A Touch of Passion (6 page)

He’d told her to be strong. Had he known what would happen?

She obviously did not move fast enough, because the sultan clapped his hands once more, and the man she now knew was called Hassan advanced toward her.

“I can do it myself if you would help me by undoing the hooks at the back.”

Hassan stopped midstride, and a look of admiration flashed over his features before his face became a mask of blankness once more. With a curt nod he came behind her and gently began to undo the hooks of her gown. As the material loosened she cursed herself that she had not worn a corset. She’d simply left on her shift, not wanting a corset to be an impediment to Grayson at Vauxhall Gardens. Though that had been many nights ago, now it seemed as though years had passed since then There would be no hiding from anyone now. A small tear escaped and ran down her cheek as the gown dropped to the floor. She quickly wiped it away. Crying would not help her.

Only Grayson could help her.

She stood with her arms clamped to her sides, fists curled, her head bowed. Eerie silence filled the room.

She felt Hassan, at her back, step closer, and he whispered in her ear, “Forgive me, my lady, but the sultan says to remove the undergarments as well.”

Her head snapped up as she felt his hand on her shoulder untying the bows of her shift at her shoulders. Her breasts would be exposed, but she shuddered in horror at the thought they would take the rest of her undergarments. She’d be naked, exposed, stripped for others’ eyes to see what no man had ever seen.

Her shift fell from her body, and she refrained from covering herself. When she felt Hassan’s hands at her waist, before she could stop herself her head lifted, she looked at the sultan, and she said, “You would let others gaze upon what no man has ever seen and what could be seen by you alone?”

Hassan’s fingers at her waist hesitated. She swallowed, her mouth dry, watching the sultan speculate.

He nodded, then barked at Hassan, whose hands halted. To Portia he said, “You do know you are only delaying the inevitable? But I concede your point. No man, you say.” His eyes narrowed, but Portia did not flinch under his gaze. “You are quite old to remain untouched.” She remained silent. “But then I’m told you are the daughter of an earl. I understand the English ways. You must remain unspoiled until your marriage.”

She could add nothing to this conversation, so she remained silent.

“However, I wondered if there was a scandal surrounding you. You are quite beautiful, yet you remain unmarried with such a desirable social position. Plus, there is the fact someone wanted you to disappear.”

“I’m probably worth more to you as a prisoner to be ransomed. However, I warn you, the money you could receive would be limited should I be … that is … if I am not whole when I am returned to England.”

The sultan gave a small smile and remained silent for a moment. “Ah, my beauty, there are some things worth more than any precious gems. Taking an innocent to my bed, and one as fair as a grain of desert sand with hair the vivid color of a desert sunset, is a jewel to prize above any.”

Portia’s heart sank as she watched lust fill his eyes. There would be no ransom and no escaping his bed unless Grayson rescued her in time. She had to grit her teeth to stop herself from looking wildly around the room for any sign of him.

The sultan rose and descended the stairs directly to where she stood shaking down to her toes. He touched her hair, rubbing a strand between his ring-covered fingers, all the while giving orders to Hassan.

Hassan stepped forward and retrieved her gown from the floor. Handing it to her, he told her, “You are to come with me.” She wasn’t given time to dress; she merely hugged the gown to the front of her body.

As they left the throne room she had the courage to ask, “Where are you taking me?”

Hassan did not stop walking. “I am to deliver you to the harem, where the women are to prepare you.” He hesitated, a frown marring his face. “I am sorry for the misfortune that has befallen you. I do not believe Allah agrees with the sultan’s plans for you. It is one thing to be captured during war or in your travels—a woman stupid enough to travel these waters risks much—but to kidnap a woman from her home or homeland is another thing altogether.” He flashed her a frown. “I have sisters who have daughters. Can they now be taken by any man? I do not think Allah would condone the kidnapping of innocents. It is not right.”

“I’m certainly pleased to hear you say that.”

