She was disarmed by his sudden niceness, forgot to thank him as she ought to, but Emir did not seem to notice. ‘I have not been looking forward to this. Which is why, perhaps, I did not explain things. I have been trying not to think about it. Hannah was not looking forward to this time either.’ Amy blinked at the revelation. ‘Hannah wanted it left till the last moment—till they were a little older. I was trying to follow her wish, I did not think about cups...’ He gave a shrug.
‘Of course not,’ Amy conceded. ‘I don’t expect you to. But if there was just more communication it might make things easier.’
‘If she were alive still this would be difficult.’
Amy could see the battle in his face to keep his features bland, almost hear the effort to keep sentiment from his voice.
‘If she were here Hannah would not have been able to feed them, and that would have upset her.’ Amy frowned as he continued. ‘This is a time when babies are...’ He did not know the word. ‘Separated from their mother’s milk.’
‘Weaned off it?’
Emir nodded. ‘Tradition states that they should travel for a week living on water and fruits. The desert people do not approve that I am only giving them the girls for one night, and King Rakhal also opposed it, but I explained that my children have already been...’ he paused before he used the word that was new to his vocabulary ‘...weaned at two weeks of age.’
‘And he agreed to reduce it?’
‘Not for my daughters’ sake.’ Emir’s voice deepened in hate. ‘Only, I believe, because his wife is pregnant. Only because I reminded him that the rule would apply to his infant too.’ He gave a rare smile. ‘Perhaps Queen Natasha found out about it.’
Amy smiled back. She looked at him and was curious—more curious than she had ever been about a man. There was just so much about him she did not know, so much she had wrongly assumed. These past weeks it had not been bottles and cups on his mind, it had been their welfare. That this proud King had gone to his enemy to ask a favour spoke volumes, but it just confused her more.
‘Natasha is English, like you.’ Emir broke into her thoughts. ‘And would be just as opposed, I presume.’ His smile was wry now. ‘Poor Rakhal!’
‘Poor Natasha,’ was Amy’s response. ‘If Rakhal is as stubborn as you.’
He told her some more about what would happen—that they would set off soon and would take lunch at the oasis. ‘It must be soon,’ Emir said, ‘for the winds are gathering and we have to make it to the oasis today, so all this can take place before their first birthday.’
He did have their best interests at heart, Amy realised, even if he did not always show it. At every turn he confused her, for when the twins woke from that nap it was Emir who went to them, who helped her wrap them in shawls. When she saw him smile down at Clemira as they headed outside he was like the Emir she had once seen.
As they turned to the right of the tent Amy felt her heart sink at the familiar sound of horses whinnying—it was a sound that had once been pleasing to her, but now it only brought terror.
‘Horses?’ She looked at the beasts. ‘We’re riding to the oasis?’
‘Of course.’ He handed her Clemira, oblivious to the panic in her voice.
‘Your Highness...’
‘Emir,’ he conceded.
‘Emir—I can’t. I thought we’d be driving.’
‘Driving?’ He shot out an incredulous laugh. ‘You really have no idea what this is about.’
‘I honestly don’t think I can ride,’ Amy said.
‘Walk, then.’ Emir shrugged. ‘Though I suggest you walk alongside a horse, for it will only be a short time before you surely decide you’re not so precious.’
‘It’s not that!’ He was so arrogant, so difficult to speak to at times. She certainly wasn’t going to tell him about her accident. She didn’t want a lecture on how it was better to get back on a horse, or some withering comment, or—worse—questions. ‘I’m nervous around horses,’ she offered.
Emir just shrugged. ‘I will travel alone, then,’ he said. ‘You will help me to secure the twins.’
Amy bristled. He certainly wasn’t going to baby her—after all, he didn’t even pander to the twins. She wondered if they would fight and struggle as she secured them, but instead the girls were delighted with this new game—giggling as he balanced each one against his chest. It was Amy who was struggling as she wrapped a sash over his shoulder and tied a knot low on his waist, for she had never been closer to him.
