In her father's house, she had known her place. As the oldest daughter of her father's first wife, she had enjoyed a position of privilege in Basil al-Zafir's house. Among her sisters, she was Basil's favorite. He called on her service when he entertained merchants and leaders from other clans. She moved silently among the reclining men, keeping their glasses filled with sweet drink as they discussed business and treaties with her father. She listened the whole time and the men would talk freely. After all, she was a Muslim woman. She was seen and heard only when her father acknowledged her.
They didn't see her until her father called for her to dance. She hypnotized her father's associates with her swaying hips. They fell into the deep pools of her dark eyes peeking above her veil. Her thick mane of black hair swayed the opposite direction of her body, the entire performance mesmerizing the audience until they were willing to bend to her father's wishes.
A dance had led her away from her father's home to the house of the Marid al-Kasim. Marid was older than Rida Zafir, but he was in love with Basil's daughter. He made many trips to Basil's courtyard, always asking for a dance from Rida before he left. He was always a gentleman and had earned her father's trust. When Marid had offered a hefty sum to marry Rida, Basil had accepted it. Rida had joined Marid's caravan home without questioning her father's decision.
Rida had known her place in her husband's house. She was not Marid's first wife, and the other woman resented the younger, beautiful girl. She danced for Marid's guests and for her husband in private. She bore the hateful insults of Marid's first wife and obeyed the woman's commands. She endured the leering stares of Thabit, Marid's oldest son, confident he would not dishonor his father by acting on his lust.
Marid enjoyed his new wife's intelligence and wit. He sought her counsel. She knew she pleased her husband because she was often invited to his chambers at night. He was gentle and tender in the bedroom. She accepted her position in his household without complaint even when she missed her father.
The raucous laughter floating down the hall from the great room pulled Rida from her memories of her father's home. The laughter meant the period of mourning was over for Thabit and his brothers. She had been barred in her chamber since Marid's body had been found. Only the arrival of a servant girl bearing a tray of meager rations had marked the passing of days for the young woman. She went to the door and pressed her ear against the wood, straining to hear the cause of the laughter. She could hear distant mumbling but could not make out any of the words.