Portia’s heart jumped into her mouth. It was Grayson in his flowing Arab robes. She almost didn’t recognize him, but his deep baritone voice was unmistakable.

She peered around and saw another man dressed as an Arab dealing with the two guards that had been following along behind them. Grayson saw where she was looking and calmly said, “That is Philip—he is taking care of the rest of them. And Hassan here is going to show us the way out. Aren’t you?” The menace behind the softly spoken words was made very clear when Grayson’s sword pressed the skin at Hassan’s throat.

Hassan could barely move his head because of the weapon at his throat. He gave the slightest of nods. “I was just explaining that I do not believe she belongs here. There is no need for violence. I will show you a way out, but you will have to make it look as though I helped you under duress.”

“I am more than happy to do that. You had best lead the way. And no tricks—my sword will be pointed at your back every step you take.”

“No one will confront us. I have full authority with anything to do with the harem.”

Portia finally found her voice. “I always wanted to see inside a harem, but only if I could then leave.” She knew she was being foolish and that they should flee as soon as possible. But the idea of actually being able to see into a harem was one that she really would like to investigate.

Before Grayson could tell her how stupid she was, Hassan spoke up.

“We have to go through the harem to escape. The easiest way to flee the palace is through the bathing chamber. I was supposed to take you there to be cleansed and prepared.”

The way he said
prepared
made her insides tighten with nausea.

“No one will be suspicious of me leading you into the ladies’ quarters. I am a eunuch, after all. Guards are tolerated as long as they are with me.”

The man who had just dragged the inert bodies of the two guards behind two very large urns holding palm trees came over then, and she’d never been so pleased to see her younger brother. The smile Philip gave her warmed her down to her very soul. Trying to keep the tears from welling in her eyes, she blinked several times.

“Well then, let’s get this over with,” she said. She really did want to get out of here as soon as possible, and she was still very aware that she wore only her undergarments and was holding her dress in front of her. “Do I have time to put my dress back on?”

Hassan shook his head. “That would not be wise. People would begin to wonder why I let you re-dress.”

Trying to wrap her shift and dress more firmly around her, she was very aware that Grayson followed her every move. There was something lurking in his eyes, but she couldn’t quite work it out. It wasn’t lust exactly, but it was certainly interest. The woman in her couldn’t help but respond to his perusal.

Hassan led the group off, with Portia walking behind him. Philip and Grayson followed as if they were the two guards.

“We need to move more quickly, Hassan,” Grayson told him. “Philip left the unconscious guards behind the big potted plants, but it won’t take the others long to find them. We must get moving.”

Hassan led them through a maze of corridors until they came to an area of the palace that Portia had not seen before. She could hear women’s voices laughing and giggling in the background. He led them into a room that was full of large cushions and silks. There were a few women lounging on the cushions, picking fruit out of a fruit bowl, and generally chatting and laughing—much as Portia did with her friends, she noticed. They smiled and called greetings to Hassan. He nodded to acknowledge them but kept walking through the room and out into a corridor on the far side. They continued down another set of corridors until she could see steam coming out of an archway directly in front of them.

As they passed through the archway, the heat hit her immediately. In front of them was a large pool of steaming water. Luckily, no one was in the water; however, two women in various stages of undress with towels wrapped around had obviously just finished their bath.

Portia’s gaze flew to Grayson, and her face colored as she realized both her brother and Grayson were ogling the women with obvious interest. They were beautiful. Their hair was long and black, their bodies lush and curvy, and their skin a light olive color. Jealousy hit fast and hard.

Hassan clapped his hands. Both women turned around and looked at the visitors with interest. Before either of them could approach or speak, however, Hassan let off a string of words in Arabic. The women looked at each other in surprise, then quickly gathered their things and left.

“I hope you can all swim,” Hassan said to them as he moved toward the pool. “The drain leads to the sewers that run underneath the palace and out to the city.”

Portia sucked in a breath. “You are expecting us to go down the drains?”

