She sobbed softly once, then stopped. He hit her hard several times, and suddenly her resistance broke. Opening her mouth, Skye wailed her grief with such loud and terrible cries that they echoed throughout the house. The slave women, grieving softly until then, joined in their mistress’s tragic lamentation and soon the whole house rang with grief. Shortly the sounds echoed through the entire neighborhood. People began to gather, and it was not long before everyone knew that Khalid el Bey had been murdered by his jealous slave woman, Yasmin.
Slowly Skye’s grief eased. Looking a final time on her beloved husband, she bent and kissed his cold lips. Then, supported byRobert Small, she left the room and walked downstairs to the bey’s library. “Get Jean and Marie for me, Robbie. I must be revenged, and I will need help.”
When the four of them were gathered together in private, Skye quietly repeated Yasmin’s dying words to Jean and Marie. The Frenchman was shocked, but his wife sniffed, “I would put nothing past that evil Turk. Look how he killed my littlecousine, Celestine. He has no real heart, that one!” She began to weep. “He claimed to be the master’s best friend, and yet he killed him without a second thought because he wished to possess Madam!” Jean comforted his wife as best he could.
“We will both be revenged, Marie,” said Skye, “but before we can be, we must lull Jamil into a sense of security. He must not even suspect that we know he is responsible for my lord’s murder. Let him feel safe—and then we will strike!”
“You cannot revenge yourself on the Sultan’s governor and remain safely in Algiers,” said Robert Small firmly. “The dey would be forced to punish you in the Sultan’s name.”
“I cannot remain here under any circumstances, Robbie. The memories I have of Khalid and our life together would break my heart. And though I am capable of running the House of Felicity, who would do business with a woman? Sell everything here in Algiers, but do it secretly. Have the money transported to our London goldsmith.”
“The house also?” asked Jean.
“The house, the seaside kiosk, sell all.”
“What of the slaves?”
“Prepare papers of manumission for them all. I shall give each of them the price he or she is worth in order that they may all get started in another life. Those who wish to come with me may do so, but no one is to be told until we are ready to leave. I hope, Jean, that you and Marie will come with me. But if you choose to return to Brittany I will understand.”
“There is nothing for us in Brittany, my lady. Our families are gone. Marie’s entire village is gone. We would rather stay with you, for we love you as we loved the bey.”
“Thank you,” said Skye. “I would have been lost without you both.”
There was a scratching at the door, and when Skye called out, “Enter,” a slave came in to announce that the captain-governor was on his way up the driveway.
“Hold him off for a few minutes,” she told Jean. He left the room immediately. “Robbie, you go too. I shall go upstairs through the secret passage here in the library. Marie, quickly!”
Skye drew two leather-bound volumes from a shelf and, reaching into that empty space, pulled at a hidden lever. The bookcase swung open to reveal an interior staircase. “Shut it behind us, Robbie,” she said, handing him the books. Then the two women were gone. They hurried up the stairs, which opened out into Skye’s old room.
“I cannot ever go back inthere,” she told Marie, referring to the bedchamber she had shared with Khalid. She quickly stripped off her white silk caftan. “Get me the azure gauze chamber robe, Marie.” Marie fetched the gown, smiled with appreciation of Skye’s strategy.
“The captain-governor will be so blinded by lust,” she remarked as Skye dressed, “that he will believe whatever you tell him, madam.”
Skye nodded. “I must not rouse his suspicions,” she said, “and I need time. Send my women to me, Marie. The captain-governor will expect to find the grieving widow surrounded by her weeping handmaidens, and I must not disappoint him.” A look of physical pain crossed her face, and suddenly she began to weep uncontrollably, her sobs interspersed with bursts of hysterical laughter. “Oh, God, Marie! It is too macabre! How Khalid would appreciate the role I play.”
Marie looked stricken, and the tears spilled from her eyes as she fled the room to do her mistress’s bidding. Skye flung herself on the divan, weeping soundlessly now.Khalid, oh, Khalid, she thought desperately. Please God, please! Let me wake and find him sleeping safely next to me! But she knew in her heart that her prayers were useless. He was dead, and lost to her. She heard the door open softly, and then her women were clustering about her like bright little butterflies, sobbing and clucking with sympathy. Skye didn’t even look up. She wept harder and soon she heard Marie’s cry of protest.
“My lord Jamil! You cannot enter my lady’s chamber! Her grief is too terrible to behold!”
“I was Khalid el Bey’s best friend,” boomed the captain-governor’s deep voice.
Allah curse him! thought Skye fiercely.
“It is my duty to comfort his widow. Step aside! Khalid would have done the same for me.”
Allah strike him down this instant, for I do not think I can face him without betraying my feelings, Skye silently shrieked. But she breathed deeply and calmed herself. Khalidwouldbe avenged.
The door opened again, and she knew Jamil had entered. There was a flutter and she realized that her maidens had gone, leaving her alone with him. She sobbed piteously.
“Skye, my dear, I am so sorry.”
She sobbed louder, fighting not to wince when she felt his arms about her. One hand imperiously forced her head up, and he stared into her eyes. He was somewhat taken aback by the depth of her grief, but he spoke nonetheless.
“Don’t fear, beautiful Skye. I will take care of you as did Khalid.” Allah, the emeralds she was wearing were worth a king’s ransom!
“I am s-so alone now, Jamil.”
“I will take care of you,” he repeated, his eyes straying to her breasts. They seemed fuller than he had noticed before. Damn! He wished he could take her now, but it would hardly do to fuck the widow when her husband’s corpse lay still warm in the next room. There would be plenty of time for that later on. If he acted too soon he chanced losing the juicy plum of her wealth.
