The Golden Barbarian (Sedikhan #1)

Prologue

Belajo, Tamrovia April 8, 1797

She was going to die!

Tess could feel herself sinking deeper and deeper into the quicksand as each second passed. The muck was already up to her shoulders and creeping higher. Sweet Mary, she didn’t want to die, to slip beneath that slimy surface and never come up again.

It had all happened so fast.…

Apollo whimpered and started struggling once more against the insidious suction.

No, she couldn’t die. If she died, Apollo would also die and this would have been for nothing.

Tess drew the wolfhound closer and stroked his long muzzle. “Shh. It’s all right, boy. I’ll think of something.”

“It will be interesting to discover what that will be.”

Dizzying relief poured through her as she glanced over her shoulder to see her cousin Sacha, sitting his horse a few yards away. Luck was with her today. Not only were she and Apollo not going to die, but she might get out of this without even a beating. Sacha Rubinoff wasn’t like any other grown-up she knew. Though he was almost twenty-five to her twelve, he never ignored her, and was more apt to laugh than frown at her misdemeanors. “I can’t get out, Sacha. The vine broke and I—”

“What the devil do we have here?”

Sacha had been joined by another rider, and Tess glanced impatiently at the man. Couldn’t he see she had no time for conversation? It was Sacha’s new friend, the barbarian from that outlandish country across the border. “Sacha’s golden barbarian” she had heard her father call him, and she had wondered why. After all, with an olive complexion and dark hair and eyes, he was more bronze than golden. She looked again at her cousin and demanded, “Get us out of here, Sacha.”

Sacha grinned. “Presently.” He turned to the man who had reined in beside him. “I don’t believe you’ve been introduced to my young cousin, Galen. Sheikh Galen Ben Raschid, permit me to present Her Highness Theresa Christina Maria Rubinoff. I assure you she’s not usually so filthy.” His brow drew together as he ruminated on his assertion. “Though now that I think upon it—”

“Sacha!” The mud was up to her throat, and she was having trouble keeping Apollo’s muzzle above the thick ooze. “Stop teasing me!”

“Oh, very well.” He swung off his gray mare and began looking around for a branch. “I must remember to reprimand your governess, Cousin.” He turned to Galen. “She’s all of twelve years old and apparently can’t read that large Danger sign by the tree.”

“I can read,” Tess said indignantly.” And I know this forest better than you. It was Apollo. He ran ahead of me, and when he got stuck, he began thrashing and sank deeper, and I held onto the vine from that tree and—”

“Had to go in after him.” Sacha sighed as he picked up a long branch and tested it for sturdiness. “Not clever, Tess.”

“I couldn’t let him die.” The mud was almost up to her chin, and fear tightened her throat. “Can you…hurry?”

Sacha extended the branch out over the mud pool. It lacked a foot of reaching her. “You can make it. Let go of the dog and move slowly across and grab hold. I’ll pull you in.”

The branch appeared to be sturdy enough, and she knew how strong Sacha was. In a moment she could be on safe ground. She looked longingly at the branch.

Then she shook her head. “I can’t leave Apollo. He’d start thrashing and go under, You’ll have to think of something else.”

Sacha’s grin disappeared. “There’s no time, Tess. Don’t be stupid. He’s just a hound. You’ll go under yourself in a few minutes.”

Panic soared through her, and she could feel the tears sting her eyes. She was going to die, after all. “I can’t leave him.”

Sacha began cursing beneath his breath.

“You must be very still.” It was the other man speaking to her. Galen Ben Raschid removed his elegant dark blue brocade coat and laid it over the pommel before slipping from the saddle. “Try not to move at all until I tell you.” He jerked off his gleaming black boots and tossed them aside.

“You’re going in after the stubborn chit?” Sacha shook his head. “That’s my task, friend.”

Galen smiled. “A prince of the realm up to his ears in mud? Leave it to me. A little dirt and an uncivilized brigand are nothing out of the ordinary. Do keep that branch handy, though.”

He stepped onto the quicksand. He was a big man, his weight far greater than Tess’s, and he immediately sank to his knees. By the time he reached her, the mud was up to his waist.

“Hold tight to the hound,” Galen said as he searched beneath the surface, found and grasped her waist. “Don’t try to help me.” He lifted her head and called, “The branch, Sacha.”

Tess murmured soothingly to Apollo before shifting her grip from his neck to his middle. “What if his nose goes under? He won’t be able to breathe.”

“We’ll be out of here in a moment. You might start worrying about breathing yourself.”

