‘Camels?’
Cassie’s expression of dismay was so comical, Jamil could not restrain a bark of laughter. ‘No, horses.’
He had a nice laugh, deep and infectious, extremely masculine. Cassie smiled back. Exercise, she realised, was what she needed to blow away the blue megrims, and maybe it would do Linah good, too. ‘That would be wonderful. Does Linah ride?’
‘It is considered improper for women here, unless they are led.’
‘You are a prince—are not traditions yours to make or break as you wish?’
‘Or as you wish? You tread a fine line, Lady Cassandra.’
The tone in his voice pulled her up sharply. Cassie’s face fell. She dropped her eyes. ‘I beg your pardon, Highness. I would not wish to place you in a difficult position. If it would cause too much offence …’
‘As you point out, I am the prince,’ Jamil said sardonically. ‘I will arrange it, but it must be tactfully done. You may ride, and Linah, too, but you will need an escort.’
‘I’m perfectly capable of looking after Linah and myself.’
‘I am not talking about your riding skills, Lady Cassandra, I’m talking about your safety. There are those who will be offended by your embracing such freedom. You must promise me never to go out without an escort.’
‘Yes. Very well, but …’ Catching Jamil’s ominous expression, Cassie caught her words just in time. ‘I promise.’
‘We will begin tomorrow morning. I will accompany you personally.’
‘You! I assumed you meant a guard, or a groom.’
‘When I am satisfied there is no risk. For the moment, I will personally supervise these excursions.’
If she was delighted, it was for Linah’s sake. If she was already looking forward to it, that was for her also. Absolutely it was. ‘Thank you,’ Cassie said warmly, ‘Linah will be thrilled.’
His proximity was making her blush. His almost palpable maleness accentuated her awareness of her own femininity. She should say goodnight now. Drop a curtsy to release herself from his hold and say goodnight, because if she did not.
‘Goodnight, Lady Cassandra.’ Jamil released her and walked off across the courtyard, his feet padding soundlessly on the tiles. The huge door swung inwards. He was gone, in a flutter of white robes, before Cassie could reply, or even decide if she was relieved or not.
The prospect of a riding lesson in the company of her father sent Linah into paroxysms of excitement. She could barely be persuaded to eat, gulping down a mango sherbet and some pineapple, dancing anxiously from foot to foot while Cassie rummaged among her copious wardrobe for something suitable to wear. Terrified lest she be left behind, Linah insisted on watching while Cassie made her own toilette, laughing at Linah’s fascinated inspection of her stays, stockings and boots.
The riding lesson went well, with Linah cowed into her best behaviour by her father’s presence. Her natural affinity with animals allowed her to form an instant bond with the sprightly little pony Jamil had picked out for her. Cassie’s own mount was a thoroughbred Arabian dappled grey mare, a flighty, highly strung beast that tried to throw her the minute she sat in the saddle. The mare reared up on her hind legs, and when this failed, spun round in tight circles before attempting to rear up again. Cassie, however, had had enough, and reined her in sharply, leaning over to whisper soothing words into her ear the minute she was under control. Jamil, watching with an open-mouthed Linah, was more impressed than he cared to admit. He had known her to be more than competent, and would not have seated her on the grey had he doubted her ability, but still, the grace with which she held her saddle, the way she gave her mount its head before reining it in, evidenced a horsewoman of rare ability.
‘That was amazing, was it not, Baba?’ Linah said, her admiration for her most unusual governess rousing her from her shyness.
Jamil looked at his daughter in surprise. She had not called him Baba since she was a small child. His own father had banned the term. I am a father to all my people, not just you, Jamil remembered being told pointedly. ‘Amazing, but rather ostentatious,’ he agreed curtly, watching the light fade from Linah’s eyes, ignoring the tight feeling in his chest, telling himself it was for her own good.
They rode out through the city gates, with Linah on a leading rein, to a sandy paddock enclosed by tall cypress trees. Tethering his horse, Jamil watched while Cassie taught her the rudiments of walking and trotting. His daughter was awkward at first, glancing over each time she made a mistake. Realising that he was making her nervous, Jamil removed himself from her sight. Watching from the cover of one of the trees, he saw her grow in confidence, soon able to attempt a trot round the paddock on her own.
‘Did she not do well?’ Cassie said, beaming at her charge, when they rejoined him back at the stables.
‘She shows some ability,’ Jamil agreed stiffly. He watched Linah’s face fall, saw Cassie frown at him in vexation, and told himself once more that it was for the best, but still he felt unaccountably guilty.
‘Thank your father for most graciously giving up his time,’ Cassie said to Linah, ‘for if you do not, he will think his presence unnecessary, and will not come again.’
‘Oh, no, Baba, I would not like you to think that. Please will you come again tomorrow?’
‘Affairs of state permitting. Fakir will show you how to rub down your pony,’ Jamil said, nodding at his head groom. ‘You must learn to take care of your horse if you are to become a real horsewoman.’ When Cassie made to dismount in order to help, however, he shook his head. ‘That mare of yours is still fresh, we’ll go for a gallop before the sun is too high.’
Surprised and delighted at the opportunity to put such a beautiful animal through its paces, Cassie waited only until they were back out of the city gates to release her hold. The grey mare needed no urging, flying across the sand with Jamil, mounted on a magnificent black stallion, in hot pursuit.
They rode together again the following day, after Linah’s lesson, and the next and the next. Away from the confines of the palace, Jamil was a different person. Not just more at ease in the wide, untrammelled space of his desert, but more approachable, too. They found they shared a passion for the natural world, and Cassie’s obvious enthusiasm for the harshly vibrant beauty of the desert, so different from the soft green landscape of England, encouraged Jamil into increasingly ambitious expeditions in search of rare plants or obscure species. The time flew by with a speed that surprised them both. Several times Jamil had returned to the palace to find Halim in a lather of worry at his having kept some merchant or visiting dignitary waiting.
Halim did not approve of his prince taking time out from his formal schedule, not even if he did return looking refreshed. Especially, Halim did not approve of Jamil spending that time in the company of his daughter’s English governess, though he was far too circumspect to give voice to such thoughts. People were talking. Such talk would end when Prince Jamil’s betrothal to the Princess Adira was made public, so Halim devoted his energy to the arrangements for the ceremony. If they were watertight, this time the prince could not escape them. He would be wed and then life for Halim, and the whole of Daar-el-Abbah, would continue as it had always done.
Cassie woke every morning looking forward to the coming day. Gone was her homesickness, banished were her doubts. Linah flourished under the combined regime of physical and mental exercise, her natural intelligence and surprisingly wry sense of humour