Under a Desert Moon

by Laura Martin

  Emma dried the tears from her cheeks and sniffed. She was stronger than this. She had long ago given up on the idea of a knight in shining armour coming to rescue her from the scandal and whisk her away to a life of married bliss. Instead she’d created new dreams, and one of them had been to explore Egypt. Now here she was, and she was determined not to let any man get in the way of that.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Seb rolled over and opened his eyes. He’d given up trying to sleep hours ago. He had taken the first watch, setting up a post at the edge of the ruined temple. After four hours Akil had come to relieve him. He’d almost sent the young boy back to his sleeping mat, knowing already sleep would be impossible.

  As a child Seb had always slept as well as a hibernating bear, only rousing himself as the sunlight streamed through his bedroom window. As he got older and started to become aware of what was happening in the house around him he was plagued by sleepless nights, nights in which he’d spend long hours straining his ears to try to catch what was going on downstairs.

  He’d first realised there was something not quite right between his parents when he was fourteen. At the time he’d idolised his father and had wanted to be like the stern older man in every way. Seb thought back to the night he’d discovered his father with his hands around his mother’s neck. He’d been too stunned to even speak.

  Shaking his head, Seb sat up. He didn’t want to remember those times, he never wanted to think of his father again, but sometimes when sleep evaded him the images just kept returning.

  Seb glanced into the darkness and reassured himself that Emma was still asleep. She was sleeping soundly, untroubled by the worries from the day. Even in the darkness he could make out the shape of her face and the golden locks that fell around her cheeks, framing them. Her eyelashes rested against her skin and all lines of worry that sometimes furrowed her brow in the day were smoothed by peaceful sleep.

  He fought the urge to reach over and brush her hair back from her forehead, knowing any contact would be overstepping the boundaries he himself had imposed. Seb watched her sleeping for a few seconds longer, noting the tiny shiver as she shifted position and the blanket slipped from her shoulders. He stood, crossed to where she was sleeping, and readjusted the blanket, pulling it up to her chin to keep her warm. Seb stood there for a moment, fighting the urge to lie down beside her and gather her to him. If he did that he really would have to marry her.

  The rebellious part of him asked whether that would really be so bad. She was beautiful and interesting and kind and—more than that—she made Seb feel truly alive. He shook his head. Any notion of marriage was just absurd. Years ago Seb had made himself a promise, one he was determined to keep. It had been made after Seb had walked in on his father punching his mother in the stomach. He’d been eighteen at the time, just back from university. He’d seen red, and had sprung to his mother’s defence, coming between her and his father’s fists, and after taking the blow that had been meant for his mother Seb had fought back. He’d pummelled his father so hard the older man hadn’t been able to get out of bed for a week.

  After that incident Seb had promised himself he would never get married. He knew he wouldn’t be able to risk it. When he’d seen his father punching his mother he hadn’t been able to control his response, and had had to be pulled off by three footmen. Who knew what damage he would have done if they had been alone in the house? And so Seb knew he couldn’t trust himself to live intimately with a woman. He’d already shown he had a temper and a talent for violence; the last thing he wanted was to follow in his father’s footsteps. The only way he could guarantee that wouldn’t happen was to refrain from marriage altogether.

  Over the years Seb hadn’t regretted his decision once. There hadn’t been any woman whom he’d pined for or lusted after enough to make him even question the logic behind his oath. But now there was Emma. She was different, unique, someone he couldn’t stop thinking about. Every time she turned to him his eyes drifted towards her lips and he imagined her naked and in his bed, but it was more than just lust that consumed him. He wanted to share every new discovery and every sight with her. He loved it when her eyes lit up when he told her a story about Ancient Egypt or how she ran her fingers over the rocks that used to make up the walls of a temple.

  It didn’t matter, he told himself, stepping away from her sleeping form. He couldn’t have her. The only way a woman of Emma’s upbringing could be with him was if they married. Given what she’d already been put through by the villainous Freddie, Seb knew he couldn’t ruin her reputation even further. And he wasn’t prepared to marry her, no matter how much he desired her. His oath to himself was more important, and it would protect her from him in the long run. The last thing he wanted was to make her his wife, then find he was exactly like his father and subject her to a lifetime of misery.

  Seb sank back down onto his own sleeping mat and turned away. His mind was made up; he couldn’t marry Emma so that meant they couldn’t ever be intimate. He’d just have to rein in his desire and do his job as her guide, nothing more.

  As the sun started to creep up over the horizon Seb heard Emma stir. He resisted the urge to roll over and watch her as she awoke and opened her eyes for the first time, instead lying still until he was sure she was completely awake. He then made a show of stirring, as if he had slumbered peacefully the entire night.

  Seb sat up and only then glanced over at Emma.

  ‘Good morning.’

  ‘Good morning.’

  She looked delightfully tousled and Seb felt a pang of regret that after these couple of weeks together he wouldn’t see her in her natural glory before she’d had a chance to attend to her toilette.

  ‘Did you sleep well?’

  Emma smiled. ‘I didn’t stir once between closing my eyes and waking up this morning. How about you?’

