Without realizing it, she wrapped her arms around his chest and whispered—her joy eclipsing every other emotion—"Muhammad!"

"You have never spoken my name like that before."

"You are the best husband in all the land."

"Even though I am a Mamluk?"

"Even though you are a Mamluk."

He fixed his gaze upon her eyes and said, "Zaynab, tell me the truth: what do the common people say about the Mamluks? And do not lie to me."

She replied submissively, "They say you protect the land and sacrifice yourselves and your lives." He smiled wryly and asked, "And the people of Egypt understand this?"

"Do they realize the dangers?"

She lowered her head and said, "Perhaps they perceive only the dangers of plague and poverty, my lord; for true understanding has its appointed time, just as birth and death do... Ignorance blinds the insight and breeds resentment. Perhaps if the people of Egypt knew the Mamluks better, their fear would vanish..."