by Leslie North
Now was the time to back out.
Maybe she should go to him now and tell him she’d made a mistake.
Nora stepped out of the shower and dried off. That was probably for the best. She’d been overwhelmed, what with calling off the wedding, and she couldn’t do this. Not today.
She was pulling on a pale blue dress, a number that looked fancier and less comfortable than it actually was, when the knock sounded at the door. Her stomach turned over. Who could it be other than Rashid? Nora squared her shoulders. This was sure to be awkward, but better now than out over the Black Sea or worse, at the palace in Omirabad.
The palace. What had she been thinking?
It was one thing to call off a wedding. It was another thing to move thousands of miles away to a strange country.
Nora pulled the door open, the words ready on her lips…
But it wasn’t Rashid who stood on the other side.
“I don’t think we’ve ever met,” said the woman in the hallway, who was tall and strikingly gorgeous, with dark hair and dark eyes. A princess, Nora thought. A princess holding a tray of coffee and pastries.
“Are you…Rashid’s sister?” Of course his sister would be here for the engagement party. It made perfect sense. Nora cast about for her name and came up blank. She hadn’t seen a picture of his sister in years—this had to be her. But why would she be bringing breakfast?
The woman smiled at her, genuine kindness in her eyes. “No. I’m Jazmin, Rashid’s ex-fiancée. Do you have a few minutes to talk?”
They sat in the living area of Nora’s suite, with Jazmin on the love seat and Nora in the overstuffed chair.
“Coffee?” Jazmin lifted the pot.
“Couldn’t live without it,” Nora said. “Please.”
Jazmin gave her a smile and poured two cups, then waited while Nora doctored hers to perfection. Her hands shook as she opened the sugar packet. This was all a bit over the top, wasn’t it? Coffee with the woman Rashid had been set to marry? It took several long sips of her coffee to feel steady in the least.
“Please, try some pastry,” Jazmin said. “It’s a specialty of Omirabad, flavored with honey and nuts. It’s delicious.”
“It looks wonderful. I’d love one.” Nora accepted the pastry on a small plate from Jazmin, who was still smiling at her.
The first bite confirmed Jazmin’s description. It was delicious—sweet and light with the hint of a crunch. Nora could see herself getting used to treats like this.
“It’s a tradition in Omirabad to offer these to someone who’s joining the family. To make them feel welcome,” Jazmin explained, and Nora’s heart beat harder, her blood rushing through her veins. She swallowed the bite of pastry.
“But you’re not—you’re not related to Rashid.”
“I might as well be. Which is why it’s a good thing we’re not getting married.” Jazmin gave her a wide-eyed look. “A very good thing. Rashid has always been more like a…a close cousin to me. And I owe you, in a way. I’m grateful you provided the opening to step away from the contract with Rashid. Ending the engagement was the best decision I’ve ever made.”
The best decision? It was a stunning admission, even in light of what Rashid had told her. Nora had wondered more than once whether he was painting the breakup in a rosy light, but now, with Jazmin sitting across from her…
The other woman’s expression was not the look of someone who was devastated beyond repair. It was the look of a woman who was…free. Jazmin’s face was open and kind. She was the picture of relief and happiness.
It was true.
“You were that anxious about marrying him?” Nora asked.
“Yes.” Jazmin took a sip of her coffee. “But not for the reasons you’d think.” She studied Nora. “I probably shouldn’t be telling you, but…”
Nora couldn’t help leaning forward. “Oh, you can’t say that and then not tell me. I’ll spend my life wondering what the big secret is.”
Jazmin laughed. “I like you. I know we’ve never met, but back when Rashid was in school, he would mention you. He was always so casual about it,” she said lightly.
“I’m torn.” Nora leaned back in her seat. “I want to hear more about Rashid, but I want to know your secret, too.”
Jazmin looked down into her coffee, her cheeks going pink. “You have to swear not to tell a soul.”
“I don’t know a soul in Omirabad other than Rashid. And now you.”
