The Sheik

The horse that had been given her to ride was the Sheik's

beyond all doubt, trained to his whistle. Even her revolver had been

tampered with. She had not missed, as she had thought. She remembered

the noise, the fleeting vision she had had in the hotel at Biskra. It

had been some one in her room, Mustafa Ali himself, or one of his men,

who had stolen in and substituted the blank cartridges. The possibility

of Aubrey changing his mind and accompanying her must also have been

thought of, for the Sheik had provided against the resistance that

would certainly have then been made by the number of followers he had

brought with him--a large enough force to frustrate easily any

attempted opposition to the attack.

The net that she had felt closing round her earlier in the afternoon

seemed wrapped round her now inextricably, drawing tighter and tighter,

smothering her. She gasped for breath. The sinking sun seemed suddenly

to leap up wildly into the heavens; then she pulled herself together

with a tremendous effort. "Why have you done this?" she murmured

faintly.

Then for a moment her heart stood still, her eyes dilating. He had come

close behind her, and she waited in an agony, until he caught her to

him, crushing her against him, forcing her head back on his arm.

"Because I wanted you. Because one day in Biskra, four weeks ago, I saw

you for a few moments, long enough to know that I wanted you. And what

I want I take. You played into my hands. You arranged a tour in the

desert. The rest was easy."

Her eyes were shut, the long dark lashes quivering on her pale cheeks

so that she could not see his face, but she felt him draw her closer to

him and then his fierce kisses on her mouth. She struggled frantically,

but she was helpless, and he laughed softly as he kissed her lips, her

hair, her eyes passionately. He stood quite still, but she felt the

heavy beating of his heart under her cheek, and understood dimly the

passion that she had aroused in him. She had experienced his tremendous

strength. She realised from what he had told her that he recognised no

law beyond his own wishes, and was prepared to go to any lengths to

fulfil them. She knew that her life was in his hands, that he could

break her with his lean brown fingers like a toy is broken, and all at

once she felt pitifully weak and frightened. She was utterly in his

power and at his mercy--the mercy of an Arab who was merciless.