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“And know you shall. But not tonight.” He looked up at the shadowy walls around which the storm raged and the wind whined. “Tonight, we must shelter from the storm.”
She sighed and nodded. “Yes. I guess my problems are for another day.”
“Tonight, you should rest after your ordeal.”
“Thank you.” It seemed admitting her family was from Sirun had brought out a softer side of this fierce man. No longer a tourist, but from a family who shared his culture. And she was glad of it.
“Now, I suggest I show you the bedroom.”
She blinked, suddenly unsure again. The bedroom? Her reaction to this man made his words feel more sexual rather than practical. She tried to laugh, but it sounded strangled, more alarmed than humorous. She shot him another quick look. Hewas like a different man from the stranger who’d carried her into the castle. Entirely different. He now seemed welcoming, warm, almost. Almost. And she felt another warning bell, and she wished she had her phone on her.
“Um, yes, that would be… um, good. But I wondered before we go if there’s anything we can do to find my backpack? Is there anyone you could call to track it down?”
“The phones won’t work in these atmospheric conditions. Don’t be concerned. I’ll look into it as soon as the storm has passed. I can assure you, your thingswillbe returned.”
Before she could question him on how he could assure her of such a thing, he’d opened the door and after a brief hesitation, as if he weren’t accustomed to it, held it open for her.
He stood a little too close, and she had to brush past him. She continued walking, desperately trying to ignore both the alarm bells which were practically deafening now, and the frisson of awareness which sent goosebumps coursing along her skin, hidden beneath the swathes of her abaya.
She didn’t stop walking until she was in the middle of the vast dark space of the hall. The door closed with a resounding thud behind her and he approached, holding the lantern, the light shifting towards her, revealing more of the hall as he went. She hadn’t been in a state to see anything earlier. But now she gazed in awe at the frescoes, all inward alarms forgotten by what she was seeing.
Vast paintings covered the walls, fading into the shadowy heights of the ceiling above. Kadar held up the lantern, revealing tantalizing glimpses of people, animals and gardens—some fearful, others beautiful, but all symbolizing power.
“Wow!” she breathed. “The guidebooks said that the castle was rumored to contain incredible painted frescoes but was vague on the details.”
“Because they don’t know. Few people do,” he said. “We don’t wish to entice people here to steal its treasures.”
“How could they steal a wall?”
He shrugged. “I’ve seen it done. Most of it is defaced in the process. But if they can get some of it down intact, it will fetch millions on the black market. No, this is a secret treasure. And one which you, also, must keep secret.”
“Of course.” She paused.
He narrowed his eyes as if he didn’t believe her.
“Don’t you trust me?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I trust no one. Not even strange Englishwomen found all alone in the desert in the middle of a sandstorm.” His lips quirked in what she was beginning to recognize was his version of a smile.
She smiled back. “I see your point. But, in this instance, this strange Englishwomancanbe trusted. Besides, I don’t know any thieves who would like to know such information.”
“And if you did, you would tell them?” He raised an eyebrow.
There was something about that arrogant brow which got to her. It suggested he had complete authority. She guessed he probably did live and work alone in this castle. She shook her head. “No, I wouldn’t. I’m a school counsellor and so I know how to keep secrets.”
“A school counsellor,” he repeated. “I wondered what it was you did.”
It was her turn to be surprised. “You did?”
“Yes, you don’t look like your average back-packer.”
“And what do they look like?”
“They have an air of naïve curiosity. A way of looking at things from a distance. They have the privilege of distancing themselves from what they see. You don’t. And there’s something else in your eyes, an expression I can’t place.”
She turned away. She really didn’t want anyone to know what was in her eyes, or her heart. “Why should you be able to?”
“Because I know people.”
