Desert Rogues Part 2 (54 page)

“M
s. Snowden?”

Daphne saw a well-dressed young man walking toward her. “Yes?”

“The prince is waiting. If you will follow me?”

As Daphne trailed after the man, she wondered if he had any idea she wasn't Brittany. She doubted Murat had bothered to brief his staff on the arrival of a potential bride. He'd rarely concerned himself with details like that. So she would guess that his staff member had simply been told to escort the woman who arrived to an appropriate meeting area.

“Someone is in for a surprise,” she murmured under her breath as she walked down a wide corridor lined with stunning mosaics and elegant antiques.

Just being back in the palace made her feel better. She wanted to ask her guide to wait a few minutes while she stopped to enjoy an especially beautiful view from a window or a spectacular piece of artwork. Instead she trailed along dutifully, concentrating on tapestries and carvings instead of what she was going to say when she saw Murat.

They turned a corner. Up ahead Daphne saw a large tabby cat sitting in a patch of sun and washing her face. She smiled as she recalled the dozens and dozens of cats the king kept in the palace.

“In here, Ms. Snowden,” the man said as he paused in front of an open door. “The prince will be with you shortly.”

She nodded, then walked past him into a small sitting room. The furniture was Western, complete with a sofa, three chairs, a coffee table and a buffet along the far wall. A carafe of ice water and several glasses sat next to a phone on the buffet. She walked over and helped herself to the refreshment.

As she drank she looked around the room and shook her head. How like Murat to have a stranger bring his prospective bride to a room and then drop her off. If Brittany had been here, the teenager would have been terrified by now. The least he could have done was to have sent a woman and then have her keep Brittany company.

But she wasn't Brittany, Daphne reminded herself. Nor was she afraid. Ten years had given her a lot of experience and perspective. Murat might be expecting a young, malleable bride who would bow to his every wish and quiver with fear at the thought of displeasing him, but what he was getting instead was a very different matter.

Footsteps sounded in the hallway. She set down the glass and squared her shoulders. Seconds later the prince from her past strolled into the room.

He still moved with an easy grace of one “to the manor born,” she thought as she took in his powerful body and elegant suit. And he was still a formidable opponent, she reminded herself as he stopped and stared at her.

Not by a flicker of a lash did he indicate he was the least bit surprised.

“Daphne,” the crown prince said with a slight smile. “You have returned at last.”

“I know you weren't expecting me,” she said. “But Brittany couldn't make it.”

He raised one dark eyebrow. “Has she been taken ill?”

“No. She simply came to her senses. Even as we speak, she's on a plane back to the United States. There isn't going to be a wedding.” She thought maybe she'd been a bit abrupt, so she added a somewhat insincere, “I'm sorry.”

“Yes, I can feel your compassion from here,” Murat said as he crossed to the buffet and picked up the phone. He dialed four numbers, then spoke. “The airport. Flight control.”

He waited a few seconds, then spoke again. “My plane?”

She watched while he listened. It was possible a muscle tightened in his jaw, but she couldn't be sure. He had to be feeling something, she told herself. Or maybe not. Ten years ago he'd let her go without a word. Why should this runaway bride matter?

He hung up the phone and turned back to her. “I assume you had something to do with Brittany's decision.”

He wasn't asking a question, but she answered it all the same. “Of course. It was madness. I can't imagine what you were thinking. She's barely eighteen, Murat. Still a child. If you're so desperate for a bride, at least pick someone who is close to being an equal.”

For the first time since he walked into the room, he showed emotion, and it wasn't a happy one. Temper drew his eyebrows together.

“You insult me with both your familiarity and your assumption.”

She winced silently. Of course. She'd called him by his first name. “I apologize for not using the proper title.”

“And the other?”

“I'll do whatever is necessary to keep Brittany safe from you.”

“Just because you were not interested in being my wife doesn't mean that others feel the same way.”

“I agree completely. There is a world filled with willing young women. Have them all—I don't care. But you're not marrying my niece.”

Instead of answering her, he pulled a small device out of his pocket. It was about the size of a key fob. Seconds later a half dozen armed guards burst into the room and surrounded Daphne. Two of them grabbed her by the arms.

She was too stunned to protest.

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

“Myself? Nothing.” Murat returned what she assumed was a security device to his jacket pocket, then adjusted his cuffs. “The guards are another story.”

Daphne glared at him. “What? You're arresting me because I wouldn't let you marry my niece?”

“I'm holding you in protective custody for interfering with the private business of the Crown Prince of Bahania.”

She narrowed her gaze. “This is crazy. You can't do this to me.”

“All evidence to the contrary.”

“Bastard.”

She tried to squirm away from the guards, but they didn't let her go.

“You'd better not try to turn that plane around,” she said, her fury growing. “I won't let you touch her. Not for a second.”

Murat crossed toward the door, then paused and glanced at her. “Make no mistake, Daphne. One way or another, there will be a wedding in four months, and the bride will be a Snowden. There is nothing you can do to stop me.”

“Want to bet?” she asked, knowing the words were as futile as her attempt to twist free of the guards.

“Of course. I have no fear of wagering with you.” He smiled again. “What will you give me when I win?”

