'Good for me?' Beth clutched her chest. 'You never were talking about marriage, were you?'
'Marriage?' he said. 'What are you talking about?'
'You must think I'm naïve,' Beth said, unable to stem the tears pouring down her face. 'You'd be right-I am naïve, and stupid too.'
'Of course you're not stupid.'
'I was making plans, Khal … I'd planned everything we'd do together when we were married, for Hana, and for Q'Adar … '
'You can still do these things; I don't see what's changed.'
She laughed, a sad sound. 'I'm wasting my time thinking there's a human being under those robes, aren't I? There isn't a human being behind your title, there's just the ruler of Q'Adar-a cold, unfeeling man.' She shook him off when he tried to take hold of her. 'A man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants, even if that means trampling over those who love him.'
'Beth-'
'No, Khal!' She shook him off. 'Did you think you could stick me away out of sight in the old fort so I'd be there at your convenience, and buy my silence with a holiday home in Liverpool? No!' she warned him again. 'Stay away from me! You talked about love. You talked about how much I meant to you, when all the time you were planning this-'
'I was trying to show you how much you mean to me.'
'By setting me up in a love nest at the old fort?'
'Eventually, when the renovations were completed, I did think we could meet there-'
'Far away from prying eyes?'
'I was thinking of you.'
'And yourself too, no doubt!'
'I thought the renovation project would provide you with an ongoing interest.'
'Don't you dare patronise me, Khal. I don't need anything to keep me busy. I'm a mother, I've got Hana, and I work for my living back in England.'
'You can't just cut me out of your life,' Khal reminded her.
'And you can't ignore mine. You have no idea, do you?' she exclaimed. 'To you a relationship between a man and a woman is all about ownership and possession. For me, it's about the freedom to love unconditionally-'
'And that's the difference between us,' he cut across her. 'I'm the realist, Beth, and you're the dreamer.'
'And you dream of a warm bed and welcoming arms at the fort? No way, Khal! You can't stick me away in the desert and enjoy me whenever you have a spare moment.'
'Don't make it sound so sordid.'
'Isn't it?' She backed away from him, from his scent, from his heat, from his overwhelming presence. 'What type of role models do you think we'd make for Hana if I do as you suggest?'
'Hana is a princess of Q'Adar, and will have an army of servants-'
'Hana doesn't need an army of servants, what she needs is love and security.'
'And you think I wouldn't give her that?'
'I would never stop you seeing Hana, you know that, Khal. You also know I will never stay here as your mistress.'
'I've only just got Hana back, and I won't let you take her out of Q'Adar.'
'No court in the land would refuse you joint custody-'
'No court in which land?'
Beth shuddered involuntarily. The man she had so briefly known had disappeared, and she was confronting a stranger determined to impose his will on her. 'Please don't be unreasonable. This is our daughter we're talking about.'
'Exactly. Hana will live in the royal apartments, with me and with other members of the royal family.'
Beth paled as the truth sank in. 'And if you had your way Hana's mother would be housed some miles away, out of sight in the old fort? I don't think so.'
He stopped her leaving at the door. 'Where do you think you're going?'
'Away from you-to the nursery,' Beth said as her thoughts came into clear focus. 'I'm going to collect Hana, pack our cases, and get out of here-I'm going to take Hana home.'
'This is her home, and if you want to go, if you want to leave without your daughter, so be it.'
Beth could only stare at Khal in astonishment. 'You can't mean that. You can't imagine I would leave without Hana?'
'Hana's place is in Q'Adar with me, as is yours.'
'My place? Should I know my place, Khal? Is that it? Should I be grateful for all your bounty?' Beth cast a disparaging glance at the discarded jewels. 'I've never known my place, and I can't be bought. Now, open this door,' she said, rattling the handle. 'Let me out of here!'
'You can go,' he said, releasing his hold on the door. 'But Hana stays with me.'
'Stay with you? Do you think I want my daughter growing up with a stone for a heart? You think everything can be fixed with money and power, but I know it can't. I know when I'm being offered something worthless.'
'Worthless? I'm offering you a home and security!'
'Shut away as your mistress?' When he remained silent, Beth shook her head. 'It's an empty gesture, Khal. I already have a home, and Hana and I have everything we need.'
'As a royal princess of Q'Adar, Hana will need round-the-clock security, can you give her that?'
Beth paled as the helplessness of her position sank in.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
'IT DOESN'T have to be like this,' Khal told her as Beth turned her face from his blazing stare. 'I never meant to hurt you. Beth, please listen to me. You shouldn't be so stubborn. You don't have to stand alone. You don't have to be brave all the time.'
'Yes, I do.'
As she bit her fist to stem the tears, he knew he ruled a country in which millions of people depended on him, but could see no way out of this. Having Beth stand broken in front of him was more than he could bear, and he would do anything to make it right for her. Anything except marry her, of course. He could never do that. 'What can I do to make this better for you?'
'Nothing,' she told him bluntly, recovering. 'You can't do anything. Just let me appoint a lawyer who can help me sort this out.'
'I can help you sort it out.'
'I don't want your type of solution.'
'We could live as a family here.'
'Until you were married? I won't live some charade in Q'Adar, Khal.'
'As my mistress you're not at risk,' he said pragmatically. 'You would be safe to return to the house in Liverpool whenever you wanted to.'
'And leave Hana here with you and your bride?'
Folding his hands inside the sleeves of his robe, Khal stared at her levelly. 'I suggest you go and think about this Beth … think about all your options.'
She stared at him, the man she loved-a man so changed she hardly recognised him. 'I'll do that, Your Majesty,' Beth said tensely.
She had no intention of sitting around doing nothing, or of accepting her fate as decreed by His Majesty, Khalifa Kadir al Hassan. She rang the airport and booked a flight. It was that simple. Then she went to the nursery, and, after speaking to the staff on duty, lifted Hana from her cot. She had no intention of running off or sneaking away; she would do this properly. Hana wouldn't be at risk for an instant, because she would phone the Foreign Office in England and have the appropriate security measures put in place for when they landed. She had tried reason, but Khal wasn't interested, so now she would take action. Then later in England she would appoint a solicitor to act for them.
Beth asked one of the professional nannies to accompany her. 'Just as far as the airport,' she explained as they left the palace through a side gate. She had telephoned ahead to the coach house where there were drivers on duty night and day. 'I want His Majesty reassured that Hana boarded the aircraft safely.'
The woman assured her that she would do this, and Beth thanked her before climbing into the rear of the limousine with Hana asleep in her arms
He guessed Beth would be in the nursery with Hana. When he discovered they were gone, he issued an all-points alert to close the borders. But if possible he intended to apprehend them himself. Beth's route was clear in his mind. She would try to take Hana back to England where she would feel safe. The controller on duty at the coach house confirmed this. The next thing he did was call up the limousine and tell the driver to return to the palace with his passengers immediately. When he'd done that, he'd jump in a Jeep to follow them overland while his helicopters circled overhead.
They had been driving for some time when Beth asked the driver to stop. He had been driving far too fast in Beth's opinion, and she was concerned for their safety on the bumpy road. She rapped on the glass when he didn't respond, and was alarmed when he ignored her.