Daughter of Hassan & Heart of the Desert(36)

‘I’m happy to help my sister with Azizah.’

‘At one in the morning?’ Ibrahim said. ‘Does she have you on call all night?’ He watched her face burn, felt the hammer of her radial pulse beneath his fingers in response to his touch, and in that moment he could almost have forgiven her for rejecting him. He considered pulling her down onto his lap. ‘Join me.’ It wasn’t a request, Georgie knew that—it was a challenge.

‘I’m here to spend time with my sister and niece.’ He dropped her wrist and without another word she left the room and walked through the maze of the palace to join Felicity in the nursery where she had settled down to feed.

‘What kept you?’ Felicity asked as Georgie closed the door.

‘I was just talking to Ibrahim.’ Georgie kept her voice light.

‘Why?’ And there was challenge too in Felicity’s question, just a teeny call to arms, and Georgie refused to go there, choosing to tease instead.

‘Why wouldn’t I? It was either chat to a beautiful man or watch my sister breastfeed.’

To her credit, Felicity smiled.

‘He asked about my flight. I just said goodnight.’

‘Stay away from him,’ Felicity warned. ‘He’s trouble. I’ve seen how he treats women—he’d eat you alive and then spit out the pips.’

‘We were just saying goodnight!’ Georgie laughed, but Felicity would not relent.

‘He’s so arrogant. Strolls back unannounced and expects everyone to jump to his whims, swans around the palace without a care in the world.’ Georgie opened her mouth to interrupt because Ibrahim had looked far from carefree on the plane, but she decided against it, intuitively knowing Ibrahim wouldn’t want that information shared. ‘He’s completely spoilt!’ Felicity moaned on. ‘Way too used to getting his own way, though not for much longer.’

‘What do you mean?’ Georgie asked, but Felicity shook her head.

‘I’ve said too much.’

‘It’s me!’ Georgie pointed out. ‘And given what I told you earlier…’

‘Okay,’ Felicity relented, but, paranoid as ever, she had Georgie check and double-check that the intercom was turned off, then still spoke in a whisper. ‘The king’s had enough. Karim told me he’s going to be talking to Ibrahim tomorrow. He wants him back in Zaraq, he’s tired of his youngest son’s ways. Ibrahim was supposed to go to London to study engineering and then come back, but he’s finished his master’s now and there’s still no sign of him returning. Ibrahim’s working mainly from there and saying that he wants to continue with his studies, but the king wants him here.’

‘So, is he closing the open cheque book?’ Georgie struggled to keep her voice light.

‘He tried that a couple of years ago apparently.’ Felicity sighed. ‘And Ibrahim promptly went into business with one of Zaraq’s leading architects. A lot of that dazzling skyline is thanks to my brother-in-law’s brilliant brain. Ibrahim doesn’t actually need royal financial support.’

‘So how can he stop him?’ Georgie asked. ‘If Ibrahim doesn’t want to be here, how can his father force him?’

‘His father’s king,’ Felicity pointed out. ‘And Ibrahim, at the end of the day, is a royal prince and privilege comes with responsibility.’

‘You’re starting to sound like them!’ Georgie attempted a joke, but Felicity shook her head.

‘Look at all the work Karim does for the people. He’s out there now in the middle of the desert, working with sick people, while Ibrahim’s working his way along the bar at the casino like a tourist. Well, Ibrahim’s a prince and the king’s tired of waiting for him to act like one.’ Even though she was whispering, she still dropped her voice. ‘He’s going to be choosing a bride for him, whether he wants it or not. Soon Ibrahim’s going to be coming home for good.’





CHAPTER FIVE




SHE’D slept too much on the plane and Georgie woke before sunrise, pulled the shutters open and properly surveyed her gorgeous room then climbed back into bed. After a moment’s deliberation, she did what Felicity had told her to if she wanted anything, anything at all, and picked up the bedside phone. It didn’t even ring once before it was answered, and in no time at all there was a tray laden with coffee and fruit and juices being delivered not just to her room but onto a bedside table. Her pillows were rearranged and Georgie cringed at the attention and wondered how Felicity could have so easily got used to it.

