Lord of Desire (67 page)

Jafar skillfully changed the subject then—perhaps, Alysson thought despairingly, because he still suspected her of trying to discover the Arab army's plans so she could report back to Gervase.

Her thoughts bleak, she was not aware at first that Ben Hamadi had addressed her. "I am certain you are relieved now that your fiancé, Colonel Bourmont, has been released, Miss Vickery."

Released?
Gervase had been released? Shocked, Alysson turned to stare at Jafar. "Gervase is
free?"
she asked in a hoarse whisper.

Jafar gave her an enigmatic glance. "Yes. He was exchanged for some two dozen other prisoners of war last week."

"But you didn't tell me."

"I only just received word. My lieutenant, Farhat, returned yesterday with news of the success."

Alysson regarded him in consternation. "Then you will let us go now?" she asked raggedly.

Jafar's mouth tightened. "As I have said before, you will remain here to allow your uncle's wounds time to heal."

"They have healed well enough for him to travel."

"Indeed," Honoré asserted. "I may not be able to sit a horse, but if you would allow me the use of the litter, I could manage adequately.''

Alysson started to agree, but Jafar gave her a quelling look. "We will discuss this later,
Ehuresh
. "

It was a direct command to drop the subject, and she knew argument would be fruitless. The company resumed the meal then, but Alysson's heart and mind were in such turmoil that she couldn't eat.

Eventually the conversation turned to the local tragedy, and how best to kill the lion that roamed the hills. Politely, the general described to Alysson the two usual methods of lion-hunting in Barbary.

"One is to dig a deep pit and cover it with brush, and tie a live kid or calf to a nearby tree. The
hunters
then watch, concealed, till the sacrificial prey attracts the lion. The second, mademoiselle, is for scores of hunters to form a wide circle around the lion's usual poaching ground, then close in. The footmen advance first, rushing into the thickets with their dogs and spears to flush out the beast, while the horsemen keep a little behind, ready to charge."

Honoré spoke up again, his tone one of derision. "I fail to see why you must make all these elaborate preparations. My niece has hunted tigers in India armed only with a rifle."

Ben Hamadi, a self-professed avid sportsman, gave Alysson a look that was both curious and disbelieving. "Is this true?"

Alysson sent her uncle a distracted glance. She had once killed a Bengal tiger single-handedly, under the direction of her Uncle Oliver, but destroying such a magnificent animal was not something she was particularly proud of. "Yes, Excellency, it is true," she answered with reluctance. "Another uncle of mine is a hunter renowned for his marksmanship. He taught me a great deal about hunting game in the wild."

The expression on Ben Hamadi's dark, sharp-featured face turned admiring. "No woman of my country has such courage or skill.''

"But then Miss Vickery is not of our country," Jafar interjected coolly.

Alysson might have retorted that the women of his country were given little opportunity to exhibit either courage or skill, but she bit back the remark. "My skill is meager," she said instead, with an Eastern display of humility.

The
khalifa,
however, seemed intrigued by her revelation. He stared at her thoughtfully while he stroked his beard. After a brief glance at his host that might have been called sly, Ben Hamadi addressed Alysson again. "Perhaps you would care to demonstrate this skill, Miss Vickery. No doubt Jafar el-Saleh would be pleased to be rid of this scourge that is menacing the population. If you could kill the beast, perhaps the
saiyid
would be grateful enough to offer you your freedom."

She couldn't believe Jafar would consider such a proposition. Would he really agree to see her free if she could rid his land of a man-eating lion? She turned to him, her gray eyes questioning. His jaw was set, his expression guarded and watchful, like one of his hawks. She was not surprised when his refusal came.

"I could not allow Miss Vickery to put herself in such danger, Excellency," Jafar replied firmly, holding Alysson's gaze.

"I agree," her Uncle Honoré said more slowly. "Perhaps it would be too dangerous for you, my dear."

Dangerous perhaps, Alysson thought, yet she couldn't allow that to dissuade her. If she could possibly gain their freedom by meeting the challenge the
khalifa
had laid out, she owed it to her uncle to try. If only Jafar would allow her the opportunity.

"Even so, I would like the chance to try and kill the lion," she declared, endeavoring to keep her voice steady.

She saw a muscle in Jafar's jaw flex, before he disciplined his expression into unreadabiiity. "The beast has already killed one woman. The risk would be too great."

Oddly, it was the Khalifa Ben Hamadi who took her side.

"But you have heard from her own lips,
sidi,"
the general pressed, "that she is skilled at the hunt. Would you deny her the opportunity to win her freedom?"

