The Desert Rogues Part 1

by Susan Mallery

  The next few minutes passed in a blur. Somehow tea and biscuits appeared. Liana found herself acting as hostess in a room where she felt very much an out-of-place guest. Fatima—like her son, she had insisted her title be dropped—was a tall elegant woman of indeterminate age. Her silvering hair had been swept up into a chignon that was reminiscent of a different era, although her clothes were contemporary, flattering and obviously haute couture. Her pale blue dress looked to be silk and the pearls around her neck were large and perfectly matched.

  By contrast, Liana still wore the dress she’d put on early that morning, and a day of teaching had done nothing to improve its bargain-store appearance. She tugged on the hem and smiled brightly.

  “The palace is very beautiful,” she said as she held her tea in one hand and a biscuit in the other.

  “I’m glad you think so,” Fatima told her. “There have been some modernizations, but all in all, it hasn’t changed that much since I was brought here as a young bride.” She smiled. “You must promise to come visit me in the harem. It’s very lovely and peaceful there.”

  Liana had just taken a bite of her biscuit. Now she choked as it went down the wrong way and it was several minutes before she could speak again. “Harem?”

  “Of course. I’ve kept all the original mosaics and much of the furniture. The gardens are as lovely, although most of the parrots are gone.” Fatima sipped her tea. “Parrots were always kept around the harem so that men could not hear the voices of the women and be tempted to climb the walls.”

  “I see,” she said, even though she didn’t. Harem. “So there are women there? Women kept for the princes?” She deliberately kept her voice sounding mildly interested so that the queen would not guess her repugnance at the thought of females on demand for any group of men. She’d thought that El Bahar was a forward-looking country, but obviously she’d been—

  “I’m the only resident of the harem now,” Fatima said blandly. Her calm expression gave Liana the uncomfortable feeling that the queen knew exactly what she’d been thinking. “The harem as you would define it was disbanded a year or so after I was married. King Givon, my son, never kept any women there for himself and none of the princes do either. So it can be a bit lonely for an old woman like myself.”

  Despite her embarrassment at being caught out with such obvious questions, Liana couldn’t help laughing. “I doubt anyone thinks of you as an old woman, Fatima. You are too elegant.”

  “Thank you, my dear. One tries one’s best. Now, enough about my life. Tell me about your relationship with my grandson. I’ve heard several different rumors, and I’m not sure which one to believe.”

  “There’s nothing to tell,” Liana said, refusing to think about the kiss they’d just shared. While it had been amazing, it didn’t mean anything. She quickly recounted her meeting with Malik and how she’d come to be at the palace rather than the teacher residences at the American School.

  “Most intriguing,” Fatima mused. “Not like Malik at all.” She regarded Liana thoughtfully. “Malik is a great many good things, but he’s not what you Americans refer to as a people person. He’s generally reserved. Heidi, his sister-in-law, can get through to him. She always has. I believe it’s her irreverence for his authority, and the fact that she treats Malik like a regular person.”

  “He is a regular person,” Liana reminded the queen. “He has exceptional responsibilities, but that doesn’t make him any less human.”

  “Really…” Fatima took another sip of tea. “How interesting you should think so. Most of Malik’s acquaintances would not agree with you. They would say he was quite removed from the rest of us.”

  Probably because they hadn’t been kissed by him, Liana thought humorously. There was nothing like a passionate embrace from a handsome prince to remind a woman that he was very much a mortal man.

  “So how are you adjusting to life in El Bahar?” the queen asked.

  As far as smooth transitions went, it left much to be desired, but Liana was determined to play along. She found herself liking the grandmother of the Crown Prince.

  “I’ve never lived in a palace before,” she admitted. “It has its benefits, as well as its drawbacks.”

  “The palace is very beautiful,” Fatima said. “You and your daughter must visit me in the harem for tea. Perhaps on Saturday.”

