The Rebel Princess: The Hidden Series, #1

By JO CHUMAS

THE HIDDEN SERIES (BOOK 1, PART 2)

 

FIVE STARS FOR THE REBEL PRINCESS

 

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING

 

"Jo Chumas is a brilliant story teller, her descriptions of Cairo envelope you into their complex stories, you can virtually smell the city and imagine life among the many fascinating characters she has unfolded. A fascinating history into Egypt itself which has made me want to find out more. I was unable to put this book down and now I am at a loss to know what to read next."

 

"A great novel should transport you to a time and place. The Hidden took me straight to the heart of Cairo where the heat and the buzz of the streets, with all their sights, sounds and smells, were tangible.This is an epic tale of loss, love, revenge and revolution, where no-one is quite as they seem. The breadth and scope of the novel, together with tight management of a large cast, are two of Chumas's greatest achievements.

 

THE REBEL PRINCESS

Cairo, Egypt, 1919

 

Hezba, the rebellious seventeen-year-old daughter of the Sultan of Egypt, lives a life of luxury in a mansion overlooking the river Nile. Locked away in the harem, she has everything she wants, except the one thing that will keep her from madness; her freedom.

The Sultan has ordered Hezba back into the care of her husband, the ageing and abusive Khalil al-Shezira, but Hezba's secret lover has other ideas, so does Hezba. She wants al-Shezira gone from her life and she wants change. She'll stop at nothing to achieve her desires.

 

In 1919, Egypt, and in a world reeling from the devastation of the First World War, Hezba is considered a dangerous female; as the daughter of the Sultan of Egypt, she is expected to do as she is told.

 

But for Hezba, submission is impossible; love, revolution and freedom from repression are worth dying for. Told through her scribblings in her parchment notebook, The Rebel Princess was originally published by Thomas & Mercer, USA as The Hidden, a novel that won the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA) in 2013, in the Mystery/Suspense category and became an overnight bestseller.

 

Now published by 8dpress, the original novel The Hidden has become a seven-book series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: 8dpress
• Release date: Oct 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393950035

Book preview

HELLO

Thank you for checking out my novel The Rebel Princess which is Part 2 in Book 1 of The Hidden Series. I hope you enjoy it.

Sign up to my Readers’ Club to get exclusive access to my writing world.

You’ll find the sign-up form at the end of the novel.

Love Jo xx

THE HIDDEN

Winner of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award 2013 – Thriller/Suspense

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY called The Hidden a sophisticated, first-rate mystery novel/political thriller......an excellent, well-written, and forceful work of fiction. 

BOOKLIST said: Egyptian-history buffs will love this complex story, set in 1940 Cairo, of love, betrayal, and political machinations. Fans of Elizabeth Peters and Wilbur Smith will find much to enjoy here.

HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW said: the strongest and most appealing elements of the novel are its richness of setting details and characterization. Everything about the way the characters think and how they relate to each other feels authentic. This is a stunning launch for a new fiction writer . . .

What Readers Are Saying

Devoured in two days, a brilliant story. Jo Chumas is a brilliant storyteller, her descriptions of Cairo envelope you into their complex stories, you can virtually smell the city and imagine life among the many fascinating characters she has unfolded. A fascinating history into Egypt itself which has made me want to find out more. I was unable to put this book down and now I am at a loss to know what to read next.

Best book I have read in a long time. could not put it down.

Amazing story line. Could not put it down. It taught me a lot how life was in Egypt for young princess.

*****

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CHAPTER ONE

Cairo, September 1919

Rachid smuggles Alexandre into my apartment just before dawn. My lover comes dressed in a floor-sweeping chador, like a woman. When he arrives, he throws off his robes and gathers me to him hungrily, burying his face in my neck.

After lighting candles on a low table in the corner of the room, Rachid leaves us. He will stand guard outside my rooms, in case Habrid decides to pay me a visit. Anyone who tries to enter will be told I am still suffering with women’s business, although this is not true.

Alexandre and I have only two hours together, but it is enough to restore my faith in love.

He says, Rachid told me that you will arrive at the Minya palace in five days, Hezba. You are stopping for some time at Beni Suef with some close friends of your husband’s. This is enough time for me to rally my men. I know the Minya palace and the streets around it. I know people there. I will find you.

