‘You were talking about going to Jobe’s memorial service,’ Aunt Carmel said.
‘But I didn’t,’ Aubrey pointed out. ‘Anyway, I’d have only been away for one or two nights.’
‘It’s for one week and one show and it’s business class flights all the way,’ Aunt Carmel said. ‘With the money you make you might be able to pull back on those extra shifts. It would mean more time spent with Haris in the end.’
‘It’s not happening.’
‘Give it some thought,’ Aunt Carmel suggested, and she put the little baby down in the Moses basket that Aubrey’s friends had given her when he was born.
He would soon be too big for it and she would have to buy a cot. She also needed a pram as he was getting too heavy for her mom to carry when Aubrey worked.
But her decision had little to do with money.
If she went to Al-Zahan, it might mean seeing Khalid. She was desperate to see him, but...
She had waited and waited for her feelings to fade, yet they hadn’t.
She opened her bedside table and took out the silver bottle that she kept hidden in a sock and inhaled again his scent, recalling a time when she’d first turned around and seen him.
When Khalid had stood close and the night between them hadn’t yet occurred.
She wouldn’t change it, even if she could, Aubrey knew, looking over at Aayiz and hearing the little sleeping noises he made, and she wondered again about telling Khalid.
Could this be her one chance to?
Almost instantly she dismissed it. The opening night was going to be huge. Even if Khalid was there, he’d hardly notice her in costume amongst the many, many performers.
Yet he might.
There was the slimmest chance of seeing him again and Aubrey did not know how to resist.
And even if she didn’t, at least she’d be able to see for herself the rose-pink palace and someday tell Aayiz about his daddy’s country, having seen it first-hand. Aubrey would never risk taking Aayiz there, but this way, when he asked one day, at least she could tell him about the land his daddy was from.
She missed Khalid so very much.
So much that she was actually considering leaving her son, not just for money, or to find out more about his heritage, more for the chance of one distant glimpse of Khalid.
No, those feelings hadn’t faded, for she craved him still.
As her mom and Aunt Carmel chatted outside, Aubrey took out the card and called Brandy and an audition was duly arranged.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
AL-ZAHAN WAS BEYOND her wildest dreams.
Aubrey could not believe that she was here in Khalid’s kingdom.
Leaving Aayiz had been hard, but her mom had been wonderful about taking care of him. ‘Carmel and I will not let him out of our sight,’ she had said as Aubrey stood with her case about to head for the shuttle bus to the airport. Her mom had been holding him on her knee and pulling faces and making the serious little boy giggle.
Aayiz had done wonders for her mom. He didn’t care about her burns—he looked at Stella without wincing and smiled at her scarred face, especially when she pulled funny faces, which she was doing now. ‘There’s something by the television for you, Aubrey.’
‘I’m all packed...’ Aubrey started, but then saw that there was a long slim package, wrapped in bright paper, and Aunt Carmel and her mom had smiled as Aubrey had opened it and promptly burst into tears.
It was a silver locket and inside there was a picture of Aayiz, and his huge blue eyes were as clear as if she were looking right at him.
‘I’ll never take it off,’ Aubrey said.
‘I thought as much.’ Mom smiled. ‘That’s why we got a choker chain—you can wear it when you perform.’
Aubrey had broken down again as she’d thanked her aunt and mom, for she knew that a gift like this wouldn’t have been easy for them to afford.
It was around her neck now, the locket resting in the hollow of her throat, and she felt as if Aayiz were here in Al-Zahan with her.
The staff complex was very luxurious. She had a vast suite overlooking the Al-Zahan desert. And though the rehearsals were long and intense, at the end of each day she was rewarded with long luxurious baths and deep-tissue massage.
Aubrey felt as if her body was finally her own again as it started to perform at its peak.
This morning the troupe had rehearsed in the foyer, but now final safety checks were being made. Sandbags were in place of people on the hoists and swings and a final lighting and sound-check was taking place.
