They had reached the house now, and entered through the wide
doors into the square hall where the bey’s majordomo awaited.
’Felicitations, my lord! Long life and many sons!” he cried, ushering
hem through into the banquet hall. Waiting slaves took the men’s
cloaks, and brought silver-chased basins of rose water and soft linen
towels so they might bathe their hands and faces. Refreshed, they
;at down upon the large plump cushions strewn about the table.

“Gentlemen,” said Khalid el Bey, sitting at the head of the table,
it gives me great pleasure that you are here to share this moment
with me. I would share my happiness with you, and so I present, to each of you, for your many nights of pleasure, a virgin who has
been trained in my own House of Felicity.” He clapped his hands
and the six girls, all dressed in their butterfly colors, entered and
moved swiftly to the gentlemen for whom they were intended.

“By Allah!” swore Capitan Jamil, “you do things with style,
Khalid! Even in Constantinople I never saw such a display of elegant
manners. I shall write the Sultan tomorrow telling him.”

“Many thanks,” said Khalid carelessly. He was more pleased by
he reactions of his other guests. The head of the merchant’s guild
and the banker were pleasantly overcome by the two little blondes.
And Jean was rendered momentarily speechless by the pretty girl
who shyly greeted him not only in his own tongue, but in the dialect
peculiar to Brittany alone. The chief mullah actually had a smile on
lis face-the first time Khalid had ever seen that phenomenon! And
Osman was obviously quite taken by his maiden.

Capitan Jamil paused in his careful inspection of his “gift” to
unquire, “And your bride, Khalid? Where is she?”

As if in answer, the banquet-hall doors opened and four black
laves in red silk breechcloths entered bearing a litter. They carefully
set it down and the majordomo handed out the veiled occupant and
led her forward to sit by the bey.

Her fine silk pantaloons were the soft lavender of early wisteria,
but low. A wide band of deep violet flowers on a gold background
rose to just below her navel. She wore gold slippers embroidered
with pearl violets. Her sleeveless bodice was violet velvet trimmed In gold braid with floral embroidery done in gold and seed pearls.
he wore thin gold bracelets. A single long rope of pearls dangled
from her neck, and great matching pearl tears bobbed in her ears.
Her midnight-black hair was loose, and spinkled with gold dust. A
small mauve veil obscured her face below those marvelous eyes
shadowed in blue kohl.

“Gentlemen, my wife, the lady Skye muna el Khalid,” said Khalid
 Bey as he reached up and undid her veil.

They were momentarily stunned into silence. Everything about
her-her flawless skin, her dark blue eyes, the full red lips, the
delicate, slightly upturned nose-everything was exquisite. Finally
the banker found his voice.

“Khalid, my friend, I have four wives. If you put all of their
beauty together, it would not equal half of your wife’s loveliness.
You are a most damnably fortunate man!”

Khalid el Bey laughed happily. ‘Thank you. Memhet! Your praise
is received with joy.”

Now the servants began bringing in steaming dishes; the gold
goblets were filled with icy juices; musicians played discreetly from
behind a carved screen. A whole baby lamb had been roasted, and
was served now on a mixture of saffroned rice with onions, green
peppers, and tomatoes. There were bowls of yogurt, purple, green,
and black olives, and shelled pistachio nuts. The slaves passed hot
loaves of bread, and placed upon each guest’s plate a small whole
roasted pigeon in a nest of watercress. As the fermented fruit juices
began to relax the guests they became a bit noisier and freer, the
men feeding choice morsels from their lips to the lips of their giggling
companions.

The mullah sat on Khalid’s right, Skye on her husband’s left.
Next to her sat Capitan Jamil, who had been unable to take his eyes
off the bride. “What a pity,” he murmured softly so that only she
might hear him, “that Khalid decided to keep you for himself, my
lovely. He could have made a fortune selling your charms. I would
have paid a king’s ransom to possess you first. Still, it is good to
know the great Whoremaster of Algiers has a weakness.”

