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A glance at Ra’id made Antonia tremble inwardly. When Ra’id discovered she was pregnant, would he show her any more mercy than his father had shown her mother? The al Maktabis were warrior sheikhs, and Ra’id al Maktabi was the fiercest of them all. He thought the gift of this fortress and the land surrounding it had been a generous pay-off to her mother, but Antonia knew there were more important things than money and land. In her opinion there was nothing that could compensate for the crushing of a human spirit.
So what would she do if she were stranded here?
It was at that point, the same moment as they entered the dark and dismal building, that Antonia’s empathy with her mother’s situation began to waver, and she had to remind herself that Helena hadn’t been as fortunate as Antonia, who had such strong support from a brother who adored her. It was easy to be strong when you had people behind you to give you confidence, Antonia reflected, knowing how lucky she was. And with that strength she would take a fresh look at the citadel, seeing the positive this time rather than the drawbacks. For instance, the small windows meant that the fortress would be cool by day, and she would make it even cooler by installing air-conditioning. The extensive terracing could be enjoyed in the cooler months, as well as at dawn and dusk, and if she took on the project she could even make it a practical memorial to her mother.
Would she take it on?
That all depended on Ra’id. Without his water, there was no project. She had to try the one thing that might touch him where she had failed. ‘You’ve seen the photographs.’
Drawing to an abrupt halt in a shadowy rubbish-strewn hallway, Ra’id interrupted her. ‘Photographs?’
‘The photographs of the children our charity helps,’ she said quietly. ‘You saw the album during my presentation.’
‘You can’t seriously be thinking of bringing those children here?’
‘Why not?’
‘Do you want a list? And why would you even think of it when I have more palaces than I know what to do with going begging in the capital?’
‘Because I want to do something, maybe? Because I don’t want or need your handouts, Ra’id?’ When his eyes narrowed with suspicion, her passion for the project overflowed. ‘If you didn’t expect me to make use of the fortress, why did you bring me here, Ra’id? Was it to teach me a lesson? Or to show me how inhospitable the place is so I will relinquish my claim on the land?’ She found it impossible to keep the heat out of her voice.
‘I thought you should see for yourself that your mother’s legacy is nothing more than a meaningless sheet of paper—and if you weren’t prepared to listen to me, then bringing you here was the only way I could make you see the truth.’
‘The truth as you see it,’ she returned hotly. ‘You don’t know me at all, Ra’id—though I can see how it would suit you to bring me here.’
‘Suit me?’
‘Yes.’ She steadied herself by concentrating her thoughts on all those people who depended on her making a success of this visit. ‘I think you pictured me taking a tearful look around before dejectedly mounting my pony and riding out of your life for good. Well, guess what, Ra’id? I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to stay right here.’
‘And if you’re deported a second time?’
Antonia firmed her jaw. ‘If you do that, I’ll shame you before the world.’
‘You’d blackmail me?’ Ra’id demanded incredulously.
‘I’ll do whatever it takes to see this project through.’
Now she knew she’d gone too far. She was alone with the Sword of Vengeance in the middle of the desert, where anyone could disappear without a trace…
‘I suggest you consider very carefully what you say next,’ Ra’id warned her in a voice that was all the more menacing for being low and calm.
Antonia held her ground, though she was trembling inside. Ra’id had to know she was no pushover, and that she would stand up to him, in this and in all the discussions to come—or else how could she speak up for her child?
There it was—the most important secret of all, glittering between them like the Grail. She could see Ra’id some time in the future, holding their baby, before handing the child back to her.
Was that wishful thinking?
The thought that it might be frightened her more than anything else. Surely they could come to a civilised arrangement where their baby was concerned? But was civilised even possible with Ra’id? This visit to the citadel where her mother had been incarcerated was bound to stir violent emotion in her, Antonia reasoned. But now she must control her feelings, concentrate on finding a way to touch Ra’id and convince him that her plan for the fortress would work if he would only agree to giving her the water she needed. If he agreed to do that, she could build the retreat for the charity, as well as a home and a purpose for herself and for her child.