Philippe, the choreographer, had recommended they all rest, but on the way back to the staff complex Aubrey had suggested that they scrap that idea and spend their one afternoon off sightseeing instead.
Aubrey was very aware that she might never be able to bring Aayiz here, so she took a thousand photos on her phone. But she also put her phone away and tried to imprint Al-Zahan on her mind, the riot of sights, sounds and smells, so that she could one day tell him about the beauty of his father’s land. How the buildings blended with the desert, how the rose-gold dome of the palace glittered in the afternoon sun. How ancient and modern married, for in the city skyline huge rose-gold towers stretched to the sky and tallest of all was the hotel that looked like a huge golden wave rolling in from the ocean behind.
It was an incredible feat of engineering, and Aubrey knew that Khalid would have had a lot of input into the design, and that made her feel so proud.
Tonight, after sunset, all the lights would be switched on, and there would be a light show before the chosen guests were invited to come inside the Royal Al-Zahan Hotel.
Aubrey loved Al-Zahan so much, and, though desperate to get home to Aayiz, there was a huge part of her that dreaded tomorrow coming, when she must leave.
Just a street away from the souks there were designer shops. Yet it was the souks that the troupe were to explore.
Their guide was incredible and took them from stall to stall, where they were offered samples of treats, like harissah, which sounded so like Aayiz’s middle name that Aubrey was determined to like it before she had even tasted it. When she bit into the most delicious sweet coconut cake, she decided there and then that this would be the cake she would make for his first birthday.
And there were dates and nuts too, and little balls of dough with a filling that Aubrey had wanted to ask the name of, except they were being moved on down the busy street.
Gorgeous robes fluttered in the breeze in every colour, and Aubrey would have loved to buy one for herself, but, always mindful of money, she got Aayiz a trinket box instead, so that she could fill it with the little things she had collected while here.
And then they turned a corner and saw a crowd was gathered, taking in the stunning view of the palace with the ocean behind. The troupe joined them and enjoyed the sheer beauty of it all.
It killed her to think Khalid might be in there this very minute. To be so close and for him not to know that she was near.
Would he even want to know?
A year apart had blurred things. Aubrey knew how she felt, for barely a minute, let alone an hour, passed when she wasn’t missing him. But the absolute clarity that she had belonged in his arms had faded, and now she wondered if Khalid had merely been saying the things she had wanted to hear at the time.
Sometimes Aubrey even wondered if she was turning into her mother and just living on dreams.
As she took a photo of the palace, the tour guide spoke.
‘People gather here, for it is the best view of the main dome. We wait for the door on the east side to open and the goldsmith and mystic to come out. Then the bride will be chosen.’
Her heart stilled as she thought of the goldsmith Khalid had mentioned, but hadn’t thought to question at the time. Aubrey thought too of the news bulletin she had seen, with the
camera trained on the palace.
‘An announcement is said to be imminent,’ the guide said. ‘Though that has been said for more than a year. But recently some activity in the palace has been seen. We expect it any minute now. Perhaps we will be lucky and they will come out and there will be a royal wedding...’
Oh, that would be so far from lucky, Aubrey thought, for she would surely die if she witnessed that.
‘How soon after they come out is the wedding?’ one of her troupe asked.
‘If both the goldsmith and mystic come out then the wedding must take place within two sunsets. It has to be,’ he said, ‘or the country will fall.’
‘Fall?’ Aubrey frowned. ‘Is that a myth?’
‘No, it is not just a myth, it is written in ancient laws that if a wedding doesn’t take place in the set time then our royal family will be disbanded and we will be ruled by the mainland. When the door opens, the clock starts ticking...’
So that was what Hussain had meant about the mainland rule, Aubrey realised.
One of the dancers asked a question. ‘How does he choose his bride?’
‘The Prince does not choose,’ the guide answered. ‘He has no part in the decision.’
