AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘I admire them very much.’
She pulled a face. ‘That’s not exactly an answer.’
He laughed. ‘You’re right. We are as close as we can be, given the circumstances.’
‘What circumstances?’
‘I was sent away to school when I was thirteen. I finished high school as a boarder. I missed them, and I changed a lot, in the time I was gone. Afterwards, I went to university, then did a rotation in the military. So for many years there, I hardly saw them. But they’re good people, and my father has been an excellent sheikh.’
‘Is it tradition for royal children to be sent away?’
‘Yes.’
She stopped walking. ‘How strong a tradition?’
He grimaced. ‘Strong. But not unbreakable. If you do not wish for our children to leave home, then we can arrange an alternative.’
Her heart split. There was so much in that sentence to unnerve her! ‘Our children’, ‘home’, and his willingness to be flexible, to accommodate her needs. It was beyond what she’d expected.
‘I can’t even think about it yet,’ she said with a shake of her head. ‘It sounds like the last thing I would want. I know that I could never have been separated from my parents at that age.’
‘Did you enjoy high school?’
‘Yes.’ She smiled. ‘I had a good group of friends and I loved studying.’
‘Was it not something you wanted to pursue, after high school?’
‘What?’
‘Studying.’
‘Oh.’ She frowned. ‘I did. I went to college for a couple of years.’
It was obviously something he hadn’t expected her to say. ‘What degree did you undertake?’
‘Economics. I dropped out before I could finish.’
‘Economics?’ His brows shot up.
She laughed. ‘What? You don’t think it suits me?’
‘I just—had no idea.’
‘I’ve always loved economics with a crazy passion.’
‘Why?’
‘Because it’s so visceral. People think it’s dry and boring, but they don’t understand that it’s the framework of our civilisations. Societies are made and shaped by economic policy, all of our programmes for social justice are made possible by the economic forethought of the government. Economic strategies have the power to save lives, enrich whole societies and make fundamental differences to the world—from lowering crime rates in traditionally impoverished areas to expanding healthcare.’ Her eyes grew shimmery as she spoke and her cheeks were flushed. ‘It’s the cornerstone of all societies, it’s the underpinning of who we are. I am fascinated by it.’
‘Then why did you leave your degree?’
She contemplated not answering, but it was no big secret. Her eyes flicked to his, then away again. ‘My mom got sick. I wanted to be closer to her.’ She toyed with her fingers. ‘And college is expensive.’
‘They couldn’t afford it?’
‘Not really. Not that they ever said that, but I knew what her treatment was costing. I didn’t want to risk that she would walk away from her medical needs to keep me in school. The bills were enormous. They needed to dip into our college funds to pay for them.’ She lifted her shoulders defensively. ‘I came home and helped out around the house, got a job doing secretarial stuff so I could contribute—it wasn’t much but even just paying for groceries relieved some of their stress.’ India didn’t see the way Khalil’s expression changed, the look of pity that softened his features. ‘And then they died, and there was just Jackson and me, and a mountain of bills—’
‘Your brother?’
