He shook himself out of the painful reminiscences, remembering this was Beth's moment, not his. And no one, not even his mother, was going to spoil it for her. Having introduced Beth to the assembled guests, he handed her the trophy. 'Congratulations, Ms Torrance,' he said formally.
Khal looked so grim, but she had no option but to shake his hand and say thank you. She had to. Tilting up her chin, Beth met the gaze of the ruler of Q'Adar, a man who would have been stunningly sexy under any circumstances. But here, with the full weight of his power surrounding him, he was a devastating sight. Yes, except for his lack of emotion he was just about perfect. So why was he so cold? Beth wondered, as Khal stood back, allowing her to take the applause.
It was better for her if he disapproved, she concluded. Did she want him noticing her, smiling at her, wanting her? No, of course not; in fact, she was relieved.
Liar! Beth's inner voice accused her as she turned to face her audience. Still she managed a smile and then thanked everyone politely. 'And before you start dancing again … ' Silence cloaked the room. She was not supposed to say anything else. Firming her jaw, she continued. 'I'd just like to say-' A gasp of astonishment greeted this. Ignoring it, Beth ploughed on, 'That this trophy isn't just for me.' She waved it in the air. 'But for everyone who works at Mr Khadir's stores.' Another gasp, much louder than the last. 'Yes, I realise you all know him as His Majesty, but to us he's the best boss ever.' It was Beth's turn to gasp as someone took firm hold of her elbow. She exclaimed out loud when she realised who it was. 'Sorry,' she said, but the words just kept on tumbling out. 'I bet you can't wait to get rid of me.'
'On the contrary,' the ruler of Q'Adar murmured in her ear. 'I'd just like to save you further embarrassment.'
'Well, you don't need to, thank you very much,' Beth said, swallowing back her fright as several royal attendants stepped forward to take her into custody. 'Do I look like a threat?' she whispered angrily to Khal.
He waved them off. Beth was more of a threat than she knew, Khal thought as he inclined his head towards her in a polite gesture of dismissal. 'Enjoy the rest of your evening, Ms Torrance … '
She did, as it happens-enjoy the rest of her evening, that was. She was determined to. She had every intention of delivering a full report on the Platinum and Diamond Ball when she returned home, and no one was going to spoil it for her friends. She was going to keep their dreams intact even if the truth, as she had discovered, was somewhat different. But here at this table it wasn't so hard to find things to report on, because everyone was so nice. Which made a change from the man frowning at her from the royal dais. That was, when Khal could spare a moment from spending time with each of the princesses selected for his attention. Khal's mother would have made a good personal shopper at the store, Beth decided. The Dowager Sheikha had a real knack for bringing tempting selections for the customer to choose from. 'How much would one of those cost?' Beth asked her friend Jamilah impishly.
Angling her chin in the direction of Khal and his bevy of princesses, Jamilah hazarded a guess. 'Those tiaras probably cost a cool million each, just for starters.'
'No, I mean the whole package.' Now she had started, Beth couldn't suppress her mischievous Merseyside humour.
'You mean the cost of one princess?' Jamilah said, grinning as she got the joke.
'A country and a camel,' someone across their table discreetly offered.
'Ten camels.'
'Any advance on ten?'
Their table was now in such uproar that Beth noticed they were attracting disapproving looks. She guessed the young people had never been so outspoken before, and it was all her fault.
'I think we've outstayed our welcome,' Jamilah confided in Beth. 'We're going back to our family encampment for the fireside celebrations. Would you like to come with us? There'll be dancing.'
'Dancing?' Beth couldn't have been more surprised. It made Q'Adar sound like Liverpool, when she was sure the life here for young people couldn't be more different. 'Where are you camped?'
'Just outside the palace walls, right on the beach. My relatives will be there and I'm allowed to bring a friend. Everyone's agreed they'd rather have you join us than one of those sacrificial lambs at the royal table.' And, when Beth looked askance at her, Jamilah explained. 'We all know those girls on the top table have been selected for their beauty, and are only here on approval for the Sheikh to take a look at. His mother can't wait for him to get married and give her grandchildren.'
'But that's rather sweet of her, isn't it?' Beth said, not sure quite how she felt about it.
'Not for the sacrificial lambs.'
'Point taken,' Beth agreed, discreetly slipping away from the table to follow her new-found friends.
'I suggest you get changed out of that dress and leave your trophy in your suite,' Jamilah said as they hurried out of the ballroom. 'I'll go and find you something suitable to wear, and then I'll come back for you, otherwise you're bound to get lost in the palace-it's such a maze.'
Beth's heart lifted as they scurried along the grand, vaulted corridor as fast as their high heels would allow. It looked as if she was going to have something good to tell her friends about after all.
He watched her leave, and knew where she'd be heading when he saw who had befriended her. He was pleased for Beth. He was glad she had found some companions of her own age to make her stay a happy one until she left Q'Adar. And it would be a wonderful experience for her to mix with his people without all this pomp and ceremony getting in the way.
No. He wasn't pleased, Khal decided, frowning. Jamilah's male relatives would be present, along with every other hot-blooded man in the palace who had been invited to take part in the open-air celebrations. Chaperoned or not, there would be opportunities for the sexes to mix, and Beth was impressionable.
He stood. It was a signal for everyone else in the grand ballroom to stand too. He gestured that they must all sit down again, and then he used the microphone to wish them an enjoyable evening. An evening he would no longer be part of. He ignored his mother's scandalised glances as he left the dais. The Sheikh of Sheikhs wasn't required to give a reason when he decided the entertainment on offer no longer held sufficient appeal. He had done his duty by the princesses, having reviewed the parade of hopefuls, and now those painted dolls could return home and take their greedy black eyes with them. He'd made enough deals in his life to know when he was being duped.
Back in her glamorous palace accommodation Beth was excited. It was good to finally be part of something where she was welcome-not that she had ever envisioned being drawn into the royal circle, of course. The Dowager Sheikha had been extremely kind to lend her the dress, Beth thought as she carefully hung it up on a padded hanger. Then she went red, remembering her speech, and Khal dragging her away from the microphone. How had she dared to speak out like that?
She had dared, and it hadn't been all that bad, Beth thought, sharing a twinkle with her reflection. Maybe what this country needed was some down-to-earth action. There was far too much la-di-dah bowing and scraping going on, from what she'd seen. And she was pretty sure Khal wasn't comfortable with it either.
When had she started thinking of him as 'Khal'? Beth wondered. On the beach, she realised-when he'd been naked with nothing but a towel to cover his country's assets! And now she must try not to think about him at all. About how hot he'd looked in his simple Bedouin robes … They had clung to his body as he'd strode purposefully about, prompting all sorts of wicked thoughts. If she ever saw him in a pair of snug-fitting jeans she'd probably faint clean away! But as sheikhs didn't wear jeans she was safe, Beth concluded with relief as she showered down under tepid water. Having brushed her hair, she wrapped a robe round herself and waited with suppressed excitement for Jamilah to come back for her.