Midnight Under The Stars: Woman in a Sheikh's World

‘This is nothing to do with His Royal Highness—’ Kalila avoided Mal’s gaze ‘—I don’t want to be the Sultan’s wife. I’d be hopeless. I’m shy and I’m not an interesting person.’

Avery gave Mal a look, expecting him to contradict her and when he didn’t, she took over. ‘That is not true at all. Just because you’re shy doesn’t mean you’re not interesting.’

‘You have no idea how hard I find it in crowds. And the Prince doesn’t want to marry a mute. He gets really impatient when I don’t speak.’

‘Of course he doesn’t!’ Avery drove her elbow into Mal’s ribs to prompt him to speak but he remained ominously silent. ‘Mal loves you just the way you are.’ Her less than subtle hint went unrewarded.

‘He doesn’t love me,’ Kalila stammered, her face scarlet, ‘he loves you.’

Silence filled the tent.

Avery felt as if someone was choking her. She lifted her hand to her throat, but there was nothing there, of course. Nothing she could loosen to help her breathing. ‘That isn’t true. He loves you. He asked you to marry him!’

‘He asked you first.’

Oh, for crying out loud. ‘No, he didn’t, actually.’ Avery spoke through her teeth. ‘I don’t know what you’ve heard, but that was all a big misunderstanding. You don’t know the details.’ And why wasn’t Mal telling her the truth? Putting her right?

‘I do know the details. I was there. I heard what he said. I heard him have a row with that horrible man who runs that oil production company and thinks he’s irresistible—’

Avery frowned, confused. ‘Richard?’

‘Yes, him. He told Mal that you were planning his party and he was going to have you as a bonus. Mal was so angry he punched him. And when he dragged him out of the dirt where he’d knocked him, he told him that he was going to marry you and that you wouldn’t be able to run any parties for him, now or in the future, personal or otherwise.’

Avery discovered that her mouth was open.

Slowly, she turned her head to look at Mal, waiting for him to deny it, but still he said nothing. Apart from a faint streak of colour across his cheekbones, he made no response.

Confusion washed over her. She knew he hadn’t loved her. He’d proposed to Kalila within weeks of them parting. ‘You misunderstood.’

‘I was there,’ Kalila said quietly. ‘There was no misunderstanding. It’s the only time anyone has seen Mal lose his cool.’

‘Well, Richard can be a very annoying person. I’ve almost lost my cool with him a million times.’ Dismissing the incident as a display of male jealousy, Avery forced herself back to the immediate situation. ‘He was obviously trying to wind Mal up and he succeeded, which is why he said all that about marriage … That doesn’t have any impact on what is going on here. Of course he wants to marry you. We’ve just spent two days chasing through the desert trying to find you.’

Kalila looked at her steadily. ‘Together.’

‘Not together as such—’ Avery felt her cheeks darken as she thought about their night in the tent ‘—just because that’s the way it worked out.’

‘He went straight to you with the problem because he loves you and trusts you.’

‘He came straight to me because he thought I might know where you were! That doesn’t mean he loves me. He doesn’t! I’d be a terrible Sultan’s wife. Actually I’d be a terrible wife, full stop. I don’t have any of the qualities necessary, in particular the fundamental one of actually wanting to get married.’ She was stammering, falling over her words like a child practising public speaking for the first time, exasperated by Kalila’s insistence that Mal loved her. ‘We’re just friends. And not even that, most of the time.’

Mal remained silent.

Why on earth didn’t he speak? And why couldn’t Kalila stop talking?

‘You’re the only woman he’s ever loved,’ she said. ‘He was just marrying me for political reasons. Because it was agreed between our families.’

‘Well, political reasons are as good a justification for marriage as any. I’ve known many fine, successful marriages that started from a lot less than that—’

‘Avery—’ Mal’s voice was soft and he didn’t turn his head in her direction ‘—you’ve said enough.’

‘Enough? I’ve barely started. And you’re not saying anything at all! Honestly, the pair of you just need to—’ Her voice tailed off as he lifted his hand and she wondered how it was that he could silence her with a single subtle gesture that was barely visible to others.

Kalila bit her lip. ‘You don’t need to worry about it. It doesn’t bother me that you don’t love me, Your Highness. I don’t love you either. It says something that we’ve known each other for years and we’ve barely spoken. To be honest—’

‘Don’t be honest,’ Avery said quickly, interrupting before Kalila said something that couldn’t be unsaid. ‘Honesty is an overrated quality in certain circumstances and this is definitely one of them.’

‘I need to say how I feel.’ Kalila stuck her chin out and Avery sighed.

‘Oh go on then, if you must, but you’re not displaying any of the cardinal signs of shyness, I can tell you that. From where I’m standing you’d be fine at a public gathering.

The challenge would be allowing someone else to get a word in edgeways.’

Kalila ignored her. ‘Mal is gorgeous, of course. But he’s also intimidating.’

‘That’s just his Prince act and he has to do that, otherwise he’d be mobbed by well-wishers, but underneath that frown he’s a really gentle, cuddly guy—’ Avery caught the lift of his dark eyebrows and cleared her throat ‘Well, perhaps not gentle, exactly, but very decent. Principled. Good. And—’

‘All right, that’s enough. We’re going to discuss this now and then the subject will never be raised again.’ Finally Mal took charge and Avery relaxed slightly.

About time too.

Mal’s eyes were fixed on his bride. ‘You don’t want to be married to a man who will become the Sultan?’

Avery gave a growl of exasperation. What was he doing? That was hardly going to persuade Kalila, was it? And, as if to prove her right, Kalila shook her head vigorously.

‘No. I’ll be hopeless, especially at all those meet and greet things you do. Parties.’ She shuddered. ‘The very worst of me would be on display.’

Giving up on Mal, Avery intervened again. ‘Did your father tell you that? Because honestly, it’s nonsense. You have a lovely personality. Stop putting yourself down! You have plenty to talk about. And anyway, all you have to do at these meet and greet gatherings is get people to talk about themselves. That’s what I do all the time at my parties. I barely have to say a word. It’s stopping people talking about themselves that’s usually the problem, not starting them.’

‘I’m nothing like you.’

‘I know! And that’s what makes you perfect for Mal. And you are perfect for him.’ Avery beamed at her, hoping that her body language would reinforce the positive message.

‘The moment I saw the two of you together, I knew you were a match made in heaven.’

Kalila’s startled glance made her realise she might have been a bit too enthusiastic. Afraid that her response might have a counter-effect, she moderated her tone. ‘There is no “right” personality for being a Sultan’s bride. You’ll be friendly and approachable and a real hit.’

‘But I’ll hate it. I will dread every moment.’

‘It will get easier with time, I’m sure. I have some girls working for me who were pretty shy when they started and now I can’t shut them up. Honestly, Kalila, you’re going to be a huge success and very popular. I wish you’d just talked to someone about this instead of running away.’

‘I did. I talked to you! You were my inspiration.’

Avery gulped. Heat rushed into her cheeks as she remembered Mal saying something similar. ‘Me?’

‘Yes. You told me to face my fears and that’s what I did. I can’t thank you enough.’

Avery made a vow never to give another person advice again as long as she lived. ‘I was speaking metaphorically. I didn’t actually mean for you to run off into the desert just because you’re afraid of it.’