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'Forgive me,' said Malik slickly 'But I thought perhaps that you and he were ' He shrugged and let his voice trail off, the pause giving rise to a hundred silent questions
It was a clever way of eliciting information, Laura acknowledged — but she was damned if she was going to start discussing her relationship with Xavier She smiled to herself And what relationship would that be? A man who made no pretence about wanting sex with her, and a woman who told herself that it would be wrong, no matter how much her body tried to persuade her otherwise Not much of a relationship!
'You're speaking in riddles, Malik'
'Am I? Forgive me '
Laura nodded, but said nothing in response.
'So you are discreet,' Malik observed 'And loyal'
'Wasn't that why you employed me — for those very qualities?' Laura folded her napkin and, placing it neatly on the table, looked up at him 'Maybe it's time we talked about that I know you want me to witness the signing of some documents, and I can do that first thing ' Her gaze was steady, hopeful 'After I've done that can I assume that my job is completed, as I will have accomplished everything you asked me to do?'
The Kharastani nobleman took a white grape from the dish and turned it in his olive fingers reflectively 'As I recall, when you were interviewed you were told that more work could be available on completion of this assignment and depending on its outcome '
Laura shifted in her seat What tricks the light could play, she thought Tonight, in the guttering light from the candles, she thought how much Malik's jet-black eyes seemed to resemble Xavier's Or was her perception simply being warped by the travel and the upheaval and the sheer mind-blowing beauty of the Blue Palace and this heady evening?
'Well, the work is nearly completed,' Laura said softly
'No,' he demurred It is completed when the Sheikh instructs that it is so '
'And when will that be? Days? Weeks?' With the two of them thrown together in the most bizarre and intimate circumstances in the meantime As Laura looked into Malik's eyes she realised that he was as ruthless as Xavier What he wanted, he got — and behind the outward courtesy she had been shown tonight she could read the implacable determination in his eyes She was here to stay until she was given leave to go, as simple as that.
At that moment Malik turned his head and looked towards the door, just as a slim young woman entered the room She wore a light-blue gown and was veiled, but Laura couldn't help noticing the gleam of pure blonde hair beneath it, and her pale, clear skin Her overall appearance was positively medieval, and Laura watched as her blue eyes sought out Malik, giving him one brief but definite nod of her head, before quietly slipping out of the same door she'd entered by
'Who is that?' Laura asked
There was a pause 'Her name is Sorrel'
'She doesn't look like a Kharastani'
'No She is English, and she is my ward '
'Your ward? '
'You sound surprised, Miss Cottmgham '
'A little It's an old-fashioned term which doesn't get used very much in England these days' But it seemed to match the girl's old-world appearance — redolent of a time when women needed to be placed under the care of a guardian.
'We are an old-fashioned country,' said Malik carefully 'And we protect our women Sorrel's parents are dead, but her family has for many years had ties with Kharastan And she is very close to the Sheikh,' said Malik. 'In fact, I understand that his Supreme Highness is now ready to receive the Frenchman '
Malik was rising to his feet and summoning one of the servants to his side He bent his head and uttered something in his native tongue, and Laura watched the servant go round to speak to Xavier
'You will excuse me?' questioned Malik 'Someone will show you back to your quarters ' 'Thank you'
He bent his dark head and spoke in a low voice, so that Laura had to strain her ears to hear him In case it interests you, there is a key which fits your door, should you require it You will find it in the small box made from mulberry in your dressing room You will also find alcoholic beverages in the large bureau in the sitting room You see, we cater for honoured Western guests even if many of us do not share their tastes I will bid you goodnight, Miss Cottmgham,' he added mockingly
'Goodnight,' said Laura faintly, looking in surprise at his retreating figure Had Malik just offered her the modern-day equivalent of protecting her honour? We protect our women, he had said earlier.
She saw Xavier rise to his feet, his face as unmoving as if it had been carved from a piece of granite, his mouth hard and his eyes cold, yet her heart went out to him, despite his forbidding look Because surely deep down he was a little apprehensive? He might be a billionaire playboy but he was still only human — and how would anyone feel if they were on their way to find out if an ancient and powerful ruler was really their father?
She watched him and Malik leave the room together, as if they were compatriots of old, with none of the visible tension w
hich had existed between them earlier.
So was it protectiveness which had made Malik tell her about the key — or was he just determined to make it as difficult as possible for the Frenchman to take a lover while he was here?
She bit her lip as Xavier's mocking boast came back to her Do you think that a locked door would keep me out?