“Well, we’re still in London,” Jazmin said, pursing her lips. “And you can’t tell Rashid, either. You have to swear it.”
Nora raised her right hand, which had the effect of dropping the pastry onto her plate. She ignored it. “I swear,” she said solemnly.
“Don’t let that pastry fall onto the floor,” laughed Jazmin.
“I’ve sworn. Now tell me,” demanded Nora.
“All right, all right.” Jazmin took a deep breath. “I’m relieved to be free of the marriage contract because…I’m in love with someone else.”
“You are?” Nora couldn’t quite imagine being engaged to Rashid and not being totally consumed by him. Even imagining him now, just briefly, sent a shiver that felt like desire down her spine.
“With the palace’s captain of the guard.” Jazmin glanced toward the door of the suite as if someone might be listening in. “No one else knows yet. And obviously, there was nothing we could do once I got engaged to Rashid. Now that it’s over…” A flash of excitement lit up her eyes. “Now that it’s over, maybe things will change.”
Nora’s stomach did a slow flip. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“That things will change?”
“It sounds so simple, when you say it like that…that things will change.” Nora’s heart fluttered anxiously. “But I feel like I’m in over my head. It’s not just that things will be a little different if I get on the plane to Omirabad. It’s that everything will be different. A different country, a different life…” There was no dancing around it. “I’ve got cold feet!” Her voice squeaked on the last word, which had both women laughing.
When the laughter settled, Nora looked back at Jazmin. “I don’t know what I’ve gotten myself into, and honestly, before you knocked on the door, I was getting ready to find Rashid and tell him it was all a mistake.”
Jazmin’s dark eyes were steady on Nora’s. “I saw him talking to you out in the garden, you know.”
Heat flew to Nora’s face. “You did?”
“Yes. Just for a few moments, at the end of your conversation.” She leaned forward and put her coffee cup back on the tray. Nora looked down into her own cup and found that it was empty, so she followed Jazmin’s lead. “I’ve never seen Rashid so passionate as when he was talking to you. It might not have seemed that way to you, but I’ve been around him for most of our lives. He’s always even-keeled, always in control.” Jazmin looked thoughtful. “Truly—always. I’ve known him all my life.”
Nora didn’t know what to say.
“I’ve known him all my life,” Jazmin echoed, as if she was confirming it for herself. “I care about him, and I want him to be happy, even if I’m not in love with him. And based on what I know about you…”
Nora covered her face with both her hands. “I knew him in secondary school. The things he might’ve said…”
“That you were smart and sweet. He never went into too much detail, but he always had this expression on his face, like…” Jazmin mimicked the expression. It was a dead ringer for someone who was a little in love and trying not to show it. Which was an insane thing to infer from his ex-fiancée’s mimicry. “I think the two of you would be far more suited to each other.”
Nora cleared her throat. “How—how so?”
“Rashid doesn’t need a…” Jazmin tapped her chin for a moment. “A traditionalist. He needs a partner who’ll balance him out. Like yin and yang.”
“I don’t know if we’re opposites enough for that,” Nora said. As she spoke, Jazmin stoo
d up and arranged the tray, then lifted it. Nora got to her feet, still holding the plate with the pastry. It’s a tradition to offer these to someone who’s joining the family.
“I do,” answered Jazmin. “Thank you for taking the time to chat with me. It was lovely to finally meet you and get to know you a bit.”
“It was. And the coffee—” Nora gestured at the tray. “It was all delicious. But I have to ask—even if I do marry Rashid, even if I come to Omirabad…” The question was on the tip of her tongue and burning through her core. “What about…you know. What about love?”
Jazmin gave her a knowing grin. “Looking at you now, I suspect you’re already halfway there.”
6
The preparations for the wedding began as soon as the plane touched down—no exaggeration.
The royal family’s private jet landed at a reserved runway at the capital’s airport, and the moment the doors opened, a woman stepped into the plane. Nora hadn’t even stood up yet.
