’t much room?’

  ‘Damn right, I will--the rat!’ Leonie snapped furiously, before remembering that Jade was in the room. Hastily clamping her lips tightly together, she removed the fur coat from her daughter and took Jade out to the kitchen to give the little girl her midday meal. When she rejoined her mother some time later, she found her sitting slumped in an armchair.

  ‘You really must be careful not to . . .’

  ‘I know, Mother,’ Leonie sighed. ‘I shouldn’t have said what I did in front of Jade, but I was just so mad at Badyr! He knows--only too well--that the temperature in Dhoman has got to be at least a hundred degrees in the shade, and I’ll need a fur coat like . . . like a hole in the head! As for chucking his money around like an oriental millionaire—those diamonds alone must have cost enough to feed everyone in his beastly, fly-blown country for at least a month. What a swine the man is!’

  ‘Leonie! How can you say that when Badyr’s been . . .so . . .'

  ‘Diabolically sure of himself?’ Leonie gave a shrill, hysterical laugh. ‘You can’t possibly imagine that Badyr went out and bought all these things this morning? There’s no way he could have completed the purchases and had everything delivered by now. In fact--I haven’t a shred of doubt that the bloody man had already ordered everything before he saw me last night. He knew damn well that his blackmail couldn’t fail—and all these things,’ she added, glaring about the room as she lifted the telephone receiver. ‘They’re nothing but sugar icing on the bars of my prison cell!’

  Her call to his suite at Claridges was answered by Sheikh Samir. ‘Would you kindly tell my husband not to send me items for which I have no use!’ she snapped. ‘It’s a quite ridiculous waste of his time and money, and . . .’

  ‘Ah, Leonie.’ Badyr’s rich, dark voice came on the line, interrupting her carefully prepared speech. ‘I wish to talk to you about seeing my daughter.'

  ‘There’s nothing to stop you seeing her whenever you wish, and it’s certainly a better use of your time than buying up the whole of Bond Street!’ she grated angrily.

  Infuriatingly, he merely gave a low, mocking laugh as he ignored her caustic remark. ‘Since you clearly have no objection, I will call and see Jade tomorrow, at three o’clock. We will take her to Regent’s Park Zoo, yes?’

  ‘No.’ Leonie knew that she was reacting childishly, but why should she have to keep jumping through his hoops? ‘It will . . . um . . . be much too cold at this time of year,’ she improvised quickly, desperately trying to think of an alternative venue.

  ‘Jade is unwell?’

  ‘No, of course not--she’s in perfectly good health!' she retorted quickly.

  ‘Then you will only need to wrap her up warmly, hmm? As for yourself, you now have a fur coat, my dear Leonie. I therefore suggest that you wear it!’ His sardonic laugh was cut short as he put down the phone before she could think of a suitably crushing reply.

  Both Leonie and her mother spent some time that evening explaining to Jade that her father was in England, and would be coming to see her tomorrow. The little girl was so excited at the prospect that it proved a difficult task to persuade her to go to bed, and a long time before she at last fell asleep.

  Leonie discovered that she also found sleep elusive, and subsequently she overslept the next morning. Thereafter, the day seemed to be one in which she never quite managed to catch up with the work awaiting her at the office and, as always happened when she needed to get away early, the phone never stopped ringing. As a consequence she was late arriving home, noting with dismay the large chauffeur-driven limousine that was parked outside the house.

  She felt sick with apprehension, but was determined not to show it as she took a deep breath and entered the sitting-room. She found Jade sitting happily perched on Badyr’s knee, busily engaged in placing his black patch over her own small eye.

  ‘How do I look, Mummy?’ she demanded, before jumping up and running over to stand on a stool, regarding herself critically in a mirror for several moments. ‘l don’t think I look as nice as Daddy,’ she added thoughtfully, running back to climb up on to her father’s lap.

  Leonie couldn’t say anything for a moment. There seemed to be a large lump in her throat, her body trembling with shock at the sight of the two dark heads so close together. Why had she never realised just what a strong resembl
ance there was between father and child?

