In the darkening garden, Malik wandered among the oleander and bougainvillea, savoring the fragrance, smiling at the sound of the little fountain whose tiny trickle proclaimed his father’s wealth. He remembered the story, famously known, that when the Americans and British had first come to search for oil, the king of al-Remal had prayed that their drills would strike water instead.

It was the beautiful hour, as Malik had always thought of it, the interval just before night, when day’s heat had broken and was radiating back to the sky, making the bright early stars shimmer against a background of deepest cerulean. France had many wonders, but none to match the desert stars of al-Remal.

“Brother?”

“Who else, Little Sister idiot.”

Laughing, Amira stepped from the shadows to take his hand. “I’ve missed you,” she said simply.

“And I you.”

“I doubt that you’ve had time to miss anyone. Your days must be very busy. Not to mention your nights.”

“My days certainly. My nights, I’m afraid, are rather lonely.”

“I’m sorry, Brother. I wasn’t thinking. I suppose I was just being jealous.” “Jealous?”

“Envious.” Amira looked up at the sky, but there was no longer enough light to read her expression. “Sometimes, I think I’d give anything to do what you’re doing.”

“To work like a slave for Onassis?”

“I don’t know. To be in France. To do as I wished.”

“And what would that be?”

“I don’t know that, either. To go to school, I think. A real school.”

It was what she had always wanted, but to hear it from this new Amira, this stunning young woman, made it different—more serious, yet also more disconcerting. His sister had always been unusual. He remembered her courage that day in the square, when his own courage had nearly failed. “I said once that you might have to leave al-Remal,” he told her. “Do you remember?”

She made a gesture of impatience. “A dream,” she said. The moon, nearly full, peeked over the garden wall, throwing date palms into silhouette. “I still have Nanny Karin. We study together now. She orders books from London. I pay half, sometimes more. And Farid brings us little lessons in mathematics.”

“What does Father say about all this?”

“You know Father. He’s a dinosaur, certainly, but he can surprise you by taking an enlightened view now and then—especially if there’s gain in it. I’ve convinced him that times are changing and that an education will make me a more valuable wife.”

It took Malik a moment to realize what she was saying. “Surely, he’s not thinking of marriage for you just yet.”

“Of course, he is. Why wouldn’t he be?” “He’s spoken of it?”

“No. But he’s thinking of it.”

“Does he have anyone in mind?” The whole topic had caught Malik by surprise.