LITMIR.BIZ

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stared after her. She hadn’t waited for him. How dare she go striding off, as if he wasn’t anyone more important than the chauffeur.

      “Dora,” he called as he scrambled to open his door and step outside. He brushed off the servant’s greeting and hurried after her. “Dora, where do you think you’re going?”

      She paused to glance over her shoulder. “I would have thought that was obvious. I’m going to my rooms.”

      He caught up with her in the grand foyer. The sound of running water from the main stone fountain provided idyllic background music. He touched her cheek. “You don’t live in the harem anymore, my little wildcat. You live with me.”

      Her brown eyes widened at the news. She glared. He could almost see her temper rising inside her, and he held back his grin. They would fight, then they would make up. He looked forward to both events with equal anticipation. He hadn’t thought that being married would require so much energy, but then he also hadn’t realized the rewards.

      Rihana appeared from the shadows and bowed low. “Welcome back.” She gave Dora a shy smile. “I have moved your belongings into your husband’s rooms. May I please show you the way?”

      “No,” Dora said sharply, not taking her gaze from Khalil’s face. “Please take my things to the guest suite I was shown to when I first came to the palace. I’ll be staying there.”

      Khalil frowned. “Dora, this is ridiculous. What do you hope to accomplish by this game? You’re my wife.”

      Her gaze turned icy. “I am, aren’t I. That makes me a princess. As such, I assume I’m allowed to give the servants instructions, and I can expect those instructions to be followed. Is that correct?”

      She’d boxed him neatly into a corner. If she was his wife and therefore a princess in the palace, the servants would be expected to obey her. As her husband, he could not take away her power on her very first day. If he did, that decision would affect her position in the palace for the rest of her life.

      He gritted his teeth and glared at her. They would have to take this up another time.

      “Rihana, you will do as my wife requests,” he said stiffly.

      Rihana looked troubled, then nodded slowly. “This way, Princess,” she said and turned away from the corridor leading to his rooms. Dora gave him a smug smile before she left to follow the girl. Khalil stood there alone, wondering how the hell everything had gone so wrong and what he was supposed to do about it now.

      

      Dora stood alone on the balcony, staring out at the sea. She’d spent the past six hours alone in her suite of rooms, trying to savor her victory. But it didn’t taste as sweet as she’d thought it would. She was away from Khalil, which is what she wanted, but she was also by herself. The rest of the day stretched long and lonely in front of her, as did all the days in her future. What was she going to do with herself?

      She turned her back on the glorious view, and paced toward the French doors leading into her living quarters. How long would Khalil keep her in El Bahar before realizing their marriage was a mistake? She believed it was just a matter of time until he came to his senses and divorced her. Then she would be free. Until then, she would make the best of a bad situation by enduring her solitude. There had to be something she could do with her time. Maybe—

      A light knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She hurried across the large living room and opened her door. But instead of Rihana, or even Khalil, she saw that Fatima was her visitor.

      She smiled at the older woman. “What a nice surprise. Please, come in.”

      Fatima did as she requested. She glanced around at the suite, as if she’d never seen the rooms before, then settled on one of the sofas facing the view. “I heard that you had chosen to live here instead of with Khalil. I didn’t realize that privacy was so very important to you. I must apologize for making you uncomfortable by asking you to live with me in the harem.”

      Color and heat flared on Dora’s cheeks as she sat opposite her guest. She placed her hands in her lap. “You disapprove of what I’ve done.”

      Fatima’s thick hair lay coiled at the base of her neck. Her deep purple suit, all elegant lines with a neatly tailored jacket, emphasized her trim figure. She looked like a successful businesswoman about to attend an important meeting.

      “It is not my place to approve or disapprove. Marriage is private between the two parties involved.” She pressed her lips together. “I heard about what happened with Rihana, how you forced Khalil to choose between your obedience and your power in the household. While it was a tidy trick, I’m reminded of an old expression. It’s originally British, I believe. Perhaps you’ve heard it—something about winning the battle, but losing the war.”

      “We’re not fighting,” Dora said evenly.

      “Aren’t you? When a husband and wife choose separate living quarters, it is rarely an indication that all is well, but then I’m from a different generation.”

      Dora lowered her head. She didn’t like misleading Fatima. Khalil’s grandmother had been very kind and generous to her. “Khalil and I have some things we need to sort out,” she said. Actually, she had to do most of the sorting. She was still so confused and hurt by all that had happened.

      “If you’re waiting for my grandson to bend, you’re going to be living here a long time. Khalil doesn’t give in.”

      “Then it might be time for him to learn.” Dora raised her head and straightened her spine. “I haven’t forgotten your advice about bending, Fatima, but there are times when one has to make a stand. This is one of those times.”

      The older woman studied her. “Are you going to tell me what my grandson has done?”

      “I can’t.” It was too humiliating to discuss with anyone, even someone as kind as Fatima. Besides, Dora knew that when push came to shove, Fatima would side with her family, not with her grandson’s new wife. “I’m making the best of a difficult situation.”

      Fatima’s shrewd, dark eyes seemed to see right through her. “And if he doesn’t change? Then what?”

      “I don’t know.”

      Then she would leave, she thought. She would find a way to insist that Khalil divorce her, and she would be free. The fact that she had nowhere to go didn’t matter. She wouldn’t stay where she wasn’t wanted and respected.

      “I thought you loved him,” Fatima said as she rose to her feet. “I’m sorry that I was wrong.”

      Dora felt as if she were six years old, and she’d just been scolded for being clumsy. “I do care for him,” she hedged.

      “But you don’t love him. Or if you do, it’s not strong enough that you’ll fight for him.” Fatima walked toward the door.

      “Goodbye,” she said as she stepped into the hall. To Dora, the words sounded very final.

      When Fatima had left, Dora stood alone in the center of her silent rooms. She wanted to cry out that it wasn’t fair—that Khalil had been the one to lie and deceive her, so why was she being punished? She’d married him with the best of intentions. She’d wanted to make her marriage work, she’d wanted to love him and be with him. But he’d hurt her. Worse, he wouldn’t even take responsibility for his actions. He expected her to just understand and get over it. How could she have a relationship with a man who didn’t see her as someone worth common courtesy?

      She paced the length of the room, then returned to the balcony. The blue of the sea soothed her battered spirits but couldn’t quiet her mind. Questions continued to fill her. What happened now? Could she stay in this suite indefinitely? Would Khalil want to divorce her? What would happen if he came to her expecting them to make love again? She doubted she had the power to resist him. As much as she didn’t want to give in, her body betrayed her.

      Dora

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