Читать книгу Modern Romance September 2016 Books 5-8 - Natalie Anderson, Carol Marinelli - Страница 16
ОглавлениеTHEY LAY ENTWINED TOGETHER, and Kedah listened to the hum of the engines as the plane carried them to his home. Deeply sated, he found his mind was clearer.
Felicia’s wasn’t.
She lay with her head on his chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart as her hand toyed with the silky straight hair on his stomach that she had, right from the start, wanted to feel.
Now that she had, still she wanted.
‘Can I ask you something?’ Felicia spoke but, far too comfortable in his arms, did not raise her head.
‘It depends what it is.’
Kedah was no open book.
‘Do you want to be King?’
‘Of course,’ he answered as his hand stroked her bare arm. ‘I was born to be King.’
‘So why aren’t you there all the time?’
‘Because my plans to improve Zazinia are repeatedly turned down. I refuse to be an impotent Crown Prince...’
‘I doubt there’s any chance of that...’ she said, and her hand crept down.
‘I had a stand-off with my father and the old King some years ago,’ Kedah told her. ‘They had turned down every plan I had submitted and it was evident that they were never going to accept them. I asked for confirmation and they gave it to me—they did not welcome change. I love to design and so I chose to go it alone. That diamond I carry—it was from the sale of my first hotel. They loathe that I am self-made because it means that I am not beholden to them. I want, though, to make my land better for the people.’
‘And now you can?’
‘Perhaps.’
‘The old King is dead,’ Felicia pointed out.
‘My father still chooses to listen to the elders and Mohammed.’
‘I know you, Kedah—you could convince anyone of anything.’ After all, she was in his bed. ‘Your people love you.’
‘I know they do.’
‘What will happen when the Accession Council meet?’
‘Mohammed shall state his case, and I shall state mine, and my father shall be asked to make a formal choice.’
‘And if it isn’t you, you’ll take it to the people to vote?’
And it was then that she knew him. Or rather she knew for certain that there was far more to this than Kedah was admitting to.
She did not blush. She had been trained not to react from an early age. And Kedah was the same—he never revealed fear. And so the hand on her arm did not tighten, nor did his breathing change, but as she carried on speaking she heard his heart rate quicken.
‘And who would the people chose?’ she asked.
‘I believe...me.’
‘No problem, then.’
‘None.’
His response was measured and calm. Had they been having this conversation standing and facing each other, she would not have known of the nerve she had just hit, but his heart beat like a jackhammer in his chest.
‘So why are you busy making billions just in case?’
He did not answer, and she lay there listening to the rapid thud of his heart.
‘Does Mohammed have something on you?’
‘I told you,’ Kedah answered evenly. ‘I don’t regret my past.’
‘I know there’s a scandal looming.’ Felicia smiled. ‘I can smell them a mile off.’
There was.
For the first time in his life he needed advice. The question as to how to approach his mother had been rolling around in his head like a ball bearing in a pinball machine. Ideas were bounced around and were rapidly dismissed, but over and over he returned to one small corner that said he should speak with someone.
Who?
And, though he kept flicking the thought away, always the ball rolled back and settled in a pocket marked ‘Felicia.’
He trusted no one, and yet...
‘Felicia?’
She was sleepy and warm in his arms, though her low murmur in answer to her name told him she was awake.
‘If I were to tell you something, would it remain between us?’
‘Of course.’ She smiled again. ‘Hit me with it—a pregnant prostitute?’
‘Excuse me?’ he said, and then smiled in the darkness as he realised she was still trying to guess what his secret was. ‘Was that before or after I got married in Vegas?’
She pulled herself from his arms and onto her elbow and she looked at him as his smile faded. The truth was scary sometimes, and she felt its brief threat.
‘What is it?’
He shook his head, and Felicia knew when to remain silent. Any guessing now would only irritate, so she lay back down and played with his chest instead as she thought how best to respond.
‘If you decide to tell me it shan’t go any further.’
‘Thank you.’
The gift of time was the best he had known, and he was grateful for it. He was aware it would be all to easy to say what was on his mind in this post-coital haze only to regret it later.
Even that didn’t make full sense to him, though, for he did not usually indulge in pillow talk.
There was a small buzzing sound. It would seem that their flying time was nearly over. He reached out and flicked on a light and for the first time Felicia took in their splendid surroundings. Apart from the hum of the engines there was no sign that they were on an aeroplane.
The bed was vast, and rumpled from their lovemaking, and there was no place in the world she would rather be.
