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“Lacey, I’m so happy to see you.” Inas gave her a kiss on each cheek. “And you wouldn’t believe who is here!”
The woman almost squealed. Lacey couldn’t imagine who would cause this level of excitement. “Who?”
“Inas?” An older woman’s voice wafted over them. Inas’s demeanor changed rapidly. Her smile widened, and she trembled with exhilaration. Inas struggled to lower her eyes as she gave a curtsey to the woman. She folded her hands neatly in front of her as she spoke respectfully in Arabic.
Lacey took a step back. Her instincts told her to melt into the crowd and disappear.
“Allow me to introduce you,” Inas said as she grasped Lacey’s elbow and brought her forward. Lacey stared at the older woman who wore a white scarf over her gray hair and a brocade caftan that concealed her body.
“Your Majesty, this is Lacey Maxwell. I tutored her in Arabic while she was visiting our sultanate. Lacey, this is the Sultana Zafirah of Rudaynah.”
And Hafiz’s mother. Lacey’s knees buckled, and she quickly covered it up with a shaky curtsey.
She glanced at the sultana through her lashes and found the older woman inspecting her like a mangled insect carcass. It took every ounce of willpower for Lacey not to meet the woman’s gaze. This was probably why Hafiz didn’t want you to meet his family.
Lacey covertly looked at the exit and wondered how she was going to extract herself from this situation. Her mind went blank as panic congealed in her throat. “I understand one of your sons will be married soon,” Lacey said in what she hoped was a respectful tone. “Congratulations.”
The sultana stiffened, and Lacey wondered if she had broken some protocol. “Thank you,” Sultana Zafirah said with a sniff.
Lacey hesitated, uncertain how to proceed. “I’m sure Miss Abdullah will be a worthy addition to your family.”
The sultana gave a careless shrug. “More worthy than my son.”
A startled gasp quickly evaporated in Lacey’s throat as indignation mushroomed inside her chest. How dare the sultana say that about Hafiz? Lacey was stunned that the woman would say it to a stranger. There was no telling what was said in private.
Lacey looked away and fought back her words. Didn’t Sultana Zafirah see how much her son worked and sacrificed to correct his mistakes? Didn’t she care that he strove to become worthy, all the while knowing he would never reach his goal? Or was the sultana unwilling to recognize what her son has already achieved?
Tears smarted Lacey’s eyes as hope shriveled up inside her. Why did Hafiz want to be with his family instead of her? The idea alone was like a knife sliding between her ribs before it gave a vicious twist. Was this what he really wanted?
How could she leave Hafiz here to face this alone? But deep down, she knew she wasn’t an ally. She was a liability. She was going to leave so Hafiz could become the man he wanted to be. She wanted Rudaynah to benefit from his ideas and leadership, and she wanted the people to recognize his worth and abilities.
On a purely selfish level, she wanted her sacrifice to mean something. She wanted it be worth the pain, if that was possible.
The ballroom suddenly plunged into darkness. The initial squeals from the crowd turned into groans of people who were used to power outages. Lacey blinked wildly as the darkness shrouded her. She could already feel the difference in temperature as the air conditioner silenced.
“Nothing to worry about, Miss Maxwell.” Sultana Zafirah said. The royal entourage bumped Lacey as they quickly surrounded the sultana. “The generator will turn on soon.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The emergency lights gradually came on, casting an eerie green over the wedding guests. Just as everyone cheered, the lights blinked and flared before shutting off.
“No, no, no.” Inas said. “This cannot happen at my daughter’s wedding.”
“I’ll go see if there are any lights on in the hotel,” Lacey offered. Sensing she only had a few minutes before the lights and power returned, she slowly retreated.
Using the flurry of activity to her advantage, Lacey turned around and made her way to the exit. Her hands brushed against the heavy metal door. She wrenched the handle, opening the door a crack, and found the hallway was just as dark as the ballroom. The moment she passed the threshold, she breathed a sigh of relief.
