by Kate Hewitt
She’d just got out of the bath, wrapping herself in the velvet-soft terry-cloth robe that had been hanging on the bathroom door, when there was a discreet knock on the door of the suite.
‘Miss Taylor?’ The voice was female and had a crisp English accent, which filled Olivia with relief. She’d been managing all right with Arabic, and Zayed’s English was flawless, but it would be nice to have someone else to converse with in the language of her birth.
‘Yes, just a moment.’ She opened the door to a young woman dressed in a business suit, her dark hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail. Olivia liked the look of her instinctively. ‘Hello.’
‘Hello, Miss Taylor.’
‘Please, call me Olivia.’
The woman smiled and nodded. ‘I’m Anna, Prince Zayed’s PA at Rubyhan. He’s asked me to make sure you have everything you need.’
‘Yes, it’s been rather amazing.’ Olivia let out a self-conscious laugh, aware she was in nothing but a dressing gown. ‘I just got out of the bath.’
‘And I hope you enjoyed it,’ Anna said smoothly. ‘Prince Zayed wishes your stay here to be as pleasant as possible.’
It sounded a little...formal. ‘Oh. Okay.’ Olivia tried for a smile. Zayed was being thoughtful for once; she should be pleased. So why did she feel uneasy, as if she was being managed? Dealt with?
‘So there is nothing you need?’ Anna pressed, and Olivia shook her head.
‘Then Prince Zayed asks that you join him for dinner in the Blue Room in an hour. Is that acceptable to you?’
Olivia tried to suppress the flutter of nerves and, yes, excitement she felt at the prospect. ‘Um, yes. Sure. Thank you.’
‘Good.’ Anna smiled. ‘I believe that the wardrobe in your suite should hold any clothes you might need, but please do alert me if you require anything further.’ She handed Olivia a pager. ‘If you push that button, I’ll be here in less than five minutes.’
‘Oh. Wow.’ Olivia had never experienced such service before. She’d never experienced anything like this before. It really was out of this world. Out of her world.
‘I’ll leave you to it, then,’ Anna said with a smile. ‘When you’re ready for dinner, press the pager and I’ll escort you to the Blue Room.’
‘Okay. Thanks.’
Anna left her alone and, feeling a mix of curiosity and trepidation, Olivia opened the louvre doors of the huge built-in wardrobe. A row of blouses, skirts and dresses in every imaginable shade and fabric greeted and amazed her.
She ran her finger along the garments, touching the sumptuous fabrics, from cotton and linen to silk and satin. Beneath the dresses were shoes of every description—high heels and sandals, court shoes and plimsolls. They all looked incredibly expensive. Olivia slid open one of the drawers built into the wardrobe and nearly gasped at the delicate garments laid out there—lingerie sets in shades of ivory and beige, scalloped with lace and as thin as gossamer. Why on earth did Zayed have all these women’s clothes here? How had he got them here so quickly?
She spent an enjoyable half hour trying on different outfits, from the evening gowns to the day dresses, knowing she wouldn’t dare to wear anything too extravagant or sexy. She finally settled on a simply cut sheath in royal-blue linen, pairing it with a pair of taupe court shoes. Simple, safe clothes that were still more expensive and elegant than anything she’d ever worn before.
It felt strange, to be dressed so nicely, waiting to have dinner with a man she barely knew, yet who she’d known more than any other man in her life. Strange, and more than a little bit exciting.
‘There is absolutely no reason to be looking forward to this,’ Olivia told her reflection as she put on the minimum of make-up—the bathroom came equipped with a dazzling array of cosmetics and toiletries. ‘No reason at all. Prince Zayed no doubt just wants to talk to you about dissolving this marriage.’
The reminder was timely and squelched some of that nervy excitement. This was a business meeting, and one she certainly shouldn’t be looking forward to.
Taking a deep breath, she pressed the pager. Minutes later, as promised, Anna appeared at her door and led her down several corridors with mosaic floors and Moorish arches to a room on the ground floor of the palace. She opened the door and stepped aside so Olivia could enter, which she did with her heart starting to jump around in her chest.
