by Jackie Ivie
And just like that, it appeared. Maybe. Averill squinted. There was a long blue streak ahead but this time the image didn’t vanish. “Tenny?” she whispered. “Is that Bolvadin?”
“You ride poorly, Averill. I can’t get any rest if all you do is squirm and talk, talk, talk.”
“Tenny!”
She turned to argue and saw him smiling, creasing the dirt and makeup he wore. He looked disreputable and dead-tired. “I see water ahead, though.”
She turned back and he rested his head atop hers to contemplate the view.
“That’s Tuz, Averill. Little more than scrub grass and salt water. Look for trees. When you spot trees...”
He halted Sabin and the column came to a stop at Tenny’s upraised arm. He waited until Harvey turned back and joined them before leaning Averill forward in order to slide to the ground beside the horse.
“How much water do we have?” Tenny poured some into his hands and let the horse lap it up after he asked.
“We should make Bolvadin by nightfall,” Harvey replied, “if we don’t spend our horses unduly by carrying double.”
Tenny laughed and swiped an arm across his forehead. Then, he turned to Averill. “Are you rested enough to ride?” he asked.
She nodded. Even if she weren’t, and fell from her horse’s back, she would’ve done anything for him. Still, she couldn’t prevent a glance toward Harvey as she was lifted to her horse again. She knew he saw it, by his smile.
~ ~ ~
It was dark long before they reached their destination. Averill was exhausted. Her horse was exhausted. Her hands were numb and her back was a solid ball of ache. She’d ceased caring if she fell off. Not even the lights in the distance raised her head from her chest.
“Find water and feed for the horses, Harvey,” she heard Tenny say. “Set up camp in the usual spot, beside the lake. We’ll need the water. I’m in dire need of a bath.”
“A bath? I’d rather drink it than bathe in it,” one of them answered and she heard laughter at that.
“Come, Averill.”
Her head came up. What light there was came from an oil lamp’s glow shining between slats of wood from the building beside them. Tenny was in shadow, holding his arms out to her. Averill tipped sideways to fall into them.
“I shouldn’t have listened to him,” Tenny whispered. “I’ve missed you terribly. It’s been torture. I can’t begin to tell you.”
“I can.”
She clung to him as he walked toward a bench beside the stable wall. Averill would’ve sat beside him, but he perched her atop his lap. The torment started again as she felt his hardness beneath her.
“Tenny!”
“Torture. I already said as much. Don’t move an inch, not one. Oh…blast. Come. We’ll find the tents later.”
He stood and started walking, and didn’t stop until they’d reached the edge of a lake. It wasn’t possible to see size and depth, only a glassy surface littered with the reflection of stars. Averill caught her breath as Tenny slid her down his body, placing her feet into the water beside him.
“Go ahead, Averill, show me.”
“Show you...what?”
“How much you’ve missed me. Show me exactly how much.”
Averill’s tiredness melted as she stepped into the water, peeling her clothing off as she went. She’d worn the red dress and sari for three days of travel. She couldn’t wait to shed it. Night air caressed her nakedness as she pulled the final layer over her head and tossed it at the sandy edge. Then, she approached him.
“You need an assist?”
She reached him, watching her in the starlight. He didn’t move, so she pulled the ghotra from his head and tossed it atop her discarded clothing. Then, she opened the belt tying his burnoose and pushed the robe off his shoulders. Tenny still wasn’t helping, while the heap of clothing grew. Averill reached to undo his long shirt, fumbling with the buttons, then glanced up. The glitter of his eyes caught her just before he helped. A moment later the garment was unfastened and flung aside.
His trousers fell next, and he reached for her hand. Averill followed him blindly, stumbling into blackness that cooled fevered skin as it lapped against her thighs. Belly. Breasts. She ducked beneath it, surfacing to stand beside Tenny.
“I’ve got soap, somewhere. Here.”
He reached for her. Their bodies glided, lubricated by the suds he lathered over them. She rubbed her bosom against his chest, enjoying the difference, while her fingers entwined in his hair and moved to his shoulders.