Hassan shrugged “There is no other way out of the palace without the guards being alerted. I have authority in the harem, but I have no authority to get anyone out through the palace gates.”

“How long will we have to hold our breath?” Grayson asked.

“Not for long. Once you swim through the drain, you emerge into the sewer system, which is very large; the water will not be very high. It is just while you swim down through the water outlet that you will need to hold your breath.”

Portia relaxed somewhat. She was not the world’s best swimmer, but she was fairly competent. She should be able to hold her breath long enough to get down into the sewer. As long as she had Grayson and Philip with her, everything would be all right.

“Strip off your undergarments,” Grayson told her. “Hassan will give you his top to cover yourself. Leave your gown—it is only going to drag you down in the water, and we need to be able to move as fast as possible.” Portia realized with horror she was going to have to undress in front of her brother and Grayson.

“How far does the sewer run, and how long will it take us to get out into the city?” Grayson went on, addressing the question to Hassan, as Philip began removing his Arab robes down to just his breeches and shirt.

“If you keep heading north, it should go for at least three leagues underneath the palace and then you will come out on the other side. There is a bit of a drop over the wall to get down into the city, but it is the safest way for you to escape.”

Grayson’s response to his words was a fist that slammed straight into Hassan’s face, knocking him out cold. At Portia’s cry, Grayson explained, “It needs to look like we overpowered him. He can’t be held responsible or his life will be forfeit. Did you want that for him?” Portia merely shut her mouth, turned away, and began to pull the shift back on over her naked torso, the dress forgotten at her feet.

Grayson stood with hands on hips, staring at her. He looked her up and down from toes to head and back again. Finally he spoke. “You are going to have to lose the drawers as well.”

Her mouth dropped open. “You expect me to leave here in just my shift?”

“We have secured help from the British consulate. There will be blankets waiting once we reach the city wall. You will be able to wrap them around yourself once we get free of this place.”

Portia swallowed back a denial, as she knew it was pointless. Escape was the priority. She knew as soon as she got into the water that her shift would be virtually transparent. But what did it matter? Grayson had probably already seen her nearly naked when she was stripped before the sultan. For one brief moment she wondered what he had thought. Did he find her attractive? Was she the sort of woman who roused his lust?

What a funny thing to think in the face of such danger.
She reached under her shift, undid the ties to her drawers, and let them fall to the ground, briefly wondering what her brother thought of their situation. He remained tight-lipped, vigilantly watching the entrance.

Grayson gestured to him and said, “We really do need to move. It is not going to be long before those guards are found.” Then he sat, took off his boots, and headed toward the pool. He paused and, with a sweep of his arm, told her, “After you, my lady.”

With trepidation, Portia slid into the warm water, unable to suppress a shiver. She didn’t know how long she was going to have to hold her breath or whether she would drown this day. Quite frankly, she would prefer drowning than to have to submit to the sultan in any way. For courage, she looked to Grayson, who reached out and swiped a finger down her cheek.

“It’s going to be all right, little one. If you keep hold of my hand, I will pull you through. Just make sure you take a big breath and let it out slowly. Don’t panic. If you feel as though you are going to run out of air, just squeeze my hand and I will pull you along faster.”

She merely nodded, too afraid to speak.

“I’ll go first,” Philip said suddenly, and he pulled the lever that Hassan had shown them, the one that would slide back the stone slab covering the drain. As the water began to flow through the drain, Philip dove and disappeared down the drain. It was quite wide, broad enough for two people to fit through.

“This is it. Take my hand and keep your eyes closed. Trust me.” And with that, suddenly Portia felt herself being swept through the water as it began to flow with rapidly increasing velocity.

It seemed like forever, but it was really only a few seconds before they reached the end of the drainway and with a large splash hit the stiller water in the sewer. They began swimming, and it wasn’t long before the ground leveled out and they found their feet on a cobblestoned bottom.

Grayson spoke to Portia. “It’s okay now—you can open your eyes. The water is only waist deep.”