Both Catherine and Ravi looked at him, obviously startled by the offer. He was a little startled himself—etiquette for someone of her station certainly did not require him to give her a personal escort.
But he found he couldn’t regret the impulsive decision as he led her through the palace towards the separate walled estate in the grounds where the female staff and his unattached female relatives lived and he watched her reaction.
Ever since he had arrived in Narabia, the palace had felt like a prison to him. The ornate splendour both oppressive and confining, the grandeur only emphasising the unhappy history contained within these walls.
But as the scent of lemons and limes refreshed the air around them, and he watched the vivid colour on Catherine’s cheeks intensify and her caramel gaze sparkle with fascination, her head swivelling back and forth as she took in the sights before her, for the first time in his life, he could see past the darkness too.
He pushed the romantic thought aside, determined not to read too much into the buoyant feeling at Catherine’s exhilarated response.
She was the first foreign visitor to see this place since his mother. Of course she would be awestruck. The Sheikh’s palace was a beautiful and elaborate prison, but a prison nonetheless, something his mother had found out to her cost.
Just because Catherine in her naivety couldn’t see that, it didn’t mean it wasn’t true.
After all, it was his job to keep her from discovering that truth.
Walking through the Sheikh’s palace was like stepping into an alternative world—as exotic and mesmerising and exciting as Narnia behind the wardrobe. As Cat absorbed the myriad sights and sounds and scents, she struggled to ignore the man beside her, whose stern demeanour was at odds with the cascade of emotions making her heart hammer like a timpani drum.
Unlike the rest of the palace, which had been calm and quiet and steeped in an austere reverential solemnity, the women’s quarters were a hive of chatter and activity—until the women spotted the Sheikh in their midst.
A few of them tugged veils over their faces as Zane passed, but many of the younger ones did not, some even chatting behind their hands before they bowed or curtsied. Zane seemed impervious to the attention, but it was clear to Cat she wasn’t the only woman aware of the magnificent figure he cut.
The sunlight dazzled her, leaving her dazed when they stepped out of the searing heat of the forecourt into a walled garden. Shaded by trees laden with all manner of exotic fruit and an array of lush plants, the garden was laid out along a series of mosaic pathways punctuated by fountains and other decorative follies. More women, many of them wearing brightly coloured silk robes, sat on intricately carved marble benches, but sprang to their feet to curtsy as she and Zane passed.
They turned a corner and Cat’s mouth fell open. A stunning pool, its blue-green water fed by a man-made waterfall, stretched out before them, creating a cooling centrepiece to the lavish garden. On the outside, the quarters had seemed austere, but this garden was like a secret paradise.
Zane proceeded to lead her through a citrus grove that skirted the pool. The refreshing scent of oranges and lemons filled the hot, dry air. They walked down another path shaded by towering palm trees, the raised flower beds on either side filled with a profusion of showy blooms and manicured shrubs.
Finally they left the garden and entered a cool domed courtyard, this one covered with a painted ceiling. Like the rest of the palace, the chamber was intricately and elaborately decorated, with stunning marble and mosaic tiling. Lounging areas filled with cushions and draped with exquisitely embroidered silk hangings made the space feel welcoming rather than forbidding. The warm air was cooled by huge ceiling fans, which covered the sound of laughter and talking coming from the interior of the building with the swish of the blades.
Large arched doorways led off the central chamber. Each smaller chamber contained a disparate group of women indulging in different pursuits. One group was seated in a circle on the floor sewing a tapestry, another group was cooking in a kitchen equipped with state-of-the-art stainless-steel surfaces—the aromatic scents of frying spices making Cat’s tummy grumble—and yet another chamber appeared to be a classroom, where one woman was scribbling maths problems on a whiteboard for the others. It occurred to Cat that the juxtaposition of female learning, new appliances and traditional crafts was like a microcosm of how the new Sheikh’s modernising influence was affecting Narabia’s ancient society. But as before, all conversation ceased as they walked past, only making Cat more aware of how revered Zane was by his people. And the centuries-old power that emanated from him.
She wondered why he had offered to take her to her quarters. Because she felt both hideously exposed while also being invisible.
Stop hiding, darling. And say hello to Mummy’s friend.
The jolt of memory made her steps falter. Zane’s arm tensed as she stopped.
‘Are you okay?’ he said. His voice sounded rough, and she realised it was the first time he’d spoken to her since they had left the palace forecourt.
‘Yes, yes, I’m fine. I’m just a little tired. And overawed.’
Or rather a lot tired and overawed. Why else would she start thinking about her mother?
And reading far too much into a simple courtesy. Obviously, Zane Khan had only offered to escort her to her quarters to be polite. And now she was making a massive meal of it.
He searched her face in a way that only made her feel more uncomfortable, then clicked his fingers above his head. ‘Who here speaks English?’ he asked, addressing a group of young women who had gathered to watch them from a respectable distance.
A teenage girl stepped forward, covering the bottom of her face with her veil, her dark eyes alive with curiosity.
‘What is your name?’ he asked the girl.
‘Kasia, Your Divine Majesty,’ she answered in faltering English.
‘This is Dr Catherine Smith. You will serve her for the duration of her stay here at double your normal salary. Make sure she has everything she desires and she does not go anywhere unescorted. Do you understand?’
The girl nodded furiously, her cheeks flushed as she dropped to one knee. She didn’t reply, clearly speechless at being addressed directly by the Sheikh. But Cat felt the prickle of dismay at his instructions. Why did she have to be escorted everywhere?
‘Kasia will show you to your quarters,’ he said, addressing Cat, that searing, all-seeing gaze silencing the unruly thought. ‘She will accompany you wherever you go. It is very easy to get lost in this place.’
The prickle of dismay was crushed by panic.
Exactly how powerful was this man? Could he read her thoughts?
As Kasia, her new minder, led Cat up a flight of stairs to a mezzanine level, she stole one last glance over her shoulder.
Zane Khan strode back through the gardens towards the entrance to the women’s quarters. His powerful figure cut a dark swathe through the colourful clothing of the women and the garden’s exotic flora.
The soft edges she had glimpsed in the car had been sheared off, as if they had never existed. As soon as they had arrived at the palace, he
