Now she was sure that the voice was Quasar's.
She crept back to the door, blood pounding in her head, and pressed her ear to it. Oh, how she wished there was a keyhole to peer through!
"My daughter is spoken for. A man has just today asked for her hand in marriage, and I have accepted his offer."
"Surely Dani must have a say in the matter." Quasar sounded shocked. As well he might. She hadn't mentioned her father's plans to him. "She's an adult woman, not a young girl who doesn't know her own mind."
"She's made up her own mind in the past and it proved to be a bad idea. She understands that I have only her best interests at heart."
Dani could stand it no longer. She tugged open her bedroom door and stepped out into the hallway. "What are you doing here?" she heard herself ask Quasar. She stood, staring at him. He looked oddly regal in traditional Omani attire-it was the first time she'd seen him in it-but she was furious with him for going against her wishes.
"You are a respectable Omani woman, and I am a respectable Omani man, and it is customary for me to meet your father and ask permission to court you."
"Permission is not granted!" growled Dani's father. "And I do not give you permission to place your accursed feet in my house. What do you have to say for yourself, Daniyah? Have you encouraged the attentions of this reprobate?"
She swallowed. "I..."
"She has done nothing whatsoever to encourage my attentions. I simply noticed that we both share a taste for books, and a brief discussion suggested that we have some interests in common. I would like to get to know your daughter better." Quasar turned his gaze to Dani, and those deep blue eyes seemed to hold her in a trance.
"I didn't ask you." Her father scowled at Quasar. Then he turned his attention to her. "Daniyah, have you spoken with this man?" She'd never seen her father so angry. His eyebrows stood on end like little furry animals, and his lips had grown white.
"Yes, Father. I have spoken with him." If he had any idea what else she'd done with him, he'd probably have a heart attack on the spot. She couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't either incriminate her or enmesh her in a lie she'd later regret.
"Your daughter's conduct has been unimpeachable."
Dani stood rooted to the spot. That was a very subjective view of her conduct, which by any traditional standards was shocking in the extreme.
"If you don't leave my house right now, I'll call the police."
"Sir, let me beseech you. I'm happy to simply exchange a few words with your daughter here in your house, under your watchful eye."
Quasar seemed totally unfazed by her father's apoplectic rage. If anything she thought she saw a twinkle of humor in his eye. Which, under the circumstances, really ticked her off. He'd taken no personal risk coming here. If her father hated him, who cared? He was going back to the States and would soon forget the whole affair.
She, on the other hand, would have to live with the repercussions of this ill-starred visit for the rest of her life. "You really should leave." She found herself speaking coolly, looking directly at Quasar. How could he have totally disregarded her wishes? She'd told him not to come. Who did he think he was?
"If Daniyah wishes for me to leave, I shall leave." He swept a bow in her direction. The chivalrous gesture would have excited her if she weren't almost as angry as her father. Quasar nodded to the older man and apologized for alarming him, muttered a traditional goodbye and left, striding confidently in his long white dishdasha.
Dani wanted to sag with relief as he disappeared out of sight, leaving the front door open to the gathering dusk. Instead, her instincts told her to turn and run.
Her father calmly and quietly closed the door. "What is the meaning of this, Daniyah? You are not in Hackysack."
"It's Hackensack."
"I don't care what it's called. You are in Salalah now. You can't strike up a conversation with any Tom, Dick or Harry who happens to stroll past you in a shop! You must have encouraged him to give him the confidence to come knock on my front door. Do you have any idea who this man is?"
She shook her head mutely. She didn't, really. It was hard to believe she'd never even asked his last name. It hadn't been relevant. And maybe she hadn't wanted to know. It would have made their relationship seem more real, and then it would hurt more when it turned out to be a dreamlike interlude, as she knew it ultimately would.
"Quasar Al Mansur is the youngest son of Hakim Al Mansur."
The name sounded vaguely familiar. She'd never paid much attention to local society gossip but she suspected he was some kind of oil-rich sheikh.
"Hakim is mercifully no longer on this earth, but his sons continue to refuse to recognize our family's ownership of the old Fabriz property. They tricked my father into selling it for a few thousand rials when it was simply a mediocre fishing spot. Now it's worth millions as prime waterfront investment property, and they're maintaining that the pathetic deal he was forced into is valid."
"If it was his father's doing, Quasar probably wasn't involved at all." After she'd spoken she realized she sounded as if she were defending him. Her best course was to pretend she barely even recognized him.
"I've had a lawsuit pending against the Al Mansur family in one form or another since the eighties. I haven't won yet, but I haven't lost, either. Salim Al Mansur has been itching to build one of his accursed hotels on that property for years, but he hasn't been able to because the title is clouded by my lawsuit." A look of satisfaction crossed his face for a moment. "It's only a matter of time until my rights are legally recognized and the property is returned to our family. Your brothers deserve to reap the riches that can be sown there, not those grabbing Al Mansurs, who already have more land and money than they know what to do with."
Dani blinked. She'd known the family was wealthy and powerful, but it was just her luck that the first man she fell for would be her father's sworn enemy.
She wanted to go back, lie on her bed and continue crying. But that wouldn't solve any problems. "I won't see Quasar behind your back." The resolution was easy to make. He'd deliberately ignored her plea that he not come here. He obviously didn't care about what she thought and had run roughshod over her own thoughts and wishes just like her ex-husband would have. She was done with him.
"But I won't marry Samir Al Kabisi, either." She screwed up her courage. "I'm not ready for marriage again, Father. It's too soon. I'm sure he's a nice man but I'm also sure that any attempt to match me with him would lead to disaster for myself, disappointment for him and further damage to my reputation. I'm sure you don't want that."
"Indeed I do not." His eyebrows were starting to subside a little and color was returning to his pursed lips. He sighed. "Things were so much easier in the old days when a girl listened to her parents."
* * *
The next morning Dani woke with a heavy weight in her chest. It was all over. She'd known her affair with Quasar couldn't last forever, but she'd secretly hoped for a couple more weeks of romantic bliss. Last night had put an end to that. She'd promised her father she wouldn't see him in secret, and she meant it.
She'd done an internet search on Quasar's name and the results had been alarming. There were more stories about his love life than his many business triumphs. While she looked at the seemingly endless stream of photos of him, accompanied by an assortment of gorgeous women at movie openings, nightclubs and celebrity parties, it sank in that she really was just another notch on his bedpost.
The day stretched ahead of her like the barren desert. She could do some shopping for food, but even the cleaning was taken care of by a kind older woman who'd been alarmed by Dani's offers of help, probably fearing she'd soon be out of a job.
She resolved to stay under the covers in her bed and read until she regained her equilibrium. After about five minutes, though, she grew restless. She was not going to lie around and wait for life to happen to her. She needed to make it happen, and right now that meant finding a job. Maybe one of her brothers' schools could use an administrator? She decided to visit their offices, and showered and dressed conservatively in a dark green ensemble with that intention. She was arranging her hair when she heard a knock on the door.