The coffee was too strong, too sweet and had an almost smoky flavour to it and she sipped it slowly, then chose to take her tray and enjoy the sight of the sun rising over the ocean.

Opening the French windows, she stepped out onto the balcony and watched the magical display—the sky lit up with pinks and oranges, the air warm on her skin. She was filled with a yearning to see a desert sunrise, to follow those warm fingers of light and see them awaken all that was behind. But as much as Georgie wanted to witness the splendour, she knew that again this trip it would be unlikely—Felicity was very busy and wouldn’t want to leave little Azizah overnight.

One day she’d see it. Georgie told herself to be patient, but she was drawn to the magic Ibrahim had so readily dismissed, wanted to find out more for herself about the tales of the desert, to sample the food and inhale the oils, to see more of Zaraq than just the shops and the palace.

And then she saw him. A man on his horse. It could have been any of the brothers, from this distance it might even have been the king, but her heart told her it was Ibrahim. He certainly didn’t look like a man who was recovering from the previous night’s excess and not for the first time Georgie wondered if Felicity was mistaken about how Ibrahim spent his evenings. There was something about the speed of his riding, a combination of youth, vigor and power as he hurtled along the beach that told her it was him. He pulled up suddenly, patting the beast’s neck and guiding him to a slow walk in the water, and then he looked up and saw the sun glisten on the palace and saw Georgie watching him.

He did not acknowledge her, did not lift a hand to wave. He just turned and kicked his horse back into a gallop, leaving a white streak of surf behind him, and she knew she’d just been snubbed. Still, you didn’t say no to a man like Ibrahim and then expect a cheery wave the following morning.

Why was he here? Georgie wondered, as she showered and dressed. What had suddenly prompted him to return unannounced? Oh, she’d seen him dashing and smiling, descending on Zaraq oozing charm and bearing gifts.

She’d seen the torment in his face too—only not even Ibrahim knew that.

The thought stayed with her as she showered and, dressed, joined her sister for breakfast.

‘Is this okay?’ she asked as she took her seat. It was a perpetual question for Georgie while in Zaraq. She was dressed in a loose-fitting cream shift dress with flat, strappy sandals and even though it was modest, she still felt as if she was showing way too much skin.

‘Relax!’ Felicity said. ‘You look wonderful. It’s only if you come out with me on official business, which you won’t,’ she hastily added when Georgie’s eyes widened in horror, ‘that you would have to cover up.’ And then Felicity gave a wry laugh. ‘Actually, technically you wouldn’t. You’re married after all.’

‘Not any more.’

‘Oh, but you are in Zaraq.’ Felicity said, but didn’t get to elaborate as the king came out to the courtyard where they were taking breakfast.

‘Have you seen Ibrahim?’ Felicity didn’t turn a hair, but Georgie felt her heart pound because the king was a formidable man, especially close up, and he didn’t look best pleased. ‘No doubt he is still sleeping.’ She wanted to correct him, to tell the king that Ibrahim was, in fact, out riding, but she knew it wasn’t her place, even though the king sounded irritated. ‘Where is everyone?’

‘Karim left early to attend a meeting on the health situation with the Bedouins,’ Felicity answered calmly. ‘I haven’t seen anyone else.’

‘Well, if you see Ibrahim, please remind him that I want him to come to my office before he no doubt disappears again.’

‘Not likely.’ Felicity said, once the King was safely out of earshot. ‘I’m staying well out of their way today and so are you.’ She smiled at her sister. ‘We’re off to the spa for the morning!’

It wasn’t quite as simple as that. Felicity hadn’t left Azizah for any length of time with Rina the nanny, and spent ages explaining to her about how her stored breast milk was to be used. She was still rather tense when she and Georgie climbed into the limousine.

‘She’ll be fine,’ Georgie soothed. ‘Rina seems wonderful with her.’

‘I know.’ Felicity admitted. ‘I’m going to have to get used to leaving her—there are so many functions and I’m also thinking of going back to work! Just occasionally,’ Felicity said, seeing Georgie’s eyes widen. ‘Midwifery is what I love, it’s who I am, and I don’t ever want to lose that. Rina is lovely and everything but Azizah doesn’t seem to relax with her.’ Georgie knew what was coming. They’d had this conversation so many times before and she tried to divert it.