But she needn’t have been so nervous, because the room, stunning as it was, was empty. Anna closed the doors softly behind her and Olivia looked around, taking in the pillars decorated with lapis lazuli and the gold leaf on the walls and ceiling. In the centre of the room a table for two had been set with linen and crystal and flickered with candlelight. It looked rather romantic, Olivia couldn’t help but think.
Then the doors opened and Zayed stood there, freshly showered and shaven, dressed in western-fashion trousers and a matching charcoal-grey button-down shirt open at the throat. His eyes shone like pieces of agate as his gaze surveyed her. He looked absolutely devastating, and Olivia couldn’t form so much as a word as she stood there like a rabbit in a snare.
Zayed closed the doors behind him with a soft click and came forward. ‘Hello, Olivia,’ he said.
* * *
Zayed watched the pulse flutter and leap in Olivia’s throat as he walked towards her. He was reminded of their wedding night, when he’d seen how nervous she was and he’d tried to relax her. Tonight was different, though. Yes, he was trying to make her comfortable after everything she’d endured, but he had no intention of seducing her...as tempting as that prospect seemed at the moment.
‘Everything in your suite was to your satisfaction?’ he asked.
‘Yes.’ Olivia cleared her throat and gave him a nervous smile. ‘It was all amazing, thank you.’
‘I’m glad.’ He pulled out her chair and she sat down, bending her head so he could see the nape of her neck, and just as before he was struck by the tender vulnerability of it. Struck in a way he did not wish to be.
‘It’s incredible, all the luxuries here,’ Olivia continued as Zayed moved around to sit opposite her. ‘The bath...the underfloor heating...the clothes...’ She shook her head, marvelling. ‘How did you get so many clothes here so quickly, and most of them in my size?’
Zayed hesitated a second too long, and realisation darkened Olivia’s eyes to a deep navy. ‘Oh, how stupid of me,’ she said with an uneven little laugh. ‘They were here already, weren’t they? For Princess Halina.’
Her perception was razor-sharp and Zayed couldn’t deny it. ‘I was intending to bring her here afterwards,’ he said. ‘A honeymoon of sorts.’
‘How lovely.’ Olivia reached for her napkin and spread it in her lap, her head bent so he couldn’t see her expression.
Annoyance and something deeper stabbed through him. He had been looking forward to this evening, even though it would have its expedient uses, of course. Now, right at the beginning, it felt spoiled somehow, which was absurd. Halina would still be his wife. She had to be. And Olivia’s perception provided a timely reminder.
‘I hope you were able to relax and enjoy yourself.’
‘I was, thank you.’ She sounded cool, and Zayed gritted his teeth. He wasn’t even sure why he was so irritated.
‘Have some wine,’ he said, and reached for the bottle chilling in a silver bucket. Olivia lifted her gaze to his, a slightly teasing look lightening the blue of her eyes, reminding him of the sea.
‘I didn’t think you experienced all this luxury in your exile,’ she confessed as he filled her glass. ‘I thought you lived in a tent pretty much all the time.’
‘Mostly I do. But Rubyhan is my official base and the seat of my government.’
‘So Anna works for your government?’
‘She is my personal assistant, but yes, I have a small staff living here permanently arranging correspondence, managing affairs. Although I am in exile, I am still the globally recognised leader of Kalidar. It is Malouf who is the rebel, the impostor.’ A familiar
pressure started in his chest.
‘I know that,’ Olivia said quietly. She took a sip of her wine, her lashes lowered. ‘It must be very difficult to be fighting for so long.’
‘I want the fighting to be over.’ The ache in his chest intensified and came out in his voice. ‘I want innocent people to suffer no more.’
‘And your marriage to Princess Halina will help accomplish that,’ Olivia finished softly.
‘Yes.’ He paused, feeling the need suddenly to explain to her why he was so committed. ‘For ten years Fakhir Malouf has lived in my home and taken my place. But worse than that, far worse, he has implemented policies and laws that go against everything my father taught me as a ruler—justice and mercy, kindness and equality. Kalidar was one of the most forward-thinking nations in this region, and now it is one of the least, all thanks to Malouf.’
