Date with a Surgeon Prince(42)

‘Wait, I’ll walk you to the car,’ he called, while Mazur listed reasons he should do this one thing for his cousin.

Marni turned then shook her head and disappeared from view.

Lost in thoughts of what might have been, of should she have done it or shouldn’t she, and all the other questions that had arisen out of their coupling, it took Marni a while to realise the car she was entering already had a passenger.

‘Are you all right?’ Tasnim asked. ‘I know you phoned earlier to say you’d be late home, but I was a little worried, so when Hari, Nimr’s youngest brother, who was visiting, offered to come and collect you, I came along as well.’

Marni took her hand and squeezed her fingers.

‘You are far too kind to me,’ she said. ‘I visited Safi, the little boy I’ve told you about, then Ghazi kindly said I could wait for my phone call from home in his office.’

‘Your grandfather’s operation? It was today? It went well?’

‘Yes, and, yes, and, yes,’ Marni said, and for a moment in her pleasure and relief at being able to report that she forgot what had happened after the phone call.

But only for a moment.

What on earth must Ghazi think of her?

How could she have been so stupid as to think it would all be okay?

‘What was that?’

She turned to Tasnim, aware the other woman had said something—had sounded concerned.

‘We’re going the wrong way,’ Tasnim repeated, pointing out towards the road.

‘I can’t help you but surely Hari knows the way. Ask him.’

She hoped she didn’t sound as distracted as she felt. As far as she was concerned, Hari could take her out into the desert and drop her there.

Tasnim rapped on the glass that separated the passengers from the driver but when Hari didn’t turn, she picked up the handpiece for the intercom, talking into it, then yelling into it.

He didn’t answer.

‘The wretched boy! I don’t know why I agreed to let him drive us tonight. It’s just that his brother’s away somewhere—Fawzi, the other young one he hangs around with—and I thought he must be lonely to have come for a visit. Then when he wanted to play chauffeur I went along with it. This will be some bet they’ve had, or some daft joke they’ve dreamed up. The two of them are always up to something.’

Tasnim was sounding angry and concerned enough to distract Marni from her morbid thoughts.

‘Can you phone your home? Tell someone what’s happening?’ Marni asked.

Tasnim shook her head.

‘I was only coming for the ride to collect you. I didn’t think to bring my mobile. But you’d have yours.’

Marni felt around her on the seat then remembered Hari—only she hadn’t realised it was Hari—taking her handbag as she’d got into the car. He’d put it on the front seat—behind that nice, impenetrable barrier.

A smidgen of concern sneaked into her already tortured thoughts but considering Tasnim’s condition, surely it was best to pretend that it was all some kind of joke.

‘Well, as there’s nothing we can do, we’ll have to relax and go along with it,’ Marni said, almost pleased to have something other than Ghazi to consider. ‘Think of the baby and don’t let yourself get upset.’

‘Don’t let myself get upset? It’s ten o’clock at night and I’m usually in bed by nine these days. I was only up because Hari was there and he seemed to want company.’

Tasnim’s voice was becoming more and more strident, and concern for her and her unborn child soon outweighed Marni’s guilt and anxiety over what had just happened with Ghazi.

‘Breathe deeply,’ she told Tasnim. ‘Calm yourself down. We’re in the car, we’re safe, and we really can’t do anything other than sit back, relax and wait to see what happens.’

‘I’ll kill him!’ Tasnim declared, leaning forward so she could hammer on the heavy screen.

‘Later!’ Marni said, capturing Tasnim’s hands and massaging them, forcing her to lie back against the seat, talking quietly until the distressed woman calmed down.

Forget the joke, Marni now felt almost as much anger and murderous intent towards Hari but she kept it hidden, knowing the most important thing was to keep Tasnim as calm as possible. Eight months into her first pregnancy, a bout of hysterics was the last thing she needed.

‘We’re out on the desert road,’ Tasnim told her, and Marni looked out the car windows, surprised to see the city must be far behind them for there was nothing as far as she could see—well, nothing but the dunes and sand, lit by the headlights as the car raced up the broad highway.