Chapter 7: A Wife

After the arrival of the new Emir, Ramzy El-Najjar expected that he would not be sufficiently senior to be allowed to petition the new Emir within the first few weeks of his reign. His post as Master of Quarry to the Emir was, like every other appointment, subject to renewal by the new Emir, and he might not even want to hunt at all, who knew? It was not that he wished to petition for anything in particular, but that it was the status-enhancing thing to do to have an audience, possibly even a private one, with the new Emir. Naturally everyone wanted one and the assistants and deputy assistants in the Palace were having a high old time extorting bribes even for the privilege of speaking to those higher in the chain of command who might be able to help to arrange such things.

It was with some surprise and considerable envy that he heard that his friend, and brother of his Head Wife, Ghada Baroud had been called to the Golden Palace, reportedly to meet privately with the Emir. Ramzy El-Najjar was entirely at a loss to know why his friend had been singled out for such an honour. Later that day he was utterly astonished to be called to the Golden Palace himself, though only to see Kamal Qumsiyeh, the Head of Protocol to the Emir. Still the Head of Protocol could, presumably, arrange an audience if 'persuaded' by a suitable inducement to do so.

Ramzy El-Najjar was finally convinced that he had lost all of his senses when he was told that the Emir wished to host his wedding in three days time. Now convinced that this was some mistaken identity, Ramzy El-Najjar explained that he was not planning to marry again in the near future, but was firmly told that the Emir had decreed that he would marry Selima, Ghada Baroud's daughter, who had been given to the old Emir as a present some months earlier. This was an enormous honour and Ramzy El-Najjar wondered whatever he would be expected to do to repay it.

Kamal Qumsiyeh explained that it was all dictated by protocol and that one concubine had to be married out of the harem on the accession of a new Emir by some ancient tradition. Neither the liar who had just invented it, nor the newly-appointed bridegroom believe a word of this tradition, but it was well understood that the Emir had done something which seemed reasonable to him and crazy to his subjects, so a tradition had been invented to explain it.

'Probably half the traditions in the world started like this, ' reflected Kamal Qumsiyeh as Ramzy El-Najjar accepted graciously.

'I wonder what she's like?' thought Ramzy El-Najjar, 'Cross-eyed and useless if he's giving her away.'

Then it occurred to him that Ghada Baroud would not have given such a one to the old Emir, so he might be getting a new woman that was worth having.