Part 6:

Sherrie looked up at Shane and realized that she would quite enjoy his company in any setting, be it as a visitor to her uncle's home, at a ball in London, or even here… in this heathenish place.
"Are you per chance engineering my departure from this place?"
"Yes. But first, I must help the sheik with a problem that has been plaguing him for quite a while."
"What?"
"There have been deaths in the harem."
"The murders in the harem? Yes, I have heard about them. The women are frightened, worried."
"What else do they say?" Shane asked.
"They all have theories on who the murderer is."
"Shane," Rock said, sitting down next to his friend, pulling the woman he was to marry into his lap, "must we ruin our meal with such dreary conversation?"
"I apologize my friend."
"But why can't we discuss it?" Sherrie pressed on. She looked from Shane to Kat, and finally to Rock, shuddering as she remembered his violence of the previous evening. Rock's face fell and he looked to Tigress… for some sort of inspiration to gain some form of trust from Sherrie. "I am sorry," Sherrie said quickly, lowering her eyes in deference to Rock, "I am speaking out of turn."
"No, you are not," Tigress said. "It is true my love. Most of the women in the harem go to bed frightened they will not see the light of day."
"I refuse to burden you with the mystery of these deaths," Rock maintained heatedly.
"Isn't that just like a man?" Sherrie exploded, her hot temper showing, melting away her fear of the sheik. "Don't you know that we can help you? Bring you information you cannot get for yourself?"
"And what information would that be?" Rock asked, his eyes darkening at the girl's impudence.
"We can tell you exactly what goes on in the harem. Think about it, it is quite probable that some of the harem's women knew about Eriandra and her eunuch."
Rock stood straight up, all the while keeping a firm hand on Tigress, and looked down at Sherrie who was starting to feel her courage ebb away.
"How dare you speak to me of such things?" he shouted down at her.
"Rock," said Shane, "she might be right. These women are together all day long. They must have access to information that we cannot get to."
"For example," Sherrie asked, "do you know how much your mother hates Kat?"
"Sherrie!" Kat hissed. "How dare you malign the sheik's mother?"
"Because it's true and if he intends to marry you, he should know how his mother feels about you."
"Kat," Rock asked, "is this true?"
"Your mother is a lady of European descent, I am nothing more than the daughter of a rich farmer. We have very little in common."
"But she does not hate you, does she?"
"She is not fond of me. Oh my love, it does not matter. As long as you and I are together and happy."
"It is more than that. She acts as if Kat does not exist. Today she came into my quarters and while Kat was comforting me, she accused her of corrupting me."
"Corrupting you? How?" Shane asked, his eyes rounding as the realization came to him.
"She would not dare!" Rock shouted. "I believe not a word you have said about my mother. She loves me and she will do anything to ensure my happiness! Now, leave me. I must think."
Sherrie and Kat followed Shane out of the small garden and as soon as they were out of Rock's hearing, the sheik's soon-to-be wife turned to her friend.
"I am very angry with you right now Sherrie. I know how the sheik's mother feels about me and I would have dealt with her in my own way. Your intervention was completely unnecessary."
"But Kat…"
But the Tigress was already stalking off angrily. Sherrie stood by silently and Shane lightly touched her shoulder.
"I understand both of you in this situation," he said softly, "you think the lady Safia will oppose her son's marriage to the Tigress."
"I know she will, my lord…"
"Please call me Shane. In this context, for you to call me my lord borders on the ridiculous."
"Indeed it does… Shane. However, the truth does stand. When the sheik's mother came to my quarters today and saw Kat there… she was angry and spiteful. And the look on her face when the guard informed her that it was my company and Kat's that the sheik had asked for… Shane… she seemed so angry… almost as angry as the sheik was at me last night."
Shane thought back to the previous night and remembered the murderous look he'd seen on Rock's face as he'd assaulted Sherrie. He reconciled that image with the face of lady Safia and found himself confused.
"It is impossible. The lady Safia is a Venetian noblewoman. She is above such base feelings."
"Believe what you will my lord," Sherrie whispered, as she walked away from him. But I will find the truth, she thought to herself, and I will find my own way out of this prison.

