begun the job when there was a knock at the door.
“Stay here,” Liana said as she hurried toward the front room.
Was it Malik? Had he come to talk to her? She found herself in the uncomfortable position of being both hopeful and fearful. Which was crazy. The man was handsome and high-handed, nothing more. Besides, in the morning she and her daughter would be gone, and she would never see him again.
But first you have to get through the night, a voice in her head whispered.
She opened the door and saw an attractive woman in her thirties standing in the hallway. She had dark hair and eyes.
“I’m Dora Khan,” the woman said. “May I come in?”
“Of course.” Liana stepped back to allow her to enter. “Did you say Khan? So you’re…”
“The wife of Khalil, the youngest of the king’s sons.”
Dora wore her dark hair swept up in a chignon. She had perfect skin and her dress was as stylish as Heidi’s. Apparently princesses knew how to shop, Liana thought with a brief flash of wistfulness. She tried not to think about how rumpled her jeans and shirt were after nearly twenty-four hours of travel.
“I just wanted to tell you that I heard about what Malik has done,” Dora said. “I know you’ve been dating for a while, but this is high-handed even for him—to force you to live at the palace when you want to stay at the American School. I understand you have a daughter. Obviously you’re trying to protect her from the scandal this would create.”
Liana blinked twice. “Excuse me? What on earth are you talking about?”
“Your relationship with Malik. I was led to believe that you’ve been seeing quite a lot of each other and that’s the reason you came to El Bahar.”
Were they all crazy, or was it her? Had crossing all those time zones affected her brain? She looked at the attractive woman standing in front of her. “I met the Crown Prince earlier this afternoon when he and several other men barged onto the plane and took away one of the women. Apparently she was engaged, and that was her idea of a romantic welcome back to El Bahar.”
Dora looked confused. “You just met him today? Then what are you doing at the palace?”
“My question exactly.” She recounted the events of the afternoon, starting with the customs line-up and finishing with her entrance into the suite.
“How strange,” Dora said slowly. “This isn’t like Malik at all.” She gazed at Liana speculatively. “It’s been a long time since Malik has shown any real interest in a woman. His father will be pleased.”
Liana held up her hands in a gesture of protection. “He’s not interested. He can’t be. He doesn’t know anything about me. I’m not sure why he did all this, but please be aware that I’m leaving in the morning, just as soon as I get this mess straightened out.”
“Of course.” Dora continued to study her. “Well, welcome to El Bahar, Liana. I’m sure you’ll enjoy your time here.” She smiled. “If nothing else, it’s going to be interesting. Let me know if I can do anything to help. If you really want to leave the palace, I can arrange it. Just say the word.”
“I will, thank you.” Liana watched her guest leave, then closed the door behind her. How odd. Who could have told the princess that she and Malik were involved? She’d only been on the palace grounds an hour or so. Had Heidi hinted at something or was it Malik himself?
The idea of the arrogant Crown Prince laying claim to a relationship that didn’t exist was so ridiculous as to make her laugh. Except that the situation wasn’t exactly humorous. It was more…intriguing, she thought to herself as she remembered her unexpected response to being in Malik’s presence. Something about him was appealing. Not so much his money and position—both of those would be more off-putting, at least for her. She was willing to admit he was plenty handsome. There was something about his height. Or was it his dark eyes? The way they seemed to see into her soul without giving away anything of their own….
She shook her head. “Stop fantasizing about a guy you don’t even know,” she told herself. “You’re leaving in the morning and you’ll never see him again.”
There was another knock on the door. Liana sighed and pulled it open. A tall, thin man with a white beard stood in front of her. He wore a suit with an odd pin on the lapel.
“Let me guess,” she said before she could stop herself. “You’re the king of El Bahar, and you’re here to congratulate me on my pending engagement.”
“No, ma’am. I’m the butler and I’m here to see what you and your daughter would like for dinner.”
By the time they’d finished unpacking, had eaten the wonderful meal delivered to their suite, and Bethany had taken her bath, it was after nine. Jet lag had hit them both and Bethany barely made it between the sheets before falling fast asleep.
Liana stood at the foot of her daughter’s bed and watched the sleeping girl. Her head might be spinning with confusion and exhaustion, but her heart was true and on course, as it had been from the second she’d found out she was pregnant. From that moment to this, everything she’d ever done had been with her daughter’s best interests in mind.
Bethany was her entire world. She’d come to El Bahar because of her daughter, and she would gladly travel greater distances if it was the right thing for Bethany.
“I love you,” she murmured, even though her child couldn’t hear her. Then she walked into the hallway and shut the door.
Liana couldn’t remember ever being so tired in her life, yet she didn’t want to go to bed. An odd restlessness gripped her. She walked into her bedroom and thought about taking a bath. Deciding that a shower would be quicker, she first crossed to the French doors that led to the wide balcony. They unlocked easily, and she found herself moving out into the evening.
Instantly she was assaulted by the wonderful scents of the desert. The ocean, the sand and the hundreds of plants on the palace grounds combined to create a unique aroma that energized her. Even with her eyes closed she would know she was in a foreign land.
El Bahar. For years she’d heard about the country but hadn’t given it any more thought than the North Pole. She’d never planned to visit. Her budget didn’t allow for much in the way of world travel, and she and Bethany had contented themselves with the occasional weekend trip down to Sea World and the famous zoo in San Diego. Then she’d found out about an opportunity to teach here, and she’d seen the job as the answer to so many problems.
So here they were, in El Bahar. Living in the royal palace, if only for the night. Thinking of the palace made her think of Malik and his odd behavior. Why had he brought her here? And why had he told his sister-in-law that they’d been dating? Or had that come from Heidi? She felt as if she’d stepped into the middle of a play, but no one had told her the story or bothered to give her a script.
Who was this man, this Crown Prince who meddled in people’s lives with all the impunity of a child rearranging blocks?
She crossed the width of the balcony and leaned against the broad stone railing. Floodlights illuminated the gardens below. She could make out a large fountain and several paths. Even though the afternoon had been warm, the evening air was cool and
