Page 26 of Royally Promoted

‘No formal matchmaking,’ his mother said, leaning to pour them all some more coffee from the ornate gold-and-sapphire china pot. His father met his eyes and for a second Malik was startled by a flash of amused camaraderie which was compounded when his mother smiled at him.

‘You are not of our generation, Malik, so we decided that bringing in a formal matchmaker would not be appropriate.’

‘I didn’t think they existed.’

‘You do not live here.’ His father actually stifled a grin. ‘Some of the ladies would find it quite tricky to find a suitable partner without input from Mrs Bilal. Nadia, would you agree? Not every eligible young woman is a beauty queen.’

Malik burst out laughing as his mother lowered her lashes and tried not to laugh as well.

‘Some names...’

‘I’ll leave it to you,’ Malik said.

‘But Malik, you cannot simply settle for who we find for you.’

‘I trust you.’

‘You will not be disappointed. A social gathering...something as befits your station...and, of course, should you not approve of any of the women, then we will not urge you to make a choice.’

Malik’s mind was drifting. He would leave it to his mother because she would do a good job. His future was being discussed but it felt unreal, far more unreal than the trajectory of his thoughts, which kept returning to Lucy. But that was to be expected. Marriage to a woman whose face he couldn’t conjure was going to feel like an out of body experience compared to the reality of the woman sharing his palace, with her outspoken opinions, sharp brain and, now, her somersaulting emotions.

So, a wife to be was a dimly shaped thought easily deferred for the moment. He knew the social pool from which she would be chosen. He didn’t know quite what sort of social gathering his mother had in mind, but it would be what it would be.

He returned to a darkened palace a little after eleven. Under normal circumstances, he might have been tempted to work, catch up on what was happening with his own personal business interests scattered across various countries, but his mind refused to settle sufficiently for him to concentrate.

Lying in the silence of his magnificent bedroom, it dawned on him that niggling at the back of his mind was his secretary.

He thought about Lucy and he thought about his parents, and that brief glimpse of two people relaxed with one another, and more human than he’d ever noticed previously.

Had Lucy brought out something in his mother, some lightness that hadn’t been visible before? Or was Lucy’s presence here, in his country, making him see his parents through different eyes?

He would eventually have killed wayward thoughts by flipping open his computer and forcing himself to concentrate but he didn’t have to do that. As distractions went, all wayward thoughts were dispelled the second the alarm signal flashed silently on his mobile.

Malik stilled.

He knew exactly where the intruder was. He had the option of immediately contacting the security team at the palace, who would respond within seconds, but he preferred the other option of confronting whoever had had the temerity to break in.

He slid quietly out of the bed, slung on a pair of drawstring joggers and stealthily made his way downstairs, bare-backed and bare-footed.

It was warm outside. Even in her loose tee-shirt and the cotton shorts she wore to bed, Lucy was still warm.

But it was beautiful. The sky was a black shroud covering everything, pierced with stars that shimmered like tiny jewels. No light pollution out here, and no noise pollution either. London could learn a lesson or two on that front, she thought.

Sitting on one of the rattan chairs, which she rarely used during the day because of the blistering heat, it was impossible not to think of paradise. The dunes were just about visible in the distance.

She hadn’t been able to sleep because her mind had been too busy dwelling on how annoyed she still was with Malik, and how hurt she’d been when he’d warned her off getting too cosy with his family. As if she had some kind of hidden agenda! She might have earlier parked those emotions but, once the lights were off, they returned with renewed force.

She’d tiptoed her way through the palace a little after one in morning. It was a massive, bewildering place but she had managed to carve out a few familiar routes for herself. The one she took led down to the kitchens, where she fetched herself some water before heading outside so that she could sit back and let her thoughts wander until they’d covered all the ground they could possibly cover.

The sound behind her was so imperceptible that she was unaware of anyone behind her until she felt a presence. Heart beating madly, Lucy simultaneously spun round and shot out of the chair.

‘Malik!’

They stared at one another while the silence gathered around them, dense and heavy.

Malik was lost for words.

He stared at her. He couldn’t stop staring. Her hair was all over the place, a riotous fall of caramel and blonde curls that pelted over her shoulders and down to her waist.

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