“Apollo is my responsibility.” She added absently, “You’ll take care of me.”

“I will?”

“Yes.” She had no doubt that she was safe now. From the moment he had slipped his arms about her waist and started pulling her toward firm ground, she had felt a strange sense of boundless security. She glanced around and met his gaze. “I know you won’t let me go.”

His arm instinctively tightened on her waist. “No, I won’t let you go.” He looked away from her. “I’ve gone to far too much trouble to lose you now. Another few inches and I’ll be able to grab the branch, and then we’ll let Sacha do the work.”

“Better than getting filthy in that muck,” Sacha called cheerfully. “I have no fondness for playing in the mud. I’ve thought it over, and I believe I’m actually doing you a favor, Galen. You might never have had this experience in Sedikhan. Of course, you have sand dunes, but what about—”

“The branch.”

Sacha extended the branch a little farther, and Galen grabbed it with his free hand.

Sacha backed away, working the branch hand over hand to pull them through the mud. In a moment he was reaching down and jerking Galen out of the quicksand.

“Dear Lord!” Sacha exclaimed. Galen was coated with gray-brown mud from his chin to his stockinged feet, and Sacha began to roar with laughter. “Merde . This is wonderful. I wish your chères amies could see you now. Perhaps they wouldn’t be so eager to come to your bed.”

“Or perhaps they’d be more eager,” Galen said dryly as he turned and lifted Tess onto solid ground. “It’s not my fine looks that make them open their thighs.”

“What a cynic you are. You have no faith at all in the fair sex.”

Galen glanced meaningfully at Tess. “This is no talk for children to hear.”

“Tess?” Sacha shook his head. “She may be a child, but she’s not ignorant. She grew up at court and knows the way of things.” He turned to Tess. “Don’t you, brat?”

“Talk later.” Tess was struggling, tugging at Apollo, trying to get him out of the mud. “Help me.”

Galen pushed her aside, grabbed the wolfhound by the shoulders, and lifted him from the muck onto safe ground.

The borzoi immediately repaid him by shaking his lean body, sending mud flying in all directions.

“Ungrateful wretch.” Galen wiped a splotch of mud from his cheek.

“He couldn’t help it,” Tess defended the animal fiercely. “Dogs do that. You can’t expect—” She rounded on Sacha fiercely. “Stop laughing at him. My lord Ben Raschid was very brave and does not deserve this from you.”

Sacha’s blue eyes gleamed with mischief. “Another conquest, Galen. A little young, but in a few years she’ll blossom into—”

“Pay no attention to him,” Tess told Galen in disgust.

“Have no fear.” Galen cast Sacha a disparaging glance. “I do not.”

“Where is Pauline, Tess?” Sacha asked. “I trust you’re not wandering in the forest alone?”

“Of course not.” Tess didn’t look at him as she knelt by Apollo and tried futilely to scrape some of the mud off his long hair. “But she and Mandle are busy. They stopped as soon as we entered the forest and won’t miss me for a while.”

“Busy?”

“Fornicating.”

Sacha chuckled as he saw the faint ripple of shock cross Galen’s face. “That certainly should keep her busy enough. Once is never enough for Pauline.”

“Who is this Pauline?” Galen asked.

“Pauline Calbren is Tess’s loyal and virtuous nurse,” Sacha said. “And Mandle is one of my dear uncle’s grooms.”

“This is doing no good.” Tess gave up on Apollo’s coat, stood, and slipped her hand into Galen’s. “Come with me. There’s a lake beyond that hill where we can bathe off this mud.” She turned toward his horse and stopped short, her eyes widening in delight. “Sweet Mary, he’s beautiful.” She dropped Galen’s hand and took a step closer to the stallion, who shied away from her. “Why didn’t I notice how lovely he was?”

“It’s understandable. You were a tad busy trying to stay alive,” Sacha said.

Tess ignored his flippancy. “What’s his name?”

“Telzan,” Galen answered.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Telzan,” she crooned softly as she took another step forward. The horse gazed at her uncertainly and then stood still under her hand as she touched the white diamond on his muzzle.

“Amazing,” the young sheikh murmured. “He doesn’t usually let strangers touch him.”

“He knows I like him.” She rubbed the spot between the horse’s eyes that was particularly sensitive. “He wouldn’t have shied away from me in the first place if I didn’t smell so foul from that bog.”

“Now that you’ve brought it to my attention…” Sacha wrinkled his nose. “I believe I would shy away from you too.”

