Chapter 37Late that night Talya was reading in bed when she heard a knock at the door. She wondered who could be calling at that hour. Hassan had said that he was going to retire early, so to be ready to tackle whatever was going to happen the next morning—like a meeting with the ambassador.
The rapping became insistent. Talya got into her robe and went to the entrance passage, listening to the sounds behind the door.
“Who is it?” she called out.
“James Flaubert” was the answer. In a rush, she let him in and closed the door behind him.
“James! What on earth made you come down?” Stunned, she got a big hug from him.
“Don’t look so surprised. Are you all right?”
“Yes, absolutely, but why—”
“Why am I here? Talya, I couldn’t reach you—you had left the Grand without a word. All I knew wa
