Page 93 of Silver Angel

There were those two words again that Chantelle despised.No choice. She had been told the same thing. She could understand Mara’s dilemma. And yet—when it came right down to it, Chantelle had not been forced. They were only hollow threats used to make women give in gracefully. Why should it be any different in Mara’s case? Jamil was not the cruel tyrant she had first thought him to be.

“You should have tried stopping it instead of letting your resentment build to this level. Jamil is basically a very gentle man. How often did he make use of you before you plotted to kill him?”

“One time was too many!”

“But you only increased your own suffering by sending assassins after him. Or didn’t you consider that that would happen?”

“It was worth it to have him dead.”

“That is so stupid!” Chantelle said angrily. “If Jamil dies, we will all of us become the property of the new Dey, to be disposed of or not. That will be Selim, and from what I have heard, they don’t come more brutal or merciless than he. You think he won’t learn of your weakness and take pleasure in using you the same way? Some men enjoy inflicting pain, and he appears to be one of them.”

Mara laughed. “I am notthatstupid, Englishwoman. Selim can no longer practice his viciousness on anyone. He has been dead all these months, murdered and disposed of by one of his own slaves while he was in Istanbul.”

Chantelle gasped at this startling disclosure. “How do you know that?”

“The guilty slave was foolish enough to return here, and stupid enough to get drunk and brag about what he had done to an old friend. The old friend happened to be Ali, who had sense enough to get rid of the man so the information would not go any further.”

“Yet he told you, didn’t he?”

“Of course. He knew how much I hated Jamil. He saw this as the perfect opportunity to get rid of him, knowing that Selim would be the natural one to suspect. And dead men cannot defend themselves.”

“But why would this Ali involve himself in your problems? He’s a eunuch, isn’t he, and not even yours to command?”

“So? Just because he was given to Noura does not mean he has to love her. He loves me,” Mara said smugly. “He would do anything I asked of him.”

“Love? He cannot—”

“Cannot?” Mara cut in. “That shows how naive you are. Castration does not cut out the heart, nor does impotence always put an end to longing. Ali can love just as fiercely as a whole man. He just can’t do anything about it.”

“You say that as if you don’t care.”

“I don’t. I might not feel threatened by his love, but he is still a man, worthy only of my contempt. My loathing for all men allows no exceptions.”

“Too bad he didn’t realize that before he let you embroil him in treason,” Chantelle replied. “But his being duped by you won’t save him.”

“He isn’t in danger of discovery any more than I am. You don’t really think I will let you leave here after telling you all this, do you?”

That Mara was blocking the doorway wasn’t too alarming. That she made the threat so confidently was.

“You cannot stop me, Mara. I have bodyguards just outside.”

Mara smiled as she pulled a short dagger out of her caftan. “There was no one outside this room, or I would have been alerted to your presence here. Your guards must not be very diligent today.”

“You’re lying!” Chantelle cried as Mara kicked the door shut behind her.

There was an unconcerned shrug. “Go ahead and scream if you doubt me. Your guards won’t come, nor will anyone else.” Mara gave a short, ironic laugh. “I could not have picked a better place for this little discussion if I had planned it. Did you never wonder why this room is so far away from all the others? It’s because the women make so much noise when they gather to play in the water. A scream or two coming from here is not a matter for concern—it is normal.”

“And I suppose you think I am just going to stand here and let you stab me with that thing?”

Chantelle said this as Mara started to approach her. She backed away. There was a good fifteen feet between them, and if she could just get around to the other side of the pool, she could use it as a barrier. If Mara tried following her around it, then Chantelle would have a clear path to the door. But she couldn’t take her eyes off that dagger long enough to turn around and run.

She had never been in a situation like this before. It wasn’t quite like the night she had looked over Jamil’s shoulder to see a dagger about to descend on them both. She hadn’t been alone then. She was completely alone now and had no skills to draw on to use against this threat. That the threat came from another woman wasn’t exactly reassuring. Mara might not be as tall as she was, but the woman was much heftier, stronger, and her life was in the balance. If she couldn’t kill Chantelle, she knew she would have to face Jamil’s justice, so Mara had to be extremely desperate, which would give her added strength. That she was so calm about it was what was so frightening.

Chantelle wiped her sweaty palms on her hips. Mara had already closed the distance to only ten feet. “You—” She paused to clear the squeakiness from her throat and swallow. “You don’t have to do this, you know. You could escape. Ali could help you, couldn’t he?”

“After you give the alarm? Hah!”

“I am only looking at all the options you have!” Chantelle snapped.