Galen smiled quizzically. “You’re very good with horses.”

“When she’s not falling into bogs, the brat spends most of her time sneaking away to the palace stables,” Sacha said.

“This horse wasn’t in the stables.” Tess’s tone was positive as she turned to glance at Galen. “I would have noticed him.”

“I’ve been keeping him near my lodging in town. I arrived at the palace today.”

“Is he from Sedikhan?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve never seen a horse that has so much power and grace. Are there other horses like this in—”

“Tess.” Sacha wrinkled his nose again. “Now!”

Tess nodded. “We’ll walk to the lake. You won’t want to mount your horse and get him all muddy.”

“Yes, heaven forbid you should get your horse muddy, Galen,” Sacha said solemnly.

“I believe you’re enjoying this a little too much,” Galen said silkily. “I may have to toss you into that bog to even matters out.” He lifted Tess easily in his arms and set her on his horse, then mounted behind her. “But not until I can get clean enough to feel properly superior.”

“I’m dripping that funny green slime on your saddle,” Tess protested. “I told you we should walk.”

He kicked the horse into a gallop and headed toward the hill she had indicated. Apollo skittered after them, barking joyously. “A little mud on his withers? That’s as nothing to Telzan. He’s accustomed to far rougher treatment.”

She looked disapprovingly at him over her shoulder. “You don’t use spurs?”

“No, and I don’t make it a practice to listen to the commands of children.”

“I didn’t command you. I simply told you it would be better.”

“It’s much the same thing.” Galen rounded the hill and a moment later stopped before the small lake bordered by stands of tall pines. “Is the water deep here?”

“No.”

“Good.” He scooped her from the horse and dropped her into the lake.

The cold took her breath as she fought her way to the surface.

He was still sitting his horse, watching her with a faint expectant smile on his face.

“Oh, that’s good.” She gasped. “Thank you.”

His smile faded, and he looked at her speculatively. “It appears you have more gratitude than your hound. I expected you to be outraged.”

Apollo jumped into the lake after her, splattering mud and water in her face. She laughed and ducked her face and head in the water again. Then, shaking water from her hair, she asked, “Why?” She gazed at him, the water running down her cheeks, her face alight with laughter. “I was muddy, and you took care of the matter. Why should I mind?”

“Let’s just say I haven’t found the ladies of the Tamrovian court to have your lack of sensibility.”

“But I’m not a lady of the court.” She ducked her head into the water again and then briskly wrung out her mop of auburn curls. “And I won’t have to worry about being one for at least four years. I’m still in the schoolroom.”

“I see.” He swung off the black stallion. “Then you won’t be offended if I bathe with you.” He jumped into the lake and waded out farther into the water until it crested his chin. “Lord, it’s cold.”

“It’s only April.” She scrubbed her hair thoroughly and then ducked her head again. “Are the lakes not still cold in your country?”

“Not this cold. Tamrovia is in the Balkans, and Sedikhan is principally desert country.” He dipped his head into the water and scrubbed it as vigorously as Tess had hers. “Though the lakes in the hills near Zalandan are not overwarm.”

His wet hair shone ebony in the sunlight, and his face was ruddy with cold beneath a rich tan. The strong rays burnished his bronze skin to a shade nearer to gold, and Tess found herself staring at him in fascination. The sheikh’s features were not comely as Sacha’s were. His high cheekbones seemed carved with the same boldness as the granite of the rocks scattered around the lake’s edge, and his dark eyes were deep-set and heavy lidded. He looked as different from the other courtiers as the wolves her father hunted were different from her gentle Apollo: harder, stronger, fiercer. Galen’s actions also set him apart. He had not hesitated to plunge into the smelly bog to save her, any more than she had hesitated going in after Apollo. Even Sacha, who was fond of her, had tried to find a way of avoiding the quicksand.

Galen startled her by asking suddenly, “Why are you gazing so intently at me, kilen?”

“Kilen?”

“It means ‘little one’ or ‘little girl’ in my language.”

“Oh.” She looked away. “I was wondering if they called you ‘golden’ because of the color of your skin.

He didn’t answer for a moment, only smiling sardonically. “Do they whisper about me in the schoolrooms too? No, they call me ‘golden’ because of the color of the gold in my purse, and the quantities of lucre therein.”

She glanced back at him. “You’re very rich?”

“As Midas. My hills near Zalandan are filled with gold.” His lips twisted. “I’m so rich, my barbarian presence is tolerated and even occasionally sought out here in your august court.”