‘But why doesn’t someone intervene—another government?’
Zayed’s fingers clenched around the stem of his wine glass and he forced himself to relax. ‘We are a small if wealthy country, and no one has wanted to risk getting involved. Malouf had the support of a certain section of the military, and it gave him more clout, even if no one was willing to recognise him officially.’
‘So for ten years you have been living on the fringes,’ Olivia said with a little shake of her head. ‘It’s so terribly unfair.’
‘It is an injustice I will make right, even if it costs me my life. Nothing else matters.’ He held her gaze, willing her to understand. He couldn’t let himself care about her finer feelings.
‘I understand,’ Olivia said softly, and Zayed let out a low breath, accepting her response.
He leaned back in his chair, wanting to recapture some of the enjoyment of the evening. He was sitting with a beautiful woman in candlelight, drinking smooth, velvety wine. Nothing could happen between them, for both their sakes, but they could still have a pleasant time together.
‘So tell me about yourself, Olivia,’ he invited as a member of his staff slipped into the room quietly to serve them the first course of lamb sambousek with fresh cucumber sauce.
‘Tell you...?’ Olivia looked startled. ‘There is not much to know, I’m afraid.’
‘That can’t be true.’ Zayed realised he was curious about her. ‘You said you had been working for the royal family since you were seventeen?’
‘Eighteen. Right after I finished school.’
‘You went to boarding school?’
‘Yes, in Switzerland. My father moved around a great deal and he wanted me to have a stable education.’
‘Did you enjoy it?’
She shrugged. ‘It was a finishing school for aristocrats and princesses, and I was a minor diplomat’s daughter, a nobody. I was there on a scholarship,’ she explained. ‘And of course everyone knew it, since I didn’t fly in by helicopter, or wear designer clothes on the weekends, or keep my own pony.’ She let out a small laugh that sounded just a bit too sad. ‘Halina was my best friend,’ Olivia continued. ‘She took me under her wing, made sure other people didn’t tease me.’ But not being teased, Zayed acknowledged silently, wasn’t the same as being liked.
‘That was very kind of her.’
‘Yes, it was. She’s a very giving person.’ She took a quick breath, looking up at him uncertainly. ‘I hope things are able to work out between you.’
‘So do I.’ Yet it felt odd in a way he couldn’t elucidate to talk about Halina as his wife. He didn’t want to talk about Halina right now, didn’t even want to think about her. Not with Olivia sitting across from him and looking so very lovely. If that was an act of betrayal, so be it.
‘This letter,’ Olivia said slowly. ‘What exactly do you want me to say in it?’
He didn’t want to talk about the letter now, either. ‘There is time for that tomorrow,’ he said swiftly. ‘Why don’t we eat?’
Olivia nodded and took a small bite of the sambousek, fragrant with cinnamon and mint. ‘Delicious,’ she murmured. ‘Better than any I’ve tasted before.’
‘Tell me about your duties in Abkar,’ Zayed suggested. He wanted to know more about her, although he knew there was no real reason to. ‘You take care of the three younger Princesses?’ He didn’t know their names.
‘Yes, Saddah, Maarit and Aisha. They are twelve, ten and eight.’
‘And what do you do?’
‘Everything,’ Olivia answered with a small smile. ‘I’m meant to teach them English, but I also look after their belongings and arrange their lessons and social events. They are quite busy girls. Dancing, riding, tennis... Saddah will go to boarding school, the same one I went to, next year.’
She lapsed into silence, her face drawn into sorrowful lines that made Zayed lean forward and touch her hand. ‘What is it? Why do you look sad suddenly?’
She refocused on him with a wry smile that was still touched with sadness. ‘I’ll miss them, that’s all.’
‘But you can return to the palace in Abkar when all this is over,’ Zayed insisted. ‘I will make sure of it.’