  “That would be nice.” Liana answered politely even as she wondered if they would still be here on Saturday. Just because she’d had a moment of mind-stealing passion didn’t mean that she’d changed her views on having her own place. If Malik thought he could seduce her into staying at the palace, he was going to find himself very startled when she left.

  Fatima smiled at her. “I hope you’re going to be very good for my grandson. He needs that.”

  “Because he misses his late wife?”

  Fatima’s friendly expression faded as if it had never been. Her expression hardened just as Liana had seen Malik’s do. Fatima stiffened, then set her teacup on the table.

  “I will not speak of that woman,” the queen announced as she rose to her feet. “She might have been of royal blood, but she was not worthy of the house of Khan.”

  “I’m sorry,” Liana said quickly. “I didn’t mean to say anything offensive about Malik’s late wife.”

  “You did not. You could not, as you are unaware of what happened.” Fatima smiled tightly. “Do not trouble yourself, child. While Iman will never be dead enough to suit me, she is out of our lives and we are the better for having her gone. I have trespassed on your hospitality long enough. I bid you goodnight.”

  With that, Fatima departed, leaving a very bemused Liana staring after her. The rich and royal truly were different, she thought, feeling slightly bemused and very confused by all that had happened.

  Chapter Five

  The girl caught on quickly, Malik thought with some pleasure. After three days, Bethany was fearless on horseback, which meant their riding lessons had been successful. He wanted her to learn the mechanics of a good seat and a combination of gentle firmness with which to guide her mount rather than have to overcome any terror at being on top of such a large animal. She was a natural, taking to the saddle with the balance of someone born to the sport.

  “I want to gallop across the desert,” she said with a small pout as they circled the large training ring. “This is boring.”

  “This is practice,” he told her patiently. “You would not like falling and breaking a bone. Casts are uncomfortable and itchy.”

  The pout turned into a grin. “What did you break?”

  “My arm. Twice.”

  Blue eyes gazed at him. “Mommy says that to make a mistake once is good. It means we’re stretching ourselves and learning something new. But to make the same mistake again is really…” Bethany pressed her lips together and didn’t finish her sentence.

  Malik wondered if her reticence was good manners on her part, or a sudden realization that he was a prince and it didn’t do to call him stupid. He hoped it was the former because he liked being with Bethany. The majority of her charm came from her intelligence and her artlessness. She didn’t know the first thing about having a conversation with a member of the royal family. To her, he was just an adult who had agreed to grant her wish of learning to ride.

  “My father told me the same thing,” he said solemnly. “He also forbade me to jump my horse again.”

  She frowned at him. “But if you broke your arm twice, that means you didn’t listen to him.”

  “You’re right. And I paid the price.”

  She mulled that over. “I think I’ll listen to my mom and to you. I don’t want to break anything.” She eyed the gate of the training corral, then sighed. “If we can’t go out, can we at least go faster?”

  “Of course.”

  She flashed him a grin of pure pleasure, then urged her horse into a trot. The patient gelding did as she requested, bouncing her along in a bone-jarring gait that made her thick, blond braid dance
up and down on her back.

  “Try cantering,” Malik called. “It’s more comfortable.”

  Bethany’s expression changed to one of concentration. She leaned over the horse’s neck and squeezed her thighs for all she was worth. Malik doubted the horse felt the pressure, but he sensed her intent and switched to the smoother stride. Bethany circled him around the ring, then executed a perfect figure 8 before slowing to a walk and moving next to Malik on his horse in the center of the ring.

  “Can we go out of the ring tomorrow?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he said. “I think you are ready.”

  She beamed at him and together they turned toward the stable. The groom on duty opened the gate to let them through.

  “I’m having the best time in El Bahar,” Bethany confessed. “I thought I’d miss home a bunch, but I don’t. I mean, I miss my friends and all, but I’m making new ones. Mommy promised I would and she was right.”

  “What about your father?” Malik asked before he could stop himself. “Do you miss him?”