She lunged for him and only got a sharp pain in her arm for her reward. Murat chuckled as he walked away.

“When I get my hands on him,” she said. “I swear I'll…” She pressed her lips together. On second thought, threatening the prince while still in the presence of several burly guards wasn't exactly smart.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked when the guards continued to just stand here, holding her in place.

The one by the door touched an earpiece, then nodded.

“What? Getting instructions from the crown prince himself?” she asked. “Couldn't he have told you while he was still in the room?”

Apparently not, she realized as the guards started moving. The two holding on to her kept their grips firm enough that she didn't want to risk pulling away. She had a feeling she was already going to be plenty bruised by her experience.

The group of guards, with her in the center, walked down the main corridor, then stopped at a bank of elevators. The one in communication with Murat pushed the down button. When the car arrived, it was a tight fit, but they all made it inside. Daphne noticed how none of the men stood too close to her. In fact, except for the hold on her arms, they were pretty much ignoring her.

She tried to remember the layout of the palace so she could figure out where they were going.
Down
wasn't her idea of a happy thought. Were there still dungeons in the palace? She wouldn't put it past Murat to lock her up.

But when they stepped out of the elevator and headed along a more narrow corridor, Daphne suddenly realized their destination. It was much worse than any dungeon.

“You're not taking me there,” she said, wiggling and twisting to escape.

The guard on her left tightened his grip on her arm. “Ma'am, we don't want to hurt you.”

The implication being they would if necessary.

I'll get him for this, she thought as she stopped fighting. One way or another, Murat would pay.

They turned a corner, and Daphne saw the famous gold double doors. They stood nearly ten feet tall and were heavily embossed with a scene of several young women frolicking at an oasis.

One of the guards stepped forward and opened the door on the left. The rest marched her inside.

When the men released her, she thought briefly about making a dash for freedom but knew she would be caught and returned here. So she accepted her fate with dignity and a vow that she would find her way out as soon as she could.

The guards left. She heard the heavy clang as the doors closed behind them and the thunk of the gold cross bar being locked into place. Low conversation from the hallway told her that someone would be left on duty to watch over her.

“This is just like you, Murat,” she said as she placed her hands on her hips. “You might be an imperial, piggish prince, but I can stand it. I can stand anything to keep you from marrying Brittany.”

Daphne looked for something to throw, but the thick, cream-colored walls were completely bare. The only decoration was the brightly colored tile floor.

She moved through the arched entryway, into the large open living area. Dozens of chairs and sofas filled the vast space. The doorway to the left led to the baths, the one on the right led to the sleeping rooms. She recognized this part of the palace from her explorations ten years before. Recognized and fumed because of it.

Dammit all, if Murat hadn't locked her in the harem.

 

Murat stalked toward the business wing of the palace. Fury quickened his steps. After all this time Daphne Snowden had dared to return to Bahania, only to once again disrupt his world.

Had she come modestly, begging his apology for her unforgivable acts? Of course not. He swore silently. The woman had stared him in the eye, speaking as if they were equals. She had
defied
him.

Murat swept past the guards outside his father's business suite and stepped into the inner office.

“She is here,” he announced as he came to a stop in front of the large, carved desk.

The king raised his eyebrows. “You do not sound happy. Has your fiancée displeased you already?”

“She is not my fiancée.”

His father sighed, then stood and walked around the desk. “Murat, I know you have reservations about this engagement. You complain that the girl is too young and inexperienced, that she can never be happy here, but once again I ask you to give her a chance.”

Murat stared at his father. Anger bubbled inside of him, although he was careful to keep it from showing. He'd spent a lifetime not reacting to anything, and that practice served him well now.

“You misunderstand me, Father,” he said in a low voice. “Brittany Snowden is not here in the palace. She is flying back to America even as we speak.”

The king frowned. “Then who is here?”

“Daphne.”

“Your former—”

Murat cut him off with a quick, “Yes.”

One of the many advantages of being the crown prince was the ability to assert his will on others. Ten years ago, when his former fiancée had left without so much as a note, he'd forbidden any to speak her name. All had obeyed except his father, who did not need to pay attention to the will of the crown prince.

“She attempts to defy me,” Murat said as he walked to the window and leaned against the sill. “She stood there and told me she would not permit me to marry her niece.” He laughed harshly. “As if her desires matter at all to me. I am Crown Prince Murat of Bahania. I determine my fate. No one, especially not a mere woman, dares to instruct me.”

His father nodded. “I see. So you complain that Daphne wants to prevent you from marrying someone whom you did not want to marry in the first place.”

“That is not the point,” Murat told him as he folded his arms across his chest. “There is a principle at stake. The woman did not respect my position ten years ago and nothing has changed.”

“I can see how that would be difficult,” the king said. “Where is she now?”

Murat glanced down as one of his father's cats stood on the sofa, stretched, then curled back up and closed its eyes.

“I have offered her a place to stay while this is sorted out,” he said.

“I'm surprised Daphne would want to remain in the palace. She has delivered her message.”

Murat stared at his father. “I did not give her a choice. I had the guards deliver her to the harem.”

Very little startled the king, so Murat enjoyed seeing his father's mouth drop open with surprise.

“The harem?” the older man repeated.