  Badyr smiled lazily down at Jade, idly playing with a lock of her black, shoulder-length hair. ‘She is very much my daughter, hmm?’ he murmured softly, accurately reading Leonie’s mind.

  Who else's daughter should she be? Leonie wanted to scream, biting her lip with frustration as she realised that to relieve her feelings by snapping at Badyr would only upset Jade. The little girl was bouncing with excitement as she wound her arms about Badyr’s neck.

  ‘It’s so nice to have a real daddy, at last!’ she sighed happily. ‘Are we really going to Ar-ab-ia? Mummy’s pretty, isn’t she? She was very cross about the fur coat and the diamonds. In fact . . .’ Jade grinned at her mother, ‘. . .I heard her say some very naughty words to Grandma--I really did! Are you going to give me some diamonds too? I do hope so, ‘cos you see, Jill--she’s my best friend at school, although I hate her really--well, she has a pink pearl necklace. But, if I had some of those stu-pen-dous diamonds, then she would be terribly cross . . . I’d like that!’

  Leonie could barely manage to repress a malicious grin as she watched her husband mentally reeling under the rapid fire of Jade’s artless conversation. ‘Very much your daughter, I think you said!’ she murmured, before telling the little girl to go and get her coat.

  ‘Is she always quite so . . . er . . . talkative?’ he enquired with a broad grin.

  ‘Oh, no, not at all!’ Leonie deliberately made her voice saccharin-sweet. ‘Jade’s still feeling a little shy, of course, but when she knows you better, I can promise you that she’ll be far more forthcoming!'

  ‘Then I can see that life will certainly not be boring!’ His broad shoulders shook with laughter as Jade danced back into the room.

  ‘Hurry up, Daddy. I want to see the camels and the snakes and . . .’

  ‘I am quite ready, little one. We are merely waiting for your mother to put on her fur coat, are we not? The one about which I understand she was so . . . er . . . cross, hmm?’

  It would have given Leonie great pleasure to have been able to slap the mocking smile off his handsome face. As it was, there was nothing she could do but go and put the damn thing on! And as much as she hated to admit it, even to herself, she couldn’t help but relish the warmth and feel of the luxurious fur as they left the car to enter the zoo.

  Preoccupied in keeping an eye on Jade as she scampered off towards one of the cages, Leonie looked up startled to see Badyr’s tall figure standing in front of her.

  ‘You must be careful not to catch cold,’ he said, his voice heavy with irony as he reached forward, lifting the shawl collar of her coat about her ears. ‘Incidentally, if I should decide to give my wife some jewellery, or dress her as befits her station in life, I do not expect her to argue with me. Do I make myself clear’?’ he murmured with soft menace.

  ‘Please let me go!’ she demanded, trying in vain to move her head away from the firm grasp of his hands beneath the fur collar, the words coming from her throat in a tremulous, hoarse whisper and not the imperious command that she intended. As he continued to stare searchingly down into her blue eyes, she desperately tried to steel herself against the dynamic masculinity exuded by the man standing so close to her quivering figure. But there seemed nothing she could do to prevent a deep flush from staining her cheeks, or her breathing from becoming ragged and uneven.

  He gave her a slow, sensual smile, ‘How very, very remiss of me--I have not yet thanked you for giving me such a lovely daughter, and for bestowing on her such a beautiful name. Can it be that you still have my ring, Leonie . . .?’

  ‘I ...er...’ she faltered, her sapphire blue eyes unable to meet his dark gaze. She was only too well aware of the large jade signet ring, carefully wrapped in tissue paper and buried at the bottom of her small jewel-box. On leaving Dhoman she had gladly left behind all the jewellery she had been given by Badyr, retaining only his signet ring which he had put on her finger a day before their wedding; the purchase of an engagement ring having been forgotten in the hasty preparations for their marriage.

  ‘No matter,’ he murmured, his voice breaking into her confusion and rescuing her from having to reply. ‘lf Jade grows up to be as beautiful as her mother, I shall indeed be happy.’