Yes!
Jafar wanted desperately to answer, even as he admired the
khalifa's
masterful attempt at forcing his hand. Ben Hamadi did not approve of his holding Alysson and her
uncle prisoner, Jafar knew. The general had not said so directly, yet in a veiled accusation just this morning, he'd expressed surprise at Jafar's unusual reticence to resolve the problem of the Englishwoman, especially since there was no longer a need to keep her captive.

Of course Ben Hamadi would not insult him by condemning his action outright, but with the wisdom and cunning that had made the
khalifa
one of Abdel Kader's most trusted lieutenants, Ben Hamadi had now publicly proposed the conditions for Alysson's release—a proposal that would be difficult for him to refuse, Jafar reflected. He had sworn his allegiance to Abdel Kader and thus to his
khalifa.
Besides, what reasonable grounds did he have for continuing to hold Alysson hostage, other than his own selfish desires?

Jafar felt his hand clench involuntarily in a fist. For weeks now, he'd refused to face the tormenting possibility of losing her. But now it was no longer a mere possibility.

With a sickening sense of powerlessness, he recalled an old Berber adage. A wild bird could be caught and placed in a cage, but it would only fly away at the first opportunity, never to return. He could keep Alysson captive for a while longer, perhaps indefinitely. But in the end, the decision whether to stay or to leave belonged to her. The choice had to be hers.

After all he had done to her, he owed her that much. If Alysson were to remain here with him, she had to do so because she truly wished it, not because he forced her.

And it seemed that she did not wish it.

"I would welcome the chance to earn our freedom," she said again quietly.

Deliberately, slowly, Jafar forced himself to uncurl his fist. "Very well," he said at length, his voice low and toneless. "It will be your decision."

Honoré looked at her first with concern, then dawning elation as he realized their chance for freedom was at hand. But Alysson could not share her uncle's delight. She felt as if a giant hand were crushing her heart.

Jafar returned her gaze, his features cold and withdrawn. It was as if they were the only two people in the room, a room that had turned wintry and bleak. Wanting to shiver,
Alysson stared helplessly into his cool amber eyes. Their aloofness was cruel, their indifference chilling.

The Khalifa Ben Hamadi broke the silence between them. "Good," he observed with satisfaction. "Then it is settled. If Miss Vickery can kill the lion, she and her uncle may go free."

They set off within hours to hunt the
ezim,
while it was still daylight. There was no reason to wait. The lion was a nocturnal animal that normally preyed at night, so die principal time for hunting the beast was at night.

By now, Alysson expected, the creature they sought would have retreated to higher ground. But they could use the remaining daylight to locate the vicinity of its mountain lair, and when the full moon rose later, there would be ample light by which to hunt. Then she would take the field alone, with a single attendant to carry ammunition and an extra gun.

She did not underestimate the danger. The lion was man's most fearsome adversary, with a roar like thunder that could petrify its victims with fear. If it perceived itself in danger, it would turn and attack against even fatal odds. According to her Uncle Oliver, a lion rarely preyed on humans unless it was exceedingly hungry, or was provoked, or was weakened by age or illness and was too feeble to hunt stronger game. But this beast had already killed one woman. Alysson was glad for Jafar's company. She would have made the expedition by herself, but Jafar would not hear of her going alone.

She glanced over at him as he rode beside her on his fiery bay stallion. His face was closed and shuttered, his eyes devoid of all emotion but a steely determination. She shivered, whether from the December coid or from Jafar's chilling distance, she wasn't certain.

Behind her, Saful maintained a respectful length with his own mount. To her surprise, Saful had volunteered for the job of accompanying her on the hunt. Perhaps, Alysson suspected, because the young warrior felt it necessary to make up for his lapse in letting her escape several weeks ago. No doubt he was still smarting from shame because he, a man, had been bested by a mere female.

Beside Alysson, Jafar was thinking similar thoughts as he silently wrestled with his own conscience, it went against every masculine principal, every chivalrous nerve in his body, to allow a woman to risk her life.
Especially this woman.
The thought of Alyssos feeing such danger made his blood run cold.

Jafar's gaze found the defiant young beauty who was the cause of his torment. What would she say if he professed his love for her, if he begged her to stay?
If he asked her to give up her family, her entire way of life?
To risk her future with only the promise of uncertainty and war in exchange?
What would she say if he asked her to watch him marry another woman first? To have another
woman's sons
take precedent before her own? That was all he could offer her.