A hot flush stole up her neck and cheeks but she said nothing.
He laughed low. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever
seen, bride of Khalid el Bey. Your skin glows like mother-of-pearl.
I shall dream for many nights of your long legs and perfect little
breasts, which are like tender fruits. How I hunger to taste of those
sweet young fruits.” He leaned close to her as he reached for a
handful of olives and his upper arm deliberately rubbed against her.

“How dare you accost me in such a manner!” she hissed angrily.
”Have you no respect for my husband, who is your host? Or are
Turks totally without honor?”

He drew his breath in sharply. “Someday, my beauty, I shall have
you completely at my mercy. And when I do you will pay dearly
for that insult.”

To his annoyance, Skye did not appear frightened. She merely
signaled the servants to clear the table and serve the next course.
The coffeemaker, kneeling at his little table, began to grind the beans
and boil the water. The slaves placed upon the board colored crystal bowls filled with figs, raisins, oranges, green grapes, candied dates,
and rose petals. Silver plates of small honeyed cakes, with matching
tiny bowls of sugared almonds, were put before each guest. Goblets
rere refilled with sweet liquid fruit sherbet chilled by snow brought
from the nearby Atlas Mountains. The bey leaned over to kiss his
rife. “You have planned everything perfectly, my Skye. It is as if
you had been born to the duties of the chatelaine.”

“Perhaps I was,” she answered him softly.

The entertainment began. There were wrestlers, then jugglers,
then an Egyptian fakir who made things appear and disappear. Lastly
came the dancers. There were at least half a dozen of them to begin
nth, but in time only one very voluptuous creature remained, her
senuous body writhing passionately and more suggestively with each
moveraent. Skye became aware of the silence that had overtaken her
guests. Their chatter was gone, and the only sound in the room was
the music-the insistent whine of the pipes, the heavy beat of the
rums, the brass tals upon the dancer’s fingers teasing their challenge the musicians. Skye glanced about her and saw that some of the
redding guests had gone into the garden. Still others had begun to
rake love right there on the cushions. Blushing, she turned to her
husband. With twinkling eyes, he stood and drew her up beside him.

“I believe,” he said, “the time is ripe for us to make our escape.
tome, my love!”

“Where are we to go, Khalid?”

‘To a secret little villa that I own along the seacoast. We shall
send our honeymoon there, free of friends and business.” He hurried
her out into the cool night, stopping only to retrieve his cloak and place one of mauve silk, lined in rabbit fur, about her. Before the
house stood a great white stallion. Khalid el Bey leapt onto its back
and, reaching down, lifted his bride and placed her before him on
the saddle.

They rode down into the city and then to the sea, where they
followed the beach for several miles. The moon dappled the water.
Looking up into the velvety heavens, Skye caught her breath. The
stars seemed so big, so near, and she was tempted to reach out and
-asp a handful. Nestling in Khalid’s arms, her head against his
heart, she felt its sure and steady beat. As they rode she became
aware of a familiarity about the roar of the sea and the salty smell
the cool damp air. For some reason these sensations soothed her,
though she had no idea why they did. Khalid was silent, and she
dared not speak lest she break the spell.

Finally he turned the white stallion from the beach, and she could
see the black outline of a building on one of the bills overlooking
the sea. As they came closer, Skye saw that it was a large round kiosk, There was a pleasant air about it. Large brass lanterns with
hand-blown Venetian globes, their beeswax candles twinking a welcome, hung on either side of the silk-draped entrance.

Khalid el Bey drew rein on his horse, gently deposited his wife
on the lawn, and dismounted. “Welcome, my beloved! Welcome
to the ‘Pearl Kiosk.’ There are three rooms within-our bedchamber,
a bath, and a dayroom. It belongs to you now, Skye, for it is my
wedding gift to you.”

