Summary
From the parched, unforgiving sands of a desert raid emerges the genesis of a most improbable romance and a profound exploration of identity. An English infant, brutally severed from her origins by the marauding chieftain Hamid-Ali, is rechristened Sheka and consigned to the cloistered confines of a harem, destined for the ignominy of the slave market. Yet, fate, in its capricious wisdom, intercedes in the guise of Sir Derek Anstruther, a man captivated by her nascent allure. Cloaked in an Arab disguise, he boldly enters the fraught arena of the auction, orchestrating a dramatic rescue that culminates in a whirlwind, unconventional marriage at the English consulate. The narrative then dramatically shifts to the labyrinthine social mores of Edwardian England, where Sheka, a desert flower transplanted, grapples with the bewildering demands of British propriety. Her struggles are exacerbated by the insidious machinations of Derek's jilted former paramour. As financial anxieties begin to erode Derek's affections, Sheka, in a testament to her fierce devotion and unconventional upbringing, conceives a desperate, self-sacrificing plan: to exchange her own liberty for the monetary salvation of her husband, offering herself to the notoriously libertine Duke of Wryden. A frantic pursuit ensues, only to unravel a stunning revelation: the Duke, far from being a mere predator, is a discerning investigator who uncovers Sheka's true lineage as his own niece and the rightful heiress to a considerable fortune, thus dissolving the 'purchase price' into an inheritance, and reuniting the star-crossed lovers under the auspicious banner of rediscovered family and fortune.
Synopsis
Hamid-Ali, an Arab chieftain and bandit, captures an English baby during a raid on a caravan and, naming her Sheka, puts her in a harem to be prepared for the slave auction. At the auction, Sir Derek Anstruther, who has fallen in love with Sheka, disguises himself as an Arab and bids for her. After a fight, he kidnaps her and marries her at the English consulate. In England, Sheka has embarrassing moments conforming to British customs of dress and manner, which are intensified by the plot-tings of Derek's former sweetheart. When Derek neglects her because of financial worries, Sheka decides to sell herself to the libertine Duke of Wryden for the amount that Derek needs. Derek rushes to the duke's home when he hears of Sheka's plan, but after he learns that the duke investigated her and discovered she was his niece and an heiress to a large estate, Derek and Sheka are reunited.