He was hurting. She could feel it, and instinctively moved to soothe his pain. “Barbarian means wild, doesn’t it? I would not think it so bad to be wild. The forest is full of beautiful wild things.”

“But they are not invited to the most fashionable salons.”

“Then they should be,” she said staunchly.

“You won’t say that in five years’ time.”

“Yes, I will.” She waded out of the water and plopped down onto the bank, and Apollo clambered after her. She had lost both shoes, and her brown velvet gown was ruined. She would most certainly get a whipping for her misadventure. However, she would not worry about that now. She was not often allowed to talk to grown-ups, and Galen Ben Raschid was quite the most interesting one she had ever met. “I won’t change.”

“We shall see.” Galen waded to the bank and then levered himself down beside her. “It will surprise me if you don’t. Your enchanting mother is not one of my advocates.”

“She’s afraid of my father, and I don’t think he likes you.”

“Why is she afraid of your father?”

She looked at him in surprise. “Because he beats her when he’s displeased.”

“Really?” Galen tilted his head to look at her. “And does he whip you when you displease him?”

“Of course,” she said matter-of-factly. “My mother says it is the way of all fathers with their children. Do you not whip your children?”

“I have no children,” Galen said. “And it’s not the way of the El Zalan to beat the women of our families. There are better ways of chastising them.”

“What ways?”

“Never mind.”

“You probably beat them but do not wish to admit it. My mother says some men don’t like it known, but all of them beat their wives and children.”

“I do not have a wife either.” He frowned. “And I do not beat helpless women.”

“Don’t be angry. I won’t speak of it again.” She reached out and stroked Apollo’s sopping coat. “I didn’t mean to displease you. Actually, I believe I like you.”

“I’m honored.” He smiled crookedly and inclined his head.

She flushed. “No, truly. I mean it. I do not like many people, but I think I like you.” She added awkwardly, “I thank you for not letting me die in the bog. It was most generous of you to go to the trouble.”

“I was only being selfish. I have an appointment with His Majesty, and it would have ruined all my plans, even spoiled my entire day, if I’d had to stand by to watch the bog being scoured for your lifeless body.”

“You’re joking.” She smiled uncertainly. “And you saved Apollo too.”

“Why do you call him ‘Apollo’? Because he’s so handsome?”

She shook her head. “Because of Daphne.”

“Daphne?”

“Those aren’t really their names. About a year ago my father bought Apollo and Daphne from a Russian count who called them ‘Wolf’ and ‘Sheba.’ My father wanted them to have babies and raise a whole pack of hunters.” She sighed. “But Daphne won’t have anything to do with Apollo.”

Galen burst into laughter. “And you named her Daphne after the nymph who turned herself into a tree to avoid Apollo’s amorous advances?”

She nodded. “But perhaps Apollo will be able to change her mind soon.” She frowned worriedly. “My father is becoming very angry with them both.”

“And he will be angrier still if you do not get back to your maidservant soon.”

They turned at the sound of an approaching horse. Sacha rode at a leisurely pace over to them and dropped Galen’s boots onto the ground. “You look little better than when I last saw the two of you.”

“We look much better,” Tess protested indignantly. “We’re clean, and we don’t stink anymore.” She reluctantly got to her feet. “But I must go.” She hesitated. She did not want to leave them. Sacha always made her laugh, and as for his friend…She did not quite know how he made her feel. Most people were easy to put in nooks, but the sheikh puzzled her. He was…dark inside. Not black, as in evil. He was night dark. But Tess had always liked the night far better than the day. When darkness fell, the boringly obvious was deliciously transformed, shrouded in mystery, exciting. She dropped a curtsy and smiled tentatively at Galen. “Good-bye, my lord.”

A flashing white smile lit up his face. “It’s been an interesting experience meeting you, kilen .”

She turned and started at a trot toward the forest.

“Wait,” Sacha called. “Let me take you up on my horse and we’ll—”

“No!” She shook her head adamantly. “It’s better that I go alone. Pauline will say I shouldn’t have troubled you. She’ll be angry enough.…” The next moment she had disappeared into the forest, with Apollo at her heels.

“Go after her,” Galen said tersely. “You can’t have a child wandering around in the forest. She’ll get lost or fall into another damn bog.”

Sacha shook his head. “She knows the forest too well to become lost. She’ll be fine.”

Galen’s lips thinned. “With a maid who fornicates under the child’s eyes? Are you going to tell her mother?”

