Desert Fantasies(77)
“That’s different. Your mother isn’t trying to marry you off to the woman she wants. Just listen to what Antonio said—I’m to come home and marry some man for his fortune. You don’t want to be married for money, why would you support that?”
“You know I wouldn’t. Would it hurt to listen to what he has to say?”
“I’m not going back to Italy.”
He shook his head. “I’m not suggesting that. Parents can’t arrange marriages for their offsprings.”
“Your mother tried with Rashid.”
“And it came to nought. I don’t see her doing anything now but eventually accepting Bethanne will be his wife.”
“She tried it, that’s the point. She may try with you.”
“I doubt it. She doesn’t like the scars any more than another woman would.”
“Honestly, I can’t believe you harp on that. So you have a scar. Try plastic surgery if you don’t like it. In truth, it makes you look more interesting than some rich playboy sheikh who rides by on his looks.”
“Playboy sheikh?” he said.
Ella leaned forward. “This is about my problem, not yours.”
“Of course.” The amusement in his eyes told her he was not taking this as seriously as she was. Why should he? He had power, prestige, money. She had nothing—not even a family to support her.
“So did Antonio leave?” she asked.
“Not yet. He wants to see you. Hear from you that everything is fine.”
“And try to kidnap me again to take me home.”
“No. I, uh, made it clear he could not do that.”
“How?”
Khalid looked uncomfortable. “Actually by the time the meeting was drawing to an end, I was a bit exasperated with your brother.”
Ella laughed shortly. “I can imagine. He’s like a bulldog when he’s after something. So what did you tell him?”
“That you and I were engaged.”
Ella stared at him for a long moment, certain she had misheard him. “Excuse me?” she said finally, not believing what echoed in her mind.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“You told my brother we were engaged? You don’t even like me. We are not engaged. Not even friends, from what I can tell. Why in the world would you say such a thing?”
“To get him to back down.”
“I don’t believe this. You’re a sheikh in this kingdom. You could order people to escort him to the country borders and kick him out. You could get his visa denied, declare him persona non grata. You could have—”
“Well, I didn’t do any of that.”
She blinked. “So Antonio thinks we’re engaged.”
Khalid nodded.
“And that’s it? He’s going home now?”
“After he’s met you and is satisfied you are happy with this arrangement.”
For a moment Ella felt a wave of affection for her brother. She didn’t always agree with him, but for him to make sure she was happy sounded like the brother she remembered with love. However—
“No.”
“No what?”
“I’m not taking that chance. I don’t want to see Antonio. I don’t want him to know where I live.” She looked at him with incredulity. “You don’t think they expect you to give the family money if I were really going to marry you, do you? He’s probably just as happy with you as candidate as whomever they had picked out in Italy.”
“I mentioned that I have a few thousand qateries put away for the future.”
“Utterly stupid,” she said, jumping to her feet. “I cannot believe you said that. You go back and tell him you were joking or something.”
Khalid rose, as well, and came over to her. “Ella, think for a moment. This gets you off the hook. We’ll meet him for dinner or something. Show we are devoted to each other. And that you have no intention of returning to Italy. Then he’ll be satisfied and take off in the morning. You’ll be safely ensconced here and that’s an end to it. Once your family finds another way to deal with the debt, you can write and say the engagement ended.”
She considered the plan. It sounded dishonest. But it also sounded like it might work. If she could convince Antonio she was committed to Khalid. Glancing out the window, she wondered if she could look as if she loved the man to distraction when her heart was buried with Alexander.
Yet, he knew her. He could believe she’d fallen in love. He’d often teased her for being a romantic. And her family would welcome Khalid like they never had Alexander. This time they had no reason to suspect he was interested in her money. Next to him, she was almost a pauper.
“Do you think it’ll work?” she asked, grasping the idea with faint hope.
“What could go wrong?” he asked. “You’ll convince your brother you’re deliriously happy. He’ll go home and you’ll go back to making glass art.”
“What do you get out of this?” she asked cynically.
“No more tears?” he said.
She flushed. “Sorry about that.”
“No, I didn’t mean to make light of it. Just make sure you don’t have another meltdown. I’ll be gone again soon so you’ll have the place to yourself again, like before.”
“So you’re not planning to sell?”
“Maybe not for a while. I find I’m enjoying living by the water.”
“Okay. We’ll try your plan. But if he doesn’t leave, or tries anything, I’m taking off.”
Khalid arranged dinner at a restaurant near the hotel. He picked Ella up at seven and in less than twenty minutes they arrived at the restaurant. She saw her brother waiting for them once they entered.
“Ella,” he said in Italian, coming to kiss both cheeks.
“Antonio,” she replied. It had been almost a year since she’d seen him. He looked the same. She smiled and hugged him tightly. No matter what—he was still her older brother.
He shook hands with Khalid. Soon all three were seated in a table near the window that looked over a garden.
“We’ve been worried about you,” Antonio said.
“I’m fine.”
“More than fine. Engaged to be married again.” He gave her a hard look.
She looked at him. “And?”
“It will come as a surprise to our parents.”
“As learning about Giacomo’s gambling problem surprised me.”
Antonio flicked a glance at Khalid and shrugged. “A way will be found to get the money. Family needs to support each other, don’t you think?”
When the waiter came for the order, conversation was suspended for a moment. “Khalid doesn’t speak Italian. He speaks English or French, so you choose,” Ella said in English.
“English is not so good for me. But for, um, good feelings between us, I speak it,” Antonio said.
“Ella tells me your family has been in the winemaking business for generations,” Khalid said. “You are a part of that operation?”
Antonio nodded. “I sell wine. Giacomo helps father with the vineyard and the make. My father wants Ella to come home. She goes a long time.”
“Maybe in a while. She cannot come now,” Khalid said flatly.
Antonio looked surprised that anyone would tell him no. Ella hid a smile and took a moment to glance around the restaurant. The tables were given plenty of space to insure a quiet atmosphere and offer a degree of privacy for the customers. Her eye caught a glimpse of the minister of finance just as he spotted her.
“Uh-oh,” she said softly in Arabic. “The minister is here.”
Antonio frowned. “If we speak English, all speak,” he said.
“Sorry, I forgot,” she replied, looking at Khalid for guidance.
A moment later the minister was at their table.
“Ah, the lovely Madame Ponti,” he said with a smile, reaching out to capture her hand and kiss the back. “Rashid, I didn’t expect to see you with Madame Ponti,” he said with a quick glance at Khalid.
Khalid stood, towering over the older man, exposing the scar when he faced him. “Minister,” he said.
“Ah, my mistake. Khalid. No need to get up. I’m on my way out and saw you dining.” He smiled affably at Antonio. “Another guest?”
“Ella’s brother.” Good manners dictated an introduction which Khalid made swiftly. Explaining Antonio was Italian and didn’t speak Arabic.
“English?” he asked.
Antonio nodded.
“Welcome to Quishari,” the minister said with a heavy accent.
“Happy to be here. We are celebrating good news—Ella’s engagement.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
ELLA was struck dumb. She wished she could stuff a sock in her brother’s mouth. Her horrified gaze must have shown, as Khalid reached out and touched her shoulder.
“Congratulate us, Minister. You are the first outside the family to know,” he said easily.
His grip tightened and she tried to smile. What a disaster this was turning out to be. Khalid must be furious. That’s what they got for trying to put something over on Antonio.
“My felicitations. I have to say I am not surprised after seeing you at your mother’s event the other evening.”
Khalid nodded, releasing his hold on Ella’s shoulder as if convinced she would not jump up and flee—which she strongly felt like.