So it wasn’t all pretence…
Of course not, there’s still the lust, she reminded herself, dousing her re-smouldering embers.
They paused at the front door, Marni preparing to slip off her sandals and noticing the ease with which Gaz removed his highly polished loafers.
‘You learn our ways,’ he said quietly.
‘This one’s easy,’ Marni retorted, unsettled by the lust reminder as well as by his nearness.
The lust wasn’t pretence.
Neither was it love!
But love’s not been any part of this, the sensible part of Marni’s brain responded.
And the funny lump of pain sneaked back into the middle of her chest.
‘Have you an extremely tidy mind that you need to reposition your sandals three or four times, or are you having second thoughts about meeting the family?’
Gaz was waiting for her to move away from the neat array of sandals.
Marni pulled herself together and looked directly at him, hoping all her doubts and inner discussions weren’t visible on her face.
‘Only two of the other sisters?’
He smiled and her heart turned over.
Love not part of this?
‘I’m breaking you in gently. I think you’ll find Tasnim has already asked the others to lunch one day next week. Alima set the limits—ordered them all not to crowd you—and what Alima says goes with the women.’
He took her hand and placed it on his forearm, tucking her close to his side as they walked through the wide entranceway. Marni glimpsed the huge majlis off to the left, and was relieved when a white-clad servant bowed them into a smaller, though no less opulent room.
Where shades of yellow from palest lemon to deep, rich gold had been the dominant colours in the rooms Marni had seen in the palace, it was red that struck her here. Swathed red silk curtains framed arched openings into what appeared to be a courtyard garden, while deep vermilion couches were pushed back against the walls. The floor, again, was marble, but a creamy colour, streaked with red, so Marni wasn’t surprised to find the woman walking towards her, hands outstretched in welcome, was also clad in what must be her favourite colour.
‘My sister, Alima,’ Gaz said smoothly. ‘Alima, this is Marni.’
Alima clasped Marni’s hands and drew her closer, kissing her on both cheeks—air kisses really, although the warmth of the woman’s smile seemed genuine.
‘What I wonder,’ she declared as she looked Marni up and down, then down and up again, ‘is how our father knew his son would be so difficult to please as far as women went, so he solved the problem early on, betrothing him to you.’
‘I think it was probably a joke,’ Marni said, the words popping out before she realised it was probably the wrong thing to say. But Alima was unfazed.
‘My father never joked and, believe me, having cast upwards of a dozen beautiful and intelligent women in my brother’s path over the years, I am more than ever convinced of my father’s prescience.’
‘You do rattle on,’ Gaz said to his sister, but Marni heard fondness in his voice. ‘Now, do your duty and introduce Marni around. I’ve told her she needn’t remember all the names—in fact, any of them except for Meena and Ismah, and I assume you’ve seated her near them for dinner.’
Gaz—why when he was with Marni did he think of himself this way—watched Alima lead Marni into the throng, seeing the way the fluid material of her tunic swayed about her body, noticing the strands of fine silvery hair escaping from the dark blue shawl she’d draped over her head.
His silver wraith!
His body had tightened the moment she’d stepped out of the car, and he was sorry he’d chosen to wear a suit tonight. His kandora hid far more than trousers.
A string of oaths echoed through his head. He’d brought this on himself, betrothing himself to her, so if he wanted her, and he did, he’d better organise a wedding, and soon!
‘Well chosen, brother!’ He turned to find Nimr standing beside him. ‘But you’d better secure her before my boys are old enough to challenge you. Karim is already in love with her—he talks of nothing but the soccer-playing blonde he found in the gardens.’
‘Surely he’s too young to be thinking of women,’ Gaz protested, and Nimr laughed.
‘Don’t believe it for a minute. They mature early, our boys, and didn’t we, as youngsters, believe an older woman could teach us much?’
Gaz laughed but he was looking around the room at the same time, and realised that not only were all four of his nephews included in the party—very smartly dressed in miniature suits—but Karim was right now chatting up Marni, making her laugh at something he’d said.