by Mary Lyons
‘Unfortunately, my father did not greet the decision with--er--enthusiasm, and I was careless enough to allow him to draw his ceremonial sword on me. I hate to think what my old instructor at Sandhurst would have said about letting myself be surprised like that!’ He smiled and ruefully shook his head. ‘However, I could not possibly bring myself to shoot the man who had given me birth, and so I attempted to talk him out of taking any foolish action. Whereupon, he promptly aimed a blow at my head! Of course, my father was quickly disarmed by the men under my command; the only lasting result of the fracas was that I needed twenty stitches in my face--and I suffer from a case of permanent double vision from the blow to my temple.’
Leonie winced, expecting some dreadful revelation as he raised his hand and removed the black patch. To her surprise, both the eyes gleaming at her from beneath their heavy lids appeared to be perfectly normal.
‘You see?’ Badyr gave her a wry smile. ‘I merely wear this patch to correct my double vision. I have seen many eye specialists, and they tell me that there is nothing they can do.’ He paused. ‘Do you find my appearance so very terrible, Leonie?’
‘No, no, not at all,’ she muttered. What on earth were they doing--sitting here and calmly discussing his eye—patch, for heaven’s sake? He had always been physically very attractive, and now with that patch and scar he seemed doubly so. Leonie knew that most women of her acquaintance would find such a dangerous, pirate-like image almost irresistible! And undoubtedly there had been many women in the last five years, she told herself sourly, before striving to banish such errant thoughts from her mind. Far more to the point was her concem about Jade.
‘We must now talk about my daughter,’ Badyr said, echoing her own thoughts with uncanny clairvoyance.
There was a long silence which seemed to reverberate around the room, Leonie stared determinedly down at the glass tightly clasped in her hands, which were shaking as if she had the palsy.
! ‘I don’t see that there is very much to discuss,’ she murmured at last. ‘You will want to see her, of course, but ...’ She faltered as Badyr gave a harsh bark of sardonic laughter.
‘Oh, yes, Leonie. I fully intend to see Jade! Earlier in our conversation you asked me what it was that I wanted. Well, I must tell you that I want my daughter. I have come over here to London, with the express intention of taking her back to live with me in Dhoman.’
‘You you can’t take Jade away from me--you can't!’ she whispered, almost fainting at the wave of blind panic which ran like quicksilver through her trembling body.
‘I do not intend to, of course. But if the necessity arose . . .? Yes, I can see no difficulty. The courts might well award me care and custody,' Badyr drawled smoothly. ‘But if that action should fail, I would merely remove her from this country.’
'No!’
‘No? Can you guarantee to guard her for every moment of every day? I think not!’
‘You monster! I won't let you take her away from me!’ she cried, jumping to her feet. ‘Jade has never even seen you, for heaven’s sake. She would be terrified!’ Leonie gazed at him with horror, unable to say any more for the hard lump obstructing her throat.
‘Calm down, Leoniel’ Badyr rose to his feet, walking swiftly over to place his hands firmly on her shoulders. ‘I have already said that I do not intend to take Jade away from you.’
‘Then why did you mention the courts and threaten to abduct her?’ she gasped, her whole body racked with pain.
‘I wanted you to understand that I am very serious about the return of my daughter.’
‘Serious? I am hardly likely to find your words amusing, am I?’ she cried, unable to prevent the helpless tears from coursing down her cheeks.
‘Come, there is no need to weep,’ Badyr murmured softly, taking her trembling body into his arms. ‘Yes, I want my daughter—but I also want you,’ he added, removing a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiping her eyes.
‘Me'? You want me to return to Dhoman?’ She gave a shrill, hysterical laugh as she abruptly broke away from his embrace. ‘You must be mad!'
He shook his head. ‘No, I am very sane. I wish to live l with my wife and daughter by my side. Is that so strange?’
‘Never, under any circumstances, could I possibly face going to live in Dhoman again. Once was enough!’
‘In that case, my dear Leonie, you must be prepared to lose your child.'
The chilling finality of his words hit her like a blow. 'For God’s sake, Badyr, you can’t mean it? What have I ever done to deserve such a terrible punishment? You can’t be so . . . s-so c-cruel!’ Tears of utter desolation streamed down her cheeks as she clutched frantically at his arm. ‘Don’t do this to me . . . please don’t take away my little girl . . .’ she sobbed.
‘Compose yourself, Leoniel’ he demanded sternly, a muscle beating in his clenched jaw. ‘I am not intending to take Jade from you, that would indeed be cruel.'
‘But you said . . .’
‘I said I wished you both to return with me to Dhoman. If you refuse to come, then it is you who will be abandoning our child.’
‘I can’t bear the thought of going back there!’ she wailed helplessly as Badyr led her shaking figure over to a sofa. ‘You know how awful it was for me—who better? I—I've never been so desperately unhappy in my whole life. Shut away in that dreadful, medieval fortress . . .’ Leonie buried her face in her hands, her slim figure shuddering at the bitter memories she had tried so hard to forget.