  Bethany reined in her mount. They were on the tree-lined path between the corrals and the barn. Malik stopped next to her. He reached over and touched her arm. “You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to,” he said. “I didn’t mean to make you sad.”

  “I’m not sad,” she told him. “I don’t miss my dad very much because I don’t really see him.” She wrinkled her nose. “It’s kinda complicated, but the main thing is he’s really interested in racing cars. So all his free time and money goes into that. He would rather buy a new car engine than send child support.”

  She paused. “Mommy always says it doesn’t mean he doesn’t love me, but instead that Daddy isn’t practical. He doesn’t understand that buying me shoes and stuff is more important than his race cars.” She shrugged. “I didn’t mind that so much, but I used to cry when he would promise to come see me on Saturdays and then he’d forget. Or he’d take me to a race and leave me in the pit all day by myself. I didn’t like that. It was scary and loud.”

  Malik stared at her young face. She seemed too small and innocent to carry such burdens. He thought of Liana’s ex-husband and wished the man were a resident of El Bahar. The laws here were quite strict on these matters, and if Bethany’s father had missed even two payments of his child support, he would find himself living most unpleasantly in an El Baharian prison. Or if that could not be arranged, Malik would be pleased to take it upon himself to teach the man a lesson he would not soon forget.

  “What did your mother tell you about that?” he asked.

  “That Daddy still loves me, but he’s not really mature enough to handle the responsibilities of having a child. We decided, Mommy and me I mean, that it would be better if I didn’t see Daddy for a while. Not until he was ready to be there when he said.”

  “I’m sorry.” Malik knew the words were inadequate, but didn’t know what else to say. He couldn’t comprehend a man turning his back on his responsibilities.

  Bethany shrugged. “It’s okay, I guess. I want to believe that he still loves me, like Mommy says, but I don’t know. I mean if he loved me wouldn’t he want to be with me?” She looked up at Malik. “You wouldn’t forget to pick up your little girl, would you?”

  “If I had a daughter like you, I would move heaven and earth to be with her,” Malik told her honestly.

  “See, that’s what I thought.” She slumped a little in her saddle.

  He felt badly that he’d upset her, but didn’t know how to fix the situation. “You have your mother,” he reminded her. “She loves you and always puts you first.”

  Bethany perked up a little. “You’re right. That’s why we’re here in El Bahar. They pay a lot at the American School and there will be enough left over for college and for a house and everything.” Her expression turned wistful. “I wonder if we can get a house big enough for a horse.”

  “It would have to be pretty big,” Malik said. “And no stairs. Not if you’re going to keep it inside.”

  She burst out laughing. “You don’t keep horses in the house, silly.”

  “But that’s what you said. A house big enough for a horse.”

  “I meant the backyard.”

  The laughter chased the sadness from her eyes and made her cheeks glow with lovely color. Malik found himself enjoying his time with Bethany. In many ways she reminded him of Heidi, his brother Jamal’s wife. Heidi teased him and treated him with the irreverence of a sibling. To him, she was the sister he’d never had. While the brothers were close, they were all acutely aware of their position in the El Baharian government and their duty to their country. That caused a certain distance. But Heidi would tease him about anything and not give a damn that he would one day rule El Bahar.

  Bethany was like that. Part of it was her age. Children quickly forgot that they were supposed to be impressed. But most of it was her bubbly personality.

  “Race you back to the barn,” Bethany said. “It’s not far,” she added quickly, “and I promise not to fall and break anything.”

  “You’re on,” he said, turning Alexander so that he faced the path, then giving the horse a light squeeze with his thighs.

  Although he could have easily won the competition, he instead kept pace with Bethany, as much to keep her safe as to make her feel that it was a battle to the finish. As their horses ate up the grassy ground between the trees and the stable, he remembered what it had been like when he’d been Bethany’s age. They were worlds apart.

  At least Bethany had Liana on her side. Whatever the child’s father might have done wrong, her mother more than made up for it by giving the girl a warm home and unconditional love and support. What more could a daughter ask for?