She was elegant in a sleek pantsuit and a pale pink headscarf, and Nora smoothed down her own hair. Was it enough to have combed it out in the airplane’s bathroom? Maybe not. If Jazmin had come back on the same flight, she might have been able to tell her, but she’d decided to spend a few more days in London.
“I’m Daima Ahmed,” said the woman, fixing Nora with an enthusiastic smile. “Hello, Sheikh Rashid.”
“Daima,” he said, clasping her hand between his own. “This is my fiancée, Honora Williams. I’d say I was sorry to make you start all over on the planning, but…” He shrugged in a way that was utterly charming. “It’s for the best.”
Daima waved this off and stepped forward to shake Nora’s hand. “It’s all in a day’s work. I’m so happy to meet you, Miss Williams. There’s a lot to do, but I want to start with the wedding gown. We’ll want to go with a traditional neckline, but there are a couple of different options.”
“Call me Nora,” Nora cut in, feeling more than a little breathless. “Everyone does.”
Daima smiled. “Nora.” She took a deep breath. “My enthusiasm might have gotten ahead of me. However, with the wedding in a week…”
“A week?” squeaked. She’d known the ceremony would happen quickly, but for some reason she’d expected a little more time. As long as it happened before Rashid’s birthday…
Which, of course, was in less than a month.
“A week,” Nora said, getting her voice under control. “Right. A week.”
“It’s when the original ceremony was planned.” Daima gave both of them a confident smile. “At this point, it makes the most sense for everyone to revamp the original plans. Dresses and ceremonies are relatively easy to change—guests and dignitaries, not so much.” She turned her gaze on Rashid. “As long as the two of you are all right with that.”
“Of course,” Rashid answered smoothly.
Nora’s heart pounded. This was it—this was the moment she could ask for the wedding to be pushed back. But it was just nerves about landing in Omirabad, she was sure. “That’s—that’s great.” She paired this with a wide smile.
Daima peppered her with questions all the way off the plane and into the car, and it wasn’t until after dinner that evening that she finally put away her tablet and called it a night. Nora fell into bed in her suite at the palace, too exhausted even to wonder at it. She was in Rashid’s palace, staying down the hall from Rashid, and all those questions moved through her mind in a rush as she fell asleep.
The next two days followed in the same way. Daima came early, as soon as they were done eating breakfast, and Nora spent most of the days with her. Rashid was in and out, just as he’d said. He was, after all, the crown prince. But whenever he walked out of the room, Nora ached to be with him.
Not that she was quite ready to admit that.
Jazmin’s words in her suite at the Corinthia had thrown her a little bit. Halfway to love…was it really true? Nora had always had feelings for Rashid. She’d always thought he was the most attractive boy at Westminster, and she’d never wanted anyone else’s eyes on her as much as she wanted his. On some level, she knew he felt similarly…but who knew if it was a perfect match?
Who knew if she could be a perfect match in this royal household?
On the third day, Daima had just stepped out of Nora’s suite when there was a knock at the door.
She gave herself a moment to take a breath, then opened it to find Rashid standing on the other side. His face lit up at the sight of her.
“Good evening,” he said. “Have I come at a bad time?” It was a half joke, and Nora laughed. This week was all about wedding planning—there was no time at all for anything else. So far, she’d listened to Daima when it came to the best flower choices for the ceremony, stood for three dress fittings, and had a tasting of the menu to make sure she liked it.
“Not at all.” She stepped back to let him in and caught a whiff of his scent as he walked by. He smelled like sunlight, warm and manly and clean, and for a moment it was like they were back in high school. Nora would have been mortified if he caught her noticing the scent of his skin, but it still lit her up with desire.
“You look beautiful,” Rashid said as she shut the door.
“Oh, thank you. I feel like I should dress up for the meetings with Daima.” She wore a simple enough dress, but she’d paired some statement jewelry with it that she knew complemented the red of her hair.
Rashid nodded, approval shining in his eyes. “I came to invite you to dinner.”
Something about the way he said dinner made her pulse race. “Out to dinner?”
“To a family dinner,” Rashid said with a smile. “You need to meet my family before the wedding, and we’re running out of time.”
