“To further the dynasty, of course. And ensure the money doesn’t go outside the family or the family business—wine. I have a trust, that I can’t access for another couple of years. But my father was convinced Alexander wanted only my money. He was wrong. Alexander loved me. We lived modestly on his income from the university. We were so happy.”
Tears filled her eyes again, and Khalid quickly sought a way to divert them. He was not at all capable of dealing with a woman’s tears. He wished he’d never thought to find out more about the woman his grandmother had rented the cottage to.
“I’ll go see your brother and make sure he leaves you alone.”
She blinked away the tears, hope shining from her eyes.
“You will?”
Khalid nodded, loath to involve himself in her family dynamics, but he felt responsible for causing the problem. “I’ll shower, change and go to the hotel myself.”
Ella thought about it for a moment, then nodded once. “Fine, then. You take care of it.” She turned and went to the door, pausing a moment and looking back at him. “I’m glad you got home safely. The fire out?”
“Yes.”
“Did you find out what caused it?”
“I believe so. We have taken steps to make sure there won’t be another one at that rig.”
“Good.” She left.
Khalid rubbed the back of his neck. He had better get changed and to the hotel before her brother annoyed even more people. Or came back and found Ella.
Ella kept her house locked up all day. She knew her brother. He would not likely be sidetracked from his goal just on Khalid’s say-so. Not that she would buck the power of the sheikh. He could probably buy and sell her brother without batting an eye. And it was his country. His family was most prominent. Antonio would find no allies in Quishari. Served him right. She couldn’t forget the last time she’d seen him. If he had never come last year, Alexander would be alive today.
As the afternoon waned, Ella wondered if Khalid had truly gone to see her brother. She had not seen him return. What if he’d changed his mind? Upon further consideration, he had to know this would be the perfect way to rid himself of the tenant he didn’t want. The more Ella thought about it, the more certain she was that was what happened. It could not take Khalid hours to go tell Antonio to go home.
Restless, she set off for her walk when it was barely dark. She doubted she’d sleep tonight. In fact, she might best be served by packing essentials and contacting Bethanne to ask for a ride someplace. At this point, Ella would take anyplace away from Alkaahdar.
She walked farther than normal, still keyed up. When she came to a more populated area, she sat near the water. There were others still on the beach. A small party had a fire near the water, and were sitting around it, laughing and talking. She watched from the distance. How long had it been since she felt so carefree and happy?
When that party began breaking up, Ella realized how late it was—and she still had a very long walk home. She rose and walked along the water, the moon a bright disk in the sky. She was resigned to having to leave. There didn’t seem to be any choice unless she wanted her family to take over her life. And that she vowed would never happen. She was not some pawn for her father’s use. She liked being on her own. Loved living in Quishari. She’d have to find a way.
She slowed when she drew closer to the estate. Would Khalid be on the beach? She wasn’t up to dealing with him tonight. She’d made a fool of herself crying in his study. She didn’t want to deal with any more emotion. She was content with her decisions and her walk. A good night’s sleep was all she wanted now. Tomorrow she’d begin packing and slip away before Antonio found her. She’d contact her friend Marissa to come after she was gone to pack up her glass art. Once she was settled somewhere, she’d see about resuming the glassblowing.
Khalid saw Ella slip through the garden on her way to the cottage. He had tried her place earlier, but she was already gone. Now she was back. It was late, however. He needed to tell her how the meeting with her brother had gone, but maybe it would be best handled in the morning.
He sat in the dark on the veranda, watching her go to her home. A moment later the lights came on in one room, then another. Before a half hour passed, the cottage was dark again. He hoped she had a good night’s sleep, to better face tomorrow. He knew she would not be pleased with what he had to tell her.
The next day it rained. The dreary day seemed perfect to Ella as she packed her clothes in one large suitcase. She put her cosmetics in a smaller suitcase and stripped the bed, dumping the sheets into the washer behind the kitchen. She’d leave the place as immaculate as it had been when she moved in. The only part she couldn’t do much with would be her studio. She hoped Khalid would permit her friend to come to clear away her things. If not, so be it. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d started over. She was better equipped now than she had been a year ago.
The knock on the door put her on instant alert. She would not open to Antonio no matter what. Slowly she approached the door, looking through the glass, relieved to see it was Khalid.
Opening the door a crack, she stood, blocking the view into the living room. “Yes?” she said.
“I need to talk with you,” he said. Today he wore a white shirt opened at the throat. His dark pants were obviously part of a suit. Was he going somewhere for business later?
“About?”
“Your brother, what do you think?”
“You saw him?’
“I did. Are you going to let me in or are we going to talk like this?”
She hesitated. “Is it going to take long? Either you got rid of him or you didn’t.”
He pushed against the door and she gave in, stepping back to allow him to enter.
She shut the door behind him and crossed to the small sofa, sitting on the edge. He took a chair near the sofa.
Wiping suddenly damp palms against her skirt, she waited with what patience she could muster.
