brightly, dredging up resolve from the depth of her soul. ‘I won’t let history hold me back, or you, for that matter. What we had was good, but it’s done now. You have to let me go. I mean it, Khalid,’ she said when he looked shocked. ‘Let me go.’
‘Are you serious? That’s it? Done? Just like that?’
‘I am.’ She guessed he’d never been on the receiving end of a refusal before. She continued quickly before her heart overruled her head. ‘Did you think I wouldn’t be able to live without you? I won’t become your mistress. I have a good life back in England, and people who love me. I’m working towards a job I enjoy—’
‘So you don’t need me,’ he supplied.
‘Exactly,’ she confirmed with a thin smile.
‘Good,’ he said tonelessly. ‘I could ask for nothing more for you.’
Parting from him was the hardest thing she’d ever had to do. Killing off all hope of a future, or reconciliation was worse.
‘If that’s what you really want,’ he said.
He had to be sure, she thought. There could be no going back now. Her next words would end this. ‘It is what I want,’ she said. ‘We both know it’s the only way forward, and best for both of us.’
That might be right, but no one could steal her memories away. They would stay with her for ever.
IT WAS BACK to earth with a bump when Millie walked into Miss Francine’s laundry. She’d gone straight back to college from Khalifa, needing time alone to get her head straight, and had bunked in with a new student who asked no questions, not even when Millie had carelessly left packaging from several pregnancy tests in the bin. Bloating, feeling sick in the morning, suffering from a severe dose of emotional incontinence, as well as sore breasts, could not be ignored for ever and she’d taken her first test the week she got back. And the result was positive. All five had been positive.
Having scoured the news each day, she’d found no announcement of an engagement in Khalifa. But that meant nothing, Millie thought, as Lucy’s head shot up with surprise as she walked in. Everyone was staring at her, and trying not to. They must be wondering how she felt about her time in the desert with the ruler of Khalifa. Nothing travelled faster than bad news, but confirmation of her pregnancy was the very best of news, so no one at the laundry knew about that yet, not even Miss Francine. Millie couldn’t wait to tell the elderly woman who’d done so much for her that Miss Francine was about to become a grandmother. Now it was just a case of finding the right moment to inform the mighty ruler of Khalifa that he was about to become a father.
Millie and Lucy hugged warmly, and then Millie asked about Miss Francine.
‘In her office,’ Lucy said, adding worriedly, ‘with her lawyers.’
‘Lawyers?’ Millie echoed with concern.
‘Go and join them, and then you can tell me what’s happening,’ Lucy whispered so their colleagues couldn’t hear. ‘You’re like a daughter and she’s missed you. Here, let me take your things. It doesn’t look good,’ Lucy added with a glance at the firmly closed door to Miss Francine’s office.
‘Millie!’
Lucy was right. Miss Francine couldn’t have been more relieved, or happier to see her, but Millie was disturbed to see how frail she looked. She could feel her ribs through the thin cardigan and blouse as they embraced. When they parted, Miss Francine introduced Millie to the two lawyers sitting in front of the desk. ‘Mr Frostwick’s firm has worked in my best interest for years,’ she explained to Millie, ‘but I’ve given him a real problem this time.’
‘Can you tell me about it?’ Millie asked her old friend gently, with an enquiring look at the two men. What could have gone so badly wrong while she was away?
Miss Francine lost no time explaining. ‘I’ve been advised by my doctors to retire from the business with immediate effect. And with no one to take over from me...’ She spread her arms wide. ‘Millie is studying to be a marine engineer, you know,’ she told the Frostwick team with all the warmth of a proud mother.
‘I’m on holiday from college, so I can stay and help out,’ Millie offered.
‘It might not be enough,’ the older of the two lawyers commented gruffly.
‘And I won’t hear of it,’ Miss Francine said, closing that avenue down. ‘You’ve worked too hard to give up now.’
‘I’m not talking about giving up, just taking a longer break,’ Millie soothed.
‘The business will have to be sold,’ the lawyer cut in. ‘There’s no money to save it,’ he added bluntly, ‘unless you have a suggestion,’ he said as he stared at Millie.
If the business was sold, Miss Francine’s name would be lost, Millie thought, and a lifetime’s work would count for nothing. ‘Could the name be retained, perhaps?’
The flash of hope in her old friend’s eyes stabbed Millie in the heart. She could come up with as many suggestions as she liked, but if only money would save the laundry—
‘I’m afraid the name can’t be kept if an offer is accepted from one of the big chains,’ the lawyer was saying, crashing into her thoughts, ‘and the creditors will insist on a sale. There’s been a lot of interest,’ he continued on a brighter note. ‘Miss Francine’s reputation is second to none—’
‘Of course it is,’ Millie interrupted, seeing how distressed her elderly friend was becoming. Millie had been too young to help her mother, but nothing would get in the way of helping Miss Francine. ‘I’ll sort it out,’ she said in a tone that brooked no argument. ‘And now I think Miss Francine needs to rest.’
‘Of course,’ the lawyers agreed, standing up. ‘We’ll be in touch.’
‘Don’t worry,’ she told Miss Francine as soon as the door had closed behind the visitors. ‘I meant what I said.’
Miss Francine gave a grateful smile, which at the same time seemed to accept there was nothing to be done. Millie had other ideas. There was one person with enough money to put this right, and, after everything Miss Francine had done for Millie, she was going to enlist his help.
Ask Khalid for money when she’d broken off with him? See him again? Speak to him? He wouldn’t even take her calls. He’d wanted a clean break too.
She wouldn’t let Miss Francine down. Her elderly friend deserved a far better end to her working life than this. She didn’t waste any time placing the call to Khalid. The sooner she got it over with, the sooner she could...well, if not exactly relax, at least satisfy herself that she’d tried every avenue.
Khalid answered on the second ring. She might have thought he’d been waiting for her call, if his comment hadn’t been quite so crisp and short. ‘I’ll send transport for you,’ he said.
‘That’s not what I want,’ Millie said tensely. ‘I’m not coming back to Khalifa.’ She drew a deep, steadying breath.