‘Can we be late?’ she asked, and lifted her face for a kiss.
Kedah was tempted to lift the phone beside the bed and inform the captain there was a change of plan, and yet some things needed to be faced.
‘Get dressed,’ he told her, though it was said with regret. ‘I’ll have your clothes brought through.’
‘Can you at least wait until I’m in the shower?’
He smiled at her modesty, but did as she asked and waited until she had gone through to the bathroom before calling for her overnight bag to be brought to his bedroom.
Felicia washed her hair and dried it, and then she came out.
Kedah lay on the bed with his hands behind his head, clearly deep in thought.
Another buzzer sounded, and now it was Kedah who rose from the bed and headed to the shower as Felicia put on the robe she had chosen to wear. It was a dusky pink with long sleeves and a high neckline. From neck to floor the gown was done up with a row of embroidered buttons, each one individually made. Felicia had bought it while they’d been on their travels and was glad to be able to wear it. Again she chose to wear no make-up.
Kedah soon reappeared, wearing just a towel around his hips. He wished she did not move him so. For the first time in his life he perhaps regretted sex.
She had never looked more beautiful.
Her robe was a light crushed velvet, and it was subtle, yet he had touched each curve that it gracefully concealed, and his fingers itched to undo each button and return her to his bed. Her hair was loose and the air was fragrant with the perfume she had worn on the day they’d met.
Today was not one for distraction, and Felicia was proving a huge one.
He was reeling from coming so close to telling her the secret he had kept for all these years, and—more troublesome for Kedah—he was still dangerously close to revealing it now.
‘Why don’t you go and have some breakfast?’ he suggested. ‘I’ll join you soon.’
Felicia nodded, unsure as to the dynamics between them, but just as she turned to go he caught her and pulled her back into his arms.
‘You know that nothing can happen at the palace?’
‘Of course.’
‘We will leave straight after dinner. You will be taken to the offices to work there.’
‘Kedah,’ Felicia said, ‘I don’t expect us to leave the plane holding hands.’
‘I know...’
She stepped from his embrace and went out to the lounge, where she was served breakfast. She was too consumed by Kedah to be embarrassed by the staff, but she was a little worried that they might gossip.
When Kedah came out of the bedroom she was about to voice her concerns to him.
Then she saw him.
The man who would be King.
Always he was beautiful—he was exquisite now.
The robe he wore was silver, and over that was an embroidered coat. His keffiyeh was black, and a heavy silver rope fell to one side. She had never seen him carry a sword and it unnerved her—for this was not a Kedah she had ever seen before.
Not just exquisite...he was truly out of her reach.
He was regal, imposing, and it was hard to imagine that less than an hour ago she had lain smiling in his arms.
An attendant served him strong coffee and he declined the sweet pastry she offered.
‘They won’t say anything?’ Felicia checked, and he frowned. ‘I mean, what happened won’t get back to the palace?’
‘Felicia, why do you think I use my own plane? You don’t report to my father—none of my staff do. The only exception is Vadia.’
Kedah’s success was not reliant on his title. But it was his hope for the future, and his heart belonged to the people he loved.
His words had come out perhaps more harshly than he’d intended—he had not meant to relegate her straight back to being staff—but he was having trouble with his worlds merging.
He had only ever brought Anu to his home, and there had never been anything between them. Anu was close to his mother’s age and happily married.
Felicia would cause eyebrows to rise, and he wanted to spare her that shame.
Not that she knew that.
As they sat in silence Felicia looked out on Zazinia as the plane banked to the right and she got her first glimpse of his land from the sky. She understood a little more how thwarted Kedah must feel. It was stunningly beautiful, and yet so ancient that it looked almost biblical.
And then she saw the palace.
It was easily the highest point in the land, set on a cliff along a stretch of white beach.
And it was huge.
As the plane lined up for its approach Felicia realised the palace had its own runway, with several private jets that bore the royal coat of arms on their tails.
The landing was a smooth one, and soon they prepared to disembark.
‘Am I to call you Your Highness here?’
‘We have already addressed that—you can still call me Kedah.’
‘And when we get to the palace am I to—?’
‘Enough questions, Felicia,’ Kedah snapped.
It was a stern reminder that they had left the bedroom, and Felicia felt the sting of her cheeks at his reprimand.
They stepped from the plane, with Felicia walking a suitable distance behind him. Kedah was met by his personal aide, Vadia, whom Felicia had spoken to on several occasions.
There were no introductions for her, though.
