One Desert Night - By Maggie Cox Page 0,56

when he died not very long after my mother. Sometimes I imagine I can still hear the deep rumble of his laughter, or the firmness of his voice instructing the guards echoing round the palace walls. Anyway...he is gone now.'

Gina said softly, 'You must miss him very much, Zahir.'

'Every day.' He quickly shielded the emotion that she had briefly detected in his tone. 'I came to find you not just to say hello, but to inform you—at my sister's request—that dinner will be served in the dining room in about one hour. See how she makes me useful? Perhaps you should finish what you're doing and go and get ready? Farida tells me it is a special meal to welcome me home.'

'Of course... I completely forgot the time.' Getting herself ready to stand, she was taken by surprise when Zahir stood up first, then reached out his hand to help her. He held on to her for several long seconds as his dark eyes roamed her face.

'I never knew that just three days away from the people I care about could seem like a lifetime, but it did...' His voice was suddenly pitched sensually low. 'It did.'

Desperate to ask him what he meant by 'the people I care about', Gina nevertheless remained silent. Was he including her in that exclusive little group? If so, what about his engagement to the Emir's daughter? It was so frustrating not to know what he intended. Didn't he realise it was all but killing her to imagine him married to someone else?

'I'd better go and get ready for dinner. I know Farida's been busy organising the menu with the kitchen staff all day,' she murmured.

'Do you have anything else in this colour?' Zahir nodded his head towards her silky aquamarine kaftan. 'If you have, I would like you to wear it. It complements your eyes and reminds me of a too rare glimpse of the sea. I like it very much.'

It wasn't exactly easy to mentally assess her wardrobe right then, when he'd made such a surprisingly personal request, but Gina managed a shrug and answered, 'I think I might have something else in the colour. I'll check when I go back to my room.'

'Good. I will look forward to seeing you at dinner, then.'

He was walking back down the corridor, his long robes swirling round his booted calves, before she could even think to move and gather up her papers from the carpeted floor...

They were dining in a room Gina had not had the privilege of seeing before, but once seen it would be hard to forget. Above the long burnished table at which they sat was a vaulted ceiling, with a stunning circular dome made up of several different sections of vividly coloured glass. On the walls were lavishly painted murals of scenes depicting days of a powerful empire long gone, and a theme of arabesque patterning could be seen throughout, inlaid to particularly stunning effect in the marble floor. The space was lit tonight by softly glowing candles encased in lanterns—both on the walls and on the beautifully laid table. With the scent of spices and incense hanging in the air, it was like walking into a magical scene from the country's magnificent past.

After they'd washed their hands in a ritualistic vessel filled with warm water, they sat in silence as the servants passed various aromatic dishes of food from guest to guest.

Relieved to find it was just to be the three of them tonight, Gina tried hard to relax—but it wasn't easy with Zahir sitting opposite her, his darkly hypnotic glance frequently locking with hers and making her insides jump.

Of the three of them, it was Farida who seemed most at ease. Tonight her pretty face was literally glowing with pleasure at having her brother safely home again.

The servants departed—including Jamal, at Zahir's express request—and Farida raised her glass of fruit juice in a toast. 'To Zahir, in honour of your safe return from Kajistan after what has been a difficult time for us all...and for your steadfast, dedicated and wise rule of the kingdom. Our father would have been more than proud.'

He seemed taken aback. Was that a flush of hot colour beneath his bronzed skin? 'I have only ever wanted to honour his great memory by doing justice of his faith in me,' he murmured. 'And if I can do that even in a small way I should be very glad.'

'To Zahir.' Gina flushed as the handsome recipient