Silk and Secrets(84)

On the far side of the garden the child held rigidly still, his eyes so wide that white was visible all around the dark irises. The sound of his panicky breath filled the air.

Juliet uttered a fervent silent prayer for both the boy's sake and Ross's. Then the gun roared out.

Each time a shot was fired, it took longer for the smoke to dissipate. Impatiently the amir stepped forward to see the results, Ross following more slowly behind. Before they were halfway across the courtyard, the smoke cleared enough to reveal that the boy was unhurt and crimson fragments of ruptured pomegranate were smeared on the white wall behind him.

Nasrullah burst into laughter and clapped Ross on the back. "Splendid, splendid! You are a magnificent marksman." Stepping up to the tethered boy, he ran a languid hand down the downy cheek. "You have won yourself a slave, Lord Khilburn," the amir said. "He is a pretty child. Enjoy him."

Shaking with repressed fury, Juliet stepped forward and untied the bonds from the boy's wrists. The child looked up at her uncertainly, alarmed by her veiled countenance. Under her breath she said gruffly, "Do not fear. All will be well."

She took his hand and led him back toward the group of watchers. When they halted and turned to watch the rest of the scene, his fingers stayed curled in hers.

With the merest hint of irony, Ross was saying, "Your majesty is merciful and generous. I thank you for the gift."

In a lightning jump, the amir said, "You claim that Major Cameron is your brother, yet you do not resemble him except in height. Did your father have you by different wives?"

"No. Major Cameron is not my brother by blood, but by marriage," Ross replied. "His sister is my wife."

"Ah-h-h." Nasrullah stroked his beard. "Have you only one wife? While that is said to be the ferengi practice, surely men of rank such as yourself need not abide by such a paltry custom."

"Some men have concubines," Ross admitted, "but our law binds all men, of all ranks, to one wife at a time."

The amir snorted. "How tedious. A man needs variety."

"Variety is not without charm, but it comes at the cost of deeper love," Ross replied. "A man who has a dozen horses will cherish none of them as much as the man who has only one. In the same way, a man with but one wife will know her better and value her more than a man with a harem full of wives and concubines."

Though he did not so much as flick an eyelash in her direction, Juliet felt as if his comment was aimed at her. She felt a curious blend of pride and guilt. Ross was much too good for her. She had always known that.

Nasrullah was less impressed. "That sounds to me like what a man tries to make himself believe when he has no choice."

Ross smiled. "As you will, your majesty. There are many truths, and this is one of mine."

With another abrupt shift the amir said, "It is extraordinary. I have two hundred thousand Persian slaves in Bokhara—no one cares for them. Yet I take a single British captive and a person comes all the way from England to demand his release."

Juliet tensed and could feel matching tension in Ross. They had reached the heart of their mission.

With a complete lack of pride, Ross dropped to his knees before the amir. "I do not demand, I beseech. If you are holding my brother captive, I beg that you release him. Knowing how the laws of hospitality are honored in your great land, I cannot believe the reports that he has been brutally murdered."

"Your plea is most moving, Lord Khilburn, and perhaps if you had come several months ago, I would have granted your petition. But, alas, you come too late." Nasrullah's voice dripped with spurious regret, but his dark eyes gleamed with malice. "It grieves me to inform you that Major Cameron has been executed."

Juliet closed her eyes and took a shuddering breath as she surrendered the last faint hope. Her brother was dead.

The Persian boy squeezed her hand hesitantly and she realized that her hand had tightened on his. It was to his credit that, after all he had just endured, he was sensitive to her distress. Forcing her eyes open, she saw that her husband had become as still as she. After a long, long pause Ross said, "Might I ask what he did to deserve such punishment?"

There was a dangerous silence, for the amir was seldom questioned, but after a moment he shrugged. "His credentials were not in order, so there was some question of whether he was truly representing the British government. Then Cameron was caught spying. When confronted with the evidence, he converted to Islam and swore loyalty to me, only to recant a few days later." Nasrullah's eyes were cold as death. "According to our law, if a man says he will turn Muslim, he must do so or die."