  ‘Fine,’ Seb lied. There wasn’t any need for her to know he’d lain awake obsessing about her for the entire night.

  Emma stood and stretched, unaware that in her sleep the shirt she was wearing had become untucked from her trousers. Seb caught a glimpse of the creamy white flesh of her abdomen as she raised her arms above her head.

  ‘Shall I start on breakfast?’ Emma asked.

  Seb grunted, not trusting himself to speak. How could a sliver of skin be so enticing?

  Rousing himself, Seb waited for Emma to start rummaging through their supplies before he went in search of Akins. He’d just crouched down beside the boy and was about to speak when Akins pressed a finger to his lips.

  Seb scanned the horizon. The desert landscape was mainly flat, but a few hundred yards away there was a small bank. Just poking out at the top of the bank was a smudge of white looking out of place amongst the yellows and browns of the desert.

  They watched in silence for five minutes. There was no movement on the bank, just the white headdress, a subtle reminder that they were being watched.

  Seb motioned for Akins to follow him back to their camp. At the moment whoever was following them seemed content just to pursue them at a distance. No doubt they were waiting until they got closer to their target before making a move.

  ‘They moved into that position about an hour before dawn,’ Akins informed him.

  Seb supposed their pursuers hadn’t wanted to miss their departure.

  ‘And were they taking pains to conceal themselves?’

  Seb waited anxiously for Akins’ answer. If their pursuers were moving in the open it meant they didn’t mind Seb and his expedition knowing they were there. Somehow that made them seem more menacing.

  ‘They were. It was only a disturbance in the dust that made me realise they were on the move.’

  Seb motioned for the boy to go and have some breakfast and gently took Emma aside. He wasn’t about to scare her with talk about the fact they were being followed, bu
t he did need to get more information out of her.

  ‘I need to know where we’re going,’ Seb said.

  Emma grimaced and looked down at her boots uncomfortably.

  ‘You said when we had got started you’d give me more information. We’re two days into our trek now. I need to know what direction to take next.’

  Emma still didn’t say anything and Seb felt all the frustrations of the last couple of days bubble up inside him.

  ‘I’m not asking for anything extraordinary here, Emma. I’m your guide and I need to know where we’re headed so I can calculate the best route.’

  ‘I can tell you the general direction.’

  Seb felt a stab of irritation that even after the last couple of days she still didn’t trust him enough to share their destination.

  ‘Not good enough,’ Seb said. ‘Either you show me where we are going or I’ll turn back and take Akil, Akins and the horses with me.’

  Emma’s mouth opened in shock, then she smiled.

  ‘You wouldn’t abandon me in the middle of the desert,’ she said. ‘You’re too much of a gentleman for that.’

  Seb cursed under his breath. She was right—there was no way his conscience would allow him to leave her unaccompanied in the desert.

  ‘Well, I’ll throw you over the front of my horse and take you right back to Cairo, then.’

  He could see from the expression on her face that was a threat Emma could believe in.

  For a second he hoped she wouldn’t crack and tell him; he rather fancied a couple of days’ trekking with Emma nestled in between his thighs.

  Eventually Emma nodded but then held up a finger.

  ‘I’m not going to show you everything,’ she said.

  Anything was a start.

  ‘Wait there.’

  Seb watched as she walked a few paces away from him and rummaged about in the waistband of her trousers. He wondered where exactly she was keeping this map of hers.

  Impatiently he watched as she crouched down and spread out a small scroll on the ground, then strategically started covering some of it with various pebbles and items laying around their camp. After two minutes she seemed satisfied and motioned for Seb to come over.

  As he neared the scroll on the ground he felt his heart start to pound in his chest. Although she had covered up most of the lower half of the scroll, which dealt with their exact destination, Emma had left the top part bare. Nestled in one corner, just as he’d caught a glimpse of in his office a few days earlier, was the seal of Rameses II. Seb didn’t even have to feel the ancient papyrus to know this was the genuine article. He’d handled thousands of fakes in his time in Egypt, but this document had none of the telltale signs of a forgery.

  The markings on the scroll itself were faded, and it took Seb a minute or two to decipher the curved lines and accompanying hieroglyphics. After a few minutes’ perusal the picture became clearer. The scroll was a map, and surrounding the map was a detailed set of instructions on how to reach the final destination. He could now understand why Emma was so keen to go by land—the landmarks mentioned were all situated in the desert.

  The bottom third of the map was covered, but Seb could work out the general direction they needed to take.

  ‘Tonight when we stop I want you to copy out this section of the map,’ he said in a tone that brooked no argument. ‘Then I’ll be able to guide us more accurately to all the landmarks mentioned.’

  Emma nodded in agreement.

  Reluctantly Seb tore his eyes away from the scroll. In itself it was a work of art, an artefact any collector or museum would pay handsomely for. He longed to know their final destination, but knew Emma wasn’t ready to share that with him just yet.

  ‘We’ve got a long ride,’ Seb said, stepping away. ‘Especially if we want to reach the winged arch before nightfall.’