“I saw your brother at the hotel. He is very anxious to talk with you. Seems there’s a problem with your family that you only can help with.”
“Sure, marry the man they picked out.”
Khalid nodded. “Apparently there have been some financial setbacks and your family needs an influx of cash that the wedding settlement would bring.”
She frowned. “What setbacks? The wine business is doing well. We’ve owned the land for generations, so there’s no danger from that aspect. I don’t understand.”
Khalid shrugged. “Apparently your younger brother has a gambling habit. He’s squandered money gambling, incurring steep debts which your father paid for. That didn’t stop him. Unless they get another influx of cash, and soon, they will have to sell some of the land. It’s mortgaged. They’ve been stringing creditors along, but it’s all coming due soon and they are desperate.”
“Giacomo has a gambling problem?” It was the first she’d heard about it. She frowned. For a moment she pictured her charming brother when she had last seen him. He had still been at university, wild and carefree and charming every girl in sight. They’d had fun as children. What had gone wrong?
“While I’m sorry to hear that, I don’t see myself as sacrificial lamb to his problem. Let my father get him to marry some wealthy woman and get the cash that way.” She could see her patriarchal father assuming she would be the sacrifice to restore the family fortunes.
“Both your brothers are already married.”
Ella was startled at the news. She realized cutting herself off from the family when she married Alexander had meant she wasn’t kept up-to-date on their activities. When had her brothers married? Recently? Obviously during the years she and Alexander had lived in Quishari.
“Apparently Antonio feels it is your duty to the family to help in this dire circumstance,” Khalid said dryly.
“He’s echoing my father. I have no desire to help them out. And I certainly am not going to be forced into marrying some man for his money to
bail Giacomo out of a tight place.” Antonio had always looked out for her and Giacomo. Looks as if he was still looking out for their younger brother. What about her?
Khalid nodded. “I knew you would feel that way.”
“Does he know I live here?” she asked.
Khalid shook his head. “He could end up coming here to see me again and discover you around. But I did not tell him where you lived.”
“I’m leaving.”
He looked surprised at that.
“Going where?”
“I don’t know yet. But I’m not telling anyone. That way they can’t find me again.”
“Would it be so bad to be in touch with your family? I can’t imagine being cut off from Rashid.”
“That’s different. Your mother isn’t trying to marry you off to the woman she wants. Just listen to what Antonio said—I’m to come home and marry some man for his fortune. You don’t want to be married for money, why would you support that?”
“You know I wouldn’t. Would it hurt to listen to what he has to say?”
“I’m not going back to Italy.”
He shook his head. “I’m not suggesting that. Parents can’t arrange marriages for their offsprings.”
“Your mother tried with Rashid.”
“And it came to nought. I don’t see her doing anything now but eventually accepting Bethanne will be his wife.”
“She tried it, that’s the point. She may try with you.”
“I doubt it. She doesn’t like the scars any more than another woman would.”
“Honestly, I can’t believe you harp on that. So you have a scar. Try plastic surgery if you don’t like it. In truth, it makes you look more interesting than some rich playboy sheikh who rides by on his looks.”
“Playboy sheikh?” he said.
Ella leaned forward. “This is about my problem, not yours.”
“Of course.” The amusement in his eyes told her he was not taking this as seriously as she was. Why should he? He had power, prestige, money. She had nothing—not even a family to support her.
“So did Antonio leave?” she asked.
“Not yet. He wants to see you. Hear from you that everything is fine.”
“And try to kidnap me again to take me home.”
“No. I, uh, made it clear he could not do that.”
“How?”
Khalid looked uncomfortable. “Actually by the time the meeting was drawing to an end, I was a bit exasperated with your brother.”
Ella laughed shortly. “I can imagine. He’s like a bulldog when he’s after something. So what did you tell him?”
“That you and I were engaged.”
Ella stared at him for a long moment, certain she had misheard him. “Excuse me?” she said finally, not believing what echoed in her mind.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“You told my brother we were engaged? You don’t even like me. We are not engaged. Not even friends, from what I can tell. Why in the world would you say such a thing?”
“To get him to back down.”
“I don’t believe this. You’re a sheikh in this kingdom. You could order people to escort him to the country borders and kick him out. You could get his visa denied, declare him persona non grata. You could have—”
“Well, I didn’t do any of that.”
She blinked. “So Antonio thinks we’re engaged.”
Khalid nodded.
“And that’s it? He’s going home now?”
“After he’s met you and is satisfied you are happy with this arrangement.”
For a moment Ella felt a wave of affection for her brother. She didn’t always agree with him, but for him to make sure she was happy sounded like the brother she remembered with love. However—
“No.”
“No what?”
“I’m not taking that chance. I don’t want to see Antonio. I don’t want him to know where I live.” She looked at him with incredulity. “You don’t think they expect you to give the family money if I were really going to marry you, do you? He’s probably just as happy with you as candidate as whomever they had picked out in Italy.”
“I mentioned that I have a few thousand qateries put away for the future.”
