Читать книгу Modern Romance May 2017 Books 5 – 8 - Bella Frances, Louise Fuller - Страница 19

CHAPTER TEN

‘GABI! GABI!’

Bernadetta was almost running through the foyer towards her.

Gabi was carrying a glass vase containing an array of Sahara roses to take up to the bridal suite.

Housekeeping should have already dealt with it but things at the Grande Lucia had got a little slack now that Alim wasn’t around.

‘Yes?’ she answered wearily.

It was Gabi’s first official day back at work and it felt as if she had never been away.

It had been hard leaving Lucia but her mother had promised to drop by with her at lunchtime so that Gabi could give her a cuddle.

Gabi could only hope there was time to actually take her lunch break!

There were so many boxes not ticked and a lot of things that should have long ago been taken care of which had been left for Gabi’s return; she had just this minute come from a stand-up row with the very temperamental chef.

‘I know this will come as a shock...’ Bernadetta said, and Gabi stopped herself from rolling her eyes—there had been so many shocks this morning!

The cake had been confirmed for next Saturday, Gabi had found out.

The flowers had not, as Gabi had first thought, gone missing; instead, they had been delivered, as per Matrimoni di Bernadetta’s instructions, to last week’s wedding venue.

Chaos was all around.

The chef had not been informed that there were not only eighteen guests requiring the gluten-free option but that there were four vegans, two raw vegans, four kosher and five halal.

No, there was very little that might come as a shock, save that the groom had run off!

Gabi was about to be proved wrong.

‘Matrimoni di Bernadetta has been invited to co-organise Sultan Alim’s wedding...’

Gabi nearly dropped the vase.

What the hell was Alim thinking?

Or, more likely, he wasn’t thinking, at least not about her.

His wedding needed to be organised and he had simply called on the best, without any consideration of the pain that it might cause her.

But then Bernadetta spoke on.

‘Alim has asked that you fly there tomorrow and meet with his assistant.’

This time Gabi did drop the vase, for there was no one crueller in that moment than Alim.

It shattered loudly as it hit the floor and the water and crystal was strewn along with the gorgeous roses.

Gabi barely looked down and neither did Bernadetta.

‘I can’t,’ Gabi said. ‘It’s impossible. I have a new baby...’

‘I know that,’ Bernadetta said.

‘I can’t leave her.’ And then fear clutched at her heart because maybe Alim knew. Maybe he was planning for her to bring the baby... ‘Lucia hasn’t had all her inoculations.’

‘Oh, for God’s sake,’ Bernadetta snorted. ‘Do you really think I’d send you with a baby on such an important job?’

‘Did you tell Alim about her?’ Gabi was on her knees and trying not to cry as she scrabbled to pick up the crystal, her mind racing in fear as she thought of Alim plotting to whisk Lucia away.

Yes, Gabi was a dreamer, and some of them were nightmares.

‘Of course I didn’t tell the Sultan. Why would he care? This is a royal wedding he’s asking us to organise.’ Bernadetta was nearly shouting. ‘He doesn’t want to hear about your personal life.’

‘I don’t want to go,’ Gabi said. ‘Send someone else.’

‘Alim wants you, though. He says you have an eye for attention and...’ Bernadetta almost choked on her next words. ‘He told me that he wants you adequately remunerated...’ And then she told her the figure that Alim was offering just for this short trip.

Was this his way of apologising? Gabi wondered. Was this Alim’s strange way of making amends?

As Sophie came over to help clear up the mess that had been made, Gabi sank back on her heels for a second and tried to make sense of things, not that Bernadetta gave her a moment to gather her thoughts.

‘Gabi, if you cost me this contract, don’t even bother turning up for work again. And don’t think I shan’t tell everyone that you were the one who blew the deal.’

Bernadetta stalked off and Gabi just sat there.

‘I can mop around you.’ Sophie smiled and then she helped Gabi up.

‘I don’t want to leave my baby.’

‘Then don’t go,’ Sophie said. ‘Tell her to get lost.’

And Gabi smiled because Sophie was Sicilian and rather feistier than she, but then Gabi’s smile wavered and tears were dangerously close. ‘I don’t want to organise his wedding.’

She had said too much, Gabi knew, but Sophie was her dear, dear friend, though even she did not guess that Alim was Lucia’s father.

‘Did you have a crush on him?’ Sophie asked.

Yes, he was as unattainable to the likes of Gabi as that.

* * *

Her mother, when she brought in Lucia, wasn’t exactly gushing with excitement at the prospect of her daughter flying off to the Middle East.

