you plan on talking this evening, or is this a silent walk?” she asked. “I’m only curious because I don’t want to violate the ground rules, whatever they may be. If conversation is allowed, then I’d love to tell you about what I found today. It’s actually a series of love letters sent by an El Baharian general back to his bride.”
She stopped walking and stared up at him. Her eyes were bright with excitement behind the frames of her glasses. Her loose-fitting yellow dress did nothing to flatter her face or her body, but she still radiated a kind of quiet attractiveness that made him wish to see her in silk and lace…or maybe nothing at all.
Nothing at all? He wasn’t sure where that thought had come from, and he quickly pushed it away. He wasn’t interested in Heidi that way.
“They were so beautiful, but so sad,” she said. “He spoke of the horrors of battle, of missing her, and how he longed to see her now that he knew she was pregnant.” She pressed her hands together in front of her chest. “The worst part is, I’m not sure I’m going to be able to find out what happened to him. I don’t know if I can stand that. Did he make it home? Did he survive to see her and his child? The point is, I think there should be a registry of some kind tracing military leaders. Sort of a data bank. What do you think?”
The moonlight illuminated her pale skin. She bit her lip as she waited for his answer, which made him think of biting it as well. He’d enjoyed kissing her. He’d enjoyed talking with her. He didn’t want that to change.
“I think you should tell me no,” he said.
Heidi blinked twice, then lowered her hands to her sides. “Oh, Jamal. When everyone left me alone for the past couple of days I sort of hoped I’d been worried for nothing.”
“I’m afraid not.”
She touched his arm. “Then don’t ask me. If you don’t ask, I won’t have to reply. You can tell them it wouldn’t possibly work. You can say that we aren’t suited.”
“I already tried that.” He searched her face. Pity. He had a feeling they could have gotten along quite well. He reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out the diamond solitaire the king had left in his room that morning. The four-carat stone winked in the moonlight.
He took her left hand in his. “Heidi McKinley, I am Jamal Khan, Prince of El Bahar. I am asking you to marry me. To be my wife and princess of this great country. To bear my sons and daughters.” He stopped. The speech he’d practiced earlier was longer, but he forgot the rest of it. Probably because Heidi had started to cry.
She brushed at the tears on her cheek. “Sorry,” she whispered. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Tell me no.”
Her hazel eyes met his. “I can’t. I owe them too much.”
“What about what you owe yourself?”
“I could say the same thing to you,” she said. “I hate being dutiful.”
“Me, too.”
She drew in a deep breath. “Yes, Jamal, I’ll marry you.”
He ignored his disappointment and slid the ring onto her finger. Then he leaned close and kissed her cheek.
She stared at the diamond. “It’s very big.”
“Do you like it?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been a jewelry person.” She offered an insincere smile. “Thank you.”
Oddly enough, her lack of enthusiasm made him feel a lot better. Maybe it wasn’t going to be so bad. While he didn’t know Heidi that well, on the surface she was nothing like Yasmin. That would help.
“We should talk about the marriage,” he said. “If we approach the situation logically, we should be able to find some common ground. Each getting what we want, that sort of thing.”
“All right.” Heidi glanced around, then pointed to a small bench tucked into a vine-covered alcove. “Although it’s going to be tricky to each get what we want when neither of us wants to be married.”
“We’re both reasonably intelligent adults. We’ll manage.”
She settled onto the bench. “I have to warn you, Jamal. I’m more than reasonably intelligent. Actually I get quite impatient when I have to deal with stupid people.”
“I’ll remember that.”
“Not that I meant to imply you were stupid.”
“I didn’t think so.”
“I’m sure you’re quite bright. For a man.”
He sat next to her. “Do you want to change the subject before you dig yourself a deep pit?”
She sighed. “Probably a good idea.” She wiggled on the stone bench, then turned to face him. “So, what do you want from our marriage?”
He thought for a moment. “I want to be friends.”
“Oh, that’s good. All right. Friends. What else?”
“We’ll have to have children, but I think we should wait. Get to know each other better.”
Heidi’s eyes widened behind her glasses. She cleared her throat several times. “Yes, that would be wise. Waiting, I mean. Children are something of a strain on a relationship. Or so I’ve heard.”
Whatever else might happen, she had the ability to make him laugh, Jamal thought in relief. Although he was careful not to let her see that he was amused. He knew she wouldn’t understand. Heidi was so innocent as to be an anachronism. But he didn’t mind that. When the time was right, he would be patient with her.
The thought of making love with her was intriguing, and he found himself caught up in wondering what she looked like without her dreadful clothes. From the little he saw of her body, she seemed to have all the right parts. Despite his reputation for being a ladies’ man, he didn’t insist on physical perfection in his women. He preferred enthusiasm and humor to a perfect pair of thighs.
“I want to keep working,” she told him. “I love what I do, and I’m only just getting started. You won’t get all Neanderthal on me and insist I keep our suite clean or anything, will you?”
“The palace has servants for that. You may do as you wish with your day. Although there will be some official functions that require your presence.”
She pressed a hand to her stomach. “Don’t talk about that. It will make me more nervous than I already am.”
“You should know what to expect. Don’t worry. Fatima and Dora will help you.”
She nodded. “Yes, well, I’ll think about that another time. There is another matter.”
She paused just long enough to let him know she was embarrassed by whatever it was she was about to say.
“Go on,” he prompted.
“You