The heat of the Zazinia air and the hot desert wind that whipped at her cheeks were not so hard for her to acclimatise to as her sudden relegation. An hour or so ago they had been in each other’s arms, with Kedah almost revealing his darkest of secrets; now he didn’t even glance over his shoulder as they stepped into the main entrance of the palace.
He indicated with a flick of his hand that she was to wait there.
A maid came over and she was informed in broken English that soon she would be taken to the offices in the royal wing.
And then Felicia stood, alone and ignored, as she heard a woman call out his name.
‘Kedah!’
The woman who was walking towards him had to be his mother. She had the same winning smile as her son, and the robe she wore was a deep crimson. As Felicia glanced towards her she caught his mother’s eyes and could see the question in her gaze.
Hurriedly she looked away.
Whatever was said was in Arabic as they embraced.
‘Who is that?’ Rina asked.
‘That is my PA—Felicia.’
‘Has Anu left?’
‘No,’ Kedah responded. ‘But she wanted to pull back on the travel. Anu manages things in London now.’
‘Well, your father and brother are looking forward to seeing you, Kedah. It has been far too long.’
Kedah doubted they were looking forward to seeing him, but they all tried to keep their troubles from his mother, and so he walked with her towards the main office.
Not once did he turn around.
Felicia felt less valuable than even his luggage, which was already being taken up to his suite. And it should not hurt quite so much, yet it did. To go from being his lover to less than nothing was not something she had prepared for. In all their time together he had never made her feel worthless.
He did now.
The guards opened the doors as Kedah and Rina approached, and inside Kedah kissed his father’s cheek and shook his brother’s hand.
Kumu—Mohammed’s wife—was there, and she gave Kedah a small tap to the heart in greeting.
‘Now we are all together,’ Rina said, beaming, ‘there is some good news that Mohammed and Kumu have been waiting to share.’
She clapped her hands and Kedah stood silent as his younger brother stepped forward.
‘We have been gifted again,’ Mohammed announced. ‘In November we are expecting a child.’
‘That is wonderful news.’ Omar beamed, though at the same time managed to freeze his eldest son with a glare.
Congratulations were offered, and Kedah gave his own. It would be another boy—of course it would. Mohammed did everything to perfection, and had already produced a potential heir and a spare.
All the right things were said, though, and Kedah enquired after his young nephews.
‘I hear you are looking to build another hotel in Dubai?’ his brother said.
‘Another one?’ Omar frowned.
‘It is early days,’ Kedah announced. ‘I haven’t yet shown the plans to Hussain.’
That silenced his father for a moment.
Hussain and Omar had studied together, and on occasion Hussain had told Kedah about the fine plans his father had once had for his country.
Those days were long gone now.
A maid came in and announced that the portrait artist was ready, but Omar was not letting Kedah off that lightly.
‘He can wait,’ the King said. ‘Now that he is finally here, I would like to speak with Kedah alone.’
‘I don’t mind staying,’ Mohammed offered.
‘That shan’t be necessary,’ Kedah said, and waited until he and his father were alone.
Omar cut straight to the chase.
‘The elders are pushing for the royal lineage to move forward,’ Omar said. ‘Ours is a country that is divided, and there is unrest. Some want things to stay as they did under the rule of my father, and Mohammed is one of them—which is why the elders support him.’
‘Your opinion is the one that matters,’ Kedah pointed out.
‘How can I support you when you are barely here?’
‘You know why I stay away,’ Kedah said. ‘The people here need more infrastructure, healthcare, jobs—the list is endless. We have a country that could thrive, a tourism industry that could help people support their families. Instead they are poor while we continue to live in splendour. No, I cannot feast night after night in a palace when children go to bed hungry.’
‘It is not so bad...’ the King started, but then he saw Kedah’s furious glare and hesitated.
It had been a long time since Kedah had lost his temper on this subject and Omar did not want a repeat.
‘Kedah...’ He trod more carefully. ‘There have long been calls for the Accession Council to meet,’ Omar told him. ‘But it is becoming more pressing now.’
‘Then give me the power I seek. Give me permission to make changes to our land and I shall return. You know that I would make a better Crown Prince and ultimately King than Mohammed.’
‘How do I know that when you are never here? Prove your devotion...’
‘I don’t need to prove it—my country has my heart.’
‘Choose your bride, come home and settle down. That would satisfy the elders for now, and perhaps delay the calls for the Accession Council to meet...’
‘I don’t need to appease anyone. I know my people—they want me as Crown Prince. If you vote otherwise at the meeting then I shall take it to the people to cast their vote, as is my right.’