‘That’s Clemira.’ She did her best to keep her voice light, hoped he would not notice her shaking fingers as she wrapped the second twin and was glad to walk around to his back so he would not see her blush. She lifted his kafeya a little, ran the cloth behind it. Her fingers paused as she felt dark skin. She bit on her lip as she saw the nape of his neck, resisting the urge to linger.
‘Done?’ he asked.
‘Nearly.’ She finished the knot on his shoulder. ‘Are you sure you can manage them both?’
‘I have carried much more.’ He indicated to Raul, the groundsman, to bring over his horse. As he mounted with ease the twins started to get upset—perhaps realising that they were leaving Amy behind.
‘They will be fine,’ Emir said.
But wasn’t it her job to make this transition easier for them? As painful as it would be, she wanted to be there for the girls when they were handed over to strangers—wanted this last bit of time with them.
‘I’ll come.’ The words tumbled out. ‘It will be better for the girls if I ride along beside them and give them their lunch.’
‘It is up to you.’ Emir’s voice did not betray the fact that he was relieved. He had privately been wondering how he would manage—not the ride, but the time at the oasis.
When he saw her tentativeness as she approached her animal, saw that her fear was real, he halted their departure for a moment and called to Raul, translating for Amy. ‘I have asked him to bring Layyinah. She is, as her name attests, the most gentle mare.’
Layyinah was gorgeous—white and elegant, and more beautiful than any horse Amy had seen. She had huge eyes and nostrils, her forehead was broad, and Amy ran a hand over a magnificent mane.
‘She’s beautiful,’ Amy said. ‘I mean seriously beautiful.’
‘Pure Arabian,’ Emir explained. ‘That bulge between her eyes is her jibbah. There is more...’ he did not know the word ‘...more room that helps with her breathing in the hot air. They are built for this land. In our horses we put a lot of trust and they return it. She will look after you.’
Amy actually wanted to get on, although she was incredibly nervous. The once familiar action took her a couple of attempts, and though her robes had enough cloth in them to allow for decency it felt strange to be climbing onto a horse wearing them. But Emir had managed, Amy told herself. As she took to the saddle she was glad he had mounted his horse first, because he was there beside her, surprisingly patient and encouraging, as she took a moment to settle. The horse moved a few steps as it became accustomed to a new rider.
‘Kef.’ Emir leant over and pulled at the rein. ‘It means stop,’ he explained, and waited till Amy had her breath back. ‘How does it feel?’
‘Good,’ Amy admitted. ‘It feels scary, but good.’
‘We will take it slowly,’ Emir said. ‘There is nothing to be nervous about.’
Oh, there was—but she chose not to tell him.
As they set off, even though it felt different riding on sand, the motion was soon familiar, and Amy realised how much she had missed riding. It had been a huge part of her life but she had never considered resuming it. Had never envisiaged the day she would be brave enough to try again—unexpectedly, that day was here.
She breathed in the warm air, felt the beauty of her surrounds, and for the first time she put
anger and her questions aside, just drank in the moment. She heard Emir talk to his children, heard their chatter and laughter as they set off on an adventure. It was nicer just to enjoy rather than think about where this journey would take them.
‘It’s gorgeous.’
Emir merely shrugged.
‘So peaceful.’
‘When she chooses to be,’ came Emir’s strange answer, and he looked over to her. ‘Don’t let the desert seduce you. As my father told me, she is like a beautiful woman: she dazzles and lulls you, but she is always plotting.’
‘What happened to your father?’
‘He was killed.’ Emir pointed to the distance. ‘Over there.’
Despite the heat she shivered. ‘And your mother?’
He did not answer.
‘Emir?’
‘It is not a tale to be told on your first night in the desert.’ He changed the subject. ‘Soon we will be there.’ He pointed ahead to a shimmer on the horizon. ‘Do you see the shadows?’