‘Why?’
‘Because a young prince might think with his heart, when he must always be thinking what is best for his country. That is why the decision is left to the elders and ultimately the King.’
Aubrey had known that, but hearing it stated so factually she knew then there was no chance for them...
None at all.
Soon, Aubrey’s little troupe were driven back to the staff quarters of the Royal Al-Zahan Hotel where they rested before the opening tonight, when Aubrey was hoping and praying that she would get a glimpse of Khalid.
Oh, but she wanted more than a glimpse.
Aubrey wasn’t the only one who wanted to see the royals. The whole of Al-Zahan lined the streets and crammed into lookouts for a glimpse as a procession of cars drove from the palace.
The King went at the front, of course.
Behind him were Sheikh Princes Hussain and Abbad, and Sheikha Princess Nadia. Their rare appearance delighted the crowds.
But it was Sheikh Prince Khalid, with royal guests the Queen and her husband the Prince Consort from the mainland, who were the recipients of the loudest cheer.
Khalid wore a black robe and silver kefeyah. On his shoulder was a whip and low on his waist was a tanned leather belt that held his jambiya—the jewelled handle of his dagger did not render it for display only. When he climbed out of the car, the mainland royals were introduced to the Devereux brothers and their wives.
‘Abe and Naomi Devereux,’ Khalid said. He had not expected Naomi to be here, given that she was due to give birth in a couple of weeks. Still, it broke the ice, for the Queen was expecting too.
‘I am thrilled to be here for the opening.’ The Queen smiled at Naomi.
‘And this is Ethan and Merida Devereux,’ Khalid introduced, but the Queen really only had eyes for their daughter Ava.
‘You must be so proud of your father,’ the Queen crooned, and Khalid blinked.
Baby talk was an enigma to him.
The Queen craned her neck and looked upwards. ‘It’s an amazing feat.’
‘It’s a stunning piece of architecture,’ Ethan politely agreed.
But the Queen smiled her Mona Lisa smile and only Khalid really knew what it meant.
The real feat was that the hotel had been built despite the objections of a cantankerous King.
‘Finally,’ Ethan said, as they stood awaiting the speeches and, ultimately, for the lights to be switched on.
‘Indeed,’ Khalid agreed, for it had been years in the planning.
Yet, despite the sense of achievement, despite the jubilation in the crowd, Khalid wanted the formalities to be over and for the lights to all be switched on in the Royal Al-Zahan Hotel. The speeches seemed to stretch for ever. He simply wanted it all to be over for he knew that Aubrey was inside.
* * *
Dressed in a gold leotard, she made her way through the back corridors and long internal stairwells of the grand hotel to assume her place.
Aubrey was part of the golden shimmer of a setting sun and though she knew she was just a small spoke in a very big wheel she was excited about performing tonight.
The extra sleep, the pampering, the amazing training facilities and balanced food had worked like an eraser on those last stubborn pounds and cobwebs of fatigue.
The foyer was vast, with an internal dome that at all times mirrored the current Al-Zahan sky. She had rehearsed in it all week, and at times felt as if she had flown in the dazzling blue sky. One afternoon, when the city had been drenched by a storm, it had felt as if she was dancing in the rain. Beautiful rain, though, for she remained dry and the sounds of the fountains muted the harsh elements outside.
Now, on a sultry desert night, Aubrey took the position on her hoop, which was suspended by invisible wires in the celestial night sky and bathed in stars, and she felt that if she reached out, she might touch one of the clouds drifting by.
She waited for her glimpse of Khalid, trying to tell her heart that a glimpse would suffice.
Though perched high in the atrium, Aubrey had a poor vantage point, for the clever design meant she couldn’t see when the lights went on outside.
But she curled up in her hoop and touched her locket and felt that her baby’s father was close.
The staff lined the entrance, and there was great anticipation as the orchestra started up and finally the moment was here and the grand entrance doors opened.
