Silk and Secrets(33)
"When you are swathed head to foot in black draperies, that won't be difficult," he said dryly as he stood and returned her rifle. "We'll have to stop wasting time if we're going to leave in two hours, Jalal. Packing won't be hard for me, but I imagine that you and Saleh will have a great deal to do."
"To say the least." Juliet slung the rifle across her back, then drew the veil around her head again. As they walked back to Serevan in a not unfriendly silence, she decided that they had gone from being second cousins, once removed, to first cousins. That was about the right distance.
Any closer would be dangerous.
* * *
Ross's reasonable plan went awry when he tried to discharge his servants. Allahdad accepted dismissal and a severance payment with an unflattering amount of pleasure, but Murad balked. After Allahdad left the room, the young Persian said, "I know you wish to punish me for my cravenness in abandoning you to the Turkomans, but please, Khilburn, do not dismiss me."
"I am not punishing you—there would have been no purpose in your sacrificing yourself," Ross said, a little surprised at the young man's vehemence. "But thinking you were gone, I decided to hire new servants here. Since they will be more knowledgeable about the Kara Kum and Bokhara, it makes sense to keep them on and release you and Allahdad. It should be easy for you to find more work in Meshed, and because of the severance payment, doing that will be more profitable for you than staying with me would be."
"I do not want another job!" Murad said. "I wish to go with you to Bokhara."
Ross studied the young man. About twenty, Murad was a handsome, likable youth even if he had proved to be an erratic guide. But the reasons Ross had given Juliet for dismissing his servants were still valid. "I'm sorry, but I will not need you for the rest of my journey."
His dark eyes tragic, Murad said, "You do not trust me, Khilburn, and justly so, but I swear I will not fail you again."
Ross thought about it. He judged that Murad was sincere, but unfortunately, he was also young and rather volatile. "It is not just a matter of being loyal to me, Murad, but to the other members of my party. I have decided to make the rest of the journey dressed in Asiatic clothing in the hope that I will not attract unwanted attention, but there is a danger that I might be thought a spy. Also, one of the men I hired here is a Targui from the western desert of Africa. I met him many years ago and know that he will be valuable on the journey, but the ways of the Tuareg are unusual. If you casually tell someone else in the caravan that I am a ferengi, or say how odd the Targui is, you might jeopardize the whole party. I cannot risk that."
"You are a good man, Khilburn, even though you are a ferengi. I swear I will say nothing that might bring trouble on you. As for the Targui..." Murad shrugged. "The tribes of Asia are many and varied. I have known Uigars, Kafirs, Baluchis, Kirghiz. I doubt that a Targui is so much more unusual."
"The men of the Tuareg always go veiled. With their faces covered, they seem uncanny, for it is impossible to know what they think. Even in their own desert lands, they are a legend."
"If the Targui is a believer and a reasonable man, I shall not quarrel with him." The young Persian leaned forward earnestly. "Yesterday I disgraced myself, and only by serving you well can I redeem my honor. I beg you to give me the chance."
Ross made a sudden decision. Besides the fact that he liked Murad, he felt that the young man would prove useful, and Ross had learned to trust his feelings. "Very well, you may come. Call me Khilburn and try not to think of me as a ferengi. If we return safely to Serevan and you have done your job well, I will give you a bonus beyond the fee we agreed on in Teheran."
Murad bowed. "I will serve you well, not for the bonus but for honor's sake." He flashed a charming smile. "Though I shall not refuse the bonus. You will not regret keeping me, Khilburn."
Ross certainly hoped that would prove to be true.
* * *
After sending Murad off to pack his belongings, Ross had a servant take a message to Juliet that the young man would be accompanying them and she would have to be in her role of Tuareg man from the very beginning. From Ross's perspective, the sooner she obliterated herself in folds of fabric, the better. If he couldn't see any of her lovely face or body, it should be easier to control his inconvenient desire.
Down at the shooting range, with her fair complexion set off by her black robes and a thick braid of fiery hair falling over her shoulder, he'd had to back away and cross his arms to ensure that he would not involuntarily reach out and touch her. Having Juliet break his arm for impertinence would be a poor start to their journey.