Chapter 15: Weakening

Kaitlin was invited through to dine with the Emir that evening, a procedure of which the Chief Eunuch clearly disapproved. In his eyes women were told what to do and where to go, not invited. The conversation centred mostly around the Emir's memories of Dublin and Kaitlin's singing career there. After dinner they were sitting in comfort on the sofa when the Emir leaned forward and kissed her on the end of the nose. One thing led to another and soon Kaitlin found herself on her back in his bed noisily enjoying a thorough fucking.

Turning her over, the Emir tried to use the darker passage, but she squirmed away and he contented himself with the more conventional route, reaching beneath her to tweak her clitoris into an orgasmic frenzy. Afterwards she wandered back into the harem to sleep, since her private system of casuistry made sex a venial error, but forbade actually sleeping in a man's bed unless you were married to him. Unbeknownst to her the Chief Eunuch sent another girl through to amuse the Emir, who thrashed her unmercifully because he knew he had lost Kaitlin.

Another evening and another dinner ended in Kaitlin on all fours on his bed allowing him the use of her arse, and rationalising that decision as being 'safer at this part of the month' though she had to admit that she rather enjoyed it in spite of her misgivings. Afterwards she lay in bed and wondered whether she should stay for a while and try to persuade him to get rid of most of the whatevers and to marry her. All temptation to stay and all her doubts about her decision to leave were dispelled the next morning when she saw one of the serving girls stumble and bump into a eunuch. He immediately grabbed her by one arm and swung his whip across her legs.

"Stop that," she shouted, rushing over and grabbing his arm.

He turned towards her looking daggers, but then realising which of the women had thus accosted him, he cowered away from her and let the serving girl go. The servant stood there trembling until Kaitlin shooed her away. The Chief Eunuch, hearing the shout from Kaitlin, rushed over and tried to smooth things down.

A quick conversation with the eunuch in Arabic and the Chief Eunuch turned to Kaitlin and asked in an oily voice, "What is the problem, Highness?"

"He was beating that girl with a whip."

"Yes, indeed, Highness. She had erred and was being punished. Although you stopped it then, she will still be punished unless His Magnificence, the Emir Mahmoud Abdullah, my Master, may he live for ever, decrees otherwise. Do you wish me to ask him about it?"

"Yes, and I'll come with you," she snapped, "I want him told the truth."

The Chief Eunuch looked offended, "Highness, I always tell him the truth. If I did not do so he would have me whipped, or perhaps do it personally."

As luck would have it the Emir walked in to the harem at that moment and Kaitlin rushed over to him.

"David, stop them. They were whipping a girl just for stumbling."

~What happened?~ he asked the Chief Eunuch, "In English please."

"A serving girl bumped into one of my eunuchs so he gave her a slash with his whip. Then her Highness intervened."

Turning to Kaitlin the Emir said, "I don't understand what the fuss is about. It was all the girl's fault and she can expect to be punished for it."

"But I saw it. She stumbled and it was an accident that she bumped into the eunuch."

"Then she should have been more careful. A taste of the whip will improve her concentration no end."

He waved the Chief Eunuch away and asked, "Have you decided how long you want to stay?"

"I want to go home as soon as possible," she shook with anger, "I'll not stay here and watch people beaten for nothing."

The Emir shrugged his shoulders, finally admitting to himself that it would not work, and said "The car will be here whenever you are ready to go. You can be in Dublin in about eight hours from now, at about mid-afternoon Irish time."

He turned and left the harem without a backward glance.

Kaitlin had no idea what an honour it was for the Emir to accompany her to the airport, nor how much he wanted her to stay.

"You really are determined to go?" he asked her when they were at the door of the aircraft.

"Oh, yes. I was tempted when we ... you know, but seeing that poor girl being whipped, and all those ... whatevers, no. I couldn't stay, not even if you married me properly before the Pope in Rome."

"Well take this, as a souvenir of your visit to my home," he said, pinning a brooch on her coat, "and you'll need these papers to go with it."

"I don't want anything," she said, trying to hand it back.

"It's a present from me. Keep it, sell it, throw it in Dublin Bay if you want. It's yours," said the Emir.

"Goodbye, David. I'm sorry it didn't work out. I really liked you," she said and turned away into the huge aircraft.

Three days later, Kaitlin was in the Celt on Talbot Street in Dublin again. It was the band's regular night for singing and she had arranged to rejoin them later that evening.

Noel was there, as usual, and as she took off her coat he wandered over and asked her, "How're you doin'? The man wasn't so rich after all then, or was it the mother-in-law like a Kilkenny cat?"

"I can manage without the likes of you giving out," she said sharply, then her voice softened as a woman's voice will when she remembers an old love, "Sure and he was the richest man ever set foot in the whole of Dublin, and his mother couldn't have been nicer. He was the Emir of Kobekistan no less, and he had a huge Golden Palace, and dozens of whatevers, whores I call them. A great big jumbo jet fitted out like a house brought us from Dublin and him and I the only passengers; coming back twas just myself. Look, he even gave me a lovely gold brooch, but I think I'll sell it."