Barbary Sheep

Summary

A porcelain-pale newlywed, Katherine Wyvrne, drifts through the ochre mirage of an unnamed Arabian protectorate like a moth lured to kerosene glamour; her titled spouse, more enamored of horned quarry than connubial conversation, vanishes into the thorn-scarred wadis in pursuit of the fabled Barbary sheep, leaving her to languish among silk cushions and the perfume of over-ripe pomegranates. Enter Benchaalai, a chieftain whose smile is a scimitar wrapped in honey—he speaks in desert proverbs, gifts her a gazelle collar of beaten gold, and lures her beyond the palace gates into a labyrinth of moonlit dunes where the wind sings of buried wives. What begins as a languid, sun-drunk flirtation coils into a predatory chess match: each stolen kiss is countered by a whispered rumor of human sacrifice, each ruby bracelet a shackle sold as splendor. By the time Katherine discovers the ceremonial dagger hidden beneath her pillow, the horizon has already swallowed every caravan route home; the final tableau traps her veiled silhouette against a blood-orange sunset, her scream muffled by the same velvet dunes that once promised sensual emancipation.

Synopsis

Arriving with her husband in Arabia, Katherine Wyvrne is ready for romantic times in the exotic Middle East, but her aristocratic husband prefers to be out hunting "Barbara sheep" than fulfilling his wife's desires. She soon meets up with the dashing Arab chief Benchaalai and falls for his charms, but he has a much more sinister goal in mind for her than romance.