Rachid will bring you to me, I say. I am certain I will have my own apartment. I have a reputation. They will want to keep me apart from the other women.

You must be prepared, he continues. I will draw some of the servants at Minya into my confidence. Behave quietly and do not draw attention to yourself. Do not let al-Shezira get suspicious in any way. Wait for the signal.

Alexandre holds my hands and kisses my fingertips and then takes me over to my cushions. Clasping my hands around my lover’s neck, I taste the pleasure of a real man.

I try to take in what Alexandre is saying; that he and his men are going to seek revenge for the injustices inflicted on their people by my husband. He has told me that the Rebel Corp will take control of the Council of Fellahin, allowing the fellahin to run their businesses for profit once more. He has told me that I will be free of al-Shezira before too long. I don’t know how it is going to happen, but I am excited. I let myself imagine living in Paris or London and starting a school there. When all the violence is over, I will return to my beloved country.

I don’t know how to thank you, I say, for loving me, for understanding.

You have nothing to thank me for, Hezba. Al-Shezira is an easy target for us. You mustn’t be afraid. You must think of your freedom, of our life together, of a free Egypt, of the school you want to start. . You want to be part of a better future for Egypt? You will be, but things have to change, and we’re going to make that change happen.

With you?

Yes, we must continue our fight first. The Rebel Corp has work to do. There are too many rich landowners who must pay for their crimes. Then we can free our country.

I am scared for Egypt, I say, There is violence everywhere. The men are rioting. Women are protesting on the streets. I am scared, Alexandre.

Alexandre embraces me, and I savour the warmth and urgency of his kiss. I want to tell him of the night I was raped, but I say nothing. We must not make any noise. The women of the harem are sleeping.

We lie together for a little while, flesh against flesh, with a sheaf of silk over us until I see the first glimmer of light and Rachid comes to us to tell us that Alexandre must leave. We have had so little time together, just two hours.

Habrid has been given orders to wake you, Hezba, he says. It won’t be long before he is knocking on your door, Sayyida.

Alexandre gathers me up in his arms one last time.

Hezba, he whispers, don’t lose courage. We will soon be together.

After prayers, I am escorted to Maman’s rooms to say good-bye to her. She is ill again. I must listen to her as she warns me not to be a bad wife. Then I am fully veiled and escorted to the four arabas waiting for us outside the gates of the palace.

I do all this blindly, with the taste of my lover still on my lips; my inner thighs are still burning from his touch, and his mouth on my breasts has left a mark I wear like a badge.

CHAPTER TWO

Cairo, September 1919

We arrived at the al-Minya palace earlier today, and it turns out it is just as luxurious as the Cairo palace. My first glimpse of it was from behind my long black traditional burkha. The metal fastening holding the whole contraption together are a constant irritation.

Al-Shezira insisted that I be dressed in full traditional Turkish harem clothes beneath my dull black veil in preparation for my installation in my quarters. Once we had arrived, I was unveiled and paraded in front of the Minya palace harem women in my brightly coloured silk robes. Then I was introduced to everyone.

The White Palace—as it is commonly known because of its ivory stone—is on the banks of the Nile. Pleasantly positioned on the eastside, my private rooms are on the top floor and overlook the water. A small stairwell leads to a roof garden. I have been told that the roof garden is mine alone. Because of my nervous disposition and the concern for my sanity, I am to be given special permission to use it privately for as long as I want. I have fine views of the Corniche and can see families promenading in the evenings. Al-Shezira’s home is not so much a palace as a large mansion surrounded by small harets leading in all directions. The nearby streets are lush with palms and wide like the image I have of Parisian boulevards.

My servants Anisah and Rachid have rooms not far from mine. I have a bell rope, as I did in Cairo and can call for them anytime. The decoration of my rooms is fairly pleasing. Instead of my cushions, I have a large, low bed, raised only slightly off the floor. The mashrabiyya is as intricate and as delicate as that of the Cairo palace.

I have Persian carpets, silver bowls, and vases, a little anteroom where I can lie on a couch and read literature especially chosen for me by my husband. I have the services of a lute player—a eunuch boy—who comes to play for me whenever I want. I can eat in my room—I have only