Free The Cobra & the Concubine (Khamsin Warriors of the Wind) by Bonnie Vanak Page A

the artifacts stored in the tomb of Ramses’s ancestor?"
    At his abrupt nod, she continued. "Lord Smithfield is helping us sell some pieces. With the money, Jabari will send a few children to school in England. They need further education." She smiled. "How is your grandfather faring?"
    His throat went tight. "My grandfather ... died two months ago. A sudden illness. I am Duke of Caldwell now." He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them. "But I am fortunate we were able to have some time together before he passed on."
    Sympathy filled her lovely face. "Oh, Kenneth, I am so sorry. Why did you not write and tell us?"
    Tell them? He had left the tribe behind. They knew nothing of his personal life. He had longed to share with them the deep sorrow he felt after regaining old ground with his grandfather, then losing him. He had felt so damnably alone.
    But he could not tell them.
    Abruptly, he changed topics. "I understand you visited my excavation at Dashur. Did you see anything you liked?"
    Two bright spots of scarlet colored her cheeks. "It—it was very educational. How did you know we were there?"
    "I know everything about that dig." He studied her face, her beautiful large eyes. Lost in staring, Kenneth felt the familiar desire rise. He fought it. "How is Elizabeth? Did she enjoy seeing the pyramid?"
    "Very much so. She and Jabari both. It was a welcome break for them. Tarik is approaching two and is very"—a sparkle lit her eyes—"very much a boy."
    A rush of homesickness for the desert sands he’d once called home engulfed him. Kenneth studied Badra. She wore a soft gray gown with sleeves edged with ecru lace. A warm felt hat covered her silken midnight hair bundled into a tight chignon. Of all the English women he’d met, and those he’d bedded in frantic attempts to forget Badra, none could match this exotic beauty.
    He willed his emotions away. Never show them to the enemy, Jabari had advised. You will be slaughtered without mercy. God, the sheikh was right—only he’d never warned that the enemy could be a beautiful woman.
    "Give her my regards," he told Badra crisply.
    Then, with those dismissive words, he crossed to the shop’s assistant. The clerk gave him a friendly smile. Kenneth braced his hands on the counter and offered a penetrating look. "Any new pieces come in? I’m particularly interested in gold Egyptian pectorals. A design with two griffins and the vulture goddess."
     

 

Chapter Four

     
    Oh help me, God , Badra thought frantically. Her heart thudded against her chest. Her eyes sought the clerk’s, who swung his even gaze back to Kenneth.
    "No, Your Grace. I don’t have such an item."
    Relief made her shoulders slump as he discreetly closed the drawer containing the stolen necklace.
    Kenneth drummed his fingers on the counter, peering down at the display case. Badra studied him, this man who once swore an oath to protect her with his life. Now he was a stranger. She might never have recognized him but for those intense blue eyes. A sweep of thick, dark brown hair brushed against the collar of his coat. Cheeks that had been covered in a close-trimmed beard were now clean-shaven. He had a square chin. The beard had hidden this feature. The smooth-shaven look accented full, sensual lips and a thin nose. If Khepri had been merely handsome, this stranger was striking in both his arresting appearance and crisply polished manner. His wool greatcoat hung in clean lines to his thighs. She glanced at his feet—no soft leather boots of blue, but highly polished black shoes.
    Once, those blue eyes had held only friendliness. Now they appeared colder than the air outside. Looking a true English duke, Kenneth’s broad shoulders bore a regal posture as he laced gloved hands behind his back.
    He had always been alert and sharp, watchful of her every move, and she feared one look at her ragged breathing and he’d ask questions, demand answers. But he merely studied the artifacts, asking about their