Page 47 of Mistaken

How she wished she could see whether he smiled in response!

But, as much as she’d wanted to play Christine Daaé, there was no way in the world Sarah would copy the actions of the musical’s heroine by reaching out to pull back Abdul’s hood. Whatever his reasons for concealing himself, she needed to respect them…even as she found herself wondering more and more exactly why he felt the need to hide in such a way.

He shook his head. “I am afraid I don’t bend to wheedling.”

No, he probably didn’t. On the other hand, he’d acceded to almost every request of hers…save the most important one of all.

Not for the first time, her traitor brain whispered that it might not be so bad to stay here. Beautiful scenery, an accommodating companion…the chance to practice her singing as much as she wanted.

Put that way, it sure sounded as though she’d landed in clover, even if she doubted that Abdul’s reasons for keeping her here had been all that benign.

At least, in the beginning.

“Then I suppose I’ll just have to figure it out for myself,” she said, doing her best to keep her tone light.

She returned her attention to the labyrinth, scanning the maze of little stone pathways. A few feet from where she stood, there was a small opening, one she hadn’t noticed before.

“Let’s go that way,” she told Abdul, pointing.

“Lead on.”

They passed through the narrow gap between the rocks, and this time, she was pretty sure she’d set them on the correct path. The walkways twisted in and around one another, but she realized as long as she kept turning left, they would make it to the center of the labyrinth.

Which they did a few minutes later. It was an open area a few feet across, with gravel laid in the pattern of a many-rayed sun. Over the years, the design had begun to wear away, but it was still recognizable enough.

As if to counter the sun pattern beneath their feet, a cloud passed overhead, dimming the light. Sarah looked up and saw that the thunderheads that had been massing to the east had already begun to drift this way.

Actually, they’d done a lot more than just drift. Now the sky was clear enough to the west, but all around them, the day had already started to darken.

Thunder rumbled, and she glanced over at Abdul. “Maybe we should head back.”

He inclined his head toward the stormy sky. “Probably a good idea.”

They’d only retraced a few yards of their steps before the landscape lit up with a brilliant flash of light, and thunder growled almost immediately afterward.

How close was that? A mile?

Most likely, not even that.

Definitely not the kind of conditions where you wanted to be outside with at least a five-minute walk to get to any kind of shelter.

Another flash, and then rain began to pour down on them, plastering Sarah’s hair to her skull and already beginning to soak through Abdul’s heavy linen robe.

Not a single word, but he grasped her by the hands and pulled her to him. She let out a shocked gasp, and the world around them disappeared for a vertigo-inducing second before they re-emerged in the much more comfortable surroundings of the living room.

“That was crazy,” she said, reaching up to push a lock of wet hair away from her forehead.

“It was,” he replied. “My apologies for our precipitous departure, but I thought it better to get us out of the storm. Even a djinn does not much enjoy getting struck by lightning.”

No, probably not. Sarah looked down at her sodden clothing — even as she noticed that somehow Abdul had already either dried his robe or exchanged it for a new one — and said, “I should probably get changed.”

“You should,” he agreed. “Perhaps you would like some hot tea or chocolate?”

Maybe hot chocolate on a June afternoon was sort of crazy, but right then, it sounded delicious.

“Hot chocolate would be perfect,” she said. “Be back in a minute.”

She hurried off to her bedroom, where she peeled off the soaked silk tunic and pants she’d been wearing, and exchanged them for one of the dresses Abdul had provided. It had three-quarter sleeves and might turn out to be too warm if the sun reappeared at some point, but right now she felt chilled all over and wanted to be comfortable.

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