Under A Desert Moon
EMMA KNIGHT’S WISH LIST:1. To realise a lifelong dream to travel to the magnificent Egyptian desert.2. To locate an undiscovered tomb by following her father’s ancient map.3. To avoid all men, especially charming ones – experience tells her they’re the most dangerous!Emma needs a guide to fulfil her quest, but treasure-hunter Sebastian Oakfield is the last person she would choose! He’s charming, he’s arrogant, and his roguish grin makes Emma want to throw caution to the wind. Maybe one night of pure indulgence should be put on her wish list after all… !
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‘It’s lovely and cool. Why don’t you come in?’
Emma looked at him as though he were mad.
‘Come in?’ she asked. ‘With you?’
He nodded. He was already regretting the invitation. It had just slipped out—a manifestation of his subconscious and the part of him that wanted her naked in the water with him.
‘That would be scandalous.’
Seb shrugged. ‘There’s no one here to tell.’
Emma looked around her, just to confirm they were alone.
‘I won’t look as you get in,’ Seb said. ‘On my honour.’
Emma slipped off her heavy boots and cautiously dipped a toe into the water. Seb could tell it must feel heavenly against her skin as she sighed and closed her eyes.
‘I suppose if you stick to your half …’
Seb grinned. She was coming in. He knew he should be a gentleman and insist he get out, then turn his back whilst she bathed, but he wasn’t that strong a man. He wanted there to be nothing more than the cool water between their bodies.
‘Turn around,’ Emma said. ‘And no peeking.’
AUTHOR NOTE
Egypt has always seemed one of the most romantic of countries to me. Steeped in history, it is a country of extremes, with the lush lands surrounding the Nile contrasting starkly with the barren desert. Ever since visiting Egypt I’ve wanted to return. I want to gaze again on the magnificent temples, the hidden tombs, and soak up the culture and atmosphere of such an inspiring country. In writing Under a Desert Moon I got my opportunity to return at least in mind—if not in body.
I decided to set Under a Desert Moon in the late Regency period because, to me, this was an exciting time for Egyptian archaeology. Tutankhamun’s tomb was still over half a century away from being discovered, but the wider world was just beginning to become interested in the secrets Egypt’s past had to offer. European academics and archaeologists had just started to arrive in Egypt and bring with them the curiosity of their countrymen back home. It was a time when anything could happen; tombs and temples that no one had set foot in for thousands of years were being unearthed.
I couldn’t think of a more perfect setting for Seb and Emma’s blossoming romance.
LAURA MARTIN writes historical romances with an adventurous undercurrent. When not writing she spends her time working as a doctor in Cambridgeshire, where she lives with her husband. In her spare moments Laura loves to lose herself in a book, and has been known to read cover to cover in a single day when the story is particularly gripping. She also loves to travel, especially visiting historical sites and far-flung shores.
For Mum, for all those holidays and trips to see piles of old rocks.
And for Luke. You make me love you more every single day.
Contents
Emma leaned over the side of the boat and allowed her fingers to trail across the surface of the water. It was cool against her skin, a refreshing sensation in the heat of the afternoon sun.
‘Careful,’ Ahmed said gently. ‘You wouldn’t want the crocodiles to bite those fingers off.’
Emma withdrew her fingers from the water immediately and peered suspiciously into the murky depths. She glanced at Ahmed and wondered if the older man was teasing her. She knew the Nile was overrun with the vicious reptiles, but surely one wouldn’t be bold enough to approach their little group of feluccas.
‘Crocodiles are fearless creatures,’ Ahmed said, as if reading her mind. ‘They’ve been known to attack flotillas if the temptation is right.’
Emma shifted away from the side of the felucca and forced her gaze up from the water.
‘Only a few more minutes,’ Ahmed said, settling back in the shade and closing his eyes. ‘Keep watching the left bank.’
She scanned the sloping bank for any sign of civilisation. They were only an hour away from Cairo, their final destination, but for now Emma was much more interested in what lay around the next bend in the river.
‘The Temple of Horus,’ she whispered, as they rounded the natural curve and the rolling landscape gave way to the sharp lines of a man-made structure. It was magnificent. The sand-coloured columns rose skywards and as they drew closer she could even see statues of the hawk-headed god Horus flanking the entrance to the temple.
‘Have we not got time to stop?’ Emma asked wistfully, already knowing the answer to her question.
They had been sailing down the Nile for ten days, a trip that was only meant to take eight. The owner of this little group of feluccas had been patient at first, indulging her requests that they stop at each ruined monument that sat near the river, but she knew he would not tolerate any further delay.