  The husky note in his voice should have warned her, but Leonie was too concerned with striving to control her own wayward emotions to react in time. Almost before she knew what was happening, she found herself clasped tightly in his arms and responding without thought to the seduction of the firm lips possessing her own. An ever-swelling tide of excitement raced through her body, her senses reeling swiftly out of control, and it was only Jade’s impatient pull on the fur coat which brought her back to reality.

  'Do come and see the elephants, Daddy--they’re gi-nor-mous! What are you kissing Mummy for? I’m awfully hungry, so can we go and have an ice-cream, please?’ Jade clasped Badyr’s hand as he released Leonie’s trembling figure, tugging him off towards a kiosk.

  Damn, damn, damn! Leonie cursed silently as she turned away to gaze blindly at a pair of long-necked, languid giraffes. What on earth had come over her? It was no good trying to pretend, even to herself, that she hadn't been responding to his kiss--because she most certainly had. And in the middle of the zoo, for heaven’s sake! What was more: that stupid, emotional gesture of naming her daughter after Badyr’s ring--something which had once meant so much to her--seemed to be giving him quite the wrong ideas! A deep tide of crimson flooded over her face as she recognised the ache in her treacherous body, the reason why her legs felt like jelly and her hands were shaking so badly. She had been so sure, so positive after all these years, that Badyr’s strong physical presence would no longer have the power to disturb her. A heavy lump of shame and depression gripped her stomach as she realised just how wrong her assumptions had been.

  She somehow managed to stagger through the remainder of their visit to the zoo, careful to avoid meeting the mocking, sardonic gleam in Badyr’s dark eyes. The only morsel of comfort, despite any worries Leonie might have had, was that Jade had enthusiastically taken to her father, who seemed to be equally enslaved by his daughter.

  ‘Yes, I promise that I will see you tomorrow, little one,’ he assured the child as they arrived back at the house. ‘Maybe you would like to come and have tea with me in my hotel?’

  ‘Oh, yes, please!’ Jade breathed ecstatically, leaping out of the vehicle and dashing into the house to tell her grandmother all about her wonderful day.

  ‘I’m afraid that my mother will have to accompany Jade tomorrow,’ Leonie muttered nervously as she prepared to get out of the car. ‘I’m very busy at work at the moment, clearing my desk and . . .’

  ‘Relax, Leonie!’ Badyr murmured, catching hold of her elbow and halting her hurried exit. ‘Once we have returned to Dhoman, we will have all the time in the world to be alone together, hmm?’

  ‘No!’ she gasped. ‘That’s not what I meant at all. I really am busy, and . . .’

  ‘I know what you meant,’ he interrupted smoothly. ‘But I also meant what I said to you the other night. For the moment, and until such time as we return to my country, I will permit you to enjoy your single bed. However, let there be no doubt in your mind,’ he warned her with cool, silky menace. ‘When you return to Dhoman, it will be as my wife--in every sense of the word!’ -

  ‘Who do you think you are--God’s gift to women?’ she demanded breathlessly, her blue eyes flashing with rage, ‘I . . . I’ve told you, quite clearly, that I can’t possibly . . . that I won’t ever. . .’

  Badyr gave a low bark of dry, sardonic laughter. ‘Oh, yes, my dear Leonie, you will find that you can, and indeed you will!’

  Leonie was still seething, burning with indignation at her invidious position, when she went to spend the evening with Sally a week later. They had supper in her f1iend’s flat, giggling like young girls as they passed on to each other some of the latest gossip about old school friends.

  ‘It’s been such fu
n,’ Leonie sighed. ‘Just to be able to forget about everything for a few hours has been marvellous.'

  ‘Does your husband really expect . . .?’ Sally paused. ‘I mean, does he really imagine that you can both just resume your relationship together, after all these years, as if nothing had happened? she queried, having listened earlier in the evening to Leonie’s account of Badyr’s sudden reappearance in her life.