by Cara Albany
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Nicole had been home for a week before she decided to visit Rashid's empty palace near the city.
Since returning, she hadn't been able to get in touch with him. The satellite number she'd gotten from her mother just rang unanswered. Nicole could just imagine Rashid up in the north, secure within the walls of his isolated palace. Was he even thinking about her? Why hadn't he made any attempt to get in touch with her? Surely he would have wanted to make sure she'd arrived home safely.
Nicole had wondered what she could do to get in touch with Rashid. She needed to get in touch with him. The days since she'd arrived safely home had been a roller coaster ride of emotions. Memories of her time with him had tormented her, made her nights back in her bedroom in the embassy almost unbearable.
On arriving, Nicole had been immediately grilled by her sisters and her mother for more information about what had happened to her up north. But, Nicole had held out, merely telling them that she'd had a crazy adventure up there and that she was glad to be back with her family.
But, still her sisters persisted, until eventually she told them some of what had happened with Rashid. Of course she couldn't tell them about her last night with him. But, she did give them some details about Rashid and the kind of life he had in the palace. She told them he'd been the perfect gentleman, treating her with courtesy.
The way Erin and Belle had rolled their eyes on hearing that told Nicole that they didn't believe anything she said. They knew she was hiding something, but she couldn't even contemplate telling them the truth. Some things were just private.
The most eager to know the details of her stay in Rashid's palace had been Nicole's youngest sister, Belle. But, being the youngest, Belle could be forgiven for thinking the whole thing exciting. Nicole tried to temper Belle's obvious enthusiasm for adventures with sheikhs.
Belle had seen what had happened with Erin, and thought that every relationship with a sheikh would inevitably have a happy ending. Belle really was incredibly trusting, Nicole told herself after her nightly girl talk with her sister up in Nicole's bedroom in the embassy. Probably too trusting for her own good.
Nicole was just glad to be home, even if the sadness at not being with Rashid clawed at her every moment of every day and night.
At first, Nicole had been glad for the safety of the embassy. Her parents were so pleased to see her home in one piece. Nicole hadn't realized the extent to which her parents had worried about her while she'd been gone.
During the family talks at the breakfast and dinner table, her parents and sisters had managed to extract information from Nicole, piece by little piece. She didn't mind that. She knew they all loved her, but the way they'd missed her just gave Nicole an even stronger sense of the bonds in her family.
Maybe next time she wouldn't be so reckless, she told herself. If this was what it had done to her family, thinking that Nicole had gotten herself into trouble, she knew she didn't want that. Didn't want them to worry so much about her.
What she'd done, going up there with Hakim, had been selfish and reckless, and she knew she would never do anything like that again.
But, didn't that mean she would never see Rashid again? If Nicole wouldn't be heading up into that high country again, didn't that mean that Rashid would be lost to her forever?
Her mother, Annabelle, had said she would use her connections and find out the location of the palace Rashid had spoken about with Nicole. The palace he'd grown up in; the one he'd abandoned, leaving it empty, a symbol of his disdain for the life in the city. Nicole knew there would be no point in finding the place. It would be empty and dark and abandoned.
Annabelle spoke with Nicole one morning, a week after Nicole had returned.
The remains of dinner had been cleared. Nicole and her mother sat at the table in the embassy dining room. Everyone else had left the room. Her father had gone to his study and Belle was up in her room.
Annabelle finished drinking the last of her coffee and put the cup down on the table. She peered across at Nicole. There was a deeply compassionate expression on her mother's face, Nicole realized. Mother and daughter shared the same even, pretty features as well as firm expressive gaze. Now her mother was looking at her with that look Nicole recognized all too well. The kind of expression which usually preceded a heart to heart conversation.
"How are you, Nicole?" Annabelle asked.
"I'm fine, mom," she replied curtly.
"Just fine?"
Nicole nodded. "I'll be okay."
Her mother's eyes narrowed. "You seem preoccupied since you've returned."
"It was a crazy trip," Nicole replied.
Annabelle nodded. "It certainly sounds like it. I was worried, you know."
"I'm sorry, mom. I won't do anything like that again."
"I hope not. And Sheikh Rashid? What about him?"
Nicole peered across at her mother. "What about him?"
"You haven't been able to get in touch with him," Annabelle said in a flat voice.
Nicole shook her head. "He's pretty isolated up there," she said and shrugged. "But you knew that anyway."
"Is that the way he prefers to live?"
"In isolation? Like a hermit?" Nicole replied.
Annabelle smiled. "A very wealthy hermit," she said.
Nicole tilted her head. "I grant you that." She sighed. "But, he just seems determined to live that kind of life. On his own all the time."
"Maybe that's what makes him happy, Nicole," Annabelle prompted.
"You think so, mom?"
"Everyone has to make their own choices. Look at Erin," Annabelle said.
"What about Erin?" Nicole asked.
"She thought she couldn't have a happy life with a sheikh. And look what happened to her."
"But that was different, mom."
