She would bring everything to a halt if that were the case, Antonia determined, but for now … The women carried a twinkling veil reverently over outstretched arms. To try it on, just once, was irresistible. The veil sparkled bewitchingly, exceeding any fantasy image she could ever have come up with-and were those tiny jewels sewn onto the floating panels? Blue-white diamonds? The veil was clearly precious and significant to the women, judging by the way they handled it.
And they weren't finished with her yet, Antonia realised when they had draped it over her head and shoulders. Now they were going to secure it with the most fabulous rope of turquoise-and-coral beads. The turquoise toned beautifully with the robe, while the coral could have been chosen to point up the warm-blush tint in her cheeks.
What on earth had she done to deserve this?
That was her first thought, and it was swiftly followed by who is this? as an older woman entered the tent.
The older woman shocked Antonia into silence by explaining that Signorina Antonia Ruggerio had been adopted as a daughter of her tribe. 'And my name is Mariam,' she said. 'I will be your advocate, should you require me in the discussions to come.'
What discussions? Antonia wondered. And she could speak for herself, though she nodded and smiled politely. It must be something to do with the charity, she reasoned. This was a culture she knew little about, and if she wanted to forge ahead with her work it would be wise to have an interpreter-at least until she was fluent in the language herself. But a daughter of the tribe? That was a good thing, wasn't it?
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.
She made for a group of palm trees where he had sheltered the previous evening and there she stopped. 'What's wrong?' he said, joining her in the shade.
'This-all this,' she said with a sweep of her hands over the jewelled gown. 'More toys for me to play with, Ra'id? I grew up with this-I thought you knew that. I have fourteen wardrobes crammed full of clothes back in Rome. My brother gives me everything that money can buy; at one time I thought that beautiful clothes and wonderful jewellery, eating at the best places in Rome, was all it took to make me happy. I took it for granted, because that was my life. But it's not enough, Ra'id. I've seen more now, and I want more.'
'More?' He hated the disillusionment spilling from Antonia's lips, though he wondered if he had ever seen her looking lovelier than she did now with the morning breeze tossing her hair about and a vision of the future in her eyes.
'I don't mean more stuff,' she said, perhaps sounding younger than she had intended. 'I mean more time to be us-to be real-to do real things.'
'If you mean time to work for the good of the charity?' he said.
'Yes!' she exclaimed. 'If you'll let me work for Sinnebar, I'll put my whole heart into it. I don't need this pomp and ceremony, Ra'id. And, as for becoming a daughter of the tribe, it's very kind of you-but it's too late for me to become anyone's daughter. I'm not a child any longer, Ra'id. Can't you see that?'
His proposal for the tribe to adopt her had been his way of smoothing Antonia's path so that they could be married. He had come to this conclusion without consulting her, he realised now. He hadn't even told her how empty his life would be without her. In fact, life without Antonia was unthinkable. But had he told her that? Slowly unwinding his howlis, he stood staring out at the desert over which he ruled. He had made much of that desert into a garden for his people to enjoy and to nurture and harvest crops on. Was there as much hope for him?
Then she placed her hand on his arm and stared up at him, pleading. 'Don't drive me away.'
'That's the very last thing I'm trying to do.'
'Then you must know I would never settle for anything less than a marriage based on love?'
Ra'id held her gaze. He looked more magnificent than she had ever seen him. There wasn't a single item of his clothing, or even his expression, his hair or his eyes, that wasn't unrelieved black, but she loved him without fear or favour. What did his outer coating matter? When she had seen him in regal robes of royal blue trimmed with golden thread and yellow sapphire, had she loved him more? Saif, in his worn, frayed shorts and faded top was the man she had fallen in love with, and they were one and the same. Except, Ra'id al Maktabi was a man turned hard by duty. But Ra'id's fearful title didn't frighten her. She wouldn't allow anything to stand in the way of the people they could be. 'You were wrong about me liking surprises,' she told him softly. Still with her hand resting on Ra'id's arm, she explained, 'There are some surprises I do not like at all.'