“Je t’adore, Averill, my love.”
His words of adoration were whispered on the night mist. Averill’s heart pounded so hard, it hurt.
“Just as I love you, Andrew.”
He stiffened at her use of his Christian name. She nipped at her tongue.
“You know…I could get fond of hearing that name…if it comes from your lips.”
He sucked along her neck, and she gasped, alternately clinging to him and pulling away. It was torture and pleasure simultaneously. And then he lifted her into his arms. Warmth thrilled against the cool water drying on her skin. Her lips clung to his chin, and then his neck.
A coarse surface met her back as he set her down. She rolled onto her side, her knees skimming the blanket as she moved atop him. Her hands roved across his chest, fingertips grazing the skin, then he gripped her waist and lifted her. And pulled her down onto taut strength that scared. Averill tensed for pain, but there wasn’t any. There wasn’t anything save pleasure as her body embraced him, rocking instinctively with each thrust. Flicks of sensation titillated her, joining the beauty of the stars, the soft sigh of the night, the heat and power of Tenny. His movements. The slight grunts he gave.
The slip of sensation strengthened. Grew hot. Fierce. Magnetic. Powerful. And so close! Each thrust brought it nearer. Dearer. Harder. Averill’s entire body tensed, poised on a precipice of wonder, and then with a rush it came. She flung her arms skyward, her head back in order to inhale huge gulps of air. Ecstasy flooded her, turning the night into a rainbow of shattering crystal.
He chuckled, the resultant feeling bringing her head down. It wasn’t possibly to see him, but she sensed the smile.
“And now, darling…it’s my turn.”
He rolled while she kept her ankles locked, keeping them joined. And then she was meeting each thrust, every lunge…all of it lit majestically by the stars. He lowered his head, their lips fused, and her entire being erupted with fireworks. She barely heard his accompanying groan, the shudder of his body as he arched upward, his entire frame shuddering in place. It was wondrous to behold. She hadn’t known such heaven existed. Or that it could ever be hers.
~ ~ ~
“We’ll be in Istanbul by midday. I can feel it.”
Tenny rode alongside her. He glanced at her, gave a quick grin, and then returned to contemplating the sands about them. Averill didn’t answer. He didn’t seem to need one.
“I’ll probably have to report to duty as soon as we arrive.”
“What of your guns? Your mission? Your…,” she hesitated a moment before finishing, “…failure?”
He chuckled. “I didn’t fail, Averill. They got into the right hands at Selantepe.”
“Your friend, Salazar?”
“Salazar isn’t my friend.”
“But…you embraced him. You acted like long-lost friends. I don’t understand.”
“Salazar doesn’t have friends. You never know if he’ll shake your hand or slip a knife between your ribs. At best, we have a mutual distrust of each other. Unlike most, I have his respect. I earned that last year. Didn’t you see the scar on his throat?”
“No,” she answered.
“Trust me. It’s there. I told him next time it’ll be a lot deeper. I’m fairly certain he believes me.”
Averill looked over at him. His eyebrows were lifted. She considered him for long moments as their horse continued walking, and he just waited.
“
If…Salazar doesn’t guard the trade route, then who does?”
“The young men who moved, remember them?”
“Those boys? They didn’t look capable of guarding dinner. Surely, you’re not suggesting that they...no. I don’t believe it. Your commanding officer needs to know this.”
He put his head back and laughed. “The best disguise is the least probable, Averill. You restore my confidence completely.”
“They truly are the Turkish underground you spoke of?”
“And very capable. Trust me.”
“I do,” she answered.
“Good, because I have another friend with lodgings – don’t look at me like that. At least we’ll be alone.”
She glanced about her, looking at men who’d been with them for the past month and couldn’t prevent the answering smile.
“I thought you’d see it that way.”
He spurred his horse, and Averill watched him ride off.
~ ~ ~
There was no sign of humanity as they neared the city. She wasn’t the only one to notice. Tenny looked concerned as well, as they passed empty camp after empty camp. They came closer to the city, close enough to see spires of tall buildings. And that’s when the first hint of noise came. It grew louder as they neared the gates.