“No, she would dismiss Pauline.”

“Good. An action much to be desired.”

Sacha shook his head. “Bad. Tess, the poor imp, has little enough freedom. You’ve met my dear uncle Axel. His Highness has the distinction of being one of the most arrogant bastards on the face of the earth. He treats Tess little better than a chattel.” He grimaced. “Worse, when she angers him. At least with a careless strumpet like Pauline as a servant, Tess gets to escape that prison of a schoolroom occasionally.” He glanced curiously at Galen. “Why are you so concerned? You’re not one to worry about the morals of serving wenches.” He chuckled. “Unless it interferes with you having your way with them.”

Galen’s reaction was as much a surprise to him as to Sacha. Something about Tess Rubinoff’s honesty and matter-of-fact acceptance of the world around her had oddly touched him. “Your cousin has courage. It’s a quality I admire.” He shrugged as he tugged on his left boot. “But it’s of no concern to me. I only mentioned it because the child is your kin.” He glanced at Sacha. “Though you seem to know overmuch about the lack of virtue of this Pauline.”

Sacha nodded with satisfaction. “Last summer.” He puffed up his chest and beamed blissfully. “For four splendid weeks I gored her every night like the bull I am, and she loved every minute of it. I had her screaming with pleasure.”

“And where did this goring take place?”

“In her chamber.”

Galen pulled on his other boot. “Beside the nursery?”

Sacha frowned. “Yes. Why?”

“No special reason. Just curious.” No wonder Sacha had not been worried about talking out of turn in front of his cousin. His presence in the slut’s bed had contributed as much as Pauline’s other partners to the child’s worldly education. Galen stood up, struggled into his silk coat, then swung up onto Telzan’s back. “Let’s get back to the palace. These wet clothes are beginning to feel uncomfortable, and I must be ready for my audience with your father in three hours.”

Sacha nodded. “You know I would help you more if I could?” He shook his head. “A second son has little power in a monarchy.”

Galen smiled as he urged his horse into a trot. “You’ve done more than I hoped. You’ve introduced me at court and persuaded your father to listen to the wild man from Sedikhan. I wouldn’t have received even that boon if you hadn’t interceded.”

“I may not have done you a favor. Both my father and older brother have little use for me.… I’m much too flippant for their tastes.”

But, Galen knew, beneath Sacha’s flippancy lay keen intelligence and a good heart. Soon after making the acquaintance of Sacha Rubinoff, Galen had realized that the young prince’s notorious pranks and mischief-making stemmed from boredom. The society into which he’d been born simply did not suit his volatile nature. Of late, Galen had begun to wonder what kind of man Sacha would have been if he had been raised to the sword and seasoned by battle. “You’ve done me a very great favor. You’ve given me what I came to Tamrovia to obtain.”

Sacha’s smile faded. “Don’t count too much on this audience. It’s difficult to stir my father into any decisive action these days.”

“I have to try.” He tried to suppress any show of desperation. “I have to make your father see that an alliance must be formed for the sake of both our countries.”

Sacha pushed back his chair and stood up when Galen strode out of the audience chamber into the anteroom. “How did it—” Galen’s stormy expression answered his question, “Not well.”

“No alliance,” Galen said curtly. “His Majesty sees no advantage in aligning himself with a primitive tribe that can offer him nothing for his protection but promises.” Galen strode down the hall past the row of footmen, his every step charged with explosive energy. “Fool! Can’t he see that a united Sedikhan could offer Tamrovia more than he could offer us?”

“You’re speaking of my august father,” Sacha reminded him mildly as he fell into step with Galen.

“He is a fool.”

“Yes,” Sacha agreed amiably. “A very stubborn one.”

“I needed this alliance to mold the tribes into a single central government. With Tamrovia as an ally the El Zalan could use the threat of a foreign invasion to rally the chieftains. There’s little as powerful as a threat from an outside force to unify those who enjoy being at odds.” Galen’s voice vibrated harshly off the fresco-decorated domed ceilings. “Dammit, the wars can’t go on. They’re ripping Sedikhan apart. We can’t go forward as long as the tribes continue to raid and kill each other.”

Sacha had heard it all before and remained sympathetically silent.

“Tamrovia’s forces are puny compared to the might of Sedikhan’s warriors. Your father is a lunatic to believe we couldn’t help defend his borders.”

Sacha didn’t mind this further insult to his father as he felt much the same. However, he wasn’t sure he liked his country’s military might impugned. He decided to change the subject. “So what do you do now?”