When the serving girl came to retrieve Sherrie's empty tray from her midday meal, she was so overwhelmed by the young Englishwoman's flurry of words that she did not notice that the knife was not on the tray with the other utensils. Once she was alone, the young woman ran to the small window in her bedroom and put the knife to work on the bars. She worked tirelessly, ignoring the pain radiating from her hands and arms, until two of the bars could be removed. She smiled and replaced them in such a fashion that none other would be able to see the bars were nothing more than a nudge away from falling to the ground.
Sherrie then made her way to the large pool around which most of the harem girls sat, talking and laughing. It was a day like any other for most of them, except the main topic of conversation was the sheik's repudiation of Eriandra. Rumors as to who would then become the sheik's wife were rampant.
When Sherrie appeared, there was a lull in the conversation as all heads turned to her. Blocking their speculative gazes from her mind, the young women shed her robe and sank into the pool, completely naked. As the warm water swirled all around her body, she found herself understanding why these women swam naked. It was possibly the best feeling in the world. But how it affected her, that still confused her.
"Sensuality," a young woman said, swimming over to her.
"Excuse me?"
"The feeling of the water around your body. It is sensuality."
"Why tell me this?"
"Because you were looking for that word. I remember how it felt the first time I first swam in here… I was confused about the way it felt. The warmth, the other bodies… it creates a very erotic atmosphere."
"Erotic?"
"Dear God girl, you are so ignorant."
"I am not ignorant," Sherrie said heatedly.
"Oh yes you are. Especially in matters of the body. You probably don't realize how beautiful you are, right?"
"I know I am not unpretty."
"Unpretty? Only the English would come up with such a useless term. You are not unpretty girl. You are beautiful, do you understand that?"
"I am?"
"Yes. And I feel sad for the men who've only seen you from the neck up. They will never know how truly beautiful you are."
Sherrie suddenly became aware of the way the girl was staring at her breasts and at how close she was to her.
"Leave her be, Rubina," Kat's voice said from behind Sherrie. "She will not be a part to your games."
"My games? As if you don't want to play those very games with her."
"As a matter of fact, I don't. She is a friend, nothing more."
"But what kind of friend? After all, now that Eriandra is no longer with us, one of you will become the sheik's new wife. More likely it'll be the new girl, she fits lady Safia's requirements."
"I will not marry the sheik," Sherrie said calmly eyeing Rubina.
"So you think. I mean, Kat might only be befriending you to make sure you will never turn on her."
"Rubina," said Kat, coming into the pool, "we have had enough of your venomous words. Sheridan is my friend but she will not stay here forever, do you understand that?"
"You seem awfully sure of that Tigress," said the lady Safia, appearing out of nowhere, her body covered from head to toe. Her eyes immediately traveled to Sherrie and her eyes widened at the young Englishwoman's nudity.
"Sheridan? Where are your clothes! Kat, are you to blame for this?"
"I was merely taking a bath my lady. Since there is no tub in my room, I suppose this is the next best thing."
"I will lend you my own tub so you can bathe privately. There is no need for you to associate with these trollops in this fashion."
"I give you thanks my lady," Sherrie said softly, coming out of the pool and wrapping her body in her robe.
"Sherrie?" Kat looked up at her in askance.
"I am sorry," Sherrie said haughtily, "but I am a noblewoman and you are not. Our association was a mistake."
Kat staggered back as if she'd been shot and watched her friend walk away with Safia. She swallowed quickly and found Rubina staring at her strangely. "What do you want?" she asked aggressively, baring her teeth and emitting a low growl.
"Me?" Rubina asked, "nothing… I don't want anything."
"Good. Now leave me be!"
Rubina quickly retreated to a more populated area of the pool and left Kat alone to ponder on Sherrie's change in attitude.

