Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
With dinner over, Ginger’s family had entered the part of the evening that Ginger loathed the most—making social rounds.
As people that Ginger had never met stopped to greet them, a dragoman slipped past Ginger.
He paused, reaching toward the floor beside her.
“As-salaam alykum.” He offered her a slip of paper. “You dropped this, miss.”
Ginger took the paper as he continued past. Unfolding the square, she read one word: Ezbekieh.
Her heart thumped.
Noah.
Since she’d seen him, she’d thought of little else. The dinner had dragged, and the snide comments her family had muttered about him only made it worse. Could he be inviting her to meet him in the famed Ezbekieh Gardens across the street?
She crumpled the paper, then pushed it into her handbag.
Stay away from him.
Her conscience nagged her. Lord Helton had been clear. Her family could be at risk if she went.
But Noah had to know he was being watched. He wouldn’t ask her to meet him if he didn’t think it was safe. After all, Ezbekieh had sprawling paths amidst trees and shrubs, fountains and more—plenty of places to be out of sight.
Before she lost her nerve, Ginger stood. Lucy and her mother were wrapped up with introducing William. Ginger moved toward them. “Mama, if you’ll excuse me—I think I’ll hire a carriage and go home for the evening. I have an early start in the morning.”
Her mother searched her gaze. Did she suspect Ginger would lie? She pressed a kiss to Ginger’s cheek. “Be safe, darling.”
Ginger gathered her shawl and her handbag.
As she left the dining room, she glanced back at the table Lord Helton and Victoria had vacated nearly an hour before.
Seeing Noah with Victoria had brought back memories of a darker time.
She pushed those thoughts aside, feeling more sure-footed as she went.
For now, her love for Noah had to hide in the shadows. Someday they would be free.
Outside, mild temperatures welcomed her, a warm breeze sending a tendril of her hair across her eyes. She smiled and hurried down the stairs, gripping the handrail. She waited for a motorcar to pass, then crossed the boulevard, the clopping of horse hooves behind her.
Walking into the gardens at Ezbekieh, Ginger studied the split in the path before her.
If Noah wanted her here, she had to trust he would find her.
The gardens were among the most beautiful in Cairo and faced Shepheard’s.
They also teemed with soldiers. The YMCA had set up a complex in the gardens to keep the soldiers occupied.
The area included an open-air theater, skating rink, restaurant, cinema, and a swimming pool—and loads of other entertainment.
Both here and eight miles north in Zeitoun, the organization had worked tirelessly to give a wholesome alternative to the draw of the nearby Wazzir district of Cairo.
Ginger wrinkled her nose. The epidemic of venereal diseases had been terrible among the soldiers.
When the matron of the hospital where she’d worked wanted to give a nurse a punishment, it often meant an assignment to the VD wards.
Ginger inspected the landscape as she walked, greeting the couples she passed. It wasn’t difficult for the young English women of Cairo to find suitors these days. She crossed a bridge over a stream, then took a winding pathway through lush tropical plants, tall palm trees, and spacious lawns.
Still no sign of Noah.
Where was he?
The note should have been more direct. She wished he’d given her some clue where to meet him.
Someone bumped past her, moving at a rapid speed.
A flash of white gleamed in the moonlight—an Egyptian wearing the traditional loose-fitting galabeyah tunic.
The wearer was a tall man with broad shoulders, who glanced back.
He wore a turban, and a face veil covered his mouth and nose, leaving only a slit for his eyes. It had to be Noah.
She followed closely. The path wound at a curve to a more isolated area. It made sense he’d want to greet her out of the view of others, but she’d nearly lost sight of him.
A firm hand gripped her by the elbow and she stopped. Noah stood behind her, dressed in his uniform. Her joy at seeing him was replaced with fear. She looked uncertainly in the direction she’d been heading.
“Where are you going?” Noah’s voice was clipped, his dark-blue gaze following hers.
“I-I thought I was following you.” Her throat went dry. “Your note wasn’t the clearest.”
Noah’s brows furrowed, then his hand slid up to her bicep, pulling her closer to his side. “What did the note say?”
“Ezbekieh.” Now she felt foolish. Was it possible he hadn’t sent it?
Noah shook his head slowly. “I gave the concierge a note to give to you. But it was lengthier.” His fingertips had unbuttoned the holster of his sidearm.
“Then why are you here?” Ginger stepped back.
