Chapter 7
When Arlene awoke, she was back in the harem. She was shunned by the other concubines and wives, and lay where she was, the pain making her feet smart even though a salve had been rubbed on them by one of the eunuchs. Her rectum hurt, too, but no one had had the temerity to find anything soothing for that part of her body.
She lay quietly, on her right side, facing the wall next to her, hoping she might fall into some kind of permanent trance. This was all a terrible nightmare.
"So, you are awake," a woman's voice finally said, and turning, Arlene saw Francine standing over her.
"Get away from me," Arlene muttered.
"Speak softly, foolish woman," Francine said, kneeling beside her. "To begin with, I rule the harem. A word from me, and the other women would fall on you like locusts and tear you to pieces. But thees ees not why I am talking weeth you. You and I 'ave the same weesh. Eet ees you desire to be out of
'ere, and eet ees my desire for the same. You see, I am resigned to being the wife of Isak Ibn Musa the rest of my life, but eef I must stay 'ere, then I weesh to remain the begum. There are two ways thees may be accomplished. Either Isak weel keel you, or you weel safely run away. I 'ave no weesh for your blood on my 'ands."
"Sure, that's why you not only helped that son of a bitch, but actually made suggestions to him," Arlene snapped.
"The suggestions I made to 'eem only 'elped you in the long run. Because of what I said to 'eem, you knew enough to keep the muscles of your buttocks loose, and as a result, you deed not feel as much pain. As for what I deed, I 'ad to make it appear I was een full sympathy with the sheik, or he would 'ave punished me along weeth you. You see, een a way I do love the man. There ees thees mystique about 'im that fascinates me. I know I will nevair 'ave 'im completely to myself, but I weesh to remain 'is favorite. Even eef thees does not remain forever, I weesh to be hees favorite as long as posseeble. Thees I can do eef you are gone. You feeneeshed your cycle of the month not too long ago, so you are not pregnant...enceinte. Eef you leave 'ere tonight, following the directions I geeve you, you weel get to the Americain Consulate."
"I can't walk," Arlene sobbed.
"Do you weesh to remain 'ere for the rest of your life."
"No! Definitely not!"
"Then you weel walk. I weel show you a secret tunnel wheech weel lead you from the grounds, and once outside, you weel find a hay wagon. Climb eento it. The driver knows eef he takes you to the Americain Consulate, and I 'ear about eet, 'ee may return next week and I weel geeve 'im a bit of money. As the sheik's favorite, I 'ave money."
"I wish I knew I was able to trust you," Arlene said.
"You 'ave no choice, cheri," Francine replied. "You must trust me, for there ees no one else left to trust. All the othair wives and concubines 'ave gone for the evening meal. No one weel know I 'ave assisted you. Come!"
So Arlene stumbled to her sore bare feet, and she hobbled along, following Francine to another room. In the room, Francine pressed a wall panel, and a section opened, and the two women walked through together. The end of the passage led into a small cave, and from the cave they walked to a dirt road, nearby. There, by the light of a quarter moon, Arlene saw the hay wagon. Without a word to Francine, she hurried to the wagon and climbed under the straw. She lay perfectly still.
After what seemed like forever, she felt someone climb onto the wagon, and then it started up. Either a horse or a donkey was pulling the wagon and it moved very slowly. Arlene lay there for hours, and at one point she heard a series of automobiles going by, and she knew her absence had been discovered. But no one thought to stop the driver of the wagon and examine his wagon's contents.
The heat of the morning bore down on her as she lay in the hay of the moving wagon, and finally it came to a stop. She felt another movement as the driver dismounted and walked away, and then she poked her head from under the hay.
Francine had told her the truth. There was the American Consulate. Stretching her stiff body, she climbed down out of the wagon, and walked up to the front gate. She pressed an outside button, and when a voice came over a tinny loudspeaker and asked who was there, she identified herself, explaining she was a stewardess who had been kidnapped not too long ago.
Someone came out of the consulate and ushered her inside, where, after a long, hot bath, she was permitted to sleep.