Desert Prince's Stolen Bride

‘In any case, Miss Taylor is no longer a member of this household. Her position has been terminated. Understandably.’

‘Will you give her a reference?’

Hassan’s eyes glittered. ‘I think not.’

It was just as Olivia had predicted, yet Zayed hated that this man, that anyone, thought so little of her.

Including yourself?

Pushing that most uncomfortable thought away, Zayed nodded once to Hassan then turned on his heel and left the room.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

‘OLIVIA!’

With a startled, ‘Oof!’ Olivia put her arms around Halina as her friend rushed at her, hugging her tightly the minute she entered the small sitting room where Halina had been waiting for her arrival.

‘Hello, Halina.’

‘Are you all right? Have you been hurt? Has—has he hurt you?’ Halina leaned back, sniffing, her eyes wide and frightened.

‘I’m fine.’

‘But you look so pale and tired.’

‘I’ve been ill,’ Olivia said briefly. ‘But I’ve been treated with respect at all times.’ With a tired smile she extricated herself from Halina’s arms. She felt so very fragile, as if she could break, and it had nothing to do with her recovery from the cobra’s bite. ‘How are you? You’ve been in Italy, I heard?’

‘Yes.’ Halina bit her lip. ‘Olivia, I’m afraid I’ve made a complete mess of things.’

‘How so?’ Olivia couldn’t imagine how Halina could make things more of a mess than they already were. ‘I think Zayed was the one who messed things up,’ she added with an attempt at a wry smile, but it wobbled all over the place. She’d loved him, she still did, and he’d felt nothing for her. No matter how many times she ruthlessly hammered that truth home, it still hurt, the wound as fresh and deep as ever.

‘Yes, but...’ Tears filled Halina’s eyes before she blinked them away. ‘I made it all so much worse.’

Curious and a bit alarmed, Olivia shook her head. ‘I don’t understand, Halina.’

‘When I went to Italy...’ Halina broke off, turning away towards the window that overlooked the palace’s landscaped gardens. ‘I was so stupid,’ she muttered, rubbing her temple with her fingers. ‘So stupid and

so naïve.’

‘Halina...’ Olivia took a step towards her old schoolfriend. ‘You’re scaring me a bit.’

‘I’ve scared myself.’ She let out a humourless laugh. ‘I can’t believe...’

‘What happened?’ Olivia asked gently. ‘You can tell me.’

Halina took a deep, shuddering breath and then, turning around, she squared her shoulders. ‘Mama took me to Italy, to a hotel in Rome, to get away from Abkar. Father was worried someone might attempt to kidnap me again. He didn’t realise it was Prince Zayed, at least not at first, and then of course when he did he was furious.’ She reached for Olivia, squeezing her arm. ‘Was it awful, Livvy?’ she asked, using the nickname from their school days. ‘I’m so sorry.’

‘It’s not your fault,’ Olivia said, her voice sounding funny. ‘And it wasn’t awful.’ Halina must have seen something in her face—she could be remarkably perceptive at times—for her eyes narrowed, light dawning in their soft brown depths.

‘What do you mean?’

‘You were going to tell me what happened to you,’ Olivia reminded her quickly. ‘In Italy.’

Halina’s shoulders slumped briefly. ‘Yes, although I’m too ashamed to say. I thought I was so much more worldly than I really was—than I am. I was a joke.’

‘What do you mean, Halina? Tell me what happened.’

‘I snuck out of my hotel room,’ Halina confessed, her face full of misery. ‘And I slipped into a party being held downstairs. I just wanted a tiny bit of excitement, that was all. It didn’t seem like so much.’