They met in the foyer and there was only time for a very brief cuddle with Lucia as she told her mother the news.

‘Gabi, isn’t it time you looked for a more practical job?’

‘I love my work,’ Gabi said. ‘I’m good at what I do.’

‘Of course, but some dreams you have to let go of when you have a baby. When I found out I was pregnant with you I had to give up my studies...’

Gabi closed her eyes, she had heard it all many times before.

Only history wasn’t repeating itself.

She held Lucia to her cheek and breathed in the soft baby scent.

If anything, Lucia made her want to achieve more; her love for her daughter drove Gabi to be better rather than less. And, yes, it would be hard to leave her, but the money would certainly help, as well as the boost to her career.

But more than that, so much more than that, she would be able to tell Lucia her history for she would have seen Alim’s country first hand.

Gabi had grown up not knowing anything about her father; her daughter would not suffer the same fate.

‘Are you able to look after Lucia for two nights?’

‘You know I shall.’

Gabi thanked her mother. She knew Lucia would be beautifully taken care of, and though it was her first concern it wasn’t the only one—Gabi wanted to be very sure she wasn’t walking into a trap.

So, to be sure, she called the number she had been given by Bernadetta.

Violetta’s voice was familiar and Gabi recalled that she had dealt with the hotel arrangements for Marianna when Mona and James had married.

Now Gabi knew why.

‘Alim is concerned that his European guests will not understand Zethlehan ways,’ Violetta explained. ‘He said that you have a good eye for detail. We want the wedding to be seamless and all the guests’ needs attended to.’

‘Who shall I be liaising with?’

‘Mainly me, but also the hotel manager at the venue where the commoner guests shall be housed. That is where you shall be staying during this visit, so you can work from a visual.’

‘I see.’

There was no firm date yet but Violetta ran through the guest list. Some of the names were familiar. Bastiano Conti was amongst them and Gabi knew he was not just a friend of Alim’s but about to be the new owner of the Grande Lucia.

It sounded legit.

Yes, it was more lavish and complex than anything she had dealt with before but, at the end of the day, it sounded like just another wedding to plan.

And so for now she dealt with it as such.

‘Where will the service be held?’

‘There will be two services,’ Violetta explained. ‘A small, very intimate gathering of family and elders, but we would take care of that. Following the formal service there will be a large reception back at the palace. We need you to help transport the guests and to ensure that they wear suitable attire.’ She went through the dress codes with Gabi. ‘Also, all dietary requirements from them must come through you.’

Yes, just like any other wedding!

‘When you are here,’ Violetta continued, ‘you can speak with the palace head chef, so it might be helpful if you could bring some menu suggestions that he can incorporate. The banquet will be traditional but we want alternatives that can cater to all palates.’

‘I see.’ Gabi swallowed and forced herself to delve a little deeper. ‘When I get there and speak to Sultan Alim I can ask him—’

‘Oh, no,’ Violetta quickly broke in. ‘While I understand that you worked alongside the Sultan at the Grande Lucia, things are very different here. You will not have access to the Sultan; you will deal directly with me.’

And that was the real reason she agreed.

Gabi needed contacts, and not of the usual kind, and Violetta would be a very good one to have. One day she would be ready to tell Alim about Lucia and, as she was fast finding out, you didn’t just call up a palace and ask to be put through to the Sultan.

And so, to Bernadetta’s delight, Gabi said yes.

‘You need to go home and prepare.’ Bernadetta, for the first time ever, insisted that Gabi leave early. ‘You have black trousers...?’ she checked.

Gabi’s curves had returned and she felt Bernadetta’s disapproval as she looked over her figure.

‘I do.’

She just hoped they would fit.

‘What about this wedding?’ Gabi asked Bernadetta. ‘There’s still so much to be done.’

‘I think I can manage,’ Bernadetta said, ‘though if you could sort out the flowers before you go...’

Lazy to the last, Gabi thought.

Sophie found her a new vase and Gabi’s hands were shaking as she rearranged the flowers. She heard an email ping in.

Gabi saw that it was from Violetta and picked up her tablet to read it. She would fly tomorrow at midday and the flight was first class.

It was all a little overwhelming.

Not the itinerary and not just leaving little Lucia but that the man she loved was getting married.

How? Gabi thought as she walked out of the office with the flowers. She did not know how her heart could still beat while planning his wedding.

‘Hey.’

A man called out to her as she went to take the roses up to the bridal suite and, distracted, she nodded at the handsome stranger.

