Escape from the Harem

by Mary Lyons

  ‘The poor man,’ Leonie mused. ‘I feel sorry for him. I realise now that he just couldn’t cope with life in the twentieth century.’

  Badyr turned to lie on his back, staring up at the ceiling. ‘You are more generous than I,’ he sighed. ‘It is a sin to conspire against one’s father, and I shall have to answer for my actions at the day of judgment--of that there is no doubt. But when I used your sweetness to assuage my anger and frustration against my father . . . it was right that I should have reaped a full punishment for such cruelty. And I was punished, Leonie,’ he added in a low, throbbing voice. ‘I do not think that there was one hour, of those live, seemingly endless years, when I did not yearn for your sweet presence.’

  ‘Aisha?’ she whispered tremulously.

  For a moment there was silence, and then Badyr rolled over to gather her gently into his arms. ‘The Americans have an expression; "over a barrel", and that is just what I was--well and truly over a barrel--when I heard how my father was threatening you. I was so . . . so damned helpless! lf I wished to make sure you were safe, I had no alternative but to marry a girl I had never seen in my life. I have learnt to forgive my mother, who only did what she felt was in the interests of the country; but when I took that dreadful decision, every one of us suffered as a consequence. The poor, frail little girl,’ he added softly. ‘Aisha was so frightened when she arrived down at the Summer Palace. Can you imagine how terrified she must have been? She had no mother, and her father had just been arrested. She had never travelled more than a few miles from her home in the north of the country, and when she quickly became so ill ...’ He sighed deeply. ‘I knew that I was responsible, Leonie. I had chosen to save you, but in doing so I had unwittingly condemned her. Can you understand?'

  ‘Of course I do,’ she murmured, tenderly pressing her lips to the strained lines about his mouth. ‘I’m only ashamed that . . . that when I discovered her existence, I didn’t give you a chance to tell me the truth.’

  He hesitated. ‘From the beginning I had told her how I felt about you, and that it was not possible .. . that our marriage must be in name only.’

  ‘I know. Aisha told me. Oh, Badyr! If only I could have met her sooner. And now it’s too late,’ she whispered, hiding her face in the warm curve of his shoulder.

  ‘Aisha was a sweet, generous girl of whom I became very fond, and for whom I cared deeply--but she was not you, my darling,’ he said simply, his lips kissing away the tears from her eyes.

  Some minutes later, Badyr slowly and reluctantly let her go. ‘I think I am going to break one of my golden rules,’ he said huskily as he got up off the bed. ‘Attempting to keep myself away from you has been a damned torture--I’ve never had so many freezing cold showers in my whole life as I’ve been having these last few weeks! So, I suggest we have some champagne on ice, which may help to cool my ardour.’

  Leonie couldn’t help smiling through her tears at his rueful expression. ‘Don’t you laugh at me, you witch!’ he muttered in mock fury, picking up the intemal phone and issuing an order. ‘Which reminds me,’ he added, ‘I must have an urgent word with the worthy Dr Winslow. I can see that it might be dangerous at the moment, but when you’ve given birth to the baby, just how many hellish weeks will I have to endure before I can make love to you?’

  ‘It’s no good looking at me for the answer!’ she retorted, smiling as his tall figure paced about the room. ‘I’ll have you know that I led a thoroughly pure life after Jade was born!’

  ‘Wallahi! I can’t begin to tell you how I worried about that fact!’ he growled. ‘I kept as close an eye on your life in London as I could, but I can assure you that I went through the tortures of the damned, worrying incessantly about your relationships with other men! As soon as I took over the rule of this country from my father, I realised that if I’d been over a barrel before, it was nothing to the situation in which I found myself then. I was damned certain that you’d never accept the fact of my second marriage. I know,’ he said over her muttered protest. ‘You might have been understanding, but it was a hell of a risk for me to take, all the same. On the other hand, I simply couldn’t bring myself to divorce Aisha--it would have been far too cruel to treat her in such a way.’ He sighed. ‘I give you my solemn word that I have never, ever, wished for her death. I realised that I must simply bury myself in the necessary work involved in pulling Dhoman into the twentieth century, and let fate decide what was to happen.’

  He paused as there was a knock at the door, and Hussa entered with a tray. Putting it down on a small table, she winked at Leonie and scurried out of the room.

  ‘Hussa is clearly an incurable romantic!’ Badyr laughed wryly as he placed a cold glass of bubbling champagne in his wife’s hand. ‘She never ceased to ask after you, urging me to bring you back to Dhoman. Of course, I shouldn’t have taken the risk, but when I received your mother’s letter telling me about her marriage, and just how worried she was about you—I decided to take the gamble. I now see that it was incredibly foolish of me, but although am a patient man, I knew that I could no longer endure life without you by my side. And as soon as we kissed, that first time we met again in the Embassy, I knew you still cared for me! That unless something went badly wrong--which, of course, it did--I had taken the right decision. However, being certain that you still felt something for me, was one matter. Trying to handle an extremely difficult, temperamental and obstinate wife--was quite another! Getting you back to Dhoman was one of the most difficult tasks I’ve ever attempted. It was like trying to woo a cage full of rattlesnakes!’

  ‘Charming! And what’s this nonsense about trying to "woo" me?’ Leonie gave a sardonic laugh. ‘There was nothing lover-like about you--you horrible man! The sound of a door-bell still makes me shudder, and as for that fur coat . . .!’

  ‘Ah, beloved. You looked so beautiful, so ravishingly lovely, that I nearly raped you there and then in the zoo!’ He laughed at the bright crimson flush spreading across her cheeks

  .

  ‘Yes, well . . . I suppose I was in a bit of a state,’ " she admitted. ‘And although I like to think I would have been understanding, if you'd told me about Aisha when you came to London, I don’t know . . . I can’t honestly say what my reaction would have been.'