‘I am not sure you will be able to arrange such a thing,’ Olivia answered quietly. ‘Sultan Hassan has entrusted me with the care of his precious daughters. I’m meant to be an example of womanhood to them—quiet, submissive, modest womanhood.’ Her lips twisted. ‘No matter how discreetly things are managed, word will get back to him and to them that...’ She gestured between them with one slender hand. ‘I have compromised myself.’
Zayed’s mouth thinned into a hard line. ‘And in the letter, we can explain that it was not your fault.’
‘And have you take the blame? That would jeopardise your marriage negotiations, surely?’
Yes, it would. Zayed stared at her in frustration, disliking how he’d put her in such an untenable position. After the events of the last few days, he realised how unfounded his suspicions were.
Olivia was not a scheming gold-digger, trying to get the most out of this unfortunate arrangement. It would have been easier to maintain such a fiction, but he couldn’t, not when he’d seen her help the women and children at the camp; not when she’d shown so much concern for his welfare as well as that of his country.
‘Still,’ he persisted. ‘I will give you a handsome settlement. You will want for nothing.’
‘That is very generous of you, Prince Zayed.’ But she didn’t sound entirely pleased by the prospect, and he didn’t understand why.
‘You could travel,’ he continued, determined that she see some benefits. ‘Or start over. Work somewhere new.’
‘Yes.’ She laid down her fork, her appetite seemingly gone.
‘Does none of that appeal to you?’
‘It’s only...’ She sighed. ‘Abkar has been my home for four years, the only home I’ve ever really known. Sultan Hassan is my employer, I know, but he’s been kind to me, and more like a father than my own, who I barely knew. I’ll miss that.’
So not only had he robbed her of her innocence and livelihood, but he’d taken her family and home as well. Guilt corroded his insides like acid. There had to be some way he could make this right.
CHAPTER EIGHT
OLIVIA TOOK IN the frown settled between Zayed’s straight, dark brows and wondered what he was so worried about. What did it matter to him if she travelled or got a new job? Or was she simply a burden to his conscience, and it would be far easier for him if she quite happily toddled off into whatever future remained for her?
‘I’d like to travel,’ Olivia said, injecting a note of enthusiasm into her voice that she didn’t quite feel. ‘I’d like to go to Paris. My godmother lives there.’
‘Your godmother?’ Olivia saw the unmistakeable relief on Zayed’s face and knew she had been right. He wanted her dealt with, taken care of.
‘Yes, an old friend of my mother’s. I haven’t seen her in years. It will be good to see her again.’ Which wasn’t quite true. Her godmother was elderly and practically a stranger, and she’d welcomed Olivia during her few, brief visi
ts with a sense of obligation rather than enthusiasm. But Olivia knew what Zayed wanted to hear, and it was her instinct, as ever, to say it. Whether it was her father having needed to be reassured that she was fine at school, or Halina that she didn’t mind it when she went off with other friends, or even the little Princesses, needing to be soothed and petted, Olivia couldn’t help but give people what they wanted. It was so much easier, and being useful was almost as good as being loved.
Zayed gazed at her, eyes narrowed, the relief fading from his face. ‘Why are you trying to make me feel better?’
His perception surprised her. ‘You don’t want to worry about me. You don’t have to.’
‘You’re my responsibility.’
‘Not really.’ She met his gaze levelly. ‘And, as for money, I don’t need any. I have savings of my own and I’d prefer not to be paid off.’ Just the thought of accepting money from him after everything they’d done together made her feel cheap. Cheaper than she already felt.
Zayed shook his head. ‘Like I said, I have a responsibility—’
‘And I’m absolving you of it.’ Olivia managed a smile even though her heart felt as though it were being wrung out like a sponge. She understood she couldn’t stay with Zayed; she didn’t even want to, not really. But neither did she feel confident or courageous enough to embrace the unknown future. ‘At least you don’t think I’m some scheming witch any more,’ she said lightly, ‘trying to trick you into staying married to me.’
He had the grace to look abashed. ‘I’m sorry. I have come to realise that was unfair of me.’
‘When did you realise that?’
‘Over time,’ he said slowly. ‘When I saw you helping at the settlement yesterday. Or perhaps the way you seemed to care more for my situation, my people, than you did for yourself.’