Читать книгу Royal Affairs: Desert Princes & Defiant Virgins - Ким Лоренс, Sarah Morgan - Страница 8

‘FIND me a way out of this. And find it fast! Simmering with rage and frustration, the Sultan paced across the thick Persian carpet, and then turned and glared at the group of men who sat in frozen silence around the polished, antique table. ‘Time is running out, and I tell you now that I will not marry that woman!

His announcement was met by a collective gasp of dismay, and his team of advisors conferred hastily, their communication a series of babbled suggestions and nervous gestures unlikely to produce a satisfactory solution to any problem, let alone one of huge national importance.

They are like stunned rabbits, the Sultan thought grimly as he viewed them with mounting exasperation.

‘Your Excellency.’ One of the lawyers rose to his feet, his hands shaking. ‘We have looked through all the past statutes. There is no way out of this marriage.’

‘Then look again.’ His voice deadly soft, the Sultan watched as the man paled. ‘Look again and find something we can use—something that allows us to break this ridiculous contract.’

‘That’s the problem, Your Excellency.’ The lawyer’s fingers gripped the edge of the table that provided the only barrier between him and the Sultan. ‘There isn’t anything. There is no precedent for this. Your father made this agreement with the late Crown Prince of Rovina sixteen years ago, a few months before his untimely death. They were at school together, and in the army—’

‘I don’t need a lecture on why I find myself in this situation,’ the Sultan growled. ‘Just advice on how to extricate myself. Fast.’

‘There is no way out, Your Excellency. You have to marry the Princess Alexandra of Rovina.’ As he delivered the final blow, the lawyer’s voice shook. ‘Perhaps she will be an asset …’ he ventured timidly, his words tailing off as he met the Sultan’s hard, cynical stare.

‘You think so? “The rebel princess”—isn’t that what they call my wife-to-be? Since she was old enough to attend school, this girl has left a trail of chaos behind her. She drives her cars too fast, parties until she is unconscious and treats sex as if it were an Olympic sport. And she’s not even twenty-four years old. Please enlighten me as to how such a woman could possibly be an asset to Zangrar.’

A deathly silence followed his question, and the Sultan raised an eyebrow. ‘Nothing comes to mind?’ Their lack of response frustrated him to the point of explosion, and he turned and walked towards the window, struggling with his temper and hating himself for that loss of control. ‘Leave me. All of you. Leave!’

There was an undignified scrambling, and the room emptied in a matter of moments in response to his abrupt order.

As the door closed behind them, the Sultan rubbed his long fingers over his forehead, trying to ease the ache and access rational thought. He didn’t know which sickened him more: the thought of marriage generally, or the thought of marriage to a woman like the Princess Alexandra. By all accounts she was a woman who appeared to possess all those traits that had made him renounce the institution of marriage at a young age. She was shallow, brainless and a princess only by an unfortunate accident of birth. There was nothing royal about her behaviour, and there was no way she was going to become his wife.

She was exactly the sort of woman who would have caught the attention of his father.

A sound came from behind him, and he turned swiftly, his eyes narrowing as he saw his chief advisor standing behind him. ‘Omar?’

‘Your Excellency.’ The man stepped forward. ‘If I might be permitted to venture a suggestion …’

‘If this suggestion involves marriage, please save your breath.’

‘It is understandable that Your Excellency would have strong feelings on the subject, given your late father’s somewhat unfortunate history.’

The Sultan felt every muscle in his body tense. ‘That is not a subject I wish to discuss.’

‘Indeed, Your Excellency, and yet it is germane to the current situation. You are right to be concerned. The people of Zangrar will not tolerate another woman like your stepmother.’

The Sultan inhaled slowly. ‘You are unusually brave in your choice of conversation topic, Omar. You may have known me since I was two years old, but don’t presume too far. I’m experiencing some difficulties with anger management.’

Omar gave a faint smile. ‘In the circumstances your anger is understandable. What you have achieved for Zangrar since your father’s death is nothing short of amazing. You have given hope to every citizen, and now you are afraid that you will lose what has been gained.’

‘And that is what will happen if I marry this woman.’