"I know, Nicole. You and Erin are such different individuals. You always have been. In fact, I don't think I could have asked to be blessed with three more contrasting daughters. But you all still want the same thing."
Where was her mother going with all of this?
Annabelle leaned across the table. "You asked me to find you information about where Sheikh Rashid has his palace here in Qazhar city," she said.
Nicole felt excitement jolt her forward. She peered at her mother. "Did you find out?" she asked trying not to seem to eager.
Annabelle smiled calmly at Nicole. "I did."
Nicole's excitement grew even stronger. "And?"
"It's not that far from here," Annabelle announced casually.
"How close?" Nicole demanded.
"About a half hour drive west of here," Annabelle said.
Nicole saw that her mother was watching her, trying to gauge her daughter's reaction. Nicole wanted to hug her mother, right now. But most of all she wanted the details.
"If you give me your phone, I'll put the details into it," Annabelle said. Nicole was always impressed by how organized her mother could be when it was needed. That was one character trait Nicole was certain she didn't share with her mother.
Nicole handed her phone to Annabelle and watched as her mother keyed in the location details of Rashid's palace. Her mother handed Nicole's phone back. Nicole glanced at the map on her phone. The palace looked like it was well off the beaten track, miles out in the desert, reached only by the main route that stretched west away from the city.
Nicole stood up. The sound of her mother's firm voice made Nicole hesitate. "The house is empty, Nicole," she said.
Nicole peered at her mother. Nicole felt a slight chill trace its way up her spine. "How do you know that?"
"I had someone take a look. I asked around. No-one has lived there for a long time."
"I know that, mom. Rashid explained it all to me."
"So why are you going out there?"
Nicole shrugged. "I don't know. It just seems like the right thing to do."
"Do you want someone to come with you?"
Nicole rolle
d her eyes. "Mom. I'm not in the middle of nowhere. I'm only going to be a half hour away. I'm just going to take a look."
Annabelle's brows furrowed. "At this time? It'll be dark soon."
Nicole went round the table and hugged her mother's shoulders. She gazed into her mother's eyes, seeing the concern there. "I'll be fine, mom. I'll call you when I get there. Promise."
Nicole turned and started toward the door. "Bye," she called back.
"Make sure you call," she heard her mother say from behind her.
Nicole thought about going upstairs and changing into something warmer. If it took longer than she thought, it might get cold out there in the desert. She decided not to do that. She couldn't wait to get out there and see how he had lived, see what he had left behind.
Nicole took her own car and drove out west, heading out of the city. Her mother was right. It was almost dark. The sun was sinking below the horizon and the sky was darkening.
She left the city behind and headed out along the long, narrow strip of road, the kind that was so commonplace her in Qazhar. Her car's headlights lit the road ahead. The desert on either side was fading into the darkness.
Nicole didn't feel anxiety about what she was doing. The need to visit his palace was so strong. Besides, she knew that she was merely going to see the palace from the outside. There wouldn't be anything for her to see, other than an empty palace. But, somehow, the promise of that had given her a strange sense of hope, a renewed feeling of connection with the man who had transformed how she felt about her life.
As she followed the road in the growing darkness, she had a sense that she was being led out to this place, as if some inner force was compelling her to come to this deserted palace in the middle of nowhere.
After about a half hour, Nicole slowed the car and pulled up on the side of the road. She checked the map on her phone and saw that, zooming in for more detail, it showed a narrow access road that cut away from the road about half a mile up from where she had stopped.
She continued on, and eventually came to the side road. She turned onto it and drove on. Peering into the darkness, all she could see was the line of her headlights illuminating the way.
But to what? She couldn't see anything at all up ahead. Maybe there wouldn't be anything to see. The thought of turning around and heading back to the embassy hovered in her mind as she peered into the gloom.
Nicole glanced down at her phone.
She should be there by now. The little flashing pulse on the screen which showed her own position on the road, told her that the palace should be up ahead.
Then the road twisted through a series of high dunes and she saw it.
Lights!
A palace fully lit up.
She slammed her brakes bringing the car to a sudden halt. She gasped as she stared, disbelieving at the sight a few hundred yards ahead at the far end of the road.
A palace completely lit up with every room on both floors shining bright light out into the desert darkness.
What did this mean? For a moment she was confused. Hadn't her mother told her the palace was vacant? Hadn't Rashid told her he would never live there again?
So, how could this be?
Nicole leaned her chin against the steering wheel and gazed at one of the most beautiful sights she'd ever set eyes on. Her heart was racing and she felt her pulse pounding relentlessly. She almost gasped for joy and felt her eyes moisten.
Could it be true?
Of course it could be, she told herself. Hadn't he said to her he would do something? Hadn't he promised her?
One thing was certain.
Rashid's Qazhar palace wasn't empty anymore.
CHAPTER TWENTY
It hadn't been an easy thing to do, but he was here.
Rashid stood in the entrance hall of the Qazhar palace and looked around. It wasn't as bad as he'd anticipated. The staff he'd been sending in occasionally had done a decent job. The place wasn't a complete mess. At least it was clean.