“Go home,” Galen muttered savagely. “What else is there for me to do? Go back to warring and killing and protecting my own. It’s the way of life in Sedikhan.”

“You could stay here.”

“Where I’m looked upon as a barbarian?” Galen shook his head. “No, my friend. I’d soon grow tired of the jokes, the innuendos, and show them how a real barbarian behaves.” He glanced at Sacha. “Why don’t you come to Sedikhan with me? You have no fondness for the life here at the court.”

“I might do that. I hear your women are beautiful and exceedingly generous to us poor males.”

“Come and find out.”

Sacha’s eyes gleamed with mischief. “But one can spend only so much time involved in bed play. And, since you’re determined to make Sedikhan into such a boringly peaceful place…” He studied Galen speculatively. “I’ve always wondered why you chose such a path.”

Galen didn’t respond.

“You’re matchless with a sword, a dead shot. Yet you—”

“What does it matter?”

“I’m curious. I’ve found that anything I do well I wish to do again.”

“I…I like it too much,” Galen said haltingly, not looking at him.

Puzzled, Sacha gazed at him. Then, suddenly, he understood. Powerful emotions seethed beneath Galen Ben Raschid’s apparently calm exterior. Once allowed beyond Galen’s facade, Sacha had found the sheikh possessed a recklessness and undisciplined nature that matched his own.

How would a nature so untamed respond to the unlimited opportunity for violence now existing in Sedikhan?

Galen was watching the expressions flitting across Sacha’s face. “Yes,” he said quietly. “I’m even more of a savage than they think I am.” His lips tightened. “But I don’t have to be. I have intelligence and strength of will. A man need not remain uncivilized because of his birth and perhaps even his instincts.”

But it would be a lifelong battle between Galen’s innate savagery and reason, Sacha thought with sympathy. “When will you leave Tamrovia?”

“Tomorrow at dawn.” Galen smiled brilliantly. “Stop frowning. I haven’t given up. I’m just going home to regroup my forces. If I can’t get Tamrovia for an ally, perhaps I’ll go to France and apply to Napoleon.”

“France is a long way from Sedikhan.”

“And Napoleon is very greedy. He might decide to ‘protect’ me out of all the gold in Zalandan.” Galen shrugged. “Still, it’s something to consider.”

“Your mother was French, wasn’t she?”

“Yes,” he said curtly as he stopped at the foot of the marble staircase. “French and Tamrovian.” He changed the subject. “I’m going back to my apartment and tell Said to make arrangements for the journey.”

“But I’ll see you this evening?”

Galen nodded, and a reckless smile lit his face. “By all means. Meet me here in the hall at eight. We’ll find several accommodating ladies, and I’ll show you how a warrior of the El Zalan takes his pleasure.”

Before Sacha could speak, Galen was swiftly climbing the staircase.

“Several?” Sacha murmured, intrigued. He was suddenly sure it was going to prove a most interesting evening.

Someone was watching him.

Galen came wide awake in bed.

His muscles were tensed, ready to spring, but he lay quite still, his eyes slitted. His dagger was on the table by the bed, but he’d have to reach over the woman curled on his left to reach it.

“My lord Galen.”

His lids flicked open. Gray eyes gazed down at him from a white, strained face surrounded by a riot of auburn curls, a child’s face.

Tess Rubinoff’s small hand tightened on the copper candle-holder she held. “Have you had too much wine too?” she whispered.

“What the devil are you doing here?” He jerked upright, instinctively reaching for a sheet to cover his nudity.

Tess breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re not drunk. I went to Sacha’s chamber first and could not make him understand.…” She took a step back. “I need help. I can’t do it by myself. Will you—” Her glance fell on the naked woman curled up on the far side of him. “Two of them? Pauline never had more than one at a time. Why do you—”

“How did you get in here? I wasn’t too drunk to lock the door.”

“Through the dressing room. There’s a secret passage that leads into many rooms in the palace. I discovered it three years ago,” Tess murmured absently, still studying the golden-haired woman nestled close to Galen. “That’s Lady Camilla, isn’t it? She looks thinner without her clothes. Who is the other one?”

“That’s none of your concern.” He frowned. “Said is sleeping in the dressing room.”

“Your servant? I was very quiet. He didn’t wake up.” She shrugged dismissively. “But that’s not important. I need your help.” She glanced at the sheet he’d pulled over his hips. “Are you cold?” She turned and snatched his crimson velvet robe from a chair beside the bed. “Here, put this on.”