‘That was all in the past. You would find your position in Dhoman quite different now,’ he replied evenly, seating himself on the sofa beside her. ‘As my wife, you will have your own palace and your own servants. You will be free to come and go as you wish, although for your own safety I would insist on your having a bodyguard with you at all times. There are still one or two rebels at large,’ he explained. ‘The guards would only be there for your own protection.'
‘It still sounds like the same old Dhoman that I loved I to hate!’ she retorted, fiercely blowing her nose. ‘And why now? Why this sudden desire for your child, when you’ve managed to ignore us all these years?’
Badyr gave an impatient sigh. ‘I have spent a good part of the evening so far, explaining exactly why I "ignored" you and my daughter.'
‘Hogwash!’ she lashed back angrily. ‘I can read the papers, you know! That war of yours was finished a good year ago, so why the sudden interest in reclaiming your daughter, huh?’
‘l am touched to learn that you have been taking such an interest in the affairs of my country,’ he drawled with heavy sarcasm. ‘However, your mother’s wedding has merely brought forward my plans. I always intended that both you and Jade should return to Dhoman.’
‘My—my mother’s wedding? Leonie looked at him in astonishment.
He shrugged. ‘Of’ course. When your mother contacted me . . .’
‘She… what . . .!’
‘Your mother was very worried about the future of yourself and the child. It was quite right and proper that she should let me know how matters stood, and she was absolutely correct in assuming that I would take responsibility for you both.'
‘Oh God! How could she do this to me?’ Leonie wailed, jumping to her feet in trembling agitation. ‘No wonder you were laughing your head off back at the Embassy--you knew very well that my mother wasn’t ill--you swine!’
Badyr’s lips curved into a sardoriic smile. ‘Yes, I must confess to having been amused by your--er--inventiveness!’
‘l bet you were! Well, let me tell you that Jade and I need you like a hole in the head--far less, in fact! Jade will be going to school in about six months’ time and . . . I’ve got a job that l love. You can’t . . .’
‘l am well aware of your success in the wholesale oriental rug market,’ he murmured blandly. ‘I have been pleased to hear of how well you have progressed with your firm, and of Dimitri Kashan’s trust and confidence in your ability.’
Leonie glared at h
im, her hackles rising at his condescending tone of voice. ‘Don’t you patronise me--you . . . you bloody man! Yes, I’m good at my job, and if I’m successful it’s due solely to my own effort and hard work. I don’t need you, or your millions, and I’ve absolutely no intention of throwing up my career and going back to Dhoman with you--none at all!'
‘If you wish to continue to exercise your mind, there will be plenty that you can do to help me in Dhoman,’ he said quietly.
‘Oh, for heaven’s sake, Badyr—you haven’t been listening to a damn thing I’ve been saying!’ she exploded, pacing back and forth about the room. Trying to calm down, she took a deep breath and turned to face him. ‘Surely . . . surely you could allow us to remain here, in London?’ she said as quietly and as reasonably as she could. ‘You must be so wealthy now, that for you to fly over here to see Jade as often as you like, would hardly make a dent in the petty cash!’
‘But that is not what I want, Leonie. I have told you I that I wish my wife and daughter to live with me.’
‘I’m sick and tired of hearing what you want!’ Her blue eyes flashed dangerously, regarding his casually lounging figure with utter loathing. ‘Why don’t you get yourself another wife? The world is full of women who’d jump at the chance of marrying a real live Sultan!’
Badyr shook his head. ‘I want you,’ he remarked flatly.
‘Why, for God’s sake?’
‘Maybe . . .’ he hesitated. ‘Maybe, because I wish to have a son, hmm?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous! All you have to do is to find another wife and possess yourself in patience for nine months.’ She gave a shrill laugh. ‘As far as I’m concerned, you can forget it! I’m definitely not prepared to . . .’
‘Enough!’ Badyr rose slowly from the sofa, his deep voice cutting abruptly through her breathless protest. ‘As I promised, I have listened to what you have had to say about the termination of our marriage. Nevertheless, my mind remains unchanged. Both you and our child will accompany me back to Dhoman immediately after your mother’s wedding. You are my wife, Leonie, and I shall exercise a husband’s rights, as and when I feel inclined to do so. I am confident that with Allah’s blessing you will bear me many sons. There is nothing more to be said.’
Leonie gasped with outrage. ‘I won’t . . .’
‘Oh, yes, you will.’ He moved forward, placing a hand beneath her chin and tilting her face up towards him. ‘It is foolish of you not to acknowledge that I hold all the cards in this affair.’
She stared up at the face so close to her own, her eyes filled with the grimly implacable, unrelenting expression on his harsh features. Badyr was right. He did hold all the cards. He knew, with absolute certainty, that she would never abandon her child.
‘God--I hate you! I’ll never forgive you for what you are doing to me,’ she hissed through clenched teeth, unable to control the furious, impotent rage which was shaking her slim body. ‘And . . . and both you and Allah will have to wait a bloody long time—because I’ll never, ever, willingly submit to your so-called "husband’s rights"!’
