Ahsan was silent for so long that she risked another glance at him and was startled by the hardness of his expression. "He married a woman who had not been chosen for him," he replied at last. Farhan was engaged to the daughter of an influential family in Qubbah, but before his wedding he eloped with another woman and brought great shame to his family."When you say that his fiancée had been chosen for him, do you mean that it was an arranged marriage?" Kate queried and was shocked. "Isn’t that a rather outdated tradition?""It is the tradition in Qubbah," Ahsan informed her coldly. My father had selected a number of potential brides, and Farhan chose one of them."But he didn’t love her," Kate said, her voice ringing with conviction. "He loved Farrah." He talked about her all the time, and I know that her death left him heartbroken. Why did Farhan have to elope with her? Why couldn’t he have married her and stayed in Qubbah?"Because Farrah was promised to another man," Ahsan said fl

He waited for Kate to absorb his words, noting how the color had drained from her face. She looked very young, and that air of innocence was very convincing. It was easy to see how she had fooled Farhan three years ago, when he had been a grieving widower with a baby son. "Hell, she had almost fooled him," Ahsan mused grimly. But the information his personal assistant had emailed him after running a data check revealed things about her that he was sure his brother knew nothing about. Things like a shoplifting conviction and details about a life that had spiraled out of control—until she was fostered by an elderly couple who took her to their home in the caretaker's cottage on the grounds of Ingledean House.There she had managed to catch up on her education and had trained as a nanny, but more controversy followed with her first job, looking after the children of a respected barrister and landowner at his country estate on the outskirts of York. Zaid had unearthed talk of an affair be

From a corner of the room came an audible gasp, and she swung around to see a young woman dressed in traditional robes staring at her with a look of undisguised horror on her pretty face."This is Jamila, who will be Hazem’s nanny," Ahsan said tightly. His face was a taut mask of fury, and Kate’s spurt of angry defiance wavered when he gripped her arm and dragged her over to the door. "I will escort Hazem’s stepmother to her room." He addressed Jamila in English, and the young woman nodded and smiled faintly, clearly still shocked that Kate had shown such disrespect to a member of the royal family. "We will leave you so that you and Hazem can become acquainted."To Kate’s relief, Jamila replied in perfect English. "Of course, sir." I will let Prince Hazem explore the nursery, and then I will give him his lunch—if you wish me to," she added hesitantly when Kate opened her mouth to argue that Hazem was her responsibility.Before she could comment, Ahsan tightened his hold on her arm and

The command was a low growl that resonated through her, and when she lifted her heavy lids, she saw that Ahsan’s sharp cheekbones were stained with dull color, his face a taut mask of undisguised hunger. Once again, the voice in her head advised caution, but her body had a will of its own. Her fingers fumbled with his shirt buttons until eventually the last one was freed, and she pushed the material aside and ran her hands over the olive-gold skin that felt like satin beneath her fingertips, while the mass of black hairs that covered his chest tickled her palms.She traced the ridges of his powerful abdominal muscles and felt his stomach contract. She heard him growl something against her skin as he dragged her bra strap down her arm to expose her other breast. She gasped when he caught her swollen nipple between his lips and sucked hard, causing a peculiar sensation to spiral down through her body from her breasts to her pelvis.She twisted her hips restlessly as she felt a flood of

Kate’s face flamed. Admittedly, her dress left her shoulders exposed, but the hem of the skirt fell to her knees, and to her mind, that was perfectly respectable. Ahsan made her feel like a tart, and mortification made her voice sharp. "What do you suggest I wear?" A sack that covers me from head to foot? "Or do you expect me to dress in robes and a veil?" she snapped."My father is a liberal-minded man who would not expect you to wear clothes that are not part of your culture," Ahsan said tersely. "But out of respect for him, I expect you to dress and act with a little decorum—and to restrain your insolent tongue."On that parting shot, he strode out of the room and slammed the door behind him with such savagery that Kate was surprised that great cracks did not appear in the palace walls."What is Ahsan upset about?"Hazem turned his huge brown eyes on her, and his bottom lip quivered."He’s not cross with you, darling," Kate quickly reassured him. "He would never be angry with you, H