to the rooftop.
She took a moment to take in her surroundings before a heartfelt smile blossomed on her face.
‘Your Highness,’ she said, bobbing into a little curtsy.
Malik watched as her eyes swept over the silk-covered cushions, the dark wood table and out to the palace beyond. He couldn’t help but feel proud that it was his kingdom that was inspiring so much pleasure. More disconcertingly he found that as Miss Talbot was surveying her surroundings he was watching her, or more specifically her mouth. He found her lips just a little mesmerising, and he didn’t think he’d ever met anyone who smiled quite as much as his children’s new governess.
He reached out, took her hand and placed it in the crook of his arm, leading her over to the parapet. Although he had asked her here to discuss his children’s education, Malik didn’t see any harm in showing her a little more of the kingdom she would be living in for the foreseeable future. As they stood looking out over the palace and to the oasis beyond in the fading light of the evening sun, Malik heard Miss Talbot sigh contentedly beside him. The sound made something tighten inside him and he found himself quickly stepping away, trying to cover his confusion with a return to his formal behaviour.
‘Please take a seat,’ Malik said, motioning to the cushions on one side of the low table.
Miss Talbot sat, absentmindedly stroking the soft silk of the cushion beneath her, tracing a pattern over the smooth surface with her delicate fingers. Malik looked away and sat down himself.
‘I asked you here so that we could discuss the children’s education.’
Miss Talbot looked at him directly, nodded and smiled. Malik felt his train of thought slipping away. Hardly anyone held his eye now that he was Sheikh. Most of his advisors and chieftains averted their eyes out of respect when he spoke to them. Only Wahid, who had been with him since he was a young man, dared to look him in the eye and tell him what he really thought. And Wahid was certainly not as distracting as Miss Talbot.
‘Wonderful,’ the governess said. ‘They seem such lovely children. I have so many ideas to help them blossom and have fun at the same time.’
Malik found himself nodding along with her as she spoke, even though he didn’t quite agree with her words. He waited whilst a servant brought a tray of the first course and set the various bowls with hummus, dipping sauces and flatbread on the table.
‘I think it is important that we discuss the objectives and methods you plan to use before you get started with the children,’ Malik said, surprised when Miss Talbot nodded eagerly.
‘I completely agree,’ she said. ‘I think it is very important for parents to play an active part in their children’s education.’
Not quite what Malik meant, but he pushed on anyway.
‘Aahil is Prince of Huria, and one day he will succeed me as Sheikh. He will be the ruler of this small but proud kingdom and he needs to know how to conduct himself at all times.’
He paused. Although he had more to say, he could see the governess’s lips had pursed and already he knew this meant she had an opinion she was eager to give.
‘He is also just a child,’ Miss Talbot said softly.
Malik considered his next words, wondering how to continue. Of course Aahil was still a boy, he knew that, but Malik also knew the weight of the responsibility of running a kingdom. His father had been strict with him, insisting he conduct himself with dignity and gravitas from a young age, and as a result, when his father passed away and Malik became Sheikh, he had already known what behaviour was expected of him.
‘First and foremost he is Prince of Huria.’ Malik expected the governess to drop her gaze and mumble acquiescence, it was what most people did when he talked. Instead she pursed her lips again and held his eye.
‘First and foremost Aahil is a child. One day he will be Sheikh, but right now he is a boy like any other. He might have heavy responsibilities in the future, but that is all the more reason for him to enjoy his childhood.’
‘Games will not teach him to run a country. Laughter will not show him how to deal with mutinous subjects.’ Malik shook his head in frustration. He knew how difficult it was to rule a country, even a small one like Huria. When his father had died Malik had been just twenty-two, but he’d had to step up and do his duty. The first few months had been trying, but he knew he had been well prepared, and that was what he wanted for his son.
‘You’re wrong,’ Miss Talbot said animatedly. ‘Games can teach you strategy and forward planning. They teach you to read your opponents and come up with a way to out-think them.’
Malik didn’t think anyone had come out and told him he was wrong since he’d become Sheikh. It was refreshing, but he found that since he was in fact right, it was also a little frustrating.
‘And laughter?’ he asked coolly.
Miss Talbot smiled. ‘Have you never been in a negotiation with two people who want completely different things? The tension builds and no one can agree on anything. Knowing how to diffuse that situation with laughter is a skill every future Sheikh needs to learn.’
Malik couldn’t help but smile with her. She was clever, this young governess. She might not be right, but she was certainly clever.
While he regrouped Malik motioned for Miss Talbot to begin eating. The food set before them was simple and traditional, food Malik had been served his entire life. The flatbread was baked in every oven in Huria and the accompanying dips found at every dinner table when entertaining guests. Malik loved the food of his country and he felt a glow of satisfaction as he watched his children’s governess place a piece of bread covered in hummus in her mouth and begin to chew. As she ate she closed her eyes momentarily, as if not wanting to distract her tastebuds from the new flavour they were experiencing. He watched her lips as she chewed and noticed the slight curve to the corners of her mouth as she enjoyed what she was tasting. Hastily Malik looked away. Watching Miss Talbot eat was disconcertingly sensual, especially when she popped a finger between her lips and sucked off a stray bit of the sweet dip.
Malik rallied. He was ruler of Huria, a grown man, and he would not be distracted from his true purpose by this young woman’s lips. He might have a body of flesh and blood, but his mind needed to be above such distractions as desire.
‘You may find Ameera difficult,’ he said.
In truth, difficult was an understatement. He knew it must be hard for all his children growing up without a mother, but it seemed to affect his daughter even more than he had ever imagined. Since their mother had died a year ago all of his children had changed. Aahil had become more serious, throwing himself into the role of Prince of Huria, eager to learn everything about the kingdom he would one day rule. Little Hakim had become quieter. Gone was the boy who used to run around the courtyards of the palace pretending to be an assassin or a genie. Those changes Malik could deal with and he knew were to be expected in boys who had lost their mother, but Ameera was different.
Since their mother had died Ameera had become sullen and withdrawn. She refused to utter more than words of one syllable to Malik and he didn’t think he’d seen her smile in months. She was only six years old, but when he looked at her he saw a much older girl, someone who had experienced too much sorrow already in her young life.
He glanced at Miss Talbot. She smiled. She smiled more than anyone he had ever met before.
