After a few hours night had fallen, and they were riding along in the pitch blackness of the desert. Ardeth had moved his horse closer to her as if he sensed she needed the security. He looked at her in the darkness, seemingly able to see even without light. "You are tired," he stated softly, reaching out to stroke her cheek. "We will stop soon and you can rest for a while."
"I don't want to be a nuisance. We can carry on, honestly, I'll be fine!"
"You are not a nuisance, my lady, and you do need a rest," he insisted, moving his horse away from her and up to the front of their group to talk with Rick.
A short while later they stopped at a small oasis, and Ardeth helped her down from the horse, holding on to her as her legs shook from the exercise. She looked around as men appeared out of the darkness and gave a small sigh of relief when she realised it was Khalid and Rachid, leading some of the Med-jai.
They greeted Ardeth and soon everyone was resting around a fire, eating dried foods and talking animatedly. Charlotte remained quiet and just watched everyone, feeling worn to the bone and wanting nothing more than to get a good sleep. But she knew there wasn't time for such luxuries tonight and that they would soon be back on top of the uncomfortable animals and riding for more hours. She supposed she would get used to riding horses one day, but at the moment it was about as comfortable as sitting astride a stone wall for several hours.
She gave a heartfelt sigh as the others started moving to prepare to leave again and she reluctantly stood up, feeling the ache in her backside and legs as she did so. Billy didn't seem to have any such trouble, happily bouncing about around Ardeth and the other men and waiting to be put back on the horse.
Ardeth had been watching carefully as Charlotte picked herself up and went to mount her horse. She had difficulty raising her leg to get it in the stirrup and he frowned as he realised she must be feeling stiff from all the riding. He took Billy and handed him to Khalid, telling him that he would be looking after the boy for the remainder of the journey. Khalid grinned at the small boy and soon he was telling Billy little titbits of information about the desert, not in the least phased about having the care of the youngster.
Ardeth turned back to find Charlotte leaning her face against the saddle, frustrated at having not been able to mount the stupid animal! He found himself smiling.
Charlotte jumped when Ardeth picked her up this time and prepared to sit on the horse's back again, but he carried her away from her horse and deposited her on the back of his instead.
"What are you doing?" she asked breathlessly as the others nudged each other and grinned.
"You are stiff and sore, are you not?" he asked her, arranging her so she sat side-saddle as she had done before. At her nod he continued, "then it is wise for you to ride with me for the remainder of the journey."
"But...won't that look...er...bad, when we reach your village?"
"To who?"
"To your people?"
"Why should it?" he asked as they started moving off.
"Because...well...I'm English...and you're..." she faltered, not knowing what to say.
"You are not one of my countrywomen, Charlotte, but that does not matter. No-one will think anything of you riding in with me, do not worry," he said, pulling her closer to him under the cover of darkness.
Charlotte nuzzled against him and enjoyed the warmth of his body whilst no-one could see them, chewing her lip as she thought about what he had said. "Why wouldn't anyone think anything of it? Do you always bring women into your village?" she couldn't help asking him.
He chuckled. "No, you are the first that I have ridden in with. Why? Are you jealous?"
"I...no..." she began and he cut her off by putting his mouth gently over hers and kissing her softly.
"I would not mind if you were," he said, his voice only loud enough for her to hear.
Charlotte felt shy with him and didn't answer, but she also didn't move away from him, instead relaxing against him and letting the movement of the horse and his warmth lull her to sleep.
Ardeth sighed as he felt her relax completely and he kissed the top of her head, wishing that they had met under different circumstances. But whatever had happened between them thus far, he intended to make her his. It did not enter his head what she might want, his only thoughts were what he now wanted and how best to tell the elders of his plans. They would agree to a marriage between them, he knew, because as leader of the Med-jai he had certain privileges. Besides, the elders trusted his judgement. He smiled. They would enjoy meeting the O'Connells as he had often spoken of them. They respected them as Ardeth had come to respect them and, hopefully, their welcome would extend to Charlotte too.
"Insh'allah," he murmured, looking heavenward briefly before concentrating once again on the journey. God willing.