“Because I saw you leave. Naturally I was curious.” Noah narrowed his gaze. “And now I’m even more curious. Wait here.”
Ginger stayed behind while Noah moved forward, gun drawn. As he slipped out of view, Ginger held her breath. Whom had she been following?
More frightening still, who had replaced Noah’s note?
Someone had intended to waylay her in the garden.
A muffled cry broke the stillness. The sound of a scuffle followed.
Despite Noah’s instructions, Ginger rushed toward him. As she rounded the corner, Noah and the Egyptian came into view, caught in a struggle. Blood dripped down Noah’s arm, pooling on the cuff of his jacket. “Noah!” A knife lay on the path between them.
Ginger stooped for the knife and grabbed it, then ran toward them both.
The Egyptian looked at her. In his distraction, Noah threw his fist at the man’s nose. The Egyptian stumbled back, holding his face. Blood stained the face veil. Then the man turned and crashed through the hedges, fleeing.
Ginger ran to his side. “What on earth did he do to you?”
Noah winced, then replaced his sidearm. “As always, the company you keep is marvelous, rohi.” The tear of endearment he’d chosen for her, meaning my soulmate in Arabic, made her heart settle, even as he removed the knife from her hand.
He wrapped the knife in a handkerchief and put it in the inside pocket of his jacket. “But thank you. Remind me in the future that you’re more useful in battle than I give you credit for. You looked like a wild warrior come to murder. One would never suspect such an elegant woman of such fury.”
She suppressed a laugh despite the gravity of the situation. Noah’s sarcastic demeanor was among the things she loved about him. The path was littered with the debris and branches of the shrubbery that had been broken in the Egyptian’s flight. “Are you going after him?”
“No, he’s gone for now. And I’m not about to leave you after that.” Noah’s eyes clouded. “There was something familiar about the man, even with that face veil.”
The hedge where the man had fled was still. The whole incident had been so fast, she’d hardly wrapped her mind around what could have been. Who would want to attack her?
She scanned the vicinity. “Lord Helton told me to stay away from you. Do you think he intercepted your note? He may have been angry you were trying to contact me.”
The concern on his face was clear. “I’m not sure. That would make more sense if the man hadn’t attacked me. I have a friend who may trace where the knife came from.” His fingers were wet with blood. “Why don’t we retire to somewhere more in the open?”
Her nervousness amplified. She shouldn’t have come. The risk had been too great. “I-I don’t think I should. Lord Helton knows you met me in Palestine. He was furious. Threatened my family and me.”
Noah drew her closer to him. “Don’t let him frighten you this way. He can threaten all he likes. He can’t keep it up forever.” His closeness was comforting, and she wanted to sink into his arms. “Should we return? I can keep my distance and watch you get back safely to Shepheard’s.”
She hesitated. Now that he was here, she wanted to tell him of the business Lord Helton and Peter Osborne had pulled her into.
“Not before I’ve had a look at your arm.
” She unbuttoned his jacket, then pulled it down from his shoulders.
“I saw little of the attacker’s face. But I’m certain you broke his nose.
That should be a clue if you search for him.
” His shirtsleeve was crimson and wet with blood, but the gash was close to his shoulder.
She frowned, her fingers moving the clean tear in his sleeve where the knife had entered.
She couldn’t see much of the wound, but it was certainly deep.
“This needs to be sutured.” She found a clean handkerchief in her handbag and pressed it against his wound. “How did the man manage this when you had a gun?”
“He sprang out of the bush at me. He nearly disarmed me.” With his free hand, his fingers brushed her cheek as his palm cupped her face. He leaned down to her and pressed a kiss to her lips.
Her breath caught and she curled an arm around his neck, tilting her face to receive his kiss.
She closed her eyes, her heart speeding at the touch of his lips.
His lips were feather-light against hers, gentle, searching.
As she returned his kiss, it deepened and his hand glided toward her waist, drawing her closer.
Ginger pulled away and searched his eyes. “Aren’t you in pain?”
He shrugged noncommittally. “I’d rather do this than think of that right now.”
She kissed him once more, then dragged her mouth from his. “Should I meet you back in your room? If you give me your room number, I can try to sneak—”
Noah lifted a brow.
The look he gave her only heightened her state of arousal. Her face flushed. “I meant—to suture your arm.”
He chuckled, releasing her. “You carry medical supplies in your handbag?”