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“I was furious at myself,” Hafiz said quietly. “If I had shown Elizabeth any concern or any sign that she could depend on me, she wouldn’t have taken extreme measures.”
“And you think your father was behind that?”
“I’m sure of it. Elizabeth had hinted it to my representative, but I think she was too afraid to speak plainly. She was afraid to cross the sultan, with good reason.”
“Should I be afraid?”
“No,” Hafiz said. “You can depend on me. I will not abandon you.”
Lacey moved closer to him until her hip brushed against his. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry that my presence in your life is causing so many problems.” The air around them pulsed with energy, but Hafiz didn’t reach out for her. His fingers flexed, but his hands stayed by his side.
“You’re not a burden,” he said gruffly. Having Lacey in his life had been a gift.
Lacey leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his shoulder. Hafiz tensed and remained where he stood. It was still a risk. If someone walked into this room and saw him alone with Lacey...he didn’t want to think about the consequences.
Hafiz cleared his throat and took a step away from her. “I have to go. I know how to fix this.”
“What are you going to do?” she called after him as he strode to the door.
He set his mouth into a grim line. “Whatever it takes.”
* * *
“This wedding reception is one of the most lavish I’ve seen. I don’t know how Inas and her husband paid for it,” Janet said a few days later as they slowly made their way through the crowded ballroom to the buffet. “I can’t wait to eat.”
“Where are the men?” Lacey asked. The ballroom was packed with women. Bright, garish colors swirled around Lacey and her friend Janet as the conversations swelled to an earsplitting decibel. Heavy perfumes of every imaginable flower clashed against one another.
“They are in the ballroom across the hall having their party,” Janet informed her. “The men and women in Rudaynah don’t celebrate together. This way the women can literally let their hair down and dance.”
Lacey glanced at the stage where the bride sat. It seemed strange to Lacey that the newlywed couple would spend their wedding reception apart. Did it signify what was yet to come? That the marriage meant separate paths, separate lives, for the couple? Was this what all marriages were like in this country?
She studied the group of relatives on the stage surrounding the bride. “I still don’t see Inas.”
“We’ll find her. By the way, I love what you’re wearing. I thought you had given up wearing the traditional caftan.”
“Thank you.” Lacey glanced down at her pale blue caftan. She hadn’t been certain about the transparent sleeves or the modest neckline. The skirt flared out gently, and the intricate embroidery design that ran down the front of the caftan matched her slippers. “I wanted one chance to wear it before I leave.”
“Did you get your exit visas sorted out?”
“Uh...yes,” she lied. “I’ll be leaving very soon.” As in tonight. But she couldn’t let anyone know that.
She glanced at her jeweled watch and winced. The wedding reception had started late, and she should have returned home by now and gathered her things.
“Janet, why don’t you go on ahead to the buffet? I have to leave.”
“Already?” She shook her head. “You’re going to miss the professional dancers and the wedding march. Not to mention the food!”
“I know, but I’m glad I had a chance to be here. I just hope leaving early doesn’t offend Inas.”
“She’ll understand,” Janet said as she hugged Lacey goodbye. “You’ll probably find her near the door greeting all the guests.”
Lacey fought her way through the cluster of women. She couldn’t help but wonder if Hafiz’s wedding reception would be like this. She pushed the thought aside. She wasn’t going to torture herself imagining what Hafiz’s wedding to another woman was going to be like.
Lacey saw her friend near the entrance. “Inas!” She waved and hurried to greet the mother of the bride. “Inas, this wedding is beautiful. And your daughter!” She glanced at the woman on stage in the back of the ballroom. The young woman wore an embroidered red gown and veil. Heavy gold jewelry hung from her wrists and throat. “She looks like a princess.”
