The Duke's Runaway Princess Page 0,4
someone who could ‘protect her’. She didn’t even want to contemplate what that might mean in terms of men. Old and fat with a protective detail surrounding him, and her, came to mind. She hated the idea. All of her freedom to come and go and explore the world would be eliminated simply because some disgusting old man wanted to protect his property, namely his wife and children.
“I don’t think…” Rashid started to say but Zarah interrupted him again.
“I’d like to be able to converse intelligently at meals with his guests. Right now, I have business theories in my mind but no practical knowledge. Could you imagine me spouting off about some random economic theory to a world leader when they’ve already dismissed that idea for their country?” She added a forced shiver of ‘revulsion’ for affect and kept her eyes on Rashid. She’d glanced at Sidra during her little speech and saw the amusement. Sidra knew exactly what was going on. But did she approve? Being an American, maybe Sidra could add her influence to her brother’s decision.
“Enough!” Rashid commanded. His voice wasn’t loud, but it was adamant. “Zarah, you know…”
Sidra laid a hand on his arm and he stopped instantly. Looking at her, he shook his head and sighed heavily. “Let’s have a relaxing dinner and discuss your future another time.”
Zarah glanced at Sidra to thank her, but her heart was sinking in her chest because she knew it was only a matter of time before Rashid laid down the law and denied her the opportunity to find a job. All she could do was take the time to come up with another argument for delaying what was probably the inevitable. But the longer she delayed, the stronger the possibility that she’d find someone that would suit her better. And she’d be stronger as well. The more she learned, the better off she would be in her marriage. She didn’t want to be a doormat. She wanted to be respected and needed.
Just as any other woman wanted.
The meal was uneventful but delicious. Zarah hadn’t forgotten that one of the perks of being Rashid’s sister was the delicious food. He had a fabulous chef in the palace and, since she’d never needed to learn to cook, she relied on salads a great deal of the time while at school. It was hard to mess up raw vegetables, she knew. At least they were healthy if not creative or interesting. Besides, there were so many other things she wanted to do and cooking was way down on the list so bland food was acceptable most of the time.
As Rashid dropped her off, walking her up to her apartment, he looked down at her with concern in his eyes. “We still need to talk about your marriage, Zarah.”
Zarah looked away, her heart sinking even further and she had to fight back the tears that formed in her eyes. “I know.”
“I’ll meet you for breakfast tomorrow at my hotel. Sidra won’t be able to stop the conversation then. Do you understand?” he asked carefully.
Zarah took a deep breath and nodded, her head bowed with frustration.
Rashid wished that he could help her feel better about her future but he didn’t know what to say, what words would help her. They’d discuss it in the morning, he told himself and kissed her head before walking out the door. He shook his head in amazement that she enjoyed living in such a hovel. As he stepped into the limousine beside an exhausted Sidra, he pulled out his phone and issued a curt order, ensuring that two men watched her apartment at all times going forward.
“Why does she need a body guard now?” Sidra asked as she leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, her pregnancy making her sleepy a lot of the time.
Rashid took her hand and pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her. “I didn’t know she wasn’t living in a gated community with adequate security around her. That was the type of apartment I’d selected for her when she’d started this whole college debacle so how she ended up here is a mystery. What was wrong with the condominium I bought for her years ago?”
Sidra laughed softly and kissed his shoulder. “I’ve never heard anyone refer to a person getting an education as a debacle before.” It didn’t matter how many years they’d been married, she was still amazed by some of his sexist attitudes.
“You know what