Chapter 14: Tea For Two

Later, over a very English tea, the Emir seemed very open to the Princess Elaheh's questions, even anxious that his daughter ask all she wanted. After some discussion of the mechanics of Palace life, and of the economy of Kobekistan, she broached a delicate topic.

"Father," she asked, very worried lest she upset him, "What did happen between you and my mother before I was born?"

The Emir sat silent for some moments and then replied, "We were young and in love when I was just another post-grad student in Oxford. Since you are here, you know how close we were, though we never actually lived together. Then I was suddenly saddled with being the Emir, at half past six one morning, with no notice whatever. I left to come here without having a chance to see her again in Oxford."

He paused for some moments, then continued, "I invited her here and she came to visit. I really wanted her to stay here as my wife, but it was obvious to both of us that she couldn't fit in to this life. Heaven knows, I found it difficult enough, but I had no choice. She went back to Oxford and I didn't see her again for six years, when I discovered she had been pregnant with you when she came here. I imagine you know the rest."

"Did you love her?" Elaheh persisted.

"I certainly thought I did, but after twenty years with a harem, and most of that with two English wives, I am not sure I know what the word 'love' means."

They ate in silence for some time as they both thought about what had just been said. Finally, the Princess asked a question that had been in her mind for some time.

"What happens if a slave escapes?"

"Then they are caught and punished," replied her father, "Don't worry, it is impossible for them to get out of the country. It is over a hundred miles of desert to the nearest land border, with no real roads. If they get into the desert, and the heat and thirst do not kill the escaped slave, then the nomads find them and they treat their women much as we do."

"What if a newspaper infiltrated and found out what is going on. The outcry in the West would be enormous?" she persisted.

"How would they infiltrate? An American woman reporter tried with the help of her Embassy. She was proven to have left the country to return to America, but she was never traced beyond Abu Dhabi airport."

"You had her killed?"

"Certainly not," the Emir was indignant, "A young white woman is an expensive commodity. I would never waste one. We proved to the American Government that she had left our country and so they stopped looking for her here. I have no idea where she actually went, but she has not been seen for some fifteen years."

"What if someone tried to come in through the desert?" she asked again.

"How? An expedition equipped well enough to pass through a hundred miles of desert would show up on our defence radar and on our surveillance satellites. As a matter of fact one is on its way now. We believe they are Canadian reporters and we will welcome them when they reach the outskirts of the city. Then nobody will hear of them again, and our routine patrol will find their broken down vehicles and it will look like a nomad attack."

"How does the oil get out?"

"By rail to the coast. And before you ask, no it could not be done; there are no passenger trains and the British perfected the detection of stowaways on freight trains not too long after the Channel Tunnel opened. Any more ideas?" the Emir began to sound bored.

"The airport?" Princess Elaheh asked, desperately.

"Is the same as any other modern international airport. Could a refugee with no papers get on to a flight from Heathrow? The slave would get no help from our airport staff because the penalties are so high. We execute anyone found helping a runaway slave ... painfully."

The Emir rose to leave without saying anything else, leaving his daughter to ponder.

As he reached the door, she said, "One more question, please?"

"Two, including that one," replied the Emir, smiling.

"If I got someone to come here from England, could I keep them?" she asked, and held her breath while he thought for a moment.

"One or two, but not many," he said and left.

A plan was forming in her devious mind.