Page 81 of Silver Angel

But then the rope was found, dangling next to the garden doors, explaining at least how the assassin had gotten this far into the palace, but not how the two Nubians could have missed seeing him shimmying down from the high roof.

“It is my own fault.” The Dey exonerated them to an older man who had come in after the guards and seemed more upset by the incident than anyone else. “I warned them to stay away from the doors and simply patrol the garden walls.”

“You deliberately left yourself vulnerable?” the old man asked incredulously.

Jamil said something that Chantelle didn’t hear, but she blushed furiously when the old man looked at her with disgust afterward. Whoever he was, he blamed her, and no doubt everyone else would, too.

Some physicians came to fuss over the Dey’s wound. The dead man was also examined. A heavy bag of coins was found in a pocket, but nothing else.

Chantelle stopped watching the proceedings. Her anger had turned to guilt, and the full realization of what had happened hit her hard. Jamil could have died. My God,shehad nearly killed him.

She glanced up to see one of the doctors dabbing something on the Dey’s ear and she paled, her stomach turning over. What if he thought she had done it intentionally, that she had taken advantage of the moment to free herself of him? Hadn’t she just told him tonight that she hated him? She had no reason to help him, none that she could think of, none that he would think of, certainly nothing that made sense.

The body was carted from the room, the blood wiped up from the floor, and those pillows that had been stained by it exchanged for new ones. Chantelle moved over when the pillow she was sitting on was taken away, but she didn’t get up, even when the room began to empty. She was recalling her angry remark to Kadar that she was going to get her head chopped off tonight, and experiencing the full dread of its being a distinct possibility now.

Finally only Jamil and the two Nubians remained in the room. The Dey drained a glass ofkanyak, which he had requested, then abruptly dismissed the two black men back to the garden. They nearly balked at this; in fact, they did seem to argue with him. Chantelle couldn’t understand one bit of the sign language they used, but she did understand that they didn’t want to leave Jamil alone again. But of course the Dey was finally obeyed and left alone—with her.

“Why did you send them away?” she asked as he approached her. “Or do you mean to kill me yourself?”

He dropped to his knees in front of her, his eyes narrowing. “What silliness is—”

Chantelle didn’t give him a chance to finish. In a panic, she threw herself at his chest, nearly knocking him over, and clinging tightly when he righted himself.

“I’m sorry!” she wailed against his throat. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, I swear I didn’t. I was aiming for his back, but I tripped and—”

“I know.”

“His back wasn’t there any—” She pulled away to look up at him. “What do you mean, you know?”

He laughed at the umbrage that had slipped into her tone. “What happened to ‘I’m sorry’?”

“Then you don’t think I was trying to kill you?”

“Were you?”

“Of course not!”

“Then give me credit for knowing the difference between help and hindrance, and timely help at that.”

“Timely?”

“My arms were nearly ready to give out from trying to hold him back when your fall unbalanced him enough so that I could get him off me. You probably saved my life.”

“I did?” she said in awe, but after a long moment of thought, she added, “Then you owe me a great boon, don’t you?”

“If you are thinking of asking for your freedom, little moon, do not. I want you too much to let you go, even in gratitude for my life.”

If he had said anything else, his earlier declarations would have rung false. As it was, that answer didn’t disappoint her as it should have.

“Could I ask for something else?”

“What?”

“Constancy?”

“You wouldn’t rather be showered in riches?” At the shy but negative shake of her head, he gathered her close. “You will wish you had chosen the riches when you beg for mercy and find none.”

Chapter Thirty-eight