“Thank you,” he said dryly as he slipped his arms into the sleeves of the robe. “You’re very considerate, if not overly circumspect.”

Camilla turned over and moaned in her sleep.

Tess glanced casually at her. “They’re both sleeping very soundly. Are they in their cups too?”

“They’ve had a few glasses of wine.”

Tess critically studied the slumbering women. “More than a few glasses. But I suppose we don’t want to chance waking them. I really shouldn’t be here.”

“I believe I’ve already made that observation.”

“I’ll wait for you in the dressing room.” She turned and started across the chamber to the door of the antechamber.

“If Said wakes up, he’ll cut your throat before I can join you. The men of our tribe do not appreciate midnight visitors.”

“I’ve learned to move very quietly. I won’t wake him.”

“Then you can move right back to your chamber. I have no intention of going anyw—” The back of the child’s white gown was spattered with brown-red stains. Bloodstains.

She glanced over her shoulder. “What?”

“Nothing. Go on. I’ll join you in a moment.”

She opened the paneled door and disappeared from view.

Galen muttered a curse as he carefully climbed over Camilla and slipped from the bed.

He didn’t need this problem after several hours of roistering and sexual indulgence. His head was only a little clearer than Sacha’s, and his temper was not of the best. If the child had been beaten by that brutal ox of a father, it was Sacha’s concern and not Galen’s. She was not his kinswoman, and he had no reason to feel such a flare of rage at the sight of blood on her gown. His emotion for the waif probably stemmed from his rescue of her from the bog. He would listen to her tale of woe and then send her back to her chamber with a promise to talk to Sacha in the morning.

He opened the door to the dressing room to find Tess sitting patiently on a chair against the far wall. Lord, she was tiny. Fine-boned and fragile, she looked closer to nine than twelve in her prim, full-skirted white gown. The candle she had set on the low console beside her chair revealed a dusting of golden freckles over her small nose and burnished her wild aureole of curls. Said slept peacefully on a cot opposite Tess, Galen noticed with exasperation. How the devil had she managed not to wake him?

Galen stepped inside the room. “Said!”

Said Abdul raised his tousled head, instantly awake. “What is—” He broke off as he saw the child sitting a few yards away. “Who—”

“That’s not important.” Galen could hardly blame him for being stunned. When Said had retired for the night, the females with whom Galen had been occupied had definitely not been children. “Leave us. I’ll call when I need you.”

Said nodded dazedly, rolled out of bed, wrapping his blanket around his naked body. In another moment he stumbled past Galen into the bedchamber.

Tess sat up straighter in the chair as Galen shut the door and leaned back against it. “I have to hurry. Father told my mother she must take more concern in my upbringing, and she may check on me tonight.”

“Your back?”

She frowned uncomprehendingly. “What are—Oh, is it bleeding again? I’m glad you told me. I’ll have to soak my gown in cold water when I get back to my chamber.” She shook her head. “No, my mother suspects Pauline of not watching me closely enough.”

“Your presence here certainly supports that supposition.” His lips tightened. “I’m glad someone cares that you’re not in your bed at this hour.”

“Of course they care,” she said, surprised. “I have value for them. They have no son, and I must make a great marriage to compensate for my mother’s failing. If anything happened to me, they would have nothing.”

“I see.” Arranged marriages were also common in his country, but for some reason the idea that this child was treated only as a game piece filled him with anger. “And who are you to marry?”

“It will be decided later. I should really be affianced by now.” She wrinkled her nose. “But my father hopes I will become more comely later and attract better offers.” Her gaze went to the door of the bedchamber. “Like Lady Camilla. She had many offers before they wed her to Count Evaigne. You must be a great relief to her after fornicating with that old man.”

He bowed mockingly. “I tried to make the experience memorable. She did not seem disap—” He broke off as he realized he was talking to her as if she were an experienced lady of the court instead of a girl still in the schoolroom. “We should not be talking about the lady’s infidelities.”

She turned her crystal-gray gaze on him. “Why not? I meant no insult. I know that this is how things are done. First, the marriage, and then a young, strong man to bed. Pauline says that every wife has a lover, sometimes two or—”

“I’m not interested in what Pauline says,” he said irritably. “Why are you here?”

She drew a deep breath. “Apollo.”

Whatever he had expected, it was not this. “The dog?”

Tess nodded, her small hands clutching the arms of the chair. “I was stupid. Pauline was angry about the gown, and I told her about Apollo arid the bog. She told my mother, and my mother told my father, and—”

“He beat you.”

