To the sound of his laughter, soft and mocking, she retreated, and she did not explore in that direction again.
She explored by way of her own bedroom instead, only to find that led into his study. And after that she did no more exploring. For it seemed that all roads did lead to Mecca. Whichever way she turned, Raoul Le Breton was there, coming between her and the man she feared and hated—the Sultan Casim Ammeh.
"I feel like a prisoner," she remarked on one occasion.
They were sitting by the lake, under the shade of fragrant trees, with the blue water lapping the marble steps and the sun setting over the desert. A gilded world, where a golden sunset edged the golden sand, one flaming yellow sea above another.
"You're a novelty here," he replied. "A pearl of great price. If I didn't keep you well guarded, there would be a hundred ready to steal you. And I flatter myself that, on the whole, you'd rather be with me."
He paused, watching her with dark, smouldering eyes.
"Am I right, Heart's Ease?" he finished tenderly.
Pansy coloured slightly under the ardour of his gaze.
Had he been as other men were, she would not have hesitated in her reply. She would have said in her own impulsive, truthful way:
"I'd rather be with you than anyone in the whole wide world."