“Don’t let me keep you from dinner,” the minister said as the waiter approached with their meals on a tray.
When he left, Ella gave a sigh of relief. Maybe Khalid could catch him later and explain. She needed to concentrate on getting her brother on the next plane to Italy.
“Mother and father will want to meet your fiancé,” Antonio said as they began to eat. “You two should visit soon. I can wait here a few days and return with you.”
“Unfortunately I am unable to get away for a while and Ella must work on her art,” Khalid said.
“Art?” Her brother looked puzzled.
“You have not seen the beautiful glass pieces she makes?” Khalid asked in surprise.
“Oh, those.” Antonio gave a shrug. “I’ve seen bowls and such. Nice enough.”
Ella knew better than to take offense at her brother’s casual dismissal of her work. He had thought it an odd hobby when she’d been younger. But she’d come a long way since those early attempts. Not that she needed to show him. If Khalid was successful in getting him to leave, she’d be grateful. If not, then maybe Plan B would work better—get Bethanne to fly her somewhere far away and tell no one.
The meal seemed interminable. Ella wanted to scream at her brother to leave her alone. She couldn’t forget his part in Alexander’s death. If he had not tried to take her home last year, Alexander would still be alive.
Everything was different. When they finished eating, Khalid escorted them to the curb where the limo was waiting. Ushering them both inside, he gave instructions for Antonio’s hotel and settled back.
“We will drop you at your hotel and in the morning I will arrange for the limousine to pick you up to take you to the airport. Ella will contact your parents when it is convenient to visit.”
Never underestimate the power of money, status and arrogant male, she thought as she watched her brother struggle with something that would assert his own position. But one look from the dark eyes of the sheikh had Antonio subsiding quietly.
“As you wish. My father will be delighted to learn his daughter is engaged to one of the leading families in Quishari. I hope you both can visit soon.”
The ride home from the hotel was in silence. Ella didn’t know whether to be grateful to Khalid or annoyed at his outlandish handling of the situation. If the minister hadn’t learned of the bogus engagement, they could have muddled through without any bother.
“What if the minister says something?” she asked.
“Who’s he going to tell? We are not that important in his scheme of things. You worry about things too much,” he said, studying the scenery as they were driven home.
“At least I didn’t go off half-cocked and say we were engaged. Too bad he speaks English. The language barrier could have prevented it. I doubt he speaks Italian.”
Khalid looked at her. “Your brother will return home, tell your parents you are safe and go on with his life. Once things settle down, you can tell them things didn’t work out.”
She laughed nervously. “I doubt things will settle down. They will push for marriage.”
“Tell them I am not ready.”
“Oh, Khalid, if they really need money for Giacomo, then my guess is the next step is get me safely married to you and hit me up for some money. If you were poor as Alexander was, they would never be satisfied with a marriage between us.”
“You’re an adult. Just tell them no.”
“Antonio tried to force me from the country last time. Just say no doesn’t work with my family.”
“He won’t try you in the future, not as long as you live in Quishari.”
“Then I may never leave,” she said, still worried about the entire scenario.
Khalid had the limousine stop by Ella’s cottage and dismissed the man. He escorted her to her door.
“Thanks for dinner, and for standing up for me,” she said, opening it.
“That’s what fiancés are for,” he said, brushing back her hair and kissing her lightly on the lips.
He turned and walked to the villa, wishing he had stayed for a longer good-night kiss. He had hidden it from Ella, but he was worried the minister could stir up trouble that would be hard to suppress.
When he entered the study a few moment later, the answering machine was flashing. He pressed the button.
“What’s this I hear about your engagement? You couldn’t tell me before the minister?” Rashid’s voice came across loud and clear—with a hint of amusement. “Or did he get it wrong? Call me.”
Khalid sighed and sank onto the chair. Dialing his brother, he wondered if he could finesse this somehow. It was hard sometimes to have a twin who knew him so well.
“Hello.”
“Rashid, it’s Khalid.”
“Ah, the newly engaged man. I didn’t have a clue.”
“It’s not what you think?”
“So what is it?”
Khalid explained and heard Rashid’s laughter. “Sounds almost like Bethanne and me. We pretended she was my intended to close the deal I was working on when the woman I expected didn’t show up. Watch it, brother—fake engagements have a way of turning real.”
“Not this time. In fact, I wasn’t going to tell anyone beyond Ella’s brother. Once he was back Italy, she’d be left alone.”
“Now you have the minister calling me and undoubtedly Mother to congratulate us on your engagement. And I know from experience, Mother isn’t going to be happy.”
“She should be glad anyone would even consider marrying me with this face.”
“Not if it isn’t someone she picked out—which I’m coming to believe means someone she can boss around. Bethanne isn’t exactly docile. So what’s the plan?”
“I haven’t a clue. It would have gone smoothly if the minister hadn’t come over. Her brother would have left and things would have returned to normal.”
“Whatever that is these days.” Rashid was quiet for a moment, then said, “Any chance…”
“What, that she’d want to marry me? Get real. First off, I’m not planning to marry. Your kids will carry on the line. And second, she’s still hung up on her dead husband. And I see no signs of that abating. She was crying over him today.”
“Fine, you’ve played the role of hero, rescuing her from her brother. Would that make her feel she owes you? Maybe vacate the cottage so you can sell the place sooner?”
“I wouldn’t use that to get her gone.”
Rashid was silent.
“Anyway, things will work out.”
“Call me if you need me,” Rashid said.
When he hung up, Khalid contemplated finding a job ten thousand miles away and staying as long as he could. Who would think inheriting a beautiful estate could end up making him so confused.
The phone rang again.
When he answered, he sighed hearing his mother’s greeting.
“I just had an interesting call,” she began.
“I know.” For a split second he considered telling her the truth. But that fled when he thought of her calling to set the minister straight. He would not like having been lied to.
“Is it true? Honestly, if I had thought you were planning to marry, which you have stated many time you are not, I know several nice women who would have suited much better than a widow of dubious background.”
“I know her background.”
“I don’t. Where is she from? Are you certain she wants to marry you to build a life together, or is she in it to keep the cottage? Once her career takes off, will she leave for greener fields?”
“Who knows what the future holds,” he said.
“Your father used to say that all the time. Honestly, men. I suppose I have to have another party to introduce her formally to everyone like I did with Bethanne.”
“Hold off on that, Mother.”
“Why?”
His mother was sharp; anything out of a normal progression would raise doubts. And he didn’t want Ella talked about, or word to reach her family that the engagement wasn’t going strong.
“You just had a party…we can wait a few weeks.” Maybe by then something would occur to him that would get him out of the situation. He’d thought it the perfect answer to getting rid of Ella’s brother. The first time in recent months he did anything spontaneous and it grew more complicated by the moment. Give him a raging oil fire any day.
“Nonsense. I’ll call your aunt. She’ll be thrilled to hear you are getting married and want to help. We had given up on you, you know.”
Hold that thought, he wanted to say. But for the time being, he’d go along with her idea. He wondered if Ella would. Or if she’d put an end to it the minute her brother took off in the morning. She hadn’t welcomed the idea when he first told her.
He went to change into casual clothes and headed for the beach. He didn’t know if she’d join him on a walk tonight. He could gauge her reaction by her manner if she did show up.
When he reached the beach, there was no sign of her. He’d wait a bit. It wasn’t that late.
Sitting on the still warm sand, he watched the moonlight dance on the water. The soft night breeze caressed. The silence was peaceful, tranquil. Why did men make things so complicated. A quiet night surrounded by nature—that’s what he needed. That’s what he liked about the desert. The solitude and stillness.