“You did,” she replied, ignoring his rising anger. “Tommy was released last night—at my insistence.”
“For the love of God!” Philip exploded, forgetting his headache. “After what he did to you, you turn him loose as if nothing happened?”
“He didn’t mean to shoot me.”
“I know! It wasmehe was aiming at. Did it occur to you, madam, that I might want to press charges?”
“I wish you wouldn’t, Philip,” Christina said quietly. “Tommy regrets what he did. He asked me to apologize to you. He—”
“You’ve talked to him already?” Philip interrupted.
“Yes. He came to see me this morning.”
“And now you’re pleading with me for his freedom.” Philip leaned back in the chair as if a heavy weight pressed him against it. “You must really love him.”
“I grew up with Tommy. We were close friends until he decided he loved me. But I didn’t love him in the same way.”
“But you were going to be wed?”
“He asked me to marry him the first day I came home and every day after that until I couldn’t stand it anymore. I told him no, but he wouldn’t give up. I went to Victory to get away from Tommy, but he started all over again when I returned home. I asked John to make Tommy leave me alone, but he took Tommy’s side. I never expected to see you again, so I gave up. I agreed to marry Tommy because everyone wanted me to. We were friends and I loved him as a friend—I still do. When he came to say good-bye this morning, he was like his old self again.”
“Good-bye?”
“Yes, he’s gone to join the army. I’ll miss him. When I broke off our engagement he went crazy from jealousy, but he’s all right now. Do you still wish to press charges against him?”
“No. If he’s gone, I wish him luck. So you only thought of him as a close friend?”
“Yes.”
Philip laughed boisterously. He leaned forward in the chair.
“I’m going to tell you what I should have told you a long time ago. I love you, Tina, I always have. My life isn’t worth living without you. I want to take you home with me—to Victory. I will understand if you say no, but I have to ask you. And if you agree, I won’t press you for anything. I know you hate me for the misery I’ve caused you, but I can live with your hatred as long as I can live with you.”
Christina started crying. She couldn’t believe it.
“You don’t have to give me an answer now, Tina.”
She flew off the bed and knelt before him. Her arms circled his waist as if she would never let go. Philip lifted her face to his and stroked her hair gently, his eyes soft and searching.
“Does this mean you will come with me?”
“Philip, how could you think otherwise? How can you believe I hated you? I love you with all my being. I guess I have from the beginning, but I didn’t realize it until Ali Hejaz stole me away from you. I would have stayed with you in Egypt forever if you hadn’t sent me away. And when you did, I went through all the anguish of hell until I learned I was carrying your child. Philip Junior gave me a reason to go on living.”
“Please, Tina, don’t lie to me. I didn’t send you away. You left me!”
“But I’m not lying, Philip. I still have the note Rashid gave me after you left for Yamaid Alhabbal’s camp. I didn’t believe it at first. But when Rashid told me that you wanted to marry Nura, I gave up and went with him.”
“I left you no note, Tina. I went to Yamaid’s camp to invite his tribe to our wedding. When I came back—”
“Our wedding!”
“Yes—I had begun to think you really cared for me. I wanted to marry you to make sure that I would never lose you. I planned our wedding as a surprise. But when I came back, I found you gone, and—Let me see that note.”
Christina reluctantly let go of him and went to her dresser. From the top drawer she took out the crumpled piece of paper and handed it to him.
“Rashid!” Philip bellowed after reading the note. “I should have known! If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll go back to Egypt and kill that bastard.”
“I don’t understand.”