‘No?’ he whispered softly as he lowered his dark head, his mouth feathering tormentingly across her lips and reawakening the aching memory of just how she had once responded to his light caresses.
Her mouth was suddenly dry, her nerve ends screaming and every muscle tensed against his calculated, deliberate assault upon her senses. She must get out of here! Twisting away from Badyr’s arms, she tried to control the involuntary trembling in her legs as she walked towards the door.
‘Surely you cannot be leaving so soon, Leonie?’ he drawled, his voice heavy with mockery. ‘Have you forgotten that I wish you to dine with me tonight?’
She turned to face the tall, elegant figure who had caused her so much heartache in the past. He was so sure, so arrogantly confident of her capitulation, that it was all she could do not to scream with frustration.
‘I have forgotten nothing--especially those dreadful few months of our marriage. And the thought of eating dinner with you makes me feel sick!’ she flung at him bitterly. ‘I’m going home now, and unless you intend to use force and cause a scandal in this oh-so respectable hotel, I suggest that there is damn-all you can do about it.'
His figure stiffened, radiating a menacing force, and for the first time that day Leonie sensed the unleashed power of the anger her words had aroused, trembling at the realisation of just how ruthless and dangerous this man could be. And then he relaxed, smiling sardonically as he picked up the phone and ordered his chauffeur-driven Rolls to be brought around to the front door of the hotel.
‘Do not make the error of trying to escape, my dear Leonie,’ he warned her softly as she left the suite. ‘l have infinite resources at my command, and let there be no doubt in your mind that when I return to Dhoman, I shall most surely be accompanied by both you and my daughter.’
Later that night as she lay in bed, staring blindly at the ceiling, Badyr’s taunting words ran like an evil refrain through her tired mind. Driven back to her home in solitary splendour, she had been filled with misery, her only crumb of comfort being the contemplation of exactly what she was going to say to her mother on her return. But even there she had been frustrated, unable to relieve her exacerbated feelings. The house had been empty, with merely a note from her mother--the coward!--explaining that she and Jade had gone to have dinner and spend the night with old friends of the family on the other side of London.
Leonie felt totally exhausted by the events of the day, and yet the blessed relief of sleep evaded her. Try as she might, she could find no avenue of escape from the inevitability of her return to Dhoman. Even wild schemes, such as escaping with Jade to some secret destination, failed to stand up to more than a moment’s contemplation. Badyr had stated no more than the truth: with unlimited money and resources at his command, he would manage to track her down sooner or later. And then what? His anger at being defied would undoubtedly result in his immediate abduction of Jade. As ruler of his country, Badyr had absolute and total power over his subjects, and she knew that once her child had been taken to Dhoman, she would never see her again.
Dhoman! The very name of the place was enough to make her shudder. Ever since she had escaped from that country, she had done all she could to expunge the painful memories of her brief marriage. But now there seemed nothing she could do to prevent them from rising like ghosts from the past, powerless to stop the haunting nightmares from filling her mind to the exclusion of all else.
CHAPTER THREE
IT was now clear that her first meeting with Badyr, when Leonie had been so young and innocent, had been nothing but a disastrous, malign twist of fate. If only she hadn’t been quite so anxious to prove her worth to her new employer, Dimitri Kashan, by exceeding her instructions and delivering a precious carpet to the wrong address and the wrong person--but she had and she did!
‘No, I can assure you that I am not Mr Wilding!’ The tall, outrageously handsome man had regarded her flustered face with amusement. ‘However, I am sure this little matter can be easily sorted out. So, why not sit down and have a calming drink, while we consider what to do about the problem, hmm?’
Leonie had looked nervously around the luxurious sitting-room of the penthouse apartment, her mind filled with her mother’s dire warnings about what happened to young girls who accepted drinks from strange men. Not realising that the expression on her lovely face, and the alarm reflected in her sapphire blue eyes had so clearly echoed her agitated thoughts, she had been startled when the man standing before her gave a short bark of laughter.
‘I can assure you that you are quite safe!’ His shoulders had shaken with amusement. ‘You have my word of honour that I do not make a habit of seducing pretty young girls--even one as beautiful as you! So, let us be very correct and introduce ourselves, hmm?’
‘I’m . . . er . . . Leonie Elliot,' she had murmured, staring fixedly down at the rolled-up rug she was carrying, and miserably aware of the deep flus
h staining her cheeks. This man must think that she was very silly and gauche. How she had longed to be a sophisticated woman of the world and able to make cool, clever conversation, instead of standing here tongue-tied and helplessly uncertain of what to do next.
‘Very well, Leonie, you may call me Badyr,’ the man had said, gently leading her stiff figure towards a soft leather, chair. ‘Now if you will make yourself comfortable, and give me that piece of paper containing what is clearly the wrong name and address, I’ll see if we can’t solve the mystery, hmm?’
He had left the room, Leonie hearing a short buzz of conversation before he returned with a tray containing tall glasses and a jug. ‘l have asked my assistant to make enquiries and here, in the meantime, is a cool drink of orange juice--which I can promise you contains no wicked alcohol!’