  The expression on Emma’s face was one of glee as she looked down and picked out one of the waypoints mentioned on the map. She lovingly traced her fingers over the ancient papyrus before rolling the scroll back up and tucking it into her trousers again.

  Seb boosted her onto her horse before lithely mounting his own. When he returned to Cairo it might be with the knowledge he would never see Emma again, but he had a feeling whatever they were searching for would act as some consolation for his loss.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Emma scanned the horizon for a distinguishing feature, something that would break up the monotonous landscape of the desert. They’d been riding for over a week and her anticipation of what was to come had reached almost breaking point. She badly wanted to reach their destination, but part of her also wanted the journey to never end. This was precious time, and once they had reached the tomb everything would change.

  Emma couldn’t deny she was enjoying spending time in Sebastian’s company. Even after the awkwardness of their kiss she wouldn’t have swapped her guide for anyone else. He made her laugh and kept her amused with his daring tales. And if she had to suppress the attraction she felt for him every time their eyes locked, surely that wasn’t too great a price to pay for good company?

  ‘Keep watching the horizon,’ Sebastian said. ‘Only a few minutes and Eagle rock should become visible.’

  Emma didn’t answer, instead resuming her scan of the desert landscape, eager to catch a glimpse of their next waypoint.

  After another ten minutes Emma thought she could see something in the distance. She looked across to Sebastian, who was also staring ahead, but with a frown on his face.

  He spoke rapidly in Arabic to Akil and Akins who urged their horses forward and started scanning the horizon.

  ‘What’s happening?’ Emma asked, concerned by the looks on Sebastian and the boys’ faces.

  He didn’t answer for a minute, concentrating on where the sky met the desert miles in front of them. After sixty seconds he nodded grimly.

  ‘Sandstorm. We need to get to cover.’

  Emma looked about her with concern. The desert landscape was flat and unforgiving, not providing them with much shelter at all.

  ‘Eagle rock,’ Sebastian said. ‘We need to get to Eagle rock.’

  Emma watched as Akil and Akins spurred their horses forward, taking off at a canter. The beasts tossed their manes but otherwise did not protest at being urged on in the afternoon heat.

  ‘We need to move, now.’

  Emma nodded and pushed her horse forward, murmuring encouragement as she picked up speed. They covered the distance in half the time at double the speed and soon Emma could see Eagle rock protruding from the flat desert floor. In the time they had been riding Emma had become aware of the rising wall of sand in the distance, moving closer every minute. It was massive, stretching from one edge of the horizon to the other and billowing into the sky, obscuring some of the late afternoon sun.

  ‘We should just about make it in time,’ Sebastian shouted as they cantered forward.

  Emma didn’t bother to reply, using all her energy to keep her seat on her horse whilst watching the sandstorm power its way towards them.

  After ten more minutes of riding they reached the base of Eagle rock. It was a square platform that rose from the desert floor to reach about thirty feet. At the very top there was a protrusion, carved by the wind and sand over thousands of years. Emma supposed if you squinted and used your imagination it did look a little like an eagle in flight.

  As soon as they reached the rock Sebastian dismounted and quickly lifted Emma down. Akil and Akins had already started to set up their makeshift camp to shelter them from the worst of the storm.

  Sebastian led their horses one by one so they were in the shelter of the rock. Calmly he coaxed them to lie down, tied them up and then tied strips of fabric across their eyes. The horses tossed their heads with fear at first but Sebastian manag
ed to soothe them with calming words and a few strokes.

  Emma looked about helplessly; she had no clue what to do. The storm was almost upon them—small particles of dust were already being whipped up into the air and the noise of the wind was almost deafening already.

  After dealing with the horses Sebastian grabbed a couple of the blankets and started to secure them to the rock face in whatever way he could. Emma ran to join him and held the blankets in place whilst he tied them to each other. Slightly farther along the rock, on the other side of the horses, Emma could see Akil and Akins were doing the same.

  When the blankets were secure Sebastian ushered Emma inside the makeshift tent. He followed her in a couple of minutes later holding the last of the blankets in one hand.

  ‘We need to protect our faces,’ Sebastian shouted over the noise of the sandstorm.

  Emma nodded but didn’t understand what to do.

  ‘We have to wrap our shirts around our faces. It is important to cover your mouth and nose so they don’t get clogged with sand.’

  Emma nodded again but still didn’t move.

  ‘You’re going to have to take your shirt off,’ Sebastian said, slipping his over his head and starting to wrap it round his face.

  Emma hesitated for only a second. Now wasn’t the time to feel shy; they were in real danger. She was scared and Sebastian knew what to do to protect her.

  Quickly she slipped the shirt over her head, her back to Sebastian. She felt around for the blanket he’d brought into their shelter and quickly wrapped herself in it. Then she turned around and started to try and copy what Sebastian had done with his shirt.

  After a few seconds Emma felt Sebastian’s fingers cover her own.

  ‘Let me,’ he said, taking the shirt from her and gently wrapping it over her mouth and nose.

  Emma shuddered in anticipation. Outside the wind was howling now and the sand was battering against the exposed side of the blankets. She knew if they were out in the open the sand would tear their skin off within minutes.