Swarms of people were converging on the gate. Those, who were afoot and straggling at the rear, moved to the side to allow Kareem’s band through. Her horse followed Tenny’s until they were stopped by a near-impenetrable throng.
“What’s happening, young man?”
The man shrank back in horror when he saw Harvey’s disguise. Averill was so used to seeing him that she forgot about the horrible sores. It was interesting to watch the man back away.
“You won’t answer an old man’s query?” Harvey kept his voice old and feeble.
“Get away, beggar!” The young man spat. Harvey barely ducked in time to avoid the projectile.
“Perhaps you’ll answer me, then.” Kareem swung down from his horse, his guttural Arabic tone almost as frightening as his size.
“The Egyptian army is invading. Where have you been, the desert?” The man laughed at his joke, but his companions backed away.
“The desert welcomes men like us, my young friend.” Kareem slapped the man’s back hard enough to send him sprawling. “Come. What’s all this about the Egyptian army? Let me assist you up.”
Averill almost missed the man’s whoosh of air as Kareem hauled the younger man to his feet, and then just stood there, waiting. As they all seemed to. And then the smaller man started talking.
“I do not lie! The army approaches to attack Istanbul. We’ve heard it’s over ten thousand strong.”
“Why the exodus, then? Surely it’s safer in the villages.”
“The British Navy anchors offshore. We’ve been invaded, and no one is safe. The walls of the city will hold. Don’t look at me like that. I don’t lie! I only repeat what I’ve been told.”
Kareem’s men dismounted to surround him. Averill watched as they conferred in a small circle. They spoke too softly to overhear. And then Tenny mounted his horse and turned it back toward her, making the crowd shift as it made room.
“We’ve decided to seek shelter outside the gates. Move! You!”
Averill bit her tongue. He would answer her questions in time. She held to the pommel as her horse followed. There were many new businesses in narrow, crooked streets. Tenny worked his horse back through the crowds, stopping finally at a plank affair calling itself an inn. Averill read the hand-lettered sign. It didn’t look strong enough to withstand a sandstorm, let alone an army. But Tenny knew what he was doing.
She hoped.
“Well. We’re here, Averill,” Tenny said as he dismounted. “I look forward to a bath and a rest.”
He lifted her down. Averill longed to cling but didn’t. She followed the correct three paces behind him with her head bent and eyes lowered as he arranged and paid for lodging not only for them, but for his mounts as well. She was surprised that none of his men followed.
Tenny sighed dispiritedly when he saw their room. Averill almost copied him. The plank walls let light and dust through, and the mattress sagged nearly to the floor.
“Well. Perhaps the bath facility will be more inviting,” he said. “I’ll fetch a bedroll while you wash.”
He pointed to a curtain. Averill opened it and grimaced. The washtub held water covered with green scum. She wrinkled her nose in distaste and turned back. She unwound her cloak and laid it across the bed.
“Well?”
She let him check it himself. She spread their bedroll on the floor while Tenny muttered curses against the innkeeper, the sultan of Turkey, Mohammad Ali, and then he added mankind.
She had the bed ready before he finished.
“I’ve sent men into the city, Averill. Individually, they’ll have an easier time. In the meantime, if we shut our eyes, maybe this won’t seem so bad.”
She smiled before dropping onto their pallet. As long as Tenny was with her, nothing else mattered. She listened to him shrug out of his burnoose, before he snuggled against her. It was the sound of his even breathing that finally lulled her to sleep.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Averill kept close to Tenny as they slid through pitch-black streets. They followed Harvey. All around them, people huddled. Some in tents, some atop sleeping mats or gathered around fires. Many had nothing. She felt wealthy in comparison, knowing she had a house ahead. It was so dark, though. More than once, she reached for Tenny’s arm as she stumbled.
When Tenny stopped suddenly, Averill ran into his back. Her nose smarted while his arm held her.
“Here.”