Sherrie sank in the small copper tub the eunuch had brought into her quarters and had difficulty stopping herself from sighing in frustration. After being used to the large pool, bathing in a small tub was somewhat restrictive. But it had created a very important bond between her and lady Safia and hers was a friendship she wanted to cultivate. The lady in question came into Sherrie's quarters just them, carrying a small basket in her hands.
"I brought you scented soaps. I was told you were fond of roses and lavender. Such wonderful, typically English odors."
"Indeed. Thank you my lady."
Rock's mother set the basket on a stool next to the tub and sat down on Sherrie's bed. "I do hope my son makes the right decision and opts to marry you," she sighed.
"Why is it so important for him to marry me?"
"Oh dear girl… I fear you would not understand."
"You forget," Sherrie said softly, "I was raised at my uncle's knee. I happen to know quite a lot about intrigues and what not… tell me… please?"
Safia looked down at Sherrie and nodded, drawing her chair closer to the tub.
"I have lived in this land for too long, don't you understand? I want to leave it… and if I cannot do that much, I want to destroy it… destroy their proud heritage."
"But your son…"
"He will be fine. But if I find a woman who will finish the Europeanization of this land, I will be satisfied."
"But why? It's a lovely country."
"It's a heathen's land, you young misguided fool. There is nothing here for us to do but to make it a better place."
"At the price of your son's happiness?"
"Before being a mother and a wife, I was of Venice, the center of civilization as we all know it. How could I be expected to forget that wonderful city and live here? Here in this den of inequity? Where a woman is nothing more that a currency? We're treated no better than animals. Locked here, in this elegant stable… we are nothing more than mares to the service of the great stud that is my son and that was my husband."
Sherrie didn't quite know how to react at the lady's incredibly descriptive answer… how could she? She looked down at the water, trying to make sense of the information the lady had just given her.
"I must leave you now," lady Safia said, laying a careful hand on Sherrie's bare shoulder, "I must speak to my son. When you are done using the tub, you can have the guards return it to my quarters."
"Thank you."
The second she was alone, Sherrie wrapped her body up in a soft towel and padded over to a chest of clothes her kidnappers had brought along with her from her Venetian school. She dug into the large heavy dresses she hadn't worn since coming here and at the bottom of the chest, she found what she was looking for. The pair of dark breeches and the matching shirt she always wore to practice her swordsmanship with her uncle. Holding the clothes close to her chest, Sherrie tucked them under her mattress and waited for the moment to make her move.

Rock cleared his throne room of his ministers and nodded to his guards to leave him. He wanted to insure that his conversation with his mother would be overheard by none. He watched her come in and found himself holding his breath. Ever since her husband had died, she had forgone using a veil to mask her features and Rock always found himself awestruck at her beauty. He knew why his father had stolen her away. His father's love of beauty had been uncontrollable and his mother must have been an irresistible boon.
"Mother," he said, getting up to greet her, "how does the day find you?"
"I would like to tell you that the day finds me well my son, which it does, where my body is concerned, but my mind is confused."
"Confused? By what?"
"Your repudiation of Eriandra for one."
"That decision is of no concern of yours. Nor is she any concern of mine. She bore me no children and cuckolded me. I have no need for such a wife."
"But my darling, you could have molded her into perfection."
"No! She has gone and she does not deserve the honor of us speaking her name."
"I see," Safia replied softly, bowing her head in a mockery of submission.
"How else might I ease your mind mother of mine?"
"Well, do you intend to marry?"
"Yes, I do. I informed my future bride of my intentions this morning."
"Good. I trust whatever decision you make my son and I must admit to being specially pleased with your new choice for a bride. I had suspected your intentions and I find my heart brimming with happiness now that you've confirmed my hopes about your betrothed."
"And I am happy to please you mother."
Safia bestowed on her son a smile that would have warmed many hearts, be they male or female. Rock found himself damning Sherrie over and over in his mind for trying to make him believe the one who gave him life capable of such perfidy.

Rock sat in his throne room, mindlessly listening to his advisors until he couldn't stand it anymore. He ordered them out and once they were gone, he used a secret passageway his father had built to visit his favorite concubine to make his way to Kat's quarters. He found her lying on her bed, her body curled around a colorful pillow. Her eyes were rimmed with tears.
"What has happened?" Kat jerked up in bed, surprised to see Rock appear out of nowhere.
She smiled at him awkwardly and her smile promptly fell.
"Who has upset you?" he pressed on, holding his arms out to her.
"No," she whispered, "this is wrong. I should be the balm to your soul, not you to mine. You are the sheik, I am nothing more than a well-liked concubine."
"A future wife," he corrected, pulling her into his embrace. "Now, tell me."
Kat quickly explained Sherrie's actions of earlier, alarmed when she saw the frown that marred his beautiful face.
"I should have beaten that girl when I had the chance."
"No… even as she told me that we shouldn't be friends, I saw something in there… something I recognized… oh my love…" Tears sprung from her eyes and Rock hugged her that much tighter until she looked up at him, smiling. "You can't smother me to death…"
"I just want to protect you from all harm my Tigress."
"I have to learn how to protect myself as well. And I think Sherrie is the last person I have to worry about."
"But…"
"Rock, there was something in the way she looked at me… something in her eyes… she seemed sad… sorry even."
"Sorry about what?"
"I don't know Rock… but I'm afraid…"
"Afraid of what?"
"Of the trouble she might get herself into."

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