‘Gabi!’

He called out her name.

‘Oh!’ She stopped when she realised that it was Raul, one of the potential buyers for the hotel, and then she remembered how he would know her. ‘You were in the ballroom when Alim...’ Her voice trailed off as she recalled how Alim had scolded and then dismissed her that day.

It had been the day Lucia had been born!

Oh, she had been cross, so cross with Alim, though this stranger was clearly not to blame for that!

‘I’m hoping to meet with Alim.’

‘Good luck!’ Gabi rolled her eyes. ‘He’s back home.’

‘Oh!’

‘For his wedding.’

‘I see.’

‘I’m planning it, actually.’

She felt as if she was about to cry.

‘Can you let him know I need to speak with him?’

‘I’m a wedding planner,’ Gabi said, and she let a little of her anger out before walking off. ‘I don’t get access to the Sultan.’

* * *

Saying goodbye to Lucia was incredibly hard.

She had already been staying at her mother’s this weekend.

Going back to work yesterday and leaving little Lucia for twelve hours had seemed agony at the time but now she would be away for two days and two nights.

One day would be spent travelling to Zethlehan, then a night at a luxurious hotel followed by a day of meetings with Violetta.

The second night would be spent travelling back to Rome and then finally she would see Lucia again.

Gabi had been unable to feed Lucia herself, so there wasn’t any problem with that, but it ached to see her little girl asleep in her crib and to know that she was about to leave.

‘Don’t wake her,’ Carmel said, because she could see that Gabi was about to pick her up.

‘I’m going to miss her.’

‘Gabi, even if you weren’t going to Zethlehan you would barely have seen her this weekend, what with the wedding and everything.’

‘I know.’

Her hours were proving difficult and Gabi knew she was asking a lot from her mother just to keep her job. Carmel had raised one child alone and did not want to do it again. Right now, there were bills that needed to paid and so Carmel had agreed to help with Lucia for a few months, but after that...

‘You could work with Rosa,’ Carmel said.

Gabi had considered it, yet, as much as she cared for Rosa, Gabi did not want another boss. Still, it was the more practical solution and right now Gabi was beyond exhausted and could feel her grip loosening on her dreams.

Carmel went down to check if the taxi had arrived and Gabi kissed Lucia’s little cheek and whispered that she was the sunshine of her life—‘Sei il sole della mia vita.’

She wanted better for her, Gabi knew—which was part of the reason she was on her way to a new adventure.

What an adventure!

Gabi had flown before, but only within Italy and only for work.

Bernadetta, of course, would fly business class while Gabi sat way back in the bowels of the plane.

It was very different today!

Champagne was offered before they had even taken off but Gabi declined and took water as she was trying to be good. While the weight had fallen off while she’d been pregnant, Gabi had been thin for about two days after Lucia had been born and then her milk had come in, closely followed by the return of her curves.

A meal was served, then her bed prepared, while Gabi went and put on the pyjamas they offered her.

‘Would you like to be woken for a meal before landing?’

It was a nine-hour flight to Zethlehan and Gabi was about to say that there was no chance of her not being woken, when again she was reminded that she was without Lucia.

‘That would be lovely,’ Gabi said.

The cabin lights were dimmed and Gabi lay there, sure, quite sure, that she would be too nervous to sleep.

Instead, she woke to a gentle shake of her shoulder and was informed that her meal would be served shortly; she had slept for seven hours. It wasn’t just her first decent sleep since Lucia had been born, it was her first decent sleep since the morning Alim had so cruelly ended things.

Far from nervous, it was so nice to feel rested.

She made her way to the very nice bathroom where there was actually a shower. It felt wonderful to shower high in the sky and after she had washed and brushed her teeth and styled her hair, she took her Pill. Not that she would be needing it, but Gabi now took it every day. Not for this moment, and not to be ready for Alim, more because the absolute abandon between them that night had scared her.

In the cold light of day, she had realised that in bed with Alim she did not know her own mind.

In the deep of the night he had owned her so completely.

The absolute lack of thought and control had had her vow never to be so foolish again. No more chances.

Then she put on the heavy dark trouser suit and swore that if she ever did get her own business there would be a fitting, international choice.

Gabi returned to her seat and light refreshments and as she looked out over the ocean, Gabi amended that thought.

When she had her own business.

Sleep really was an amazing healer, and the distance from home combined with the white noise of the plane allowed her to think more clearly.