She was astounded. His bride’s price to her had been over-
generous, and now he gifted her with even more. She felt quite
humble in the light of such great love. Skye suddenly felt her heart
contract painfully. Looking up at him, she said, “Khalid, I do care
for you, you know. Were you a poor man I should still feel this
way, for it is your love for me that warms my heart and soothes my
spirit, not the gifts you give me, though I am grateful for them.”

“It is for just mat reason that I enjoy giving you things,” he
answered her. “You are not a greedy little creature. Come now,
sweetness, let us go in, for the night grows cool. Are you not the
least bit curious to see your new gift?”

The doorway of the Pearl Kiosk was hung with multicolored
diaphanous silks and in the entry hall was a long, narrow reflecting
pool. Looking up, Skye caught her breath, for in the roof above the
pool was a glass ceiling that matched the pool in size and shape.
Therefore, the still surface of the pool now appeared to be filled
with twinkling stars. The foyer was lit by gold and crystal lamps
similar to those on the front of the building.

They first moved through a doorway on their left, where Skye
found a beautiful dayroom with a fireplace that blazed merrily, taking
the dampness from the air. The floor was lush with thick rugs.
Colored glass lamps hung on thin chains from the gilded and beamed
ceiling. Overstuffed furniture and pillows were covered in the finest
silks and velvets, the colors like jewels-ruby, sapphire, emerald,
amethyst, and topaz. The windows that faced the landside were small
hand-blown rounds of pale-amber glass. There were low tables of
inlaid mosaic tile and great brass bowls filled with red and yellow
tulips. One small wall had a built-in bookcase filled with leather-
bound volumes, the sight of which brought a glad cry to her lips.

“So,” chuckled Khalid el Bey, “my good secretary, Jean, was not
wrong. You can read. In what languages, my beloved?”

She looked a trifle shamefaced. “Jean seemed so horrified that
I could read that I did not wish you to know. I wandered into your
library one day and, seeing the books, I picked one up and opened
it. It was French. I find that I am also able to read Spanish, Italian,
Latin, and the language Jean calls English.” She hung her head and said hesitantly, “I appear to possess another rather unfeminine trait.
It seems I also write.”

Khalid el Bey burst into laughter. “Marvelous, my Skye! Simply
marvelous! It seems that you are a very intelligent woman, and while
most men might be shocked to find themselves with such a wife,
I am not. The ways of Allah are indeed mysterious. I originally
intended to make you my most famous whore, but now I find you
are educated, so, beloved, I shall instead make you my partner!
When we return to the city I shall teach you myself, and Jean will
aid me. Should anything ever happen to me, no one will ever be
able to cheat you.” He swept her into his arms and kissed her soundly.
”What a delight you are, Skye!” he chuckled, and she felt warm and
safe and very much loved. His amber-gold eyes twinkled. “We have
yet to see our nuptial chamber,” he murmured, carrying her from
the richly appointed dayroom across the foyer. He pushed open the
carved and gilded double doors.

The room into which they now entered had walls painted to
resemble an oasis, with graceful palms, the mysterious desert dunes
beyond, and above, on the ceiling, the wonderful black velvet North
African sky had been recreated, complete with twinkling stars done
in gold luminescent paint. Skye would discover that in the sunlight
the false night sky was actually bright blue and that the stars were
not visible at all. To continue the illusion, the rugs were of thick
gold and cream wool, large potted green palms were placed stra-
tegically around the room, and the bed was partially draped to re-
semble a tent canopy. The room was very softly lit by tall lamps
that resembled lotus flowers and burned scented oils.

Without a word he slid the sleeveless violet bodice from her.
Then his hands pushed the pantaloons over her hips and, when she
had stepped from mem and pushed the little mass of silk away with
her foot, he slid to his knees. She stood still while his elegant hands
fondled her breasts. Then, moving to grasp her by the waist, he
covered her torso in hot kisses. She caught at his head and pressed
it against her wildly fluttering belly. The time for words was long
past. For a moment he simply knelt there enjoying the silken feel
of her wonderful skin, then swiftly standing he stripped off his own
clothes and they walked to the bed.