Charlotte woke slowly, fighting through the layers of sleep to find out what was tickling her cheek. She opened her eyes and found Ardeth smiling down at her as he stroked her face gently, saying her name in his deep, velvety voice.
She blinked as she realised it was approaching dawn, the sky a dull blue with colours beginning to creep along the horizon as the sun started it's journey. "We are approaching my village. You must wake up now," Ardeth told her, smiling as she looked blearily around, trying to get a first glimpse of his village.
"Where is it?" she asked, her voice husky from sleep. All she could see were huge sand dunes and rocks, nothing out of the ordinary.
"Look over there," Ardeth said, turning her head gently with his hand until she was looking in the right direction. "You see those rocks, just beyond the largest dune? My village lies beyond that, but you cannot see it until you are on the rise as it lies in a valley surrounding an oasis."
"It sounds beautiful," she whispered, looking at him and not the view.
"It is beautiful," he replied, caught by the heated look she gave him. He almost went to kiss her again, but remembered himself just in time. His men were watching and he did not want her to be spoken about. Thinking about that he called Khalid and Rachid over and spoke to them sharply about the kiss they had previously witnessed. He knew that none of his western friends could understand Arabic and so felt safe talking in front of them, despite the fact that Billy sat in front of Khalid watching him with big eyes.
"You must not speak about her to our people, I do not want gossip spread and harming her good name, do you understand?"
"Come, Ardeth, we are not blind. We can see how you feel about this girl," Khalid said, grinning as he looked at the young woman in Ardeth's arms.
"Yes, my friend," Rachid said, his grin almost as wide as Khalid's. "We would not talk about the woman who is already your wife."
Ardeth frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You shared a room with her, a bed. She is now your wife. I assume you intend to tell the elders?" Khalid said, a big satisfied smile on his face.
"We did nothing," Ardeth said, trying to defend his actions.
"We do not know that," Khalid said. "You were in her room all night. You know the rules!"
Ardeth smiled at his friend's continued teasing. "Yes, I know them very well. However, even if I had not spent the night in her room, I would still make her my wife."
Rachid and Khalid nodded as one. "We know this. Congratulations, my friend. I hope the elders will be pleased with your choice."
"I am sure they will be," Ardeth replied, looking down at the woman in his arms, finding her staring up at him in confusion.
"One thing, my friend," Khalid said as Rachid rode off. "Does the lady in question know she is your wife? You may feel the lash of her temper if it is not what she wishes!"
"Not yet, and I am hoping she takes the news well. As for her temper, well, to be truthful I find it rather stimulating!" He grinned at his friend and spurred his horse to move faster, giving Billy a pat on the head as he rode past Khalid.
Charlotte stretched her neck to try and see over the rise as the horse climbed, but she couldn't get a glimpse of the village until they were actually at the top and Ardeth stopped for a few seconds, pointing to the surprisingly large amount of houses below them. Charlotte caught her breath at the beauty of the scene in front of her.
There was a large oasis, very large, surrounded by trees and shrubbery, some of it obviously cultivated. A small stream ran down from some rocks into the enormous pool, fed by an underground spring. Sections of land had been cleared and were being used to grow crops, irrigated very professionally by the people who were tending them. It was a hubbub of activity, many people milling around and small children shrieking with laughter as they played. A corral was at the outskirts for the horses and a large fenced area was currently being used by several men, teaching younger children and teenagers how to fight. It was not as primitive as Charlotte would have expected.
A shout went up from below and all of a sudden people started running towards them, big grins appearing on their faces as they welcomed home their warriors. Charlotte moved about restlessly as the crowd approached, feeling incredibly conspicuous sitting in front of Ardeth.
"Be still, my lady," Ardeth murmured in her hair, not sounding in the least bit worried.
"Shouldn't I get down?"
Ardeth leaned his head sideways and studied her worried face. "Do not fear my people, Charlotte. You will be perfectly safe."
"I know, I just..." she shook her head, biting her lip, "..it doesn't matter."
She felt his chest rumble behind her as he chuckled. "You are shy. Do not be, I will not leave you."
He had no time to say anything else as the people had now reached them and were all speaking at once, shaking hands and chattering excitedly. They looked at Charlotte and the O'Connells with interest, but none of them were remotely unfriendly, merely curious as they stared at these newcomers.