‘Not really,’ Amy admitted, but as they rode on she started to see the shadows that were in fact huge trees and shrubs.
‘What will happen?’
‘We will select our lunch,’ Emir said, ‘and then we will wait for the desert people.’ He looked over, saw her tense profile, and then he looked down at the twins, lulled by the motion of the horse, safe with their father. They had both fallen asleep and he did not want to hand them over either—hating so many of his kingdom’s ways.
‘They’ve missed you.’
He heard Amy’s voice but did not respond, for he had missed then so much too, and he could not share with her the reasons why.
Or perhaps he could.
He looked over as, bolder now, she rode ahead of him, her eyes on the oasis. Her scarf kept slipping, her hair was blowing behind her, and the attraction he felt was acknowledged. What just a couple of generations ago would have been forbidden was a possibility now. After all, Rakhal had an English wife—maybe there could be a way...
Poor Rakhal?
Perhaps not.
Poor Natasha. Even if they had been said as a light joke, he recalled Amy’s words, knew from their conversation she was not one who would be told what to do. She would not meekly comply to his request or be flattered that he’d asked.
She was trotting now, and Emir frowned. For someone so nervous around horses, someone who hadn’t wanted to ride, she was doing incredibly well. She looked as if she had been riding for years. He had a glimpse then of a different future—riding through the Alzan desert alongside her, with Clemira and Nakia and their own children too.
He must not rush this decision—and he certainly must not rush her.
She pulled up her horse and turned and smiled then, her face flushed from the exertion, her eyes for once unguarded, exhilarated. Emir wanted to see more of that and, patience forgotten, kicked his horse faster to join her, his urgency building with each gallop. He wanted her wild and free in his bed. Today—tonight—he would convince her. And as he slowed to a walk beside her, as he saw the spread of colour on her cheeks darken as he looked over to her, as he registered she wanted him too, he thanked the desert that had brought him a simple solution.
Maybe his kingdom and his family could somehow remain.
CHAPTER FIVE
‘LA,’ Emir scolded, frowning as Nakia spat out the fruit he’d tried to feed her. ‘I mean no!’ He was fast realising that the twins mainly understood English. ‘She copies her sister.’
Amy couldn’t help but laugh. They were deep in the desert, sitting by the oasis, feeding the children fresh fruit that they had collected from the lush trees—or they were trying to feed the children, because a moment ago Clemira had done the same thing, spitting out the fruit and screwing up her face.
‘Clemira is the leader.’ Amy watched his jaw tighten. It would seem she had said yet another thing of which he did not approve.
Their time at the oasis was not exactly turning out to be a stunning success. As soon as Emir had put her down Clemira had promptly tried to eat the sand, and Nakia had copied and got some in her eyes.
These were two thoroughly modern princesses, thanks to Amy. They were more used to bopping around to a DVD she’d had sent from home, or swimming in the impressive palace pool, than sitting by an oasis waiting for some elder from the Bedouins to come and offer wisdom for the life journey ahead of them.
‘They know nothing of our ways,’ Emir said, and though Amy was tempted to murmur that she wondered why that was, she bit her tongue. ‘Hannah was worried about this. She didn’t like the idea of them fasting.’
‘It’s not fasting.’ Amy was practical; she understood now why he had put this off. ‘If they’re hungry, they’ll eat. They have finally started to drink water.’
‘They are spoilt,’ Emir said as Clemira again spat out the fruit he offered.
‘I know,’ Amy admitted. ‘And it’s completely my fault—I can’t help it.’
To her utter surprise, he laughed. She hadn’t heard him laugh in a very long while. Even though the twins were being naughty, since they had arrived at the oasis Emir had been different. He seemed more relaxed—like a father to the twins, even—and then she looked up and saw he was watching her. She blushed a little as she looked back, for he was still looking at her.
She had no idea she was being seduced, no idea that the man lounging beside her, relaxed and calm, nurtured serious intentions.
