Why had that thought occurred to her? Pandora wondered tiredly. She had always thought of the place as home, no matter how palatial and impressive it appeared to others. It must be because she was almost numb with exhaustion and so grimy that she bore no resemblance to the fairy-tale harem beauty who should occupy such an exotic palace.

She had wanted to change from these jeans and the tunic top before she saw Philip, but she had been too tired to bother. She'd had no sleep since she had left Sedikhan the morning before.

Dubois had been just as stubborn as Neal had suspected he would be, and they'd stayed up all night hashing out the tour details and getting the promoter to up the money. They had paused only for breakfast this morning, and the talks had continued until midafternoon. Dubois had been bullheaded, but he had acceded at last. Nonetheless, she had left for the airport feeling as if her nerves had been stretched on the rack. The scene that was waiting for her here would not help them any, she thought as she slowly climbed the steps. She had phoned from the airport in Paris to give her arrival time, and Raoul had rather sheepishly informed her that Philip was too busy to take the call.

It was Raoul himself who opened the front door and came out on the steps. She gave him a rather strained smile. "Hello, Raoul. Have you been sent to guard the gates? I'm not sure I can put up enough of a fight to make it worth your while at the moment."

"Those were not my orders." Raoul's voice held a note of warm sympathy. "I was only told to tell the driver of the limousine to wait, and then to ask you to join the sheikh and his guest in the library."

"His guest?" Not her father. Please, anyone but him. She straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. "All right, Raoul, I'll go straight in. I was going to change, but I wouldn't want to keep him waiting." Her lips curved in a sad smile. "Thatwouldn't be either polite or kind, would it? I'm sure he's eagerly anticipating this interview."

He took an impulsive half step forward. "Miss Madchen, perhaps it would be better if you went back to Paris for the time being. You can always return at some later time, when the sheikh is in a better frame of mind."

"That bad, is it?"

"I've never seen him quite like this. It would be wiser for you to wait until his mood is a little less . . ."He shrugged helplessly. "It would be better to wait."

She shook her head. "I won't cut and run. I knew it wouldn't be easy when I came back to Sedikhan." Her lips tightened with determination. "The driver of the limo can wait all night. I still won't be using him."

Raoul stood aside to let her pass, his expression still concerned. "I don't think ..."

"Don't worry, Raoul. I'll be all right. The library, did you say?" She walked quickly down the long hall. The door to the library was slightly ajar. She pushed it open and strolled into the room, unconsciously bracing herself for what she would find there.

It wasn't her father who was sitting in the chair facing the door. It was a woman. An extremely beautiful woman, with silky, dark hair and olive skin, ravishingly complemented by her scarlet chiffon gown. Her lips were parted in a warm smile as she gazed up at Philip, standing by the chair.

She must look like a tousled street urchin in comparison, Pandora thought dully. "Hello, Philip," she said quietly. "I take it you have someone you want me to meet."

Philip was in dinner clothes, and looked as dark and dangerous as Oedipus at his most mettlesome. He turned to her with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Oh yes. I really thought the two of you should meet. Come here. Pandora."

She went forward to stand beside him. "That shop in Marasef is boringly predictable," she said huskily. "Brunettes do look good in colors other than scarlet. I think you'd look beautiful in a soft pink, Miss . . .?"

"Lenat," Philip supplied. "Natalie Lenat." His eyes were narrowed on Pandora's face. "You've guessed that she's your replacement, then?"

"How do you do, Miss Lenat?" Pandora said wearily. "I'm sorry you've been drawn into this. You don't deserve it."

"I don't understand," Natalie Lenat murmured in bewilderment.

"Send her away, Philip," Pandora said curtly. "You're not going to discourage me by dangling another woman in front of my face."

"What makes you think she's here for your benefit? " Philip asked silkily. "Natalie and I are old acquaintances. We've enjoyed each other's . . . company several times before."

"That's in the past," Pandora said jerkily. "Not now. Not in the future. I'm your future, Philip."

"No," he said very softly. "You're the past, Pandora. Accept it."

She was shaking. Each word was stabbing her like needle-thin icicles of pain. "Don't do this to me," she whispered. "You know you don't mean it."

"Don't I?" There was a reckless smile on his lips. "Your bags have been packed. Raoul has put them in the car by now. You'll have to forgive the haste, but Natalie needed the closet room, didn't you, sweet?"

There was a touch of sympathy in the brunette's face as she started to rise. "Perhaps I should leave you alone."

Philip's hand was immediately on her smooth, bare shoulder, pushing her back into the chair. "No. Stay. I have a gift for you."

"A gift?"

"A very special gift." He took a step closer to Pandora, his hands sliding beneath her long silver hair. "Pandora won't need this any longer." He found the clasp of the medallion and released it, drawing the chain along her skin as he took the necklace off. It felt as if each link were cutting into her heart. "She's leaving Sedikhan."

"I can't take much more of this, Philip." She felt a fierce rage begin to smolder, burning away the pain like a mercifully cauterizing brand. "That's my medallion."

"Only as long as I chose to let you keep it," he drawled. "And I no longer choose to do that." He stepped behind the wing chair. "I wish to give it to my new Khadim." He put the medallion around Natalie Lenat's neck and held it there, without fastening the chain. "She has a lovely throat, hasn't she?"

"Damn you!" Pandora's dark eyes were blazing in her suddenly pale face. "Damn you to hell, Philip. Who gave you the right to be so cruel to me? You didn't have to love me, but couldn't you have been kind at least?" Her voice was shaking. "What happened? Did you get scared again that you might give a little of yourself to someone else? Well, don't worry. I'm not sure that I want you to give me anything any longer. I might get frostbite. I think you like that winter world you live in." She stalked to the door, paused and turned. "And if I happen to have a child, I don't want him to live in that winter world either. That should relieve you. You can have your barren little planet all to yourself. We won't bother you again."

Then she was gone. Philip found himself staring at the door with blind eyes, feeling as if he were waking out of a nightmare dream into a nightmare reality. She had left him. It was what he wanted, wasn't it? Then why was he feeling this wrenching pain?

"You don't really want to give me this, do you?" Natalie asked softly. "It was only a way of hurting her?"

"Yes, it was only a way of hurting her," he said dully. He slowly removed the medallion from around her neck with a feeling of intense self-disgust.