Claiming His Desert Princess

She shivered as a mixture of fear and excitement coursed through her. ‘You realise that you are trespassing? This mine is the rightful property of King Haydar.’

‘As are all the mines in the kingdom of Nessarah, I believe, but it appears I am not the only trespasser.’ He adjusted the lantern so it illuminated her face. ‘I would hazard a guess that you are not a miner, though if you are, you are the most extraordinarily attractive one I have had the good fortune to meet. And believe me, I have encountered my fair share of miners.’

His supreme self-assurance in the face of what he must realise was a perilous situation was astonishing. And intoxicating. If he showed no fear, why should she? He made no attempt to prevent her leaving. Tahira knew she ought to do just that, but now she was sure she had not been recognised, she didn’t want to leave. She had no reason at all to trust this man, yet her instincts told her he meant her no harm. Besides, she was very curious. And, yes, very attracted too. His smile made her catch her breath. It made her wonder, shockingly, what it would be like to feel his lips on hers—she, who had never in all her twenty-four years been kissed even once.

‘Your deductive powers are to be admired,’ Tahira said, unable to resist returning that smile. ‘You are quite correct, I am not a miner.’

The stranger exhaled sharply. ‘But you are a beauty. What are you doing out here alone in the desert at night?’

‘I am quite accustomed to being alone in the desert at night, and until now, have been adept at protecting my solitude.’

His teeth flashed white as he grinned. ‘Then we are kindred spirits, Madam...?’

She hesitated, but it was highly unlikely he would make anything of her first name. ‘Given the informal nature of our introduction, I think you may call me Tahira.’

His eyebrows quirked. ‘A woman of discretion. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Tahira. Permit me to introduce myself in a similarly informal manner. My name is Christopher,’ he said, making a flourishing bow. ‘At your service.’

‘Christopher,’ she repeated slowly. ‘An English name?’ she hazarded, and when he nodded, added, ‘You are very far from home.’

‘I have no home.’ His expression clouded momentarily, but then he shrugged. ‘And you, Tahira, are you far from home?’

Now it was her turn to shrug. ‘Not so very far.’

‘You are mysterious as well as discreet.’

She laughed. ‘Significantly less mysterious than you, a stranger to these lands.’

‘I beg to differ,’ the Englishman said with another of his devastating smiles. ‘Your presence here raises a multitude of questions. What is a beautiful woman dressed in male garb doing examining the workings of a mine, quite alone and in the middle of the night? How did she get here? Where did she come from? Why the disguise? You cannot, surely, expect anyone to be fooled into thinking you a man?’

Though his tone was teasing still, she had the distinct impression that his questions had a point to them. It was natural enough for him to be curious, she supposed, given her unorthodox appearance, but she could not risk him becoming too curious. ‘My clothes are merely practical, like yours,’ Tahira said.

She had underestimated him. ‘Made from considerably more expensive material than mine, and considerably less worn too. Proof, if proof were needed, that you are not a miner,’ he said. ‘And yet you knew of the existence of this mine. It has only just been opened up, excavation is in its infancy. How came you by your information?’

Tahira’s stomach knotted. She shrugged in what she hoped was a careless manner. ‘I could ask you the same question.’

‘You could,’ the Englishman responded, ‘but I asked it of you first.’

There was no change in his tone, which remained pleasant enough, no change either in his expression, yet she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he meant to get an answer. What could he possibly suspect? Instinctively she knew he would see through any lie, but the truth—no, that was impossible. The safest thing would be to leave without comment, but she found she didn’t want to play safe.

‘I have no interest in the mine itself,’ Tahira said, opting for a partial version of the truth. ‘I am interested only in the possibility that the seam may have been excavated in ancient times, and that the miners left evidence of their settlement here.’

She did not expect her answer to have such a startling effect on the Englishman, nor had she truly believed it would distract him from his original question, but it did. His fair brows shot up, all traces of a smile fading. ‘And have you found any such evidence?’ he demanded. ‘Do you have any idea how old such a settlement might be.’

