Read Online No Brighter Dream: The Pascal Trilogy - Book 3 by Katherine Kingsley - Free Book Online
Authors: Katherine Kingsley
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of their money, perhaps?”
“Much better than that. One day I will be a great pasha, you wait and see,” she teased. “But to be a great pasha I need to learn all I can.” She picked up her bundle, then flashed Andre a huge grin. “Do you think it is possible?”
“With you I believe almost anything is possible,” he replied. “But in all truth you have an extraordinarily good ear for language. Your French is coming along beautifully and so is your reading. You make my efforts worthwhile.”
Ali was ridiculously pleased with the rare compliment, but before Andre could see it, she dashed off.
He watched Ali go, a smile lingering on his mouth. He really did derive pleasure from their work together. Ali had a mind like a large thirsty sponge.
Even the whimsical stories he often spun at night for Ali’s entertainment provided fodder. Last week the myth of Leda the swan and the egg that had hatched Helen of Troy had led to a thorough history of the Trojan war. He’d quickly learned that Ali’s imagination was a useful tool to implement just about anything he cared to teach.
Ali was definitely a positive addition to their lives, he thought, picking up his knapsack and starting off to the ruins. It was hard at times to remember what life had been like before.
The breeze by the river was cooling, but it was a scorching day, and the heat, even in the shade, made it difficult to concentrate. Ali reread the same sentence three times, then gave up and put the book down. As much as she wanted to learn everything she could as quickly as possible, and as much as she wanted to make her master proud of her, her head had started to ache.
She gazed at the water longingly, then glanced carefully around. Nothing stirred. The herd of camels in the distance slept, the cows had disappeared into the wood, even the birds had hushed. Handray and Jojan were safely off excavating, the only people out in the heat of the day, as usual.
It was a risk, but one worth taking. She’d suffered the entire summer, laboring under the self-imposed but necessary fiction that she couldn’t swim. But with Umar away and no one else about…
Ali hastily removed her clothes and climbed down the bank, wading into the shallows of the water. She breathed a sigh of immense satisfaction as cool little ripples lapped against her calves, then cast her eye around for the nearest safe pool, since she had no intention of being swept away by a current.
Yes. There was a nice deep one, shaded too, and even a convenient log to dive into it from. She waded over toward the log, her toes relishing the feel of the cold mud squeezing under them. In another moment she was in the pool, shaking water from her freshly trimmed hair.
She rolled onto her back and floated, taking pure pleasure in the moment. It was a pity, she considered, that she couldn’t do this all the time. But discovery would be disastrous.
Ali’s brow furrowed. She wondered how much longer she could keep up the fiction. It was difficult as it was, attending to her bodily needs, bathing, dressing, the nuisance of her monthly bleeding, everything done stealthily and out of sight.
Fortunately, her master and Jojan had drawn the conclusion that she was modest about her body and didn’t question her need for privacy. But she couldn’t go on like this forever. One day something was bound to happen.
And then what would Handray do?
She had planned to tell him the truth, she really had, but the terrible fear that he would cast her aside kept her mouth firmly shut. Her entire world revolved around Handray as completely and unequivocally as the moon revolved around the sun. Every breath she drew, she drew in his service.
What would her life be if she were to be sent from his side? It would be no life at all. No more wonderful stories, no more sharing his tent, watching him as he slept. No more hearing his laughter, or seeing the smile that he produced more and more often these days.
She might as well
“Much better than that. One day I will be a great pasha, you wait and see,” she teased. “But to be a great pasha I need to learn all I can.” She picked up her bundle, then flashed Andre a huge grin. “Do you think it is possible?”
“With you I believe almost anything is possible,” he replied. “But in all truth you have an extraordinarily good ear for language. Your French is coming along beautifully and so is your reading. You make my efforts worthwhile.”
Ali was ridiculously pleased with the rare compliment, but before Andre could see it, she dashed off.
He watched Ali go, a smile lingering on his mouth. He really did derive pleasure from their work together. Ali had a mind like a large thirsty sponge.
Even the whimsical stories he often spun at night for Ali’s entertainment provided fodder. Last week the myth of Leda the swan and the egg that had hatched Helen of Troy had led to a thorough history of the Trojan war. He’d quickly learned that Ali’s imagination was a useful tool to implement just about anything he cared to teach.
Ali was definitely a positive addition to their lives, he thought, picking up his knapsack and starting off to the ruins. It was hard at times to remember what life had been like before.
The breeze by the river was cooling, but it was a scorching day, and the heat, even in the shade, made it difficult to concentrate. Ali reread the same sentence three times, then gave up and put the book down. As much as she wanted to learn everything she could as quickly as possible, and as much as she wanted to make her master proud of her, her head had started to ache.
She gazed at the water longingly, then glanced carefully around. Nothing stirred. The herd of camels in the distance slept, the cows had disappeared into the wood, even the birds had hushed. Handray and Jojan were safely off excavating, the only people out in the heat of the day, as usual.
It was a risk, but one worth taking. She’d suffered the entire summer, laboring under the self-imposed but necessary fiction that she couldn’t swim. But with Umar away and no one else about…
Ali hastily removed her clothes and climbed down the bank, wading into the shallows of the water. She breathed a sigh of immense satisfaction as cool little ripples lapped against her calves, then cast her eye around for the nearest safe pool, since she had no intention of being swept away by a current.
Yes. There was a nice deep one, shaded too, and even a convenient log to dive into it from. She waded over toward the log, her toes relishing the feel of the cold mud squeezing under them. In another moment she was in the pool, shaking water from her freshly trimmed hair.
She rolled onto her back and floated, taking pure pleasure in the moment. It was a pity, she considered, that she couldn’t do this all the time. But discovery would be disastrous.
Ali’s brow furrowed. She wondered how much longer she could keep up the fiction. It was difficult as it was, attending to her bodily needs, bathing, dressing, the nuisance of her monthly bleeding, everything done stealthily and out of sight.
Fortunately, her master and Jojan had drawn the conclusion that she was modest about her body and didn’t question her need for privacy. But she couldn’t go on like this forever. One day something was bound to happen.
And then what would Handray do?
She had planned to tell him the truth, she really had, but the terrible fear that he would cast her aside kept her mouth firmly shut. Her entire world revolved around Handray as completely and unequivocally as the moon revolved around the sun. Every breath she drew, she drew in his service.
What would her life be if she were to be sent from his side? It would be no life at all. No more wonderful stories, no more sharing his tent, watching him as he slept. No more hearing his laughter, or seeing the smile that he produced more and more often these days.
She might as well
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