‘Possibly. But Your Excellency does need a wife, that fact is not in dispute,’ Omar murmured. ‘Your people are anxious for you to fall in love and wed.’

The Sultan suppressed an unexpected desire to laugh out loud. ‘I am prepared to make many personal sacrifices for the good of my country, but falling in love will not be one of them. In time, I will choose a wife who can give me children. But she will not be some wild, untamed European princess. The people of Zangrar deserve better.’

Omar cleared his throat delicately. ‘But the Princess Alexandra is of royal blood. In one year from now, on her twenty-fifth birthday, her uncle the regent steps down and she ascends the throne of Rovina.’

‘Meaning that she will be in a position to bring even greater chaos to her country?’

Omar allowed himself a smile. ‘Meaning that an alliance between our two countries would offer many increased opportunities that would benefit Zangrar. Trade, tourism—’

‘Am I supposed to overlook her embarrassing reputation and overall lack of dignity?’

‘The Princess Alexandra is said to be quite astonishingly beautiful. Given your own success with women, the simplest approach might be for Your Excellency simply to urge her to moderate her behaviour. It is no secret that you enjoy the company of beautiful women.’

‘In a wife I place moral stature above any physical attributes,’ the Sultan growled, feeling his frustration mount. ‘However, my views on the subject are apparently not relevant, since it appears that there is no way I can break this ridiculous contract my father made.’ Of the legacy of stupidity and weakness left by his father, this was the issue that angered him most, because it threatened everything he had worked for.

Omar’s expression was thoughtful. ‘That is true, Your Excellency. There is no way you can break the contract.’

Something in his tone made the Sultan narrow his eyes. ‘Omar?’

His chief advisor smiled placidly. ‘I have studied the contract in minute detail, and it is true that there is no way for you to break the agreement that your father made.’ He paused. ‘But she can.’

The Sultan straightened his powerful shoulders. ‘You’re saying that the princess has the right to veto this marriage?’

‘Absolutely. But, before Your Excellency becomes unduly encouraged by that option, I should tell you that there has been no hint of dissent from the principality of Rovina. It would appear that the princess is eager to marry you.’

‘And we both know why.’ His mouth set in a grim line, the Sultan contemplated everything he’d read about the Princess Alexandra. ‘Rovina’s coffers are empty, and her spending powers are as legendary as her rebel behaviour.’

‘That could be part of it, but maybe not all. Your Excellency is extremely handsome. You are considered to be something of a matrimonial prize.’

The Sultan gave a humourless laugh and then paced over to the window, his expression bleak. A prize? If the princess knew what she would be taking on, then she wouldn’t be so eager to proceed with the wedding. As cold as the desert at night—wasn’t that how the last female in his life had bitterly described him when he’d abruptly ended the relationship?

He stared down into the courtyard below, wondering why that description didn’t bother him more. Possibly because it was true. He wasn’t capable of love; he knew that. But nor did he see that as a reason for regret. He’d seen what love could do to a person, and he wasn’t interested in sacrificing his judgement in exchange for emotional anguish. What did interest him was acting responsibly for the good of his country. And marrying the most notorious princess in Europe wasn’t going to achieve that objective.

He turned to Omar, his movements swift and decisive. ‘You are sure that the princess has the right to break this contract?’

‘Absolutely. The only person who can free you from this wedding is the woman herself.’

‘Then it will be done.’ The Sultan gave a satisfied nod. ‘Omar, you have excelled yourself.’

‘Your Excellency, I hardly need to remind you that the princess does want to marry you, so the details of the contract are somewhat irrelevant.’

‘Not irrelevant,’ the Sultan drawled softly. ‘The princess may wish to marry me at the moment, but given time and a little—persuasion—I’m confident that she will soon see that this marriage is not for her.’

‘You plan to influence her decision, Your Excellency?’

‘Absolutely. The problem is solved, Omar. The Princess Alexandra is going to decide that marriage to me would be an extremely bad idea. And, given that most women are appallingly indecisive, we are going to offer her every assistance in reaching that conclusion. I intend to see to it personally.’ He gave a grim smile.

No matter what she had in mind, she would not be marrying the Sultan.