She looked at him, startled. “Why should that bother me? I expected nothing else. No, it was Apollo. My father was angry, and said that this was the last straw. The bitch will not mate, and Apollo had almost cost him dear.” Her enormous eyes were filled with tears that shimmered in the candlelight. “He ordered them both killed.”

He felt a sudden surge of tenderness as he gazed at her. He, too, had experienced the pain of having beloved animals taken from him by death. “I’m sorry.”

“I did not come to you for sympathy. I need help.” She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “It’s not done yet, and I can’t let it happen. As soon as they locked me in my chamber, I came out the secret passage and across the courtyard to the kennels to see Simon, the kennel master. He’s a good man. He said he could put off killing the dogs, but they must be gone before my father visits in the morning.”

“And you want me to get rid of them?”

“No, I wanted Sacha, but he was in—”

“His cups,” Galen finished. “So I’m your second choice.”

“Don’t you see? I have no place to take them where they’ll be safe, and, in truth, you are a much better choice than Sacha,” she said eagerly. “Because even if Sacha sent the dogs to one of his estates in the country, my father might still hear of it and take action, but he would never go to Sedikhan.”

“True. Who would go to such a savage wasteland?”

She ignored the irony in his tone. “You saw Apollo. I know he’s gentle, but he’s only a little over a year old, and perhaps he could be taught to hunt or guard your home. And Daphne—”

“Refuses to breed.”

“You could find another use for her.” Tess’s voice was shaking. “She’s very good-tempered and loving. She comes when I call her and puts her head beneath my hand and her hair feels so soft and—” Her voice broke, and she had to stop for a moment. When she spoke again, her words were almost inaudible. “I love them so. I can’t let them die. Please, will you take them away from here?”

He was journeying by land, and the animals would be nothing but trouble on the long road home. He would be a fool to burden himself with two animals already considered useless. Yet Galen found himself immeasurably moved by Tess’s plea. She was clearly a poignantly lonely child, and the wolfhounds were probably the only things she loved in this world. Yet she was being forced to beg him to rob her of them. Galen sighed in resignation. “Where are they now?”

Her face was suddenly luminous with hope. “You’ll do it?”

He nodded reluctantly. “Though how I’ll manage them on the journey back to Sedikhan, I have no idea. Said and I don’t travel with the same pomp and fanfare as the nobles of your court.”

She collapsed back against the cushions of the chair as the tension left her. “Thank God.”

“I don’t mean to be blasphemous, but shouldn’t your thanks include me? I’m the one who’s going to be severely inconvenienced for the next several weeks.”

“I do thank you.” Her voice vibrated with passionate sincerity. “And I promise I’ll find a way to repay you.”

He looked at her quizzically. “Indeed? And just what would you do to express your gratitude?”

“Anything,” she said simply. “Anything at all.”

She meant it. He could almost feel the intensity of the emotion sweeping through the young girl. “Without reservations?” A curiously arrested expression crossed his face as a thought suddenly occurred to him. “Someday I may decide to take advantage of your generous offer.” He came across the room and drew her to her feet. “But not now. Where is this secret passage?”

She gestured to a candelabra affixed to the wall a few feet away. “You turn the candelabra to the left.”

Galen twisted the candelabra, and a recessed wooden panel swung open. “Back to your chamber now. I’ll get dressed and go down to tell your kennel master to take the dogs to the woods beyond the castle and wait for Said and me.”

“What if he won’t do it?”

“He’ll do it. Gold has a certain persuasive eloquence.”

“You’ll bribe him?”

“Your debt is increasing by leaps and bounds, isn’t it?” He handed her the copper candle-holder and gave her a gentle push toward the waiting darkness of the passage. “You must remember how great your debt is when it comes time for me to collect.”

“I will.” She cast a quick glance over her shoulder. “They’ll be safe? Truly?”

“Truly.” He smiled. “You have my word.”

The next instant she had disappeared into the darkness.

The panel swung shut, and Galen gazed thoughtfully at it, the curious smile still lingering on his lips.

It seemed fate had intervened on his behalf, and he would be a fool to refuse her gift. It would take patience, determination, and a certain amount of planning before he could accomplish his goal, but the unity of Sedikhan was all-important.

He turned on his heel and strode back toward the bedchamber. He would dress and tell Said they were leaving for Sedikhan at once.

No, not quite at once.

He must first seek out Sacha and sober him up enough to have a long talk with him.