Alim had been harsh that morning when they had spoken and he had said that her mother used Gabi as an excuse. Yet he wasn’t necessarily wrong.

Gabi didn’t dwell on her mother’s choices. She focussed instead on her own future, and her daughter’s, for it was Lucia’s future she wanted to improve upon too.

But first she had these days to get through.

Would she see him?

Gabi hoped so.

All the hurt, all the anger and the fact he was to marry should be enough to bury for good her feelings for him.

Yet they rose again and again, and more so since Lucia had been born, for every time she opened her eyes Gabi was reminded of the magic of him.

And the impossibility of them.

There were cross-winds, the pilot had warned them, and Gabi felt them as the plane came into land.

Her stomach lurched as she caught her first glimpse of the palace and it warned her of the might and power of the al-Lehan family.

It rose from a cliff edge, white and magnificent and looking out towards both ocean and city. And Zethlehan too was unexpected when seen from the air, for there was an eclectic mix of gleaming modern buildings that melded in with the old.

She had read up on the country’s history and the royal family’s lineage that went as far back as when the country had first been named.

It was progressive in many ways—a firstborn daughter could—and had—ruled this stunning land. The desert princess’s husband and children had taken the al-Lehan name. And while there were some mentions of children borne from the harem, the rulings were clear—they were not considered part of the al-Lehan dynasty.

Children like Lucia and James were simply sidelined. They were shadow families, hidden away and never formally recorded or mentioned. Lucia deserved better. So did Gabi.

And she must never lose sight of that, Gabi thought as the wheels hit the runway.

She had arrived in Zethlehan, where the time, she was informed, was five p.m.

Remembering Violetta’s instructions, Gabi put a scarf she had brought over her head and shoulders but it didn’t fall as nicely, or as effortlessly, as the other women’s, who made it look so easy.

She opened her tablet and the first thing she saw was a message from her mother with the most gorgeous picture of Lucia attached.

She was lying on her stomach and lifting her head up and smiling widely. Oh, it was surely Gabi’s favourite photo and she touched the screen and traced her daughter’s beautiful smile.

Gabi was wearing heels, on Bernadetta’s instructions, and felt a head above all the delicate beauties as she disembarked. A wall of heat hit her as soon as she stepped off the plane. The wind was hot on her cheeks and the air burned as she breathed it in, but soon she was in the cool of the airport and she made a quick call home.

‘Lucia is fine,’ Carmel told her. ‘Did you get the picture that I sent?’

‘I did.’ Gabi smiled.

‘The reception is terrible,’ Carmel said. ‘I can hardly hear you.’

‘I’ll call again tomorrow,’ Gabi told her mother. ‘Give Lucia a kiss for me.’

Customs was straightforward as she had a letter of introduction from the palace and, given she had travelled only with hand luggage, in no time she was walking through to the arrivals lounge.

‘Gabi!’

She recognised Violetta immediately and though they had only worked together briefly it was nice to see a familiar friendly face.

‘How was your journey?’ Violetta asked.

‘It was wonderful,’ Gabi said. ‘I slept most of the way.’

‘Good.’ Violetta nodded. ‘It is good that you are well rested. We are heading this way,’ she explained. ‘We are taking a helicopter.’

‘A helicopter?’ Gabi checked.

‘Of course.’

Violetta said it so casually and Gabi assumed that when you worked with royalty then taking a helicopter must be to Violetta the equivalent of taking a taxi.

The chopper was waiting and Gabi climbed in and fastened her seat belt and put on the headphones that Violetta handed to her.

‘It’s very windy,’ she warned Gabi. ‘We might be in for a bit of a bumpy ride.’

Gabi felt her stomach curl as she was lifted high into the sky.

The airport was a little way out from the city and Gabi looked again at the amazing skyline that she had so recently seen from the plane.

The view was even more stunning than before. The sun was starting to set and the sky was such a blush pink that even the white palace in the distance seemed to have been painted rose. There was a haze over the city but then the helicopter banked to the right and she lost sight of it. Gabi craned her neck for a glimpse of the ocean to orientate herself but the view had disappeared from her window and so she turned her head to look for it on the other side.

It was way in the distance and Gabi felt her nostrils tighten as the palace faded from view.

Gabi looked over at Violetta, who was herself looking out of the window seemingly without concern.

Except even the city skyline had now faded and looking below there was only the occasional old building. ‘Where are we going?’ she asked Violetta.

There was no response.

Perhaps there were two cities, two palaces, Gabi told herself, while knowing that could not be right. Or maybe the pilot was diverting because of the wind?

