LITMIR.BIZ

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his wife accepted her as if she were their long-lost daughter.

      For three days they’d gathered at meal times in the king’s sitting room to hear the story of her grandmother’s great love affair with King Malik.

      Naturally the conversation turned to Lauren and the things she’d done with her life. The older children bombarded her with questions about the places she’d traveled, the sights she’d seen when Richard Bancroft had been alive to take her on some of his expeditions.

      On the third afternoon, Farah asked Lauren to go on a horseback ride with her around the perimeter of the Oasis. Knowing she’d ridden Zia before, Abdul had the mare saddled and ready for her. The horse made a nickering sound and nudged Lauren in greeting. When she mounted her, the memories were so overwhelming, it was almost debilitating for her.

      “The family loves you, Lauren.” She and Farah rode side by side. Their bodyguards went along at a discreet distance.

      “I love all of you.”

      “Before you leave, there’s something you should know.”

      Lauren couldn’t do this anymore. “Farah—if this is about your brother, I’d rather nothing was said.”

      “But you need to know he talked to my father on the day you flew to Geneva. Whatever was said, his wedding to the princess was called off permanently.”

      A moan escaped her lips. “What a sad day for everyone.”

      “Not for Rashad. He couldn’t marry a woman he didn’t love.”

      Lauren gripped the reins so tightly, it cut off the circulation in her hands. “Does this mean your father will allow him to choose the woman he wishes to marry?”

      “I don’t know. But since he didn’t force him to marry Princess Azzah, I have to hope he won’t command him to marry someone else who will mean nothing to him.”

      At the thought of Rashad choosing a woman he could eventually love, physical pain attacked Lauren. “I’m sorry, Farah, but I can’t talk about this. I can’t.”

      “I’m sorry if I have distressed you. Come. We’ll go back. The family is planning a special farewell dinner for you.”

      “Everyone has done more than enough for me.”

      “You still don’t understand, do you? My father has asked you to stay here and live with us.”

      “I know, and I’m very touched, but I couldn’t. My life is in Switzerland.”

      “Life is where your heart is,” Farah corrected her.

      Lauren had no answer for that. They rode back to the palace in silence.

      After a long swim, the two of them parted company so they could get ready for dinner. Once back in the garden suite, Lauren showered and put on a filmy plum-colored sundress with spaghetti straps.

      Because of King Umar’s poor health, they ate all their meals in his sitting room, this farewell dinner being no exception. Seventeen family members gathered round.

      Lauren and her grandmother had been a twosome before Richard had come along to make it three. To belong to such a big family now could have been a real joy except for one thing. One person.

      Rafi’s absence was the camel in the room no one talked about. Lauren missed him so acutely, she wasn’t able to concentrate on the conversations going on around her. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough to end this pain. The king insisted on flying her back to Geneva in his private jet if she wished to go.

      After coffee, he clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention. “One of my duties as king is to secure husbands for my daughters, which I have done. Since my father, King Malik, can’t be here tonight to secure a husband for his granddaughter, Princess Lauren, the great honor has fallen to me.”

      Lauren had been eating a sugar-coated almond and almost choked on it.

      “As I have the power to act in his stead, I’ve chosen a man of our tribe who is in every way worthy to be your husband. In a few minutes you will meet him and tomorrow formal negotiations will be made for your marriage.”

      Her eyes widened. Surely the king didn’t mean it, yet when she looked around, everyone was staring at her with a pleased expression—except Farah.

      The princess got to her feet. “You can’t do this, Father. She’s not used to our traditions.”

      Lauren loved Farah for defending her. What the king had just said might have made sense to him, but it was impossible!

      He nodded his graying head. “Nevertheless, it is not your place to counsel me, Farah,” he spoke kindly. “Please sit down. Lauren has no one to protect her. We are her family now and must do what is best for her.”

      “But—”

      “No buts. You’ve told me on more than one occasion that you have been very happy with my choice of husband for you. Therefore, you trust my judgment, don’t you?”

      “Yes, but—”

      “Silence, my daughter.”

      He clapped his hands. Lauren heard the doors to the suite open. She jerked around in absolute panic and saw Rafi in the entry wearing a cream silk robe. Her heart turned into a battering ram as he walked into the room and sat down next to his father.

      Nazir had assured her Rafi would stay away from the palace during her visit, yet here he was with that tall powerful body, looking more princely than any prince. The king must have insisted his son come to watch, but she couldn’t do this, and she jumped to her feet.

      She felt Rafi’s piercing gaze on her, but she kept her eyes focused on King Umar. “Princess Farah was right, Your Highness. Though the last thing I would ever want to do is offend you, I can’t go through with this because I don’t wish to be married.”

      “You would say that to me, knowing I want to take care of a great wrong done to one of my family?”

      “Forgive me, Your Highness, but it would be a much greater wrong if I were forced to marry a man I didn’t love no matter how much I appreciate your wanting to take care of me.”

      “You prefer to live a solitary life and die of old age without knowing love or children?”

      “Millions of women in the world do it,” she stood her ground.

      “Not our women,” he came back.

      “Putting aside my feelings for a minute, what about the man you would force to marry me? He would be a stranger to me.”

      “You will learn to adapt to each other’s differences. A lifetime study to make the other person happy is one of the most exciting aspects of marriage. Let me give you an example. When my wife, Tahirah, and I started out, we were blessed with three baby girls.

      “But during the pregnancy with Farah—which had taken a long time to happen—there were problems. Dr. Tamam said that once the baby was delivered, my wife would never be able to have another baby.

      “We realized it wasn’t written in the stars, but deep inside I knew my wife suffered because she could never give me a son. Deep inside I suffered because I knew she was suffering and I couldn’t take her condition away.

      “The night Farah was born, I was away fighting. It was at that same time my best friend Saud died saving my life. That night I learned his wife, Fadwa, had been killed in a village raid. When I found her body, I discovered she’d just delivered a baby boy who was still alive.

      “I took him home to my wife, only to discover our little Farah lying in her arms. When I showed her Saud’s son, she loved him on sight and asked if we couldn’t keep him and raise him as our own. That was the wish of my heart, too, so the two babies became our twins. Only Dr. Tamam knew our secret.”

      All around Lauren she heard gasps, but none were greater than her own.

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