He could not get his thoughts off the treasure. He glanced across at Jamila lying next to him, her breathing slow and steady. She bore an uncanny resemblance to his first love, Muna, and he knew inside that this was why he had married her. But she didn’t have Muna’s beautiful laugh, or her gentle nature. He closed his eyes and, using Sheriti’s breathing technique, let his mind drift into a meditative state. After a while, the images of his last day with Muna began to form, and he played it over in his mind again, the shame resurfacing as he wondered whether he could have done something different to avoid the inevitable outcome… The sixteen-year-old Prince Khalid had passed the reins of his horse to a stable-hand before heading to the rear of the stables, where he climbed into the loft. Muna, as usual, was waiting for him. She was the daughter of the stable master, a pretty fourteen-year-old with a spirited laugh and a playful nature, who helped feed the horses and clean the stalls.
