A Very Merry Princess
Page 24

The driver nodded and pulled away from the curb.
They quickly merged onto a multilane highway. Traffic flowed briskly in both directions. The exits were clearly marked, the road signs were in English. To the southwest was the Arabian Sea and up ahead were the modern high-rises of the downtown area.
They drove past what he would guess was a large financial district, judging by the names of banks on several of the tall buildings, followed by more office buildings. When they exited the highway, there was a large park on one side and a shopping center on the other.
They passed several residential neighborhoods, more parks, schools, a sprawling university, then entered what seemed to be an older part of the city. Streets became more narrow, buildings closer together. The traffic was denser here.
Thirty minutes later, the cab drove down a long tree-lined street. At the far end was the fabled pink palace of El Bahar. Cade stared at the turrets and domes, the walls, the gardens and the tourists’ buses.
The cab pulled over and the driver pointed to the amount due. Cade groaned.
“I didn’t have time to exchange my money,” he said, pulling out his wallet. “Are US dollars all right?”
The driver smiled. “Of course. Very welcome here.” He pushed a button on his meter and the amount was converted to US currency. Cade paid him, grabbed his duffel and got out.
The sun was high in the sky, the temperature warm. He could see the blue water to his left and the palace in front of him. Tourists swarmed, taking pictures. Guides held colored signs aloft in an attempt to keep their groups together.
How was he supposed to find Bethany is all this? He knew she lived in the palace, but it wasn’t as if they were going to simply let him in. Should he have gone to the stables instead? Called Pallas to beg for Bethany’s number? Not knowing what else to do, he walked up to the information booth and spoke to the woman inside.
“May I help you?” she asked.
“Yes. I’m Cade Saunders, from the United States.” He pulled a business card out of his wallet. “I was hoping to see the king.”
He waited for hysterical laughter, or the guards to pull out their guns and force him back into a cab. Instead the young woman looked at the card, then him, before asking, “May I see your passport?”
“Sure.” Cade handed that to her, as well.
“One moment,” she told him, and picked up the phone.
* * *
“BUT IT’S INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S STUDIES,” her mother said for maybe the sixth time. “Wouldn’t that be interesting?”
“Mom, if you’re that intrigued, you go get your degree.” Bethany smiled to soften the words. “I love you, but you’re making me insane. I’m fine. You don’t need to hover.”
Only part of a lie, Bethany thought. She wasn’t fine, but she really didn’t need the hovering, either. Eventually she would be fine. Or at least all right, which was close. Right now the wounds were too fresh. She’d only been home a few days and she ached for Cade with every breath. But in time, she would heal—of that she was sure.
Her parents had welcomed her with open arms, as had her brothers. She’d given herself twenty-four hours to sulk like a five-year-old, then she’d told herself it was time to grow up and take responsibility.
Feeling more than a little ridiculous, she’d spent a morning taking an online aptitude test that also measured what she liked and disliked. The test had confirmed what she already knew—women’s studies were not for her. She liked being outdoors; she loved horses, whether it was caring for them, training them, showing them or breeding them.
“But Texas?” her mother asked, her voice rising only a little. “It’s so far. They have lovely horses in England. England is so much closer.”
Bethany had already resigned from her job at the royal stable and looked for a college offering a degree in ranch management. While there were several, the one at Texas A&M gave her more options. Once she had her degree, then she would figure out what to do with it. Maybe buy a ranch or get involved with horse rescue. In the meantime she would get a job at a ranch. She had experience and good recommendations.
“I know England is closer,” Bethany said lightly. “But it’s not for me.”
“I’ll miss you so much.” Her mother hugged her. “But I understand why you have to go.” Liana hesitated. “Have you heard from Cade?”
Bethany shook her head. “No, and I don’t expect to. It’s over. He’s not going to forgive me for what I did.”
“Then he’s not worth it, darling, and I suspect you know that.”
Sensible words, Bethany told herself. And while her head knew her mother was right, her heart was not so willing to let go of the man who held it captive.
* * *
CADE WAS OKAY with the guy in the suit who led him through the palace—it was the uniformed and armed guard who stayed close that made him nervous.
He’d waited nearly twenty minutes before the guy in the suit had reappeared. He escorted Cade through carved double doors that had to be nearly twenty feet high, then through a foyer the size of a basketball court. Cade had to show his passport at two different checkpoints before leaving what were obviously the public parts of the palace and entering the working section of the compound.
Ancient blended perfectly with modern. The floors were stone, several of the doorways arched. There were mosaics and murals, tapestries and carvings along with offices and computers and people talking on cell phones. The business of running a country was still a business and a large staff was required.
They passed what he would guess was a large lunchroom. A small raised platform held a Christmas tree, a large menorah and a red-and-white-striped mailbox with a sign saying Direct mailings to the North Pole. Cade felt the beginning of cultural dizziness and realized he actually knew very little about the country or its people.
Too late now, he thought as he was led into a very large, very impressive waiting area. Two men sat behind massive desks. They were both wearing headsets and speaking. One of them finished his call, then looked at Cade.
“Mr. Saunders, His Royal Highness, the King of El Bahar will see you now.”
Cade swore under his breath. He really hadn’t thought this through. Once he’d figured out how incredibly stupid he’d been to let Bethany go, all he could think about was getting to her to tell her he’d been wrong. He hadn’t considered the fact that he was going to have to face an actual king.
Yes, he’d met King Malik before, but at a casual dinner or at the ranch. Not like this.
One of the carved double doors opened and yet another suited minion appeared to escort Cade inside. The guard who had been with him since he entered the palace took Cade’s bag from him, then Cade was in what he guessed was Malik’s working office and alone with the king.
The monarch sat at his aircraft-carrier-sized desk. He wore a shirt and tie with his suit jacket hanging behind him. Windows looked out onto impressive gardens with the Arabian Sea in the distance.
Cade approached the desk. Malik looked up from the papers he’d been reading and raised his eyebrows.
“Cade, you are most unexpected.”
The tone wasn’t exactly warm and welcoming. Cade wondered how much Bethany had told her parents.
“I’m here to see Bethany,” he began.
Malik shook his head. “That is not going to happen. You have broken my daughter’s heart. Consider yourself lucky that I don’t in turn break parts of you.”