Ardeth spoke to them in their own language and Charlotte caught Rick and Evy's names, watching with fascination as they were surrounded by a crowd and helped down from their horses with the utmost courtesy. Obviously, these people had heard of the O'Connells before and were pleased to meet them. Libby and Billy were taken from the horses by some of the men and examined, one man saying something to Ardeth and laughing as he held up Billy in front of him, looking at the makeshift robes he had insisted on wearing.
Ardeth laughed and leaped down from the horse, leaving Charlotte clutching the saddle and feeling uncomfortable. he finished speaking with the man and turned to help her down, his face wreathed with smiles.
"Salin says that Billy will make a fine warrior, once he has the correct clothing. He says he is a strong boy and that you should be proud to have such a son!"
"But..."
"I have informed him that Billy is your brother, my lady. But they are also curious about you, too," Ardeth said, holding onto her hand even when she would have drawn it away at the curious looks they received.
The man he had called Salin approached them, still holding Billy, and spoke quietly to Ardeth, but not so quietly that they weren't soon joined by others.
Ardeth gave her a warm smile and drew her closer to him, speaking loudly enough for the entire group to hear whatever it was he was saying. She heard her name, but that was the only thing she understood. A cheer went up from the gathered crowd and some of them ran back down the hill towards the village, shouting something to the villagers who were near enough to hear them.
"What did you say to them? Why are they so excited?" Charlotte asked, feeling her face flush at the intense stares she received. Some women approached her and gently reached out to touch her hair, fascinated by it's colour.
"I will tell you later, when we have more time. For now, go with Samira, the tall woman just there, she will show you where you can refresh yourself and rest for a while. I will join you as soon as I can."
Charlotte turned startled eyes to him. "You said you wouldn't leave me," she said, her voice wobbling dangerously.
"I will be but a few minutes. Evy and Rick will be with you, do not worry," Ardeth said, watching as Samira came and led Charlotte away, Rick and Evy following. He frowned. He didn't like having to leave her, but he had to talk to the elders and he knew that it couldn't wait. Charlotte would have to get used to him being absent for a lot longer than a few minutes, but he knew that by the time that happened she would have befriended some of the villagers.
It took him half an hour to talk to the elders, and he emerged from the meeting building situated in the centre of the village, relieved to be out in the daylight at last. They had been full of questions and also full of worries, all of which he had done his best to calm. Some had been pleased that he had finally made a choice, others had been concerned that it was a westerner. But they had all come around in the end. The only dissent now was his request that the wedding wait until he had returned from the dig after a month. Until then, he wanted nothing said to Charlotte.
The old eyes had looked at him with disapproval. "Does the woman not know of your intentions?" one had asked.
"Not yet. When the time is right I will tell her." Ardeth had replied, standing tall and straight.
"Why would the time not be right now? The women should be preparing her for the ceremony."
"As you have already pointed out, she is a westerner. Her ways are different from ours," Ardeth argued, frustrated by the way they were trying to make him marry immediately.
"Our ways will soon be hers. Why are you delaying Ardeth? Is your choice not certain?"
"She is my choice, and she will remain so. You may make arrangements for the wedding when I return from the desert. This is my final word!"
The elders sat silently for a second, then slowly nodded. "Very well, we accede to your wishes. Will we be permitted to meet the young lady in question?" The dry voice belonged to the oldest of the tribe, a man who had been a friend of Ardeth's grandfather and who Ardeth respected greatly.
He bowed. "Not at this time. I believe she already has a lot to take in, on this visit. When we return, she will know she is to be my bride and she will remain here."
The old man stood up and took Ardeth's hand, smiling for the first time since the meeting began. "I am pleased for you Ardeth, that you have found love at last. All men should have this in their lives, none more so than you. Now perhaps we will see the sons that you should have produced years ago?"
Ardeth grinned as he thought about that. "I will do my very best, Hazim, that I promise you."
The old man let go of his hand and nodded, still smiling. Taking this as their cue the rest of the elders stood and congratulated Ardeth, blessing him in their ancient tongue.
Ardeth sighed deeply and let his eyes wander over the village, watching the people who were a part of his life and then settling on the small group of warriors laughing and talking with Khalid. He frowned. Had Khalid been gossiping?