Rashid shivered. The cool of the desert night made the place feel cold. He'd soon fix that. He walked into the sitting room. Every item of furniture was covered in white sheets to keep off the dust. There was a slightly musty odor in the air, but that wouldn't take long to get rid of, he told himself.
Rashid leaned against the long table and folded his arms, gazing around the high-ceilinged room. He remembered what it had been like growing up here; recalled how wonderful it had been living here with his parents. Every corner of this palace held a memory that was, in most cases, something he cherished.
So, why had he stayed away for so long?
Rashid sighed. He'd explained all that to Nicole, and he was sure she understood. This place embodied so much of what he'd wanted to turn his back on; so many aspects of his past that he wanted to bury by living a solitary life.
But, Nicole had changed all that.
She'd made him see his folly in stark relief. Forced him to confront his mistakes. Now he knew he could start a fresh life, free of all the baggage of the past.
He thought about the last few days up in the north. He'd had meetings with the tribal elders. It seemed that Hakim's latest attempt to exploit tradition, and the way Rashid had challenged Hakim and won, had persuaded the tribal leaders to reconsider that particular tradition.
So, Rashid had won a victory of one kind. The change he'd been working for these past few years had finally come about. It also gave Rashid particular pleasure that, in the process, Hakim had suffered a terrible loss of face. He smiled at that thought.
All because an incredible American woman had come into Rashid's life and turned his world upside down.
Rashid shook his head. Destiny worked in mysterious ways.
And now he dragged his attention back to the present moment. The reason why he'd come down to Qazhar city; why he was standing in this palace.
Nicole.
It was that simple.
The days after she'd left had been a torment for Rashid. All he could think about was Nicole; every night he lay awake for hours remembering their passionate love-making; every morning he walked the garden remembering the words they'd exchanged just before her departure.
Beloved.
She was his beloved. He knew that now. She was the one fate had placed in his path. Who was he to argue with destiny? He'd tried to do just that for so many years, and look where it had got him. Living a solitary life, spending every day trying to convince himself that he was doing good.
Nicole had helped him see the light.
But above all, she had shown him what love truly meant.
For Rashid it meant his life had been renewed.
And for Nicole? What did it mean for her?
He would soon find out. Rashid drew in a deep breath and considered the magnitude of his task. He had to convince Nicole that she was his. That she would belong to him forever. And that he knew she felt the same about him; that he'd seen it in her eyes the day she'd left; felt it during their final night together.
Rashid gritted his teeth.
Their final night? He snorted at that thought. If he had his way, there would be no such thing as a final night for him and Nicole.
Ever.
He'd thought about what he had to do for days in the Northern Palace. He'd planned his every move during the flight down to Qazhar. Like Nicole, he'd come by helicopter. It had taken one phone call to arrange, but it might just be the most important call he'd ever make. This might be the most life-changing journey he'd make.
His plan was to wake in the morning, go to the embassy and surprise Nicole. He wondered how she would react to seeing him. Maybe she'd be shocked. Perhaps she'd had a change of heart since returning. He knew he should have called her, but he'd struggled so much, trying to decide what course of action was best.
He'd find out tomorrow. For now, all he wanted to do was catch some sleep. He'd already seen that his master bedroom was already set for use.
Rashid started toward the h
allway with every intention of getting a good night's sleep.
Just as he put his foot on the first step of the staircase that led up to the upper floor, he froze and turned his head toward the closed front door.
He'd heard a noise.
A car engine, which had then stopped.
Now there was silence. But he knew one thing.
Someone was out there.
****
Nicole walked up the steps that led to the front door of the palace. Her heart was thudding at a furious pace. What if it wasn't Rashid who was in the palace at the moment? She hadn't thought of that possibility until she'd parked the car.
Of course it would be him, she chided herself. It had been her first thought upon seeing the lights for the first time.
By the light which spilled out from inside the palace, she could see that, unlike the exterior of Rashid's other residence, this one had been well looked after. There were none of the signs of disrepair she'd seen in the other place. It was immaculate and beautiful.
Most of the lights inside had been switched on. Surely at this time of night, there wouldn't be any staff members working here, she thought. The warm lights made the palace feel homely and welcoming. It was almost as if whoever was inside was expecting some visitors.
Nicole's curiosity had gotten the better of her back on the road and she'd decided she had to speak to whoever was here. Maybe they could tell her when, or if, Rashid was planning to make a visit.
Nicole paused at the door, then lifted the heavy brass handle, dropping it with a thud against the wooden door. The sound cut into the silence of the night.
There was a long silence. She knocked on the door once more.
The door swung open quickly and she saw Rashid standing there.
Rashid.
Her heart raced as he looked at her, his features momentarily frozen with surprise. There was a long pause when it seemed as if neither of them could believe what they were seeing.
When he spoke his voice was soft, filled with pleasure. "Nicole," he gasped quietly. He moved toward her. "It's you," he exclaimed.