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12
Aubrey could barely sleep. She spent the three hours alone in her suite going over what Bibi had taught her over the preceding week. When she exited the room, she was to pay her respects to the crowned sheikh with a kiss on the hand. Was she supposed to get permission first? The more Aubrey tried to remember, the fuzzier her memory became.
Jarah would no doubt be furious.
When there was a soft knock on the door, she raced to it and looked through the small peep hole. Seeing her husband, she hastily opened in. “What happened? Do I still need to leave tomorrow? Should I apologize again? I’m more than happy…”
“Aubrey, calm down,” Jarah said gently. “Yosef has already forgiven the matter and wishes to apologize to you for his reaction tomorrow. He understands that you were taught their ways only recently and that the pregnancy hormones are affecting you. Speaking of that, I noted that you did not eat much for dinner. Yosef has offered to send up a tray.”
Shuddering, she put a hand over her stomach. “I’m not hungry, and I couldn’t eat even if I were. You’re certain that he’s not angry?”
“No, and you will have to stay tomorrow to hear his apology. In the meantime, you are not to touch or speak to him or any man without him giving you permission.” When her nose wrinkled, he laughed. “It’s only for two more days. Back in bed with you. I’m going to shower. You can stay here in the suite until the gala tomorrow evening. We’ll claim morning sickness for why you don’t join us for breakfast.”
Hidden away like an embarrassment. Aubrey wanted to object, but she understood the situation was precarious. She wasn’t just representing the Ramzi family. She was representing Rihamel.
The next morning, she was able to admit that it was a good idea. After tossing and turning all night, she needed a day to just relax. Jarah was gone for most of the day and only returned to get ready for the gala.
The ballroom had been transformed into a mystical garden under a full moon light. Glancing up at the ceiling, Aubrey inhaled sharply. The ceiling glowed a brilliant midnight blue, speckled with shimmering stars. A dusting of clouds seemed to skate across the moon. Statuesque trees stretched up along the walls, strung with twinkling lights and lanterns and seemingly dipped in gold.
It was mesmerizing and the most lavish thing she had ever seen.
Yosef acted as though nothing had happened at all when he greeted them. “There you are! I suspect the princess is what kept the three of you, but from the way she looks, the wait was worth it. My dear, you will save a dance for me. Several of them.”
Aubrey stiffened just a little at Yosef’s words. At her silence, he chuckled. “That would be me giving you permission, my dear. Now go, mingle. Dance. And open your wallets for the new hospital.” He winked and then slid by them.
She exhaled and shuddered.
“I told you there was nothing for you to worry about. I will not be far from you. Now, will you be able to enjoy yourself?” Jarah asked softly.
“Of course.” Forcing a smile, she tried to make herself relax, but it wasn’t easy. Nura had selected the dress, and when Aubrey had pulled it out, she briefly wondered if her mother-in-law had lost her mind.
Here was a gala hosted by a conservative sheikh, and the dress she was supposed to wear exposed her entire back and curved over her hips seductively. It was a shimmering purple, the color of royalty, so obviously Nura was trying to make a statement.
A brazen one.
The front had a high neckline and long, elegant sleeves. Sweeping the floor, the hemline rippled with every step that she took. It was stunning, and something she would have happily worn anywhere else in the world. But here, even without the faux pas she’d made, she wasn’t certain this dress was appropriate.
But the look in Jarah’s eyes when he’d seen her in it had warmed her, head to toes, and tingles started up in her core. He’d banked the flame before they left the room, but she could see the glow, hidden behind his formality, if she looked carefully. The dress might be borderline scandalous, but she no longer cared, if it made Jarah look at her like that, even as he turned to greet another guest.
A simple lace veil covered her head. No jewelry was needed with a dress like this, and looking around, she realized she was probably the only woman who wasn’t heavily adorned with jewels.
“The galas are as much about showing off wealth as they are raising money,” Mikal said quietly at her elbow. “If you are feeling insecure, do not. You are by far the loveliest woman here. Unfortunately, that might make you a target.”
Surprised by the compliment, she looked up and frowned. Ever since the night he’d seen her in her lingerie, he’d been a little easier toward her. A little more polite. She didn’t know really what to make of it.
“And that isn’t going to make me feel insecure?” she chuckled.
“Do not worry. We will not leave you unguarded tonight.”
She should be offended that they thought she needed a babysitter. But Yosef set off all her creep-alert alarms, and she found Mikal’s words more reassuring than discouraging.
On her other side, Cyril chuckled. “Think of us as your guards.”
“In case I start to do something else terrible?” She could afford a little self-deprecating humor now.
“In case you fail to relax and enjoy yourself. Jarah, get your wife a drink so she can do something with her hands, and when she’s a little more relaxed, dance with her,” Cyril commanded.
Jarah looked momentarily irritated as his gaze flitted around the ballroom, and he nodded. “I’ll return shortly.”