* * *
‘Oh, Khalid,’ Nadia breathed as she stepped in with her brothers. ‘It is like stepping into paradise.’
The fountains, the graceful dancers in the sky, the gentle night breeze, it actually felt as if you stood in the desert on a magical night.
‘Look,’ Hussain breathed as he looked up and saw the night sky come slowly to life. Birds and warriors were stretching and waking. ‘I thought they were statues...’
Khalid looked ahead, rather than up, for he refused to falter at this late stage. Tonight must be seamless. The King stood, bored, the Queen and Prince Consort were entranced. Khalid spoke with the wise elders who had entrusted him with this project and he was relieved by their clear approval, for their opinions were important to Khalid.
Yet even as duty prevailed he could feel the summons of Aubrey’s eyes.
Look at me, look at me, she silently pleaded, curled up in a golden ball and looking down at Khalid.
He did not.
Even when the birds flew away and the warriors returned to their fires and her moment appeared as the sun set on a desert day, still she could not draw his gaze.
With grace and agility, up high, she moved into a slow handstand and the hoop slowly twirled, and she did not look down, lest she fall from the sky, yet she danced for him and she moved for him, and prayed that he could see.
He dared not.
‘Your Highness...’ Laisha murmured, for it was time to be on their way. The performance had concluded for now, and the schedule stated that they move to the elevators and to the top-floor restaurant where there would be fine dining, which Nadia was most looking forward to.
Instead there was a change of plan and Laisha murmured in his ear, ‘The King is returning to the palace now.’
Khalid’s jaw would once have gritted at the King’s rude snub, but he had expected no less and dealt with it well.
‘We shall move to the entrance and see him off,’ Khalid said, when his darkest wish was that he would quietly disappear.
For ever.
Still, it was a relief when he was not around and the mood at the top table a little later was far more relaxed than it would have been with the King present.
&nb
sp; ‘Tell me, Prince Khalid,’ the mainland Queen said after the toasts, ‘what is your next project?’
‘We have more hotels in the pipeline.’
‘I know that.’ The Queen smiled. ‘Tell me something I don’t know.’
He must not, for Khalid had not even broached his vision with the King, so he made polite conversation instead.
His food was exquisite, of course it was, but for Khalid, a meal had not tasted as it should for more than a year. And while there was halva ice cream, at Khalid’s request, surely it should not be tasted without Aubrey by his side?
Naomi and Abe were quiet throughout the meal, but still the Queen tried to draw Khalid out.
‘Will you enjoy,’ she asked as they dined, ‘attending this type of event with your wife, to have someone by your side?’
No.
For his heart belonged elsewhere.
Instead of the truth he murmured a suitable reply and instantly regretted it, for the Queen, who was trying, blinked as if she had been snubbed.
‘Prince Khalid,’ Nadia said, for they spoke formally here, ‘our late Queen would be so happy tonight.’
Indeed, Dalila would have been, for all her children were together, and the building of the hotel had gone ahead, despite the disapproval of the King.
‘She would be,’ Khalid agreed. He looked at Hussain, who looked anxious tonight, as he always did at formal events. And he looked at Abbad, who at fifteen now reminded Khalid of himself at the same age when he had first arrived in New York City and his lighter self had started to emerge.
Nadia troubled him, for her spirit was wild and he wished, how he wished, he knew how to address that, how to speak to her, how to warn her about boys, for they were taking an interest in her, and Nadia was returning it.
He wished he knew what to say to her and he knew that Aubrey would.
Aubrey.
She danced in his head, she spun in his head, as she had on the hoop in the foyer below, yet she was just as out of reach.
He had achieved so much, Khalid knew.
Not just the hotel, that was loose change compared to freedom for his siblings. He was bringing more joy and prosperity for his people, yet all at great cost to himself. For he could not waver from the path that his father dictated, or the sword would fall on Hussain and it would crush his brother.
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