  Badyr stared sadly down at his glass. ‘I want to tell you that those long months, when you insisted on being left alone at the Summer Palace, were a far worse torture than the five years’ absence between us. No, I never believed for a moment that you would seek to lose the baby you carried,' he assured her. ‘But, not a day went by, when I didn’t decide to fly down and make you listen to the truth. But always I stopped before doing so. I knew that I was responsible for your deep hurt and anger, but I also--alas--became angry and stiff with pride. I told myself that if you had loved me, you would have made some effort to understand, and I . . . I could not bring myself to make the necessary explanations, a gesture which I foolishly saw as a crawling humiliation.’

  ‘Oh, Badyr . . .’ Her eyes filled with tears. ‘I’ve caused you--both of us--so much pain!’

  ‘Enough!’ he commanded firmly. ‘We have both been unhappy long enough, hmm? Sweet, kind Aisha has given us the chance to renew our marriage--a legacy that we must treasure. Not only do we have a lovely and amusing daughter, but we will soon be blessed with another child. With so much for which to be thankful, my darling, let us now look forward to the happy future—not backwards to the mistakes we have made in the past,’ he added huskily, his mouth possessing hers in a pledge of warmth and tenderness.

  Four months later Leonie sat gazing idly out of the window at the fiery sun slipping slowly down over the horizon. They had been at the Summer Palace for almost a week, and already she had slipped under its lazy, carefree spell. In the distance she could hear the fishermen calling to each other as they left their boats, while nearer at hand Jade was laughing as her father told her a good-night story.

  Sighing with contentment, Leonie lowered her head to smi
le at the baby in her arms. With fluffy, jet-black hair, Karim was the very image of Badyr, the only legacy from his mother being the startling, sapphire-blue eyes hidden now by his drowsy eyelids, as he lay sleepily content and replete at her breast.

  ‘I would find it very easy to become jealous of my son and heir!’ a voice said softly. Smiling up at Badyr’s tall figure as he walked across the floor of the nursery, she instinctively attempted to cover herself. ‘Ah, no, my beloved. Do not hide your loveliness from me,’ he murmured, sitting down beside her and gently tracing a path with his fingers over the burgeoning fullness of her bare breasts.

  ‘Your son is greedy--just like his father!’ she grinned, wiping a small trickle of milk from the baby’s chin.

  Although she spoke lightly, her nerve-ends tingled and throbbed at his intimate touch. Karim’s birth had not been an easy one, and she was aware of just how inhibiting Badyr had found that fact, striving to carefully restrain his ardour when they had resumed their lovemaking. But she was already feeling a great deal stronger, her body becoming eager and impatient to welcome the full force of his passion.

  ‘Ah,’ Badyr sighed, regretfully moving his hand as Leonie lifted the baby to her shoulder, gently patting his back. ‘Before I become too carried away, I must tell you three pieces of interesting news. First, I have had a reply to my cable, and you will be pleased to hear that your mother and stepfather will be joining us here in a week’s time.’

  ‘I’m so glad they can make it—it will be lovely to see my mother again,’ she smiled happily.

  ‘And for her to see her new grandchild, hmm?’ He gently stroked his son’s cheek. ‘Karim is a very clever child--did I tell you that he smiled at me today?’ Badyr added proudly

  .

  ‘That was probably wind!’ she teased. ‘What are the other two bits of news?’

  ‘Well, you may . . . er . . . remember that I was paralytically angry with that wretched sister of mine, Nadia. In my fury, I sent her off to some cousins in Saudi Arabia. They belong to a very strict religious sect and I thought that life with them might give her something to think about,’ he added grimly. ‘However, to my utter amazement, I received a letter today from the head of the family, telling me that Nadia has fallen madly in love with an elderly prince, and is requesting my permission to marry him.’ A slow smile spread across Badyr’s face. ‘The cream of the jest is that he already has two wives and countless children! I have, of course, despatched my sincere congratulations—and a huge dowry, just in case the poor man should think of changing his mind!’

  ‘That’s really rotten of you!’ Leonie tried not to laugh. ‘Even Nadia doesn’t deserve to get herself into that sort of mess. She’s bound to be unhappy before very long.’

  ‘No--I think not. Nadia is the child most like my father. I will wager you any sum you care to mention, that she will quickly manage to persuade her husband to cast aside his two other wives, disinheriting his children in favour of any she may have--and then proceed to make his life a misery. Believe me—the poor man will need all the consolation of a large dowry!’ he laughed. ‘And talking of weddings: I was approached today by my uncle Feisal. I must confess to being somewhat embarrassed that a man, so much older than I, should feel the need to ask my permission to get married.’

  Leonie gasped. ‘Not . . .?’

  ‘Yes, he wishes to marry our governess! I have already had a word with Elizabeth, and she tells me that--always provided that Feisal faithfully promises not to bring his horses into their house, or to take a second wife--she thinks she might like to marry a real Sheikh of Araby!’

  ‘Goodness--how exciting!’ she laughed. ‘I must go and have a word with her right away.'

  ‘No--not just at the moment,’ Badyr murmured, taking the sleeping baby from her arms and placing him in his cot. ‘Having attended to the needs of my son, I think it is time you turned your full attention to the requirements of his father, don’t you?’ he added as he led her through into their bedroom, firmly closing the door before taking her into his arms.

  Laughter gleamed in the depths of her blue eyes. ‘Darling, Badyr,’ she whispered as she became aware of the passion throbbing in his body, and the rising tide of desire beginning to sweep through her veins. ‘How could I possibly presume to disagree with my husband? I wouldn’t dare to be guilty of such . . . such lèse-majesté!'