Chapter 27: Wedding

The wedding ceremony took place a fortnight later in the local Anglican church, St. Christopher's, so dedicated because it had been built to provide spiritual solace to visiting sailors whose ships had chanced to call at the port of Mayia Asrag. It didn't look much like an English church, being a square warehouse-like building just outside the dock gates. Only the large cross on the front of the building marked it as any different from the offices and warehouses which were its neighbours.

Tamsin was dressed in a traditional English wedding dress, dredged up from the extensive range of costumes in the Imperial Voyager's entertainment wardrobe. Charles was resplendent in full dress uniform, as was Henry.

Kamal Qumsiyeh had been busy at the Emir's behest and the Bishop of Cyprus and the Gulf, the Rt. Revd. Aristotle Heraclios, had flown in to officiate. After the service, Henry thanked him for coming to Kobekistan specially for the wedding.

"Nonsense," replied the chubby Cypriot Bishop, "Whenever the Emir invites me, I always like to visit if I possibly can. His attitude to the different denominations is gratifyingly generous. We have never had a hint of official opposition to our presence here. You must know him well?"

"No, my Lord. I have only met him a few times since my appointment. Why do you ask?"

"Hadn't you noticed? He slipped in to the back of the church just as the service started."

Henry turned and true enough, there was the Emir making a bee-line for them. When Tamsin saw him she dropped into a deep obeisance.

"Up," said the Emir, and when she had risen to her feet, he kissed her on the cheek.

Turning to Charles, he asked, "I hope you don't mind my kissing the bride?"

"Of course not, Master," said Charles.

After a long and very thorough kiss, the Emir turned to Charles and said, "You're a lucky man. I seriously thought of keeping her for myself."

Charles thought this was a tactful order and replied, "As the Master wishes."

The Emir laughed and said, "Oh, no. This isn't a Kobekistani wedding, and it's a bit late for me to exercise the jus primae noctis don't you think?"

Turning to Tamsin he added, "You may not know it, but I was brought up in England and I understand the position of women there. I think you will be happier in a harem here, because there are no worries, but just to make you feel even more secure, I will provide an annuity of £25,000 for my daughter, inflation proofed and tax free, in England. It won't make her fabulously rich, but it will let her live in comfort all her life, if need be."

Tamsin beamed at him and said, "The Master, may he live for ever and have many sons, is most generous."

The Emir turned and smiled at Janice and Henry, "Well, that leaves me at a loose end for tonight. I suppose I shall have to return to the Golden Palace for my pleasures."

"Master," replied Henry, well aware of the command implicit in that statement, "Is there nobody here that might please you?"

"Since you ask, I was wondering just what Janice would look like out of those oh-so-English wedding clothes."

"A privilege, Sir," said Henry and turned to his wife, "Show him."

Janice stared at her husband, horrified.

"You mean here and now? In front of ... of..."

Her voice tailed off and she waved towards Tamsin and Charles, who were chatting to the European members of the crew who had attended the wedding, and to the Bishop. Henry was asking... ; no, he was ordering her to strip naked in front of this crowd, and then to go to bed with another man. Since she married Henry she had been completely faithful until the Emir's visit, though she had had a lot of men when she worked on the cruise liner. Henry had been all she wanted when they first married, and since she had been sharing him with his concubines he had become more inventive in their sex life. He had certainly made up in variety what she had lost in frequency over the last few months.

"That's one refusal too many," said her husband when it was clear she wasn't going to undress there and then, and Janice went pale as she thought of the punishment she would undoubtedly suffer.

There was a short silence and Henry said, "That's a second refusal. Sir, I assume you, as the affronted party will wish to deal with this."

The Emir nodded and moved towards the door of the banqueting suite.

"Go with him," said Henry, "And do as you are told."