The Duke's Runaway Princess (Love By Accident) (5 page)

Zarah didn’t mind playing to Elise’s idiocy. She was going to make the sale even if the woman brought the dresses back the next day. It was only a little difficult to concentrate with that man watching her the whole time. Mary and the man chatted off in the corner, but the whole time Zarah spoke with Elise, she could feel the man’s eyes on her back, watching her intently.

By the time the couple had left, he was no longer hiding his amusement. Zarah had packed up all the dresses carefully, complimenting Elise the whole time and chatting her up to find out more about what the woman did and why she was here. There were ten dresses along with all the accessories packed up and ready for Elise by the time she finally left the store.

As soon as they were out of ear shot, Mary turned to Zarah with a look that told her the store owner knew exactly what had just transpired. “You have an evil streak in you that I’d never witnessed before,” she said. Both of them then burst out laughing at how silly Elise had been in her effort to impress the man with her little spending spree. Anyone who had witnessed the past half hour would have noticed Elise’s exasperation every time Derrick turned away.

“Who was he?” Zarah asked.

Mary stopped laughing and stared at Zarah. “Are you serious?”

She shook her head as she folded several of the sweaters on the table by the front door. “No. I’ve never seen him before.”

Mary moved to Zarah’s right hand side and helped her fold as well, neatening up the stacks for about the fiftieth time. “His name is Derrick Huntington. He’s the Duke of Waren. His family used to own all of this land. He still owns most of it, but he’s not at all like those others in the aristocracy. He’s a very nice gentleman.” She looked at Zarah out of the corner of her eye. “And he was looking at you like you were going to be his next meal!”

Zarah scoffed at that, realizing that the illustrious Duke of Waren was the man Suzanne had told her about on the plane so many months ago. “Don’t be ridiculous! He wasn’t doing anything of the sort. He was watching Elise make a fool of herself and I was just next to her leading her down that idiotic path.”

Mary was already shaking her head. “Oh, yes he was! And let me tell you, the exquisite Elise is not going to get that coveted engagement ring if those heated looks he was passing your way are any indication. She was definitely working the angle of the benevolent lady of the manor but you, my dear, are in his sights!”

Zarah waved that aside. She didn’t want to have anything to do with the Duke of Huntington. He had a look about him that made her uncomfortable and she had vowed that she wouldn’t spend her limited days of freedom being unnerved.

The following Saturday, she borrowed Suzanne’s car and did her usual jaunt out of the village. Each weekend, she drove twenty to thirty miles in one direction or another. She knew that eventually, Rashid would triangulate her position, but she didn’t want him to find her too quickly. She made sure to not go north or south very often and headed into London as often as possible, stopping at different areas before turning on her cell phone and calling her brother. She knew he was tracing her call but was careful to only check in with him and not have a long conversation. These calls were just to reassure him that she was okay and safe.

The whole drive into the city, she forced her mind to stop thinking about the Duke of Huntington. She’d even dreamt about that obnoxious man for some reason. She should have been grateful it wasn’t that horrible nightmare, but when she’d woken up tingling and out of breath, feeling frustrated and out of sorts, she decided that the nightmare was probably a better choice. At least for her peace of mind.

This time, she drove into Hounslow, a city outside of London, before she made her call.

His tone immediately told her that he was out of patience with her absence. “Zarah! This is getting old. Just tell me where you are so I can send someone to protect you,” he said after picking up on the first ring.

Zarah ignored his command to tell her where she was. He gave her the same order in various ways each weekend and she’d learned to expect it, to brace herself for the authority in his voice and ignore the tone so she could move on to reassuring him that she was safe enough. “How are you doing Rashid?” she asked, pretending he hadn’t given the expected order.

“I’m furious that you’re playing this ridiculous game! Now get home and we’ll talk about this! You’ve made your point.”

Zarah knew that there wouldn’t be any talking. At least not on her side. As soon as she landed in Tasain, Rashid would simply lay down the law and order her to marry whatever man he’d selected. Her opinion would no longer be taken into consideration.

She was having too much fun as a working woman to follow that path. “I think I’ll hang out a little while longer,” she replied, keeping an eye on her watch. She knew that it takes approximately two minutes to triangulate a phone call and she needed to be out of the area before Rashid’s security forces could track her down. Even if she waited too long, she knew he still had to get his guards to her location, but she didn’t want to give him that much information.

His next words proved that he was tracking her calls, trying to pin down her location. “Why do you like London so much? Is there something there that is more important that your responsibilities here at home?”

She was angry at this. “Are you referring to my responsibilities to procreate the next generation of leaders? Or my responsibility to represent my husband