“Good, let’s talk of it no more. Now, would you kindly bring me two full skins of wine? After I fall into a drunken stupor, you can do me the service of removing this damn grease.”
“But you need that to take away the pain.”
“I can think of a few things I need, but this grease isn’t one of them. The pain isn’t as bad as it was, but the grease is driving me mad.”
“Oh, well, I could remove it now if you’d like,” she ventured innocently.
“No! I will take the wine first. The pain has lessened, but it has not disappeared.”
“Yes, master, whatever you say,” she teased, and quickly left the room. Well, at least his disposition is getting better, she thought.
TEN DAYS HAD passed since Philip brought Christina back to camp. Ten days of pain, complaints, and frustration. Ten miserable nights in his lonely bed. The pain was completely gone now, leaving only dark-brown skin that would start to peel in a few days. Hopefully, he would look like his old self soon. And tonight—tonight he would lure Christina back to his bed. Tonight he would have her again after waiting too long.
Philip felt like a child waiting for Christmas Eve. Christmas was actually only a few days away. But he would have his present tonight, and the anticipation was hard to bear. He could have taken Christina this morning, but he wanted it to be just right, so she could have no possible excuses.
Philip had resumed his regular routine today, including taking Christina to bathe. Seeing her in the pool had been an extreme test of his willpower! But now, evening had come.
Christina was curled up on the couch across from Philip. She was sewing a small robe for little Syed and was almost finished, but her mind kept wandering. She wondered what the matter with Philip was. He was well now, but she was still sleeping on the couch. An unwanted thought kept coming back to her—what if he didn’t want her anymore?
Well, she would soon know one way or the other, for tonight she was determined to sleep in his bed.
“Philip, I’m going to bed,” she said.
She got up from the couch and went into the bedroom as she had done these last ten nights—to take off her clothes and put on one of Philip’s robes to sleep in. But tonight she wasn’t going to wear his robe and she wasn’t going back into the other room.
As Christina removed her blouse and laid it on top of her clothes chest, she felt a draft as the curtains opened. But she didn’t turn around. She started unbraiding her hair. She did it slowly, for her fingers were shaking nervously.
This was the moment she had waited for. She knew Philip was in the room with her, but she didn’t know what he was going to do. He could just get into bed—asking nothing of her—or he could come to her. Oh, God, let him come!
Suddenly Christina felt his presence behind her. She slowly turned to face him, her eyes soft and loving, his filled with intense yearning.
“Christina.”
She came to Philip and put her arms around his neck, pulling his lips down to hers. His arms crushed her against him. As he lowered her onto the bed, she wondered if she would ever be this happy again.
After making love, Christina lay with her head on Philip’s shoulder. With her finger she traced little circles in the curls on his chest. She was assured of one thing now—Philip still wanted her. And as long as he wanted her, he wouldn’t send her away.
She was too elated to sleep, and she found it surprising that she felt no guilt after having given herself so willingly to Philip. But why should she feel guilty about giving herself to him? She loved him, and it was only natural to want to make him happy. She wanted to give herself completely to the one she loved. And it was only an added bonus that when she gave herself to Philip, he in turn gave her the greatest pleasure in the world.
What was marriage, anyway? It was just a signed contract for civilization to see. Well, she wasn’t exactly living in civilization, and it was what she felt that mattered. To hell with the civilized world! It was not here to condemn her, and she didn’t plan on returning to it.
But she must think of John.
“Philip, are you awake?”
“How can I sleep with your fingers teasing me?” he replied jokingly.
Christina sat up in the bed and faced him. “Philip, could I write to my brother to let him know I’m all right?”
“Would that make you happy?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Then write to him. I will have Saadi deliver your letter, only don’t tell your brother where you are, my sweet. I don’t think I’d care to have the whole British Army charging up this mountain.”
“Oh, Philip, thank you!” she cried and leaned over and kissed him tenderly.
But Philip circled his arms about her and wouldn’t let her go. “If I’d known what results it would produce, I’d have let you write your brother sooner,” he chuckled. He rolled over with Christina in his arms, and all their thoughts disappeared.
