"My pleasure, Major," Villiers told him.
"No, mine. I've heard a lot about you."
"Champagne on the terrace, Abdul--you must join us, Tony, and for dinner," Kate said.
"How can I refuse?"
Her eyes glittered and there was an excitement in them, for as she and Rupert had been leaving the villa, Abu had appeared.
"Are all things well?" she'd asked.
"It is done, Countess."
"Good. It's a nice night for a walk. You will accompany us."
He'd fallen in behind them, his hand on the hilt of the jambya, the curved Arab knife at his belt, although not a soul in Hazar would have gone against him.
"The dog died, is that it?" Rupert shook his head. "God, but you're a hard woman, harder than I ever could have believed."
"This is a hard land, darling, and being hard is the only way to survive." She slipped a hand in his arm. "But no sad songs. I want to enjoy myself this evening."
Chapter 8.
T HE NIGHT WIND BLOWING IN FROM THE SEA WAS WARM and perfumed, a touch of spices there. Kate was sitting on a swing seat, Rupert and Villiers opposite her across a cane table. Abdul was serving champagne.
"You look absolutely splendid, Tony. All those medals. He's got everything except the Victoria Cross, Rupert."
"So I can see."
"You and Rupert have things in common," she told Villiers. "The Gulf War, Serbia, and Bosnia."
"Really?" Rupert said. "That's very interesting. Which unit?"
"SAS." Villiers decided to push it. "I'm surprised you didn't know. Kate certainly knows everything about me."
"Now then, Tony, you're getting fractious. On the other hand, I know you've had a hell of a day. To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, to lose one man might be considered careless, but to lose two..."
Villiers turned to Rupert. "One thing you'll discover about this place is that news travels fast. Nothing stays secret for long. I did lose a man when we stopped at the pool at Hama on the way in."
"Tough luck," Rupert said.
"Yes, but the second man, my Sergeant, Selim, was only murdered a short while ago down on the docks." He smiled at Kate. "You must have remarkable sources."
"It's the secret of my success, Tony. But enough of this. Let's order."
The meal was excellent, for the chef had a French mother, and had trained in Paris. Rupert Dauncey and Villiers, as soldiers will, discussed their personal experiences in the Gulf War and the former Yugoslavia.
"So you were behind Iraqi lines with the SAS?" Rupert asked. "How long?"
"Oh, before the war started. We knew it was coming and exactly what Saddam Hussein intended." Villiers shrugged. "People like me with a working knowledge of Arabic were at a premium. Like Kate's brother Paul."
"Did you know him?"
"We were in the same regiment, the Grenadier Guards, but he was long after my time. I knew him there, though. He had his men kill my second-in-command, Cornet James Bronsby. The Rashid have a very effective technique. They slice the skin down from the chest. It takes a long time. The loss of masculinity is the final touch, but then Kate will have told you all this."
"Actually, I hadn't," she said.
"Why? Were you ashamed?"
"No. My people expected it. It's their way." She shrugged. "And you got your revenge, Tony. Dillon killed four of my men the following morning. And one of them was my brother George."
"If he couldn't take the consequences, he shouldn't have joined."
Abdul appeared with three glasses of cognac on his tray. Kate sipped a little of hers. "I hear you have a new second-in-command, another Household Cavalryman?"
"Yes, a Lifeguard this time, Cornet Bobby Hawk. A nice boy. You'd like him."
"Perhaps he shouldn't have joined."
The threat was implicit and he was angry now, tired of playing games, so he swallowed the cognac down.
"Oh, you can do better than that, Kate. Tell me, why didn't Abu go for a head shot on me out there at Hama?"
"Why, Tony, I'm shocked. You're far too important, not only to Hazar but to me. You're the best commander the Scouts have ever had. And you follow the
"No, mine. I've heard a lot about you."
"Champagne on the terrace, Abdul--you must join us, Tony, and for dinner," Kate said.
"How can I refuse?"
Her eyes glittered and there was an excitement in them, for as she and Rupert had been leaving the villa, Abu had appeared.
"Are all things well?" she'd asked.
"It is done, Countess."
"Good. It's a nice night for a walk. You will accompany us."
He'd fallen in behind them, his hand on the hilt of the jambya, the curved Arab knife at his belt, although not a soul in Hazar would have gone against him.
"The dog died, is that it?" Rupert shook his head. "God, but you're a hard woman, harder than I ever could have believed."
"This is a hard land, darling, and being hard is the only way to survive." She slipped a hand in his arm. "But no sad songs. I want to enjoy myself this evening."
Chapter 8.
T HE NIGHT WIND BLOWING IN FROM THE SEA WAS WARM and perfumed, a touch of spices there. Kate was sitting on a swing seat, Rupert and Villiers opposite her across a cane table. Abdul was serving champagne.
"You look absolutely splendid, Tony. All those medals. He's got everything except the Victoria Cross, Rupert."
"So I can see."
"You and Rupert have things in common," she told Villiers. "The Gulf War, Serbia, and Bosnia."
"Really?" Rupert said. "That's very interesting. Which unit?"
"SAS." Villiers decided to push it. "I'm surprised you didn't know. Kate certainly knows everything about me."
"Now then, Tony, you're getting fractious. On the other hand, I know you've had a hell of a day. To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, to lose one man might be considered careless, but to lose two..."
Villiers turned to Rupert. "One thing you'll discover about this place is that news travels fast. Nothing stays secret for long. I did lose a man when we stopped at the pool at Hama on the way in."
"Tough luck," Rupert said.
"Yes, but the second man, my Sergeant, Selim, was only murdered a short while ago down on the docks." He smiled at Kate. "You must have remarkable sources."
"It's the secret of my success, Tony. But enough of this. Let's order."
The meal was excellent, for the chef had a French mother, and had trained in Paris. Rupert Dauncey and Villiers, as soldiers will, discussed their personal experiences in the Gulf War and the former Yugoslavia.
"So you were behind Iraqi lines with the SAS?" Rupert asked. "How long?"
"Oh, before the war started. We knew it was coming and exactly what Saddam Hussein intended." Villiers shrugged. "People like me with a working knowledge of Arabic were at a premium. Like Kate's brother Paul."
"Did you know him?"
"We were in the same regiment, the Grenadier Guards, but he was long after my time. I knew him there, though. He had his men kill my second-in-command, Cornet James Bronsby. The Rashid have a very effective technique. They slice the skin down from the chest. It takes a long time. The loss of masculinity is the final touch, but then Kate will have told you all this."
"Actually, I hadn't," she said.
"Why? Were you ashamed?"
"No. My people expected it. It's their way." She shrugged. "And you got your revenge, Tony. Dillon killed four of my men the following morning. And one of them was my brother George."
"If he couldn't take the consequences, he shouldn't have joined."
Abdul appeared with three glasses of cognac on his tray. Kate sipped a little of hers. "I hear you have a new second-in-command, another Household Cavalryman?"
"Yes, a Lifeguard this time, Cornet Bobby Hawk. A nice boy. You'd like him."
"Perhaps he shouldn't have joined."
The threat was implicit and he was angry now, tired of playing games, so he swallowed the cognac down.
"Oh, you can do better than that, Kate. Tell me, why didn't Abu go for a head shot on me out there at Hama?"
"Why, Tony, I'm shocked. You're far too important, not only to Hazar but to me. You're the best commander the Scouts have ever had. And you follow the
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