The Duke's Runaway Princess Page 0,14
half hour would have noticed Elise’s exasperation every time Derrick turned away.
“Who was he?” Zarah asked.
Mary stopped laughing and stared at Zarah. “Are you serious?”
She shook her head as she folded several of the sweaters on the table by the front door. “No. I’ve never seen him before.”
Mary moved to Zarah’s right hand side and helped her fold as well, neatening up the stacks for about the fiftieth time. “His name is Derrick Huntington. He’s the Duke of Waren. His family used to own all of this land. He still owns most of it, but he’s not at all like those others in the aristocracy. He’s a very nice gentleman.” She looked at Zarah out of the corner of her eye. “And he was looking at you like you were going to be his next meal!”
Zarah scoffed at that, realizing that the illustrious Duke of Waren was the man Suzanne had told her about on the plane so many months ago. “Don’t be ridiculous! He wasn’t doing anything of the sort. He was watching Elise make a fool of herself and I was just next to her leading her down that idiotic path.”
Mary was already shaking her head. “Oh, yes he was! And let me tell you, the exquisite Elise is not going to get that coveted engagement ring if those heated looks he was passing your way are any indication. She was definitely working the angle of the benevolent lady of the manor but you, my dear, are in his sights!”
Zarah waved that aside. She didn’t want to have anything to do with the Duke of Huntington. He had a look about him that made her uncomfortable and she had vowed that she wouldn’t spend her limited days of freedom being unnerved.
The following Saturday, she borrowed Suzanne’s car and did her usual jaunt out of the village. Each weekend, she drove twenty to thirty miles in one direction or another. She knew that eventually, Rashid would triangulate her position, but she didn’t want him to find her too quickly. She made sure to not go north or south very often and headed into London as often as possible, stopping at different areas before turning on her cell phone and calling her brother. She knew he was tracing her call but was careful to only check in with him and not have a long conversation. These calls were just to reassure him that she was okay and safe.
The whole drive into the city, she forced her mind to stop thinking about the Duke of Huntington. She’d even dreamt about that obnoxious man for some reason. She should have been grateful it wasn’t that horrible nightmare, but when she’d woken up tingling and out of breath, feeling frustrated and out of sorts, she decided that the nightmare was probably a better choice. At least for her peace of mind.
This time, she drove into Hounslow, a city outside of London, before she made her call.
His tone immediately told her that he was out of patience with her absence. “Zarah! This is getting old. Just tell me where you are so I can send someone to protect you,” he said after picking up on the first ring.
Zarah ignored his command to tell her where she was. He gave her the same order in various ways each weekend and she’d learned to expect it, to brace herself for the authority in his voice and ignore the tone so she could move on to reassuring him that she was safe enough. “How are you doing Rashid?” she asked, pretending he hadn’t given the expected order.
“I’m furious that you’re playing this ridiculous game! Now get home and we’ll talk about this! You’ve made your point.”
Zarah knew that there wouldn’t be any talking. At least not on her side. As soon as she landed in Tasain, Rashid would simply lay down the law and order her to marry whatever man he’d selected. Her opinion would no longer be taken into consideration.
She was having too much fun as a working woman to follow that path. “I think I’ll hang out a little while longer,” she replied, keeping an eye on her watch. She knew that it takes approximately two minutes to triangulate a phone call and she needed to be out of the area before Rashid’s security forces could track her down. Even if she waited too long, she knew he still had to get his guards to her location, but she didn’t want to give him that