Chapter 6: The Guest House

The Ruby Palace was opened up and some small alterations made to accommodate the honoured guests. The guests were invited to stay there from ten days before the competition itself, for as long as they wished. The harem facilities were available for any guest to keep his own companions with the Emir's guarantee of their safety; in addition the harem had been stocked with ten concubines, one loaned by each of the contestants' sponsors. To simplify matters for the eunuchs and the guests, none of whom were familiar with the women supplied, they were numbered as they arrived, and were referred to only by number for the duration of their stay. As it happened, there was a small error made in the recording of their arrival and much to the annoyance of the concubines concerned two were returned afterwards to the wrong owners, but neither owner noticed, so nobody of any importance complained.

A special suite was provided for the Earl of Bargoed and his consort, the Princess Zubeydeh, mother of the Emir. It was widely promulgated that the Emir had decreed that she was to be treated as a man for the period of her stay. The Crown Prince Mustapha, now nine years old and living with his grandmother and her husband in England for his education at the King Edward the First Grammar School in Nottingham was to accompany them on the journey to and from Kobekistan for his Easter holidays, but he, of course, would be accommodated in the Golden Palace harem with the other sons of the Emir.

In the days leading up to the contest the honoured guests arrived as it suited them. The first to move in was Colonel Abubakar Ibn Abbas, newly and precipitately promoted from Rifleman and being tutored in the art of being a gentleman officer by General Mustapha. He had had some weeks of intensive coaching at the General's own home, and managed to fit in pretty well. To survive in any army in the world as a Rifleman needed some ability to adopt protective colouring; to survive for fifteen years in the Royal Kobekistani Army without a promotion demanded chameleon-like qualities. His only error in the first two days was to offer money to the concubine number one, whom he used on the first night. After that he accepted any concubine he was sent, specifying only that he did not want number one again.

The Earl and Countess of Bargoed were the next arrivals and they took up residence when they landed from England. Naturally, they requested a concubine on the first night, though they did not specify which, and concubine number two was supplied. She had not been properly briefed and assumed that the Countess was another concubine brought in by the Earl.

When she asked, ~What does the old goat like?~ the Countess flew into a rage at the disrespect and number two found herself unaccountably over a whipping bench with the added indignity of being shackled for her punishment.

Hiss ... CRACK!

The Countess herself laid into her with a riding crop and this was not held back. She managed to keep silent for the first stroke, and then offered, ~One, Master. Thank you Master.~

This further incensed the Countess who snarled, "In English, worm!"

Hiss ... CRACK!

After the second blow she made another mistake in saying, ~It is forbidden my His Magnificence, may he live for ever, for a woman to flog.~

The Earl intervened and said, "You are being flogged by a man. His Magnificence, the Emir Mahmoud Abdullah, may he live for ever, has so decreed."

Hiss ... CRACK!

Finally the concubine realised that she was making a lot of mistakes and said, "Three, Master. Thank you Master."

"That was number two. You didn't count one of them," came the contralto voice of the Countess.

Dropping the riding crop she took up a multi-tailed whip.

Sississis ... CRACKACKACK!

The concubine screamed in agony as nine tails struck her already well striped globes, turning the whole area into a mass of bruises interspersed with spots of blood where the whip tracks crossed the riding crop bruises.

Sississis ... CRACKACKACK!

The next blow, delivered again with all the power the Countess could muster, fell entirely on the upper thighs, rendering them into a patchwork of black and red agony. Her screams were prolonged and all thought of counting was forgotten as she almost fainted from the pain.

The Earl intervened to placate his wife, and almost suffered a blow himself. Concubine number two was taken away and number seven, better briefed on the couple she was to serve, replaced her for their pleasure that night.