Khalid looked around at that moment and saw Ardeth, grinning and beckoning him over. "We were just discussing who will be accompanying us on this next mission, my friend. A few of the men are very eager to come and protect the young English girl!"
Ardeth's back instantly stiffened as he looked at some of the younger Med-jai, seeing the admiration they had for Charlotte. He glanced across at her, finding her standing with her brother and a group of women, looking slightly bewildered.
He nodded curtly to the warriors and strode across to her, smiling as he listened to the women shooting questions at her. They wanted to know everything about her, by the sounds of it. Charlotte was doing her best to answer the questions and Billy was piping up and helping her whenever he understood what was being asked, but when it came to some more personal questions, Charlotte faltered and her eyes flicked to Ardeth.
"Enough, ladies," he said, taking Charlotte's arm. "We have much to do before we leave tonight, and Miss Carnahan needs to rest."
He drew Charlotte and Billy away from the women and led them through the village. "I will show you my village," he said, obviously proud of where he lived. Charlotte smiled as she was introduced to more people and shown some of the bigger houses. They were well built, able to withstand whatever the desert threw at them, even the fiercest sandstorms. There were no windows, only holes in the walls that had shutters that could close over them, but no glass. She wasn't even sure if they had glass out here, but they had it in Cairo. Perhaps it was better not to have it in this sort of heat? she wondered.
They stopped at the large fenced training area and Ardeth called one of the men over., holding his hand out for the replica wooden sword the man held. He crouched down next to Billy and handed it to him. "Here is the sword I promised you. Now, would you like to look around the village some more, or would you like to go into the arena and learn to use this?"
Billy was all big eyes as he looked at his very own sword. "Can I?"
"You would like to learn the arts of the blade?"
Billy nodded and stared through the fence at some boys similar to his own age. "Will they be my friends?" he asked, a small frown appearing on his face. "I don't have any friends."
Ardeth grinned and lifted Billy up. "They will all be your friends. I want you to enjoy yourself," he said, lifting him over the fence and into the waiting arms of the man who had given him the sword. After a few words to him, he took Charlotte's arm and led her away. "Will he be alright?" she asked, biting her lip as she watched the man introducing Billy to the other children.
"He will be fine, he will enjoy himself," Ardeth assured her. He walked a short distance and then stopped, directing her gaze to the building in front of them. "And this is my house," Ardeth said, leading her into a medium sized dwelling, one that spread out over one floor. None of the other houses had upper floors either. But this one was well set out. There was a large living area that led to what she assumed was the kitchen, although it had nothing in it that would identify it as such in England, except what appeared to be a sink.
"What's this?" she asked, pointing to a low, walled in area against one wall with a chute above it.
"This is where a fire is made, to cook food," Ardeth explained. "Look," he said, showing her how easy it was to build a fire in it and place a metal grill over the top. "It may look very different to what you are used to, but it works just as well. I have pots here, for cooking. They sit on the metal grill."
"And the smoke goes out of there? That's the chimney, then?" she asked, quite impressed by the way it was all built.
"Yes," he agreed, pleased that she was being curious about this instead of thinking it primitive. He watched as she touched different items in the kitchen and then trailed her hand across the sink.
"There's no tap, where does the water come from?"
He smiled. "There is a well where we fetch the water we need, although we could easily use the water from the oasis. I have a storage area for it, so that it only needs collecting once a day. All the water we use, depending on what we use it for, can be used again for another task. We never waste anything."
"You use it again? How?"
"If we use the water to wash clothing, then it can be used to wash cooking implements, After it has been used for washing cooking implements, then it will be used again for plants and crops. If it is used for washing our bodies, then it can be used to wash clothing only. We do not use anything bad in the water so that it cannot be used again. It is a precious commodity in the desert, even in a village that appears to have so much of it."
"I can't believe you use it for so many things, it makes me realise how much I've taken it for granted in my life," she said, feeling somehow selfish to have lived in luxury when these people had had so little.
"People live with the environment they were born into. You have had no reason to think of water as precious. I have to admit, even though I am used to treating water as precious, I too have wasted it on occasion," Ardeth said, smiling.