“Okay,” Nora said gamely, though her stomach had twisted into a knot. She hadn’t had a chance to meet Rashid’s family yet. There had been so many meetings, one after the other…she swallowed hard. “When is it?”
“It begins as soon as we get there.” Rashid offered her his arm, and that was that.
All the way to the formal dining room, Nora tried to remember everything she knew about Rashid’s family. Most helpfully, her mind was a stuttering blank. Were the random details she dredged from the depths even about his family?
Outside the door to the dining room, Rashid stopped and squeezed her hand. “My family is just like everyone else’s,” he said, his smooth voice a balm to her frenzied thoughts. “They’ll be so happy to meet you.”
“I hope it’s not much like mine,” she said. “I don’t know if…” This wasn’t the time or the place to rehash what kind of man her father was. She smiled up at Rashid instead. “Thank you.”
They stepped into the room, and there they were—Rashid’s family.
“My father, King Rafiq,” he said softly into her ear. They were gathered at the other end of the room, a tight group engaged in conversation. “My brothers, Samir and Khalid.” Nora already knew he’d lost his mother as a boy. It was one of the things they’d had in common at school. Now that they were all there in front of her, she could pick them out, and good thing, because—
The room went quiet. Rashid’s family must have sensed their presence there, because they all turned to look.
She swallowed the last of her fear.
Without a moment’s hesitation, King Rafiq broke away from the group and came toward them, smiling widely. Nora felt herself relax, just a little, and relax a bit more when he shook her hand.
“Welcome, welcome. Nora Williams. I’ve heard that name for years. I’m King Rafiq, but you must call me Rafiq. Come meet my sons, Samir and Khalid.” He drew Nora farther into the room, toward where his children stood waiting. “Rashid, don’t just stand there. Bring my future daughter-in-law a drink.”
With a gentle hand, Rafiq guided Nora to Rashid’s two siblings. “Samir, my middle son.” Samir offered his hand and inclined his head.
“Welcome to Omirabad,” he said, letting go of Nora’s ha
nd. A polite flicker of a smile flashed onto his face and was gone again in an instant.
“I’m so happy to be here.”
“Oh, please, Samir. No need to be so uptight.” The younger brother, Khalid, stepped forward and put a hand on her arm. “I’m Khalid. Don’t feel you have to be as serious as Samir, or we’ll all die of boredom.”
Even Samir chuckled at the joke, the expression on his face lightening. It warmed her heart right through, the heat expanding out to encompass her whole chest.
“You’ll meet Aliyah after the wedding,” King Rafiq told her. “She’s out of the country with her husband, unfortunately, but she sends best wishes.”
Nora felt herself falling into the rhythm of drinks and dinner with Rashid by her side, looking pleased with himself. None of the awkwardness she’d been so afraid of materialized, unless you counted how quiet Samir was. She learned that Aliyah was married to a very wealthy man from a neighboring country and visited Omirabad during the summer. Two hours slipped away before she knew it, and then they were back in the hallway, her hand on Rashid’s arm as they made their way back to Nora’s suite. The quiet between them was comfortable. It was like a weight had been lifted from her chest.
They passed a bank of windows. The huge panes of glass gave a breathtaking view of the capital city twinkling below them. In the dark, it could have passed for any city in the world, including Nora’s beloved London.
“That went well,” said Rashid. The pang of homesickness she felt was quickly wiped away by Rashid’s words.
“Did it?” Nora could tell by his face that it had, but she couldn’t help confirming. “Samir seemed a bit…quiet.”
“That’s Samir,” Rashid told her with a chuckle. “He always takes a dinner or two to loosen up. My family liked you.”
An uncertainty bubbled up from where she’d pushed it hours ago, and she let out a heavy breath. “Are you sure it’s not…are you sure they’re not just…”
“They loved Jazmin, too. We all care for Jazmin.” He pulled her fear right out into the open. “But they know this is what I want. Didn’t you notice them asking you questions all evening? They want to know you as much as I do.”