Page 33 of The Sheikh's Desert Captive

CHAPTER TEN

The palace was larger than she'd imagined. There were so many hidden areas that she lost count of the number of rooms there were in the place.

As Rashid escorted her along the corridors she realized the palace was built in the shape of a square with an open central courtyard. As they emerged into that courtyard she saw there was a huge fountain.

In the middle of the fountain there was a marble carving of two elephants, each facing away from the other. Twin spouts of water tumbled from both elephants' trunks. The marble animals were over ten feet tall.

Nicole laughed with delight upon seeing the fountain. Rashid smiled and explained that the elephants had been the favorite animal of his father, who had commissioned the sculpture. She could see that Rashid took great pride in the fountain.

They stepped out into the quadrangle. Nicole gazed up at the blue sky. The sun shone brightly down into the courtyard. The way it had been designed there would always be one side of the quadrangle which would be in shade. Around each side of the quadrangle was an open walkway decorated with ornately carved arches.

The whole place felt incredibly calming and safe. She felt as if she'd escaped the world and entered a safe space.

As Nicole walked along one of the passageways, she could imagine this would be a welcome retreat from the fierce desert heat. The palace seemed to contain many little sanctuaries hidden from the prying eyes of the outside world.

As they walked, they chatted easily. Rashid explained that, of course, the palace was too big for just him. He did have visitors from time to time. They came up from the city, but she could tell by the way he spoke about it that it was something he viewed as an obligation, rather than something to look forward to.

As she walked with him she found herself growing increasingly puzzled. Why had Rashid hidden himself away here? Nicole kept asking herself that question as she strolled by his side, listening to his descriptions of the various ways the house had been used over the years.

They walked around the inside of the quadrangle. She felt as if she'd retreated into some kind of monastic house. A place from where you could turn your back on the world. Nicole remembered seeing TV shows about monks living in isolated monasteries. These quadrangle corridors were just like the monastery cloisters she'd seen on TV. She wondered if Rashid spent his time pacing the palace like a monk. What else would he have to do spending so much time up here on his own? It was almost as if he'd abandoned the world.

Finally, they sat down on a seat set back in the shade.Even at this early time of the day, the courtyard was already cut with beams of beautiful bright sunlight. She could see motes of dust floating in the sunbeams.

Nicole leaned back against the cool stone of the wall and gazed out at the fountain. The sound of the gently tumbling water was incredibly soothing. Talking with Rashid had been calming, and now the soft murmuring of the fountain's waters intensified that sense of ease.

Rashid sat by her side, very erect and gazing at the fountain.

"You must spend a lot of time here," she suggested.

"I do. This was one of the places where my parents loved to spend some time."

Nicole gathered from what he'd said that his parents were no longer alive. As if he'd guessed what she was thinking, he added: "They passed away a few years ago. They would come up here in the summer. To get away from the heat of Qazhar city." He smiled, obviously recalling happier times.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

Rashid shook his head. "I was an only child."

Nicole knew that was unusual. Most prominent families in Qazhar were large. It was normal for there to be many brothers and sisters in a family. She wondered what the whole story was, but knew that this wasn't the time to probe Rashid for more details.

"So this was a summer home?" Nicole asked.

Rashid smiled at her. "You'd call it a holiday home, I suppose," he said.

Nicole gazed at the inner walls of the quadrangle. "This is some holiday home," she said jokingly.

He shrugged. "It's comfortable. As you can see."

She asked herself why he'd ended up living a solitary life here in what was supposed to be only a temporary residence. Winters might be hard here. Maybe that explained the untended gardens and the slightly worn exterior. It had never been designed as a permanent residence.

"What about the winters?" she asked.

Rashid smiled. "You get used to them after a few years. They're nothing like what you're used to."

Nicole nodded. "Yeah. Winters in the US can be a pain. All that snow."

"We have snow," he said.

Nicole's eyes widened. "Here?"

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