Charlotte was taken aback by the cheekiness of his smile and found herself giving a full smile herself, showing two neat little dimples that Ardeth hadn't noticed before. "How have you ever wasted water then?"
"When I was in London, visiting with Evy and O'Connell, I took several baths. It is a luxury I do not get to indulge here as often as I would like. They had things to put in the water that gave it many bubbles," he said, smiling. "I enjoyed the sensation."
"Did you ever tell anyone here about it?"
He tried for a guilty look and failed. "No, I did not think they would understand."
"Isn't that a bit...naughty?" she teased, feeling suddenly at ease in his house.
"You think perhaps I should have been punished for this?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.
"Well, what would happen if you had wasted water here?" she asked reasonably, trying to match his confident attitude and failing.
"Nothing," he answered smugly.
Charlotte frowned. "Nothing? Why not?"
"I am the leader of the Med-jai, therefore I can do whatever I please, even waste water on occasion. However, if they were to punish me..."
He paused for so long that Charlotte couldn't help prompting him. "What?"
"I would like to think that they would shut me in my house with a beautiful woman, and let her decide the punishment," he said slowly, his eyes narrowing as he stared at her.
Charlotte swallowed and looked away, trying to think of something to say. She settled on asking more about his home, trying to distract him from the way he was looking at her. "Er...wh..what other rooms are there?"
Ardeth smiled at how flustered she was becoming. "There are two other rooms, a bathroom and my bedroom. Would you care to see them?"
She wasn't sure how wise it would be seeing his bedroom, but she nodded slowly and allowed him to take her arm and guide her back through the main living area. The bathroom held a large, rough metal tub and what must have been a toilet, although it didn't look anything like the conveniences she had ever used. He didn't dwell on that room, pulling her with him into the last room, his bedroom.
There was a huge rug on the rough floor and wooden furniture that somewhat resembled a chest of drawers and a wardrobe. His bed made her stop and stare. She had expected to see a mattress of some sort laying on the floor with a few blankets, but he actually had a proper bed. It was made of wood and each leg was carved intricately, as was the short headboard. It was so unlike anything that she had thought to see, that she couldn't keep the surprise from showing on her face.
"Were you expecting to see a pallet on the floor?" Ardeth asked, smiling as his hand stroked down her arm and captured her fingers in his.
"I...well...yes," she admitted, her breath catching at the same time he wrapped her hand in his.
"I admit that a few years ago all I had was a pallet, which was not very comfortable. This bed was a gift," he said, studying how small her hand looked in his.
"From...from who?"
"The O'Connells gave it to me. It took some time to transport it here, and I have been teased about it mercilessly by my men, but I am pleased that I have it. I do not spend very long in the village, so it is a luxury that I enjoy when I am here."
"Why don't you spend long here?" she asked, tearing her gaze away from the bed.
"I have had no reason to, my duties have been everything to me." He took her other hand and drew her in front of him. "Until now," he whispered, bending to take her startled mouth with his, gently kissing her closed lips. He drew away before Charlotte had much time to respond, and his expression looked fierce as he stared down at her.
"You need to rest," he said, seeming to have just realised what her current needs might be. "Also, we cannot stay in here for very long, not alone."
"Why not?" she asked, her eyes filling with the sight of his dark, good looks.
He took a deep breath and tried to force away the image of her laying in his bed, the task made that much harder by the way she was looking at him. "We will have been observed entering the house. It will not be long before someone is sent to interrupt us, just in case we are behaving in an improper manner."
Charlotte blushed. "But we haven't..." Ardeth's finger on her lips stopped her words.
"We are alone in my house, and unmarried. We are already behaving in an improper manner."
Charlotte frowned as she thought about that. "But we've been alone before."
"Yes, we have, and I must speak to you about that. In our custom, in this country and among my people, to share a tent with a woman is to make her your wife. We have not shared a tent, but we have shared a room." He stopped speaking and watched while that bit of information sunk in.
"You mean that I'm...that you're..." Charlotte gasped out, shocked to realise what he was telling her.
"In the eyes of my people, and in my own eyes, you are my wife," he said softly, hating the feelings of trepidation that surged through him as he waited to see how she would take the news.