“Utterly stupid,” she said, jumping to her feet. “I cannot believe you said that. You go back and tell him you were joking or something.”
Khalid rose, as well, and came over to her. “Ella, think for a moment. This gets you off the hook. We’ll meet him for dinner or something. Show we are devoted to each other. And that you have no intention of returning to Italy. Then he’ll be satisfied and take off in the morning. You’ll be safely ensconced here and that’s an end to it. Once your family finds another way to deal with the debt, you can write and say the engagement ended.”
She considered the plan. It sounded dishonest. But it also sounded like it might work. If she could convince Antonio she was committed to Khalid. Glancing out the window, she wondered if she could look as if she loved the man to distraction when her heart was buried with Alexander.
Yet, he knew her. He could believe she’d fallen in love. He’d often teased her for being a romantic. And her family would welcome Khalid like they never had Alexander. This time they had no reason to suspect he was interested in her money. Next to him, she was almost a pauper.
“Do you think it’ll work?” she asked, grasping the idea with faint hope.
“What could go wrong?” he asked. “You’ll convince your brother you’re deliriously happy. He’ll go home and you’ll go back to making glass art.”
“What do you get out of this?” she asked cynically.
“No more tears?” he said.
She flushed. “Sorry about that.”
“No, I didn’t mean to make light of it. Just make sure you don’t have another meltdown. I’ll be gone again soon so you’ll have the place to yourself again, like before.”
“So you’re not planning to sell?”
“Maybe not for a while. I find I’m enjoying living by the water.”
“Okay. We’ll try your plan. But if he doesn’t leave, or tries anything, I’m taking off.”
Khalid arranged dinner at a restaurant near the hotel. He picked Ella up at seven and in less than twenty minutes they arrived at the restaurant. She saw her brother waiting for them once they entered.
“Ella,” he said in Italian, coming to kiss both cheeks.
“Antonio,” she replied. It had been almost a year since she’d seen him. He looked the same. She smiled and hugged him tightly. No matter what—he was still her older brother.
He shook hands with Khalid. Soon all three were seated in a table near the window that looked over a garden.
“We’ve been worried about you,” Antonio said.
“I’m fine.”
“More than fine. Engaged to be married again.” He gave her a hard look.
She looked at him. “And?”
“It will come as a surprise to our parents.”
“As learning about Giacomo’s gambling problem surprised me.”
Antonio flicked a glance at Khalid and shrugged. “A way will be found to get the money. Family needs to support each other, don’t you think?”
When the waiter came for the order, conversation was suspended for a moment. “Khalid doesn’t speak Italian. He speaks English or French, so you choose,” Ella said in English.
“English is not so good for me. But for, um, good feelings between us, I speak it,” Antonio said.
“Ella tells me your family has been in the winemaking business for generations,” Khalid said. “You are a part of that operation?”
Antonio nodded. “I sell wine. Giacomo helps father with the vineyard and the make. My father wants Ella to come home. She goes a long time.”
“Maybe in a while. She cannot come now,” Khalid said flatly.
Antonio looked surprised that anyone would tell him no. Ella hid a smile and took a moment to glanc
e around the restaurant. The tables were given plenty of space to insure a quiet atmosphere and offer a degree of privacy for the customers. Her eye caught a glimpse of the minister of finance just as he spotted her.
“Uh-oh,” she said softly in Arabic. “The minister is here.”
Antonio frowned. “If we speak English, all speak,” he said.
“Sorry, I forgot,” she replied, looking at Khalid for guidance.
A moment later the minister was at their table.
“Ah, the lovely Madame Ponti,” he said with a smile, reaching out to capture her hand and kiss the back. “Rashid, I didn’t expect to see you with Madame Ponti,” he said with a quick glance at Khalid.
Khalid stood, towering over the older man, exposing the scar when he faced him. “Minister,” he said.
“Ah, my mistake. Khalid. No need to get up. I’m on my way out and saw you dining.” He smiled affably at Antonio. “Another guest?”
“Ella’s brother.” Good manners dictated an introduction which Khalid made swiftly. Explaining Antonio was Italian and didn’t speak Arabic.
“English?” he asked.
Antonio nodded.
“Welcome to Quishari,” the minister said with a heavy accent.
“Happy to be here. We are celebrating good news—Ella’s engagement.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
ELLA was struck dumb. She wished she could stuff a sock in her brother’s mouth. Her horrified gaze must have shown, as Khalid reached out and touched her shoulder.
“Congratulate us, Minister. You are the first outside the family to know,” he said easily.
His grip tightened and she tried to smile. What a disaster this was turning out to be. Khalid must be furious. That’s what they got for trying to put something over on Antonio.
“My felicitations. I have to say I am not surprised after seeing you at your mother’s event the other evening.”
Khalid nodded, releasing his hold on Ella’s shoulder as if convinced she would not jump up and flee—which she strongly felt like.
“Don’t let me keep you from dinner,” the minister said as the waiter approached with their meals on a tray.
Desert Jewels & Rising Stars Page 178