‘I was not criticising you,’ Emir said. ‘I am glad that you spoil them. You are right—I should have given you more notice. Perhaps you could have prepared them.’
‘Now I’ve thought about it, I don’t know how I could have,’ Amy admitted. ‘They’re going to be terrified when the Bedouin take them.’
‘They are kind people,’ Emir said. ‘They will do them no harm.’
But his heart wasn’t in it. He tasted again the fear he had felt when he was a child—could remember his screams as the wizened old man took him. He hated the rules that bound him.
Hated Rakhal.
It was kinder to his soul to look at Amy, to visit another possible option.
‘What happens tomorrow when we get back to the palace?’ Amy asked, unnerved by his scrutiny and desperately trying to think of something to say. ‘Will it be very grand?’
‘There will be a party. My brother Hassan, the second in line, should attend.’
‘Should?’
‘He has a great interest in horses too...’ Emir gave a wry smile. ‘They take up a lot of his time.’
She had heard about Prince Hassan and his wild ways, though she had never met him, just heard the whispers.Of course some things were never discussed, so she stayed silent.
She was surprised when Emir said more. ‘Though his interest in horses is something I do not condone.’
She gave a small shocked laugh at his admission.
‘He needs to grow up,’ Emir said.
‘Maybe he’s happier not.’
‘Perhaps,’ he admitted, and thought perhaps now he understood his brother a little.
He had confronted him many times, to no avail. Emir did not get the thrill his brother found in winning—did not understand why Hassan would roam the globe from casino to casino. Hassan had everything and more a man needed right here in Alzan. Riches aplenty, and any woman of his choosing.
He looked over to Amy. One of her hands was idly patting the sand into a mound. For the first time with a woman Emir was not certain of the outcome, but he glimpsed the thrill of the chase, the anticipation before victory.
He understood Hassan a little better now.
‘King Rakhal will also be attending.’
‘With his wife?’ Amy checked. She had briefly met Natasha, but she remembered who she was speaking
about. ‘I meant will Queen Natasha be attending?’
‘No.’ Emir shook his head. ‘She is due to give birth soon, so it is safer that she does not travel. She seems very happy here,’ he pushed gently. ‘At first I am sure it was daunting, but she seems to have taken well to her new role.’
‘Can I ask something?’ Emir was still looking at her, still inviting conversation.
Her question was not the one he was hoping for: it did not appear as if she was envisaging herself for a moment as Queen.
‘Why, if their baby is a girl, can she rule?’
‘Their laws are different,’ Emir said. ‘Do you know that Alzan and Alzirz were once the same country?’
‘Alzanirz?’ Amy nodded.
‘There have always been twins in our royal lineage,’ Emir explained. ‘Many generations ago a ruler of the time had twin sons. They were unexpected, and were not branded, so the people were unsure who the rightful heir was. It was a troubled time for the country and the King sought a solution. It was decided that the land would be divided, that each son would rule his own kingdom. The predictors of the time said that one day they would reunite...but we were both given separate rules. As soon as one rule is broken the country must become one again, the ruler being of the lineage which survived.’
‘It doesn’t seem fair.’ She looked to his dark eyes and blinked, for they were not stern, and instead of chastising her he nodded for her to go on. ‘If a princess can rule there, why not here?’
‘They have another rule that they must abide by,’ Emir explained. ‘In Alzirz the ruler can marry only once. Rakhal’s mother died in childbirth and he was not expected to survive—the prophecy was almost fulfilled.’
‘But he survived?’
Emir nodded. ‘Here...’ He was silent for a moment before continuing. ‘Here the law states that if the ruler’s partner dies he can marry again.’ Still he looked into her eyes. ‘As must I.’
‘Must?’
‘The people are unsettled—especially with an impending birth in Alzirz.’
Harlequin Presents January 2013 - Bundle 2 of 2: The Ruthless Caleb WildeBeholden to the ThroneThe Incorrigible Playboy Page 23