  “I really don’t have anything to wear,” Liana said, staring at the brief note. Fatima had invited her and Bethany to dine with the royal family, and her limited wardrobe was not up to royal standards.

  “You’ll still be the prettiest one there,” Bethany said loyally. “Besides, Prince Malik is really cool. You’ll like him.”

  Liana glanced at her daughter stretched out on the large bed in the master bedroom. The girl couldn’t put two sentences together without prefacing one of them with the phrase, “Prince Malik says.” No doubt Bethany thought the prince was “cool.” Liana, however, didn’t have the same easy camaraderie with the Crown Prince. In fact, in the past three days, she’d barely seen him.

  And now this. An invitation to have dinner with him and his family. At least she assumed Malik would be there. Liana briefly closed her eyes and prayed he would be. She didn’t want to have to dine with two princes, their wives, a king and a queen mother, all without the presence of the man responsible for her being there in the first place.

  “This is insane,” Liana said, throwing her hands up in the air. “What are we doing here?”

  “You’re looking for a dress,” Bethany said pointing into the closet. “Wear the blue one, Mom. It makes your eyes sparkle and you want to be pretty for Prince Malik.”

  “It’s what I live for,” Liana agreed, as she drew the blue dress out and studied it.

  The garment was silk and shimmery, with a simple boat neck and long sleeves. The soft fabric skimmed over curves and bulges, which was always a good thing. With her hair pulled up in a fancy chignon and her lone pair of good pearl earrings, she just might manage to get through the evening without making a fool of herself.

  Bethany rolled onto her back and studied her fingers. “Can I paint my nails?” she asked.

  It was a familiar question. “Nope.”

  “Can I wear makeup?”

  “No again, pip-squeak.”

  “Oh, Mommy, why not? Can’t I be beautiful, too?”

  Liana replaced the dress and headed for the bathroom to freshen her makeup. On the way she paused by the bed and leaned over to tickle her daughter. “You are already beautiful without all of that. If I let you become even more beautiful, you’d outshine every other woman so much that w
e’d turn to stone and you’d be left alone.”

  Bethany shrieked with laughter. “Uh-uh,” she managed between giggles. “I’m not that beautiful.”

  “Of course you are. And smart. And funny. In fact, I’m going to have to lock you in a tall tower when you turn sixteen, just so the boys don’t steal you away.”

  Her daughter smiled and held her arms open for a hug. “I won’t leave you, Mommy. Not for a silly boy. Besides, I’m going to college, remember? And I can’t do that in a tower.”

  “I guess not.”

  She pulled her daughter close, savoring the familiar feel of skinny arms holding her tight. These were the moments that she would remember when Bethany was grown and gone, she told herself. The bits of magic that made it all worthwhile. Whatever else she might do with her life, Bethany would always be the very best of her.

  This dinner was her worst nightmare, Liana thought nearly two hours later. The large table in the family’s private dining room had room enough for all, with Bethany sitting next to her and Malik directly across from them. The king sat at one end, and Fatima at the other, with Dora and Khalil next to Malik and Heidi and Jamal next to Bethany. The problem was everyone was being so darned nice, Liana thought frantically as she took another sip of her wine. Not that she wanted them to be rude or mean, but they were acting as if she were already a member of the family, or at the very least, a close personal friend. It was disconcerting.

  She wanted to complain about the situation, but what was she supposed to say? “Could you please ignore me?” would be misunderstood by everyone. So she forced herself to keep smiling and was thankful that Bethany’s manners had always been exceptionally good.

  “I heard a rumor,” the king said, glancing at Bethany, “that someone at this table beat Malik in a race back to the stables.”

  Bethany laughed. “That was me.” She lowered her voice conspiratorially. “But I think he let me win. Prince Malik is a really good rider and his horse is fast. But I’m getting better and I’m gonna beat him on my own one day.”