Gabi had felt on high alert from the moment that she had agreed to come to Zethlehan but now she had her first taste of pure fear.

‘Violetta,’ Gabi said, more loudly this time.

Perhaps her microphone wasn’t working, because Violetta did not respond to Gabi calling her name.

Now, as she looked out, there was nothing but desert. The sun was low in a burning sky and the endless sand looked like molten gold.

The ride seemed to take for ever, but finally coming into view she could see the billowing white of a desert abode.

* * *

And still Gabi fought for calm as she and Violetta disembarked.

What the hell had Bernadetta been thinking, making her wear heels? Gabi thought as she took off her shoes and then ran beneath the rotors.

‘Is the service to be held in the desert?’ Gabi asked, still fighting for an ordered reason, still hoping there was a sensible reason to explain why she had been brought here, but her voice was drowned by the rotors. ‘Violetta?’ she asked, and turned to see that Violetta was not by her side. She had run back under the rotors and was getting back into the chopper.

‘Wait...’ Gabi shouted.

Violetta did not.

The helicopter lifted into the blazing sky. The sand was a stinging blizzard of tiny, sharp pellets, and Gabi held her arms over her face to shield her eyes, eventually using her jacket to cover her nose and mouth. The soles of her feet were burning.

She had never felt more scared or alone, or more foolish for believing that she had been brought here for work.

And finally, when the helicopter was out of sight and the sands had somewhat settled she stood, windswept and scared but not alone.

There was Alim.

Only it was an Alim that Gabi had never seen.

Always he had been clean shaven, but not now.

Instead of the more familiar suits she was used to seeing him in, Alim wore a black robe and on his head was a keffiyeh; he stood utterly still, imposing and straight, and Gabi felt as if she were his prey.

She remembered his father walking through the foyer and that moment of foreboding as she’d glimpsed the al-Lehans’ power, and she felt the absolute full force of it now.

Yes, his prey was exactly what she was—he had sought her, found her and now she was within his grasp. As she stood there, waiting, they were plunged into darkness, for it was as if the desert had swallowed the fierce sun whole.

Gabi ran.

It was a rather stupid thing to do in a darkening desert but for now it didn’t matter, she simply wanted to be away from him, only Gabi didn’t get very far.

Alim caught up with her easily but so panicked was Gabi she shook off his hand from her arm and attempted to take off again, but she fell to the ground and lay with her head on her arm facing down, knowing that he stood over her.

Knowing there was nowhere to run.

‘Gabi.’

His voice was annoyingly calm and terribly, achingly familiar.

Despite his attire, despite the unfamiliar surroundings, he was still the Alim she knew.

Gabi felt soothed when she should not, yet she could taste her panicked tears and feel the conflict for she wanted to turn around.

She wanted again to lift her face to him.

But anger won.

‘You set me up,’ she shouted, and thumped the ground.

‘Come inside.’

‘I don’t want to come inside!’

Yet when he held out his hand she took it and she stood brushing herself down as the wind whipped her hair into her damp face.

So much for a sophisticated reunion!

‘This is kidnap!’

‘You are too dramatic.’ Alim shrugged.

‘Not where I come from. Your assistant told me I would not even have to see you...’

‘Violetta ensured discretion,’ Alim defended her. ‘Don’t you want a chance to be together for a while? I know that I do.’ He had to shout to make himself heard over the wind. ‘Don’t you want a chance to speak and to catch up on all that has been going on?’

That was the very last thing that Gabi wanted!

Alim must not find out about Lucia while she was effectively stranded here.

‘Come inside,’ Alim said again, and the authoritarian note to his voice told her that he would not be argued with.

That did not stop Gabi. ‘I don’t want to.’

She shouted it but the wind whipped the words straight from her mouth and carried them into the night. Her mouth filled with sand and it was the most pointless argument ever, she knew, for she could not survive out here in this savage land.

Gabi had seen from the sky just how isolated they were.

He offered his hand to walk her back to the tent but Gabi declined it and for a few moments she stood her ground.

Alim would not stand in the fierce winds, attempting to persuade her. If she ran again he would find her in a matter of moments, for Alim knew the desert well and in her cumbersome clothes and winds such as these, Gabi would only manage a few steps.

Still, he was relieved to make it to the entrance and then turn around and sight her.

He waited, and after a short stand-off he could see that Gabi knew she was beaten.

There wasn’t really a choice but to go inside and be with Alim.

The desert gave few options, she told herself.

The truth?

Gabi wanted to be with him.