Harvey gestured them into an opening, darker than the street. Averill pressed closer to Tenny’s back, yet still tripped on the first step. The door closed behind them making it even blacker. Then lamplight turned the space into a shadowy cave. Averill loosened her hold on his hand as she picked out covered lumps that were furniture, a tiled floor, and a grand staircase they climbed. Until finally at the end of a hall, they entered a room.
“You’re safe now, little one,” Tenny said in a teasing tone. “There’s nothing to be so frightened of, is there?”
“I...wasn’t frightened.”
She was embarrassed, because Harvey was still with them. The lamp highlighted his expression. It wasn’t gentle.
“No?”
Averill shook her head and averted her eyes. Harvey cleared his throat.
“I’ll just go and fetch your uniform, Captain.” Harvey walked around them and they both heard the door closing behind him.
“Your…uniform?” Averill whispered.
“I have orders, Averill. Harvey learned them as we slept. I’m to be on deck by midnight. You’ll be safe here. I promise.”
So soon? She clasped her hands and fought the reaction.
“So. Come on. Let’s explore. If I’m not mistaken…there are bathing facilities here. Yes. Here, they are.” He’d crossed the room, carrying the lamp, then returned. “Come along, darling. I’ll show you how to say good luck to your sweetheart before you send him into battle.”
He unfastened his ghotra and burnoose. Averill watched him with eyes that burned with unshed tears.
“Don’t look at me like that. It’s not the end of the world. I’ll return for you. I promise.” He walked to her and held her, while all she could do was tremble. “I love you. Do you believe me?”
She nodded, sliding her cheek against his cloak.
“And, do you still love me?”
“How could I help it, Cap...tain?”
“Oh, darling...”
His hands moved, pulled the cloak from her with fingers that trembled. She sniffed back any urge to cry. Tenny would return for her. She had his promise.
The bathing facilities weren’t much. They consisted of a pump and small bucket. Averill watched as Tenny rinsed his hair and then ducked his face into the bucket. He gave over
the pump to her as he lathered his face to shave. She got soap in her eyes twice as she watched him. She was still contemplating him when she’d finished, and dried her hair on his discarded towel.
“You find shaving amusing?” he asked.
“Just…odd.”
“It’s something you’ll have to get used to. I don’t believe full beards are the style. I’ll have to shave. And that’s before I gain the title.”
“You—you’ll still...take me?”
“Oh, Averill, my worried, little Egyptian. You really need to learn to trust. I love you. I need you. You listening yet? You’ll be with me until my dying day. I swear to it.”
The remains of his soap ended up on her face as she flung herself at him.
It was his hands lifting her dress overhead, stopping her fingers from undoing his buttons. He was beautiful. She sponged him as he did her, water droplets flicking about the room, making a fine mess of the floor. The cool tiles, slick with water, soothed heated skin, feeling erotic. She kissed his ear, chin and mouth.
“I love you,” Averill told him, time and again. “I love you.”
He filled her body with delight, her entire sphere with wonder. Averill’s cries blended with his deep grunts of pleasure. How she loved him. It was that simple.
~ ~ ~
When Harvey knocked just before midnight, Averill quickly ducked under the covers at Tenny’s side, hoping she’d be invisible.
“Well. Well. I see you’re once again a reputable valet, Harvey. I hope we can reach the ship without being accosted.”
“Your regiment stands outside.”
“I’ll be down promptly then. You may go.”
“Very good, my lord.” She heard the door shut.
“You can come out now, Averill. He’s gone.”
Tenny lifted the covers and grinned down at her. And then he planted a kiss atop her nose.
“And I have to leave.”
His voice accompanied his movements as he rose. Dressed. Combed his hair. She watched every move.
“I’m leaving you some coin, Averill—not that I want you out in the streets, but I don’t know how much food is in the house. You might need it.”
He was right, but she shivered at the thought of buying food and drink alone in a strange city. How had that happened? Averill had a strong sense of self-preservation. She’d run from Father Sanders. She’d found work. She’d lived on the streets of Cairo and survived. Why was it so different now? Because she was in love? Did it truly make everything so much different?
