Chapter 25: Arrival

The clothes worn by the women in the Golden Palace harem were very revealing, but not surprising when Diana thought about it.

"If your Highnesses will come this way," said the corpulent negro with a suspiciously high-pitched voice who had met them from the inevitable Rolls-Royce.

The suites to which they were shown by the corpulent negro were sumptuous. Diana was surprised, and pleased, that they actually had one each. There seemed only to be four such suites in the harem, and the rest of the women seemed to sleep in more-or-less boarding school style dormitories. Extremely luxurious and well-appointed, but nonetheless dormitories.

Turning to their guide, Diana said, "And what do we call you?"

"Highness, I am the Chief Eunuch to the His Magnificence, the Emir Mahmoud Abdullah, may he live for ever. The permanent residents of this harem generally call me Master, though I have no doubt there are other terms used when I am not present. Since you are honoured guests, it will not be necessary to call me anything. All you need to do is ask aloud for anything you want and I, or any of my staff will oblige."

"Chief Eunuch? Are all the men here..."

"Any apparent man you see in the harem, except for the Emir himself, may he live for ever, is a eunuch," said a pleasant woman's voice behind her, "You must be Mrs. the Honourable Diana Featherstone. I am the Dowager Princess Zubeydeh, mother of the Emir. Here I am called Zub by my friends."

Diana knew her etiquette and curtseyed, "Your Royal Highness."

Susan also made a surprised and shy curtsey.

"Stop that nonsense," was the slightly disconcerting response, "I was Amelia Smith, a country doctor's daughter until I was seduced, impregnated and married, in that order, by the Emir's late father. Nobody has the word Royal in any title here. Just call me Zub like everyone else and in return I'll call you Diana. I see they have given you and Susan the wives' suites. You must be in high favour. Is one or other of you going to marry my son?"

Diana felt at once that this was a woman in whom she could confide, "I was wondering the same thing myself. David and ... sorry ... the Emir and I are on good terms, but I think his interest in my daughter was a way of reaching me. I've seen no sign of any interest in her on his part, other than her show jumping."

Wisely, Zubeydeh held her tongue. She had been about to say that she expected he would want both of them in his bed, married or not, and possibly both at once.

Next door, as she explored her suite, which was nearly as large as the Hastings bungalow if you allowed for the fact that it did not have a kitchen, Susan had just been met in similar fashion by Zeinab who was only a few years older than her, but already had a toddling child in tow.

"Is he yours?" asked Susan.

"Yes, this my Ali. He is the Emir's son," she said with pride.

"Are you married to the Emir then?" Susan felt a pang of envy, she had her own dreams in that direction, but thought her mother would probably snaffle him.

"No. The Emir, may he live for ever, has no wives at the moment. He was married to the mother of Crown Prince Mustapha and made her a Princess, but then he divorced her and we don't mention her."

"What was her name?"

"Shh. It was Maryam, but never ask anyone about her. It is forbidden."

They wandered out into the harem itself and Susan realised for the first time that the women wore nothing under the short silk dressing gowns which didn't seem to fasten down the front, so most of the body could be seen as they walked. She felt over-dressed in her summer frock.

As Diana and Zubeydeh came out of the adjoining suite to join them there was a stir throughout the length and breadth of the harem and all the harem women fell to the floor as the Emir walked in.

"Making yourselves at home, I hope?" he asked.

"The accommodation seems very luxurious," Diana replied.

"Good, good," turning to Susan he continued, "Would you like to come and see my stables and go for a short ride?"

"Yes please, I can't wait. I'll go and change," she gushed, mentally kicking herself for sounding so childish.

When she reappeared a few minutes later, resplendent in her jodhpurs and riding habit, carrying her hard hat, the Emir looked up from his conversation with Diana and said, "OK. We'll go and see what we can see. You'll have to wear an abaya again until we get to the chase, though."

The Chief Eunuch came forward and helped her into the all-enveloping garment and she went through the anteroom with the Emir and out into a large courtyard where a helicopter was waiting.