‘This is my first visit to this site, but a number of our—of Nessarah’s reserves of minerals and ores have been mined to some degree since ancient times,’ Tahira replied, struggling to understand the change in him. ‘Goodness, is it possible—are you yourself interested in such sites?’

Her incredulity made him smile again. ‘I am more than interested. In fact, I’m a passionate antiquarian.’

Now it was her turn to stare in astonishment. ‘Are you teasing me?’

‘No, I assure you. For some years now, I have been involved in a number of archaeological digs. Some in Britain, but the majority in Egypt. I have to say, though, that in all my travels I have not encountered a female antiquarian. Are you working alone?’

‘I am not working as such. It is an interest with me, that is all.’

‘An interest you choose to pursue in the hours of darkness?’

That look again, it was silly to imagine he could read her thoughts, but it was how she felt. Tahira crossed her arms, meeting his bright blue eyes square on. ‘As you do?’

‘As you have already deduced, I don’t have permission from the King to be here, any more than you. I wonder, what is it that drew you here, to this particular mine on this particular night?’

She couldn’t understand the edge to his voice. What on earth did he suspect her of? ‘You cannot possibly be imagining that my presence has anything to do with yours?’

She had spoken flippantly, yet she had, astoundingly, hit the mark. ‘It is rather a coincidence, you’ll admit,’ Christopher said.

‘A coincidence and nothing more,’ Tahira countered, quite nonplussed. ‘Who are you, to imagine I would go to such extreme measures to make your acquaintance?’

He had the grace to look sheepish. ‘Forgive me. I am simply suspicious by nature. And also innately curious. If this encounter of ours is mere coincidence, then it is a most delightful one. Do you happen to know what it is they expect to find here?’

He had turned his attentions to extinguishing the lantern, but she was not fooled. ‘Do you?’

She did not expect him to answer, but after a brief hesitation he did. ‘Turquoise.’

‘That is supposed to be a very closely guarded secret.’

Too late, she understood the speculative look, realised that she had walked straight into his trap as his eyes lit up. ‘So it’s true!’

‘Are you a speculator?’

He grasped her arm. ‘Is it true? How do you know for certain? If this is indeed a turquoise mine it would signal the end of a very long journey for me.’

There was a fervent light in his eyes, a rapt expression on his face. Bitterly disappointed, she pulled her arm free. ‘So you are a speculator after all, in search of riches.’

But Christopher shook his head vehemently. ‘If I was, don’t you think I’d be more interested in locating a new diamond or gold mine? Nessarah is well endowed with both, and not all of it has been worked yet, by any manner of means.’

‘How on earth do you know that?’

‘It is of no import. What’s vital is confirming beyond doubt that this is indeed a turquoise mine.’

‘It isn’t any sort of mine as yet,’ Tahira exclaimed, becoming quite frustrated. ‘If you’re truly an antiquarian as you claim, why are you more interested in the mineral being mined than the possibility that it was mined in ancient times?’

‘The truth is that both are crucial to the successful conclusion of my quest.’

‘Quest? You make it sound like some noble undertaking.’

‘There is nothing noble about it, quite the opposite, but it is an undertaking and a solemn one at that.’ The Englishman pursed his lips, frowning deeply. ‘I have no idea who you are, why you’re here alone, or how you have come by your information, but if you possess knowledge of Nessarah’s ancient mining history, you could be a precious find worth a great deal more than diamonds to me.’

Which admission could not but capture her interest, though she tried not to let it show. ‘I would not claim to be an expert, but the study of Nessarah’s history is a passion of mine,’ Tahira said cautiously. ‘I did not lie about my reason for being here.’

‘I promise you, I didn’t lie either. I too came here in search of an ancient settlement, because it would bring me one step closer to solving an ancient mystery.’