"But what if he speaks to my father?" Bahira asked.

"I have already told you that he will not until I am gone, and in the khan's embrace," Zuleika replied. "You need have no fears unless we force Haroun to a premature action. Play the quiet maiden for now, Bahira. Can you not imagine the look on Haroun's face when I snatch you from beneath his nose?" She laughed.

Bahira laughed too. "He may be handsome, but I have always thought there was something slimy about your cousin," she admitted. "He is like one of those creatures who sometimes appear in the garden and leave a trail of muck behind them." She shivered. "I would kill myself before I married such a man!"

"He thinks you would be obedient, and not object to Golnar, or thwart her authority in his harem," Zuleika noted.

"They say Golnar has magical powers," Bahira remarked. "Do you think it is true?"

"She is an odd creature," Zuleika replied. "I cannot imagine what Haroun sees in her. I find her too-pale hair, skin and eyes repellent."

"I should not like to share a harem with her," Bahira said. Then she stood up from the marble bench where she had been seated, and stretched. "If I am going home, I had best leave now. It is almost sunset, and I prefer my litter traversing the streets while it is still light." She bent, and kissed Zuleika's cheek. "I will be back tomorrow."

"I may have some interesting news for you then," the princess of Dariyabar answered her best friend. And when Bahira had gone, Zuleika said to Rafa, "I think I shall bathe after I have had my evening meal."

Rafa bowed low. "I shall bring your food now," she said, and went off to fetch it for her mistress.

Zuleika sat quietly, letting the peace of the early evening and the fragrance of the flowers soothe her. At the far end of her garden she had a view of the blue sea beyond a low wall.