‘Have you any idea of the unrest that would cause?’ His father was breathing rapidly. ‘Kedah, why can’t you just choose a bride and toe the line...?’
‘What happened to you?’ Kedah asked. ‘Hussain told me that when you studied together you had plans and dreams for our land... What happened to them?’
‘The old King did not want change.’
‘But you are King now. So why do you bow down to the elders?’
‘They are wise.’
‘Of course they are—but they are also staid. You are King. Your word is law and yet you choose not to use it.’
‘It would be easier—’
‘Easier?’ Kedah interrupted. ‘Since when did a king choose the easy option? Whatever hold the elders have on you, share it with me, and then together we can fight. But I shall not return to Zazinia just to sit idle and wait for you to pass.’
Kedah would not be pushed around by anyone. He knew his father was doing his best to protect his mother’s reputation—he was quite sure that was why the King held back—but if only his father would voice the problem, together they could face the trouble.
Just so long as Kedah was indeed Omar’s son.
There was a knock at the door and he knew there was only one person who would disturb an official meeting between the King and one of the Princes.
The door opened and the Queen stepped in, smiling widely.
‘Rina,’ the King scolded lightly, ‘I am busy speaking with Kedah.’
‘Well, the poor artist is waiting. He’s so old that I am scared he will die if we keep him much longer.’
Omar laughed, and even Kedah smiled.
‘Come, Kedah,’ Rina said. ‘I will walk with you.’
They walked through the palace and his mother stopped at a large floral arrangement and chose a bloom, which she placed in her hair, and then she selected a few more.
‘It is so good to have both my sons home. Stay a while longer, Kedah.’
She was oblivious to the tension between him and Mohammed, and the terrible rumours had been kept from her. Kedah did not know how much longer they could remain so.
‘I cannot stay. I have been away for a few weeks, and Felicia...’
He halted. Since when did he take into consideration the fact that his staff had not been home for a while?
And while Rina was oblivious to many things she was alert to others.
‘Careful, Kedah.’
‘Careful?’ He frowned and stopped walking.
He almost wanted to confront her—to say that he was old enough now to understand an affair—but it was imperative, if he was to fight his brother, to know first that he was the King’s son. But then he looked into her smiling chocolate-brown eyes that were flecked with gold like his and he couldn’t do it.
There was a fragility to Rina—an air of impulsiveness and a little river of vulnerability that ran through her that sometimes darkened that winning smile.
If he confronted her now, Kedah would watch her fold and crumple. If he questioned her about what had happened all those years ago their relationship would never recover. That much he knew.
Yet if Mohammed called his lineage into question her shame would be held up for the elders and ultimately the people to discuss.
He was scared for his mother.
‘Be careful with Felicia,’ Rina said. ‘Be careful with a young woman’s heart.’
Kedah shook his head. His mother did not have to concern herself with his sex life, and especially not with Felicia’s heart. This was a business arrangement, and if anyone could handle it, it was Felicia—she was the toughest person he knew.
‘You don’t have to worry about her.’
‘But I do. You have never brought one of your lovers to the palace.’
They walked on and Kedah said nothing. But his mother was right. It was in part the reason he would not be staying longer. He wanted Felicia in his bed, and that could never happen here.
‘You are choosing a bride soon,’ his mother warned. ‘It is not fair to her to be here.’
‘Felicia is fine.’
Rina wasn’t so sure. She had seen Felicia’s angry glare as Kedah had made her walk behind him and ignored her.
And now there Felicia was, standing on a balcony, looking out at the view.
‘Think about staying for a little while, Kedah,’ Rina said, and kissed his cheek. ‘I miss you.’
‘I know.’
‘Come home.’
He wanted to.
‘I cannot sit idle for years like...’ He halted.
‘Like your father has?’
He nodded, and after a moment of sad thought Rina cupped his cheek.
‘I do understand.’
Could he ask his mother for the truth? If he was his father’s son then he could confront the rumours and douse them before the sun went down on this day.
If he wasn’t...?
Kedah was ready to know.
‘Mother...’ He stood there and felt as if he had removed his sword and now held it over her head.
‘Yes?’
Rina smiled. And he did not know how to ask her.
‘Why don’t you give Felicia these?’ she suggested.
‘You tell me to be careful and then you suggest that I give her flowers?’
‘I often pick some flowers to sit on Vadia’s desk while she works.’
Indeed Rina did.
‘I need to get on,’ he said to his mother.
No, he would not go to Felicia with flowers.
* * *
Felicia didn’t turn when he came to join her—she was still smarting. She was a very modern woman, and while careerwise she would have been fine walking two steps behind him and being ignored, having just left his bed she could not accept it—though she was doing her best not to let it show.
‘I want you to take some photos of this wing while I go and have my portrait finished...’
‘Sure.’
They walked around the Crown Prince’s wing as the staff prepared his office and brought in the artist to add the final touches to the painting.
‘I think this area could be better used,’ he mused. ‘Perhaps as a pool or spa area?’
Felicia tried to keep her features expressionless, though she was aghast at the very thought. It was an ancient palace and absolutely beautiful. To think he would consider tearing up these walls and floors to transform them into some modern gym was appalling.
‘You don’t approve?’
‘I think that it’s far too beautiful to risk spoiling.’
‘You’ve seen my work?’ Kedah checked, and she nodded. ‘So why do you think I would ruin it? I want to enhance what is already here. I want somewhere I can live rather than a museum.’
They stopped by the portraits, and possibly she could see what he meant. Cool grey eyes seemed to follow them, and they were a forbidding sight indeed.
‘I’m meeting with Vadia in an hour,’ Felicia said. ‘We just spoke on the phone. She wants to take some time to go through your schedule. September is the King’s birthday, yet that week you’re booked to be in New York.’
‘I have a friend’s wedding.’
‘Oh, and speaking of weddings... Vadia wants to go through potential dates for yours.’
She said it so calmly that Kedah honestly thought his mother was wrong and Felicia was fine with their arrangement.
‘Tell Vadia that, given I haven’t chosen my bride yet, it’s a bit early to be discussing dates.’
‘Sure.’
‘I have a family dinner to attend after the portrait,’ Kedah said. ‘Your meal shall be served to you at your desk. Just call through with your order. We should fly out around midnight,’ he told her. ‘You’ll be home by morning.’
But tomorrow was a day too late, Felicia thought.
If only this visit had been arranged for yesterday...if only she could have held out for a couple more days... Then she wouldn’t be feeling as she did now.
She looked at the portraits of the men who had come before him. They were dressed in robes of black or white and the familiar chequered headwear. Kedah wore a gorgeous silken robe and an embroidered coat.
Somehow, even traditionally dressed, he made a statement.
‘You’re going to stand out amongst the others,’ she said.
‘I always do,’ he answered, and looked at the portraits of his father and grandfather. The fact that he dressed differently had little to do with it. ‘I don’t look like any of them.’
He walked off and Felicia stood there, frowning—not at what he had said, more at the way he had said it.
She knew she was already in too deep, yet as she looked up at the portraits he dragged her in ever deeper.
She was beginning to understand.
* * *
Kedah stood for his portrait.
The artist was indeed ancient, and it was hard to believe that those shaky hands could produce something so beautiful.
‘I have painted your grandfather, your father, and now you,’ the old man said as he added the final touches. ‘I hope to paint the next Crown Prince.’
‘It might be Crown Princess,’ Kedah answered. He was bored from standing so long, and ready for a little disagreement, but the old man just smiled at the provocation.
‘That is something to stay alive just to see.’
Yes, Kedah thought, the people really were ready for change.
The painting had been done over many sessions and Kedah, who hated to be still for more than a moment, had found the entire process excruciating.
‘Just turn your face a little to the left,’ the old man said. ‘And look out to the desert.’ The sky was orange and he wanted it to light the gold flecks in Kedah’s eyes.
And so Kedah sighed and stared out to the desert. No wonder the portraits were of men looking stern, Kedah thought as he dwelt on his problems and pondered again discussing things with Felicia.
A woman’s view on things might help, and she might know better how to broach the subject with his mother.
And, given her own family and her job, if there was anyone who would not be shocked by an illicit affair it was Felicia.
But could he trust her?
Yes.
It was a revelation, for since the day he had discovered his mother and Abdal his childhood innocence had faded and trust had rapidly left his heart.
He had thought it gone for good, but now he looked back on his time with her and their conversations. He remembered sitting in the restaurant as she’d revealed the dark part of her heart, and then smiled as he recalled her forthright observations about his hotels.
And then he remembered her lying in his arms, and how close he had come to confiding in her.
Then he thought of her beauty today.
The sun was setting and the desert fired red in the distance as the old man put down his brush and his work was finally done.
‘Would you care to see it, Your Highness?’ he offered, but Kedah shook his head.
‘I shall wait until it is framed,’ Kedah told him.
He did not want to stare upon the truth.
