Then, as the dogs began to bark, the children tumbled from the tents and wooden huts, the men emerged yawning and unshaven while the women hurried to the river for water for their ablutions and for cooking, she had known that she could sleep.

But by that time she had been so tired and so completely exhausted that she could only drag her shirt and riding skirt from her to leave them tumbled on the floor and fall into bed to be unconscious from the very moment her head touched the pillow.

It had been a night of fear and terror such as she had never experienced in the whole of her soft sheltered life. And yet nothing had happened. She had remained alone in her room – alone with the darkness and the terror of her own thoughts.

She had rushed first to the window to see if there was any chance of escaping, but when she had pulled back the curtain she saw that the beautiful iron grille, painstakingly wrought by a sixteenth century ironsmith, had been made to keep out importunate lovers. A hand might flutter between the bars to receive the ardent kisses of some serenading gallant, but nothing more substantial could get through and Skye saw that there was not even a pathway outside but that the side of the mountain fell steep and precipitous to the camp below.

She had drawn back the curtain and waited, listening, but she had heard nothing, only the noise from the camp. The music grew wilder and faster as the shouts and laughter of the dancers rose to a shrill crescendo.

And then that too had ceased and there had been only silence and the frightened thumping of her own heart.

She could not believe even then that he would not suddenly surprise her, would not come into her room and proclaim her his wife.

She had not believed him when he had said goodnight. He had crossed the cave to where she stood, every muscle tense, her hands clenched so that the nails bit into the soft flesh of her palms.

But when he reached her he said,

“You have had a long day. Go to bed now.”

She had not known how to answer him.

She had been ready to fight, to struggle, to battle against his kisses, even though she knew how helpless she was against his great strength.

She could still feel the fierce possessiveness of his lips on her mouth and she had thought then that if he kissed her again she must die from the very horror of it.

But instead he had merely smiled at her, lifted the curtain that divided her bedroom from the main cave and, with a gesture, invited her to pass through.