She’d been warned that while El Bahar was more forward thinking than most Middle Eastern countries, the nation still had particular ideas rooted in the past. Obviously this was one of them.
The combination of her lingering attraction, the odd welcome they’d received on the plane and the tiredness she saw in her daughter’s face made Liana speak without thinking.
“Look, Your Highness, I can’t see that it’s any of your business, but for what it’s worth, I’m not married anymore. I can’t do anything about my age, but if you’d like I’ll work on popping out a few warts to make me more unattractive. Would that be sufficient?”
Behind her, she heard a collective gasp from the three men. Belatedly, she thought that sarcasm would probably not be welcomed by the Crown Prince. A vision of years in a desert prison followed by a slow and painful death filled her mind. She took a step closer to Bethany.
But instead of getting angry, the prince simply smiled. “Would the warts be on your nose?”
“Is that where you’d like them?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll have to consider the matter.” Then he snapped his fingers—literally—and a porter appeared with a cart.
Minutes later, Liana and Bethany were in the back of a cab speeding away from the airport. Prince Malik had let them go without doing anything more than wishing them well.
“Remind me never to try to be witty in front of royalty again,” Liana murmured as she leaned her head back against the seat.
“He wasn’t mad,” Bethany said confidently, snuggling up to her mother. “Prince Malik liked you. I could tell.”
“How nice,” Liana said automatically, even though that wasn’t what she felt. She was not the least bit interested in the prince’s affections, thank you very much. She liked her life too much to mess it up with wishful thinking. She had plans and goals, and they did not include a dalliance with royalty—despite her body’s reaction to the man.
When the cab began to circle around toward the clearly marked exit, Liana realized she hadn’t told the driver where they were going.
“Do you know the American School?” she asked him. “That’s where we need to go. I understand there is a main office by the housing complex?”
The dark-skinned man met her gaze in the mirror and gave her a friendly nod. “Yes, ma’am. I know the place well.”
“Good. Although I have directions, if you need them.”
“No. I go there many times a week. Most of the teachers there don’t have cars.”
Liana had been told the same thing. Many of the teachers there were, like her, expatriates on two- or three-year contracts. While the generous salary meant that purchasing a car wouldn’t be a problem, most teachers didn’t bother. Apparently public transportation was reliable and inexpensive, and it saved the trouble of buying at the beginning of the stay, then selling at the end.
“So what do you think of El Bahar?” she asked her daughter as the clean, air-conditioned cab moved onto the main highway.
The city was stretched out in front of them, with the Arabian Sea to the left. It was a darker blue than the sky—nearly the color of cobalt. Lush plants came right down to the edge of the highway, although in the distance she could see the barren land that was the beginning of the desert.
“I like it,” Bethany announced. She sniffed. “The air smells sweet, like flowers or perfume. Do you know what it is?”
“No.” Liana inhaled the scent. “A flower of some kind, I would guess. We’ll look it up on the computer.”
Along with a furnished two-bedroom condo, her contract had stipulated that she would be given a laptop computer, with Internet access, for use at home as well as in the classroom. All utilities, except for the phone, were included. The American School had made her a very generous offer, and Liana was pleased to be in El Bahar at last.
“Just think,” she told her daughter. “You can tell all your classmates that you’ve already met the Crown Prince.”
Bethany grinned. “You think they’ll believe me?”
“If they don’t, I’ll be a witness.”
The cab moved past a group of high-rise buildings between the highway and the sea. Liana remembered her research on the country and suspected this was the financial district. El Bahar had a stable economy that encouraged outside investors.
Up ahead the highway split and the driver took the road leading into the city. In a matter of minutes they were driving through a unique world that was equal parts modern buildings and ancient stone structures. Up ahead stood the last remnants of the wall that had once guarded the city, and beyond that a white glittering building jutted out toward the sea.
“It’s the palace,” Bethany said, pointing toward the large building. “I recognize it from the pictures.”
“Lovely,” Liana agreed. “I wonder if our condo is close to it? I remember reading that there are tours of the gardens. We’ll want to do that right away.”
Bethany glanced at her. “Maybe we’ll see Prince Malik again.”
“Sure,” Liana agreed, even though she doubted the truth of that statement. Would a Crown Prince bother with a tour group on his grounds? There was no way he would have time. No, their lone encounter with royalty was over and, for her, it had been more than enough.
The driver wove through streets that narrowed, then drove through impressive open gates. A long curved driveway circled through trees and blooming plants she couldn’t identify.
Liana straightened and glanced around. Okay, so maybe the condo used by the staff of the American School had really impressive grounds. Or maybe this was part of the school itself. Or maybe a park. That was it. They were driving through a park and…
They rounded a curve in the drive. In front of them was the white building they’d admired just a few minutes before. Up close it was even more impressive, with several stories and wide balconies. A dozen or so guards stood at attention by a huge double door.
“Mommy? Where are we?” Bethany asked.
Liana didn’t have an answer. Either the condo was much nicer than anything she was used to, or their driver had just brought them to the royal palace.
She looked at the man behind the wheel. “There’s been a mistake.”
He shook his head and grinned. “No mistake. His Highness said to bring you home, so here you are. Welcome to the royal palace of El Bahar.”
Before Liana could decide what to do next, a tall man in a gray suit strode out to the cab and opened the door.
“Good,” Prince Malik said. “You’re here. Come, we’ll get you settled.”
Chapter Two
L iana couldn’t tell if they were in a really big foyer or a smallish living room. She decided it was probably the former, because this was, after all, a palace, and she doubted it had smallish anythings.
A bubble of hysteria threatened to choke her, even as she told herself it would be best for everyone if she stayed calm. Screaming like a crazy woman wouldn’t do anything except upset her daughter.
Without her even being aware of leaving the cab, she and Bethany had been ushered out of the car and into this mystery room just past the main double doors. She could hear conversation behind her and had the bad feeling that their luggage had been removed from the cab and taken who knows where.
This isn’t happening, she told herself firmly. Really. We’re not being kidnapped, nor is this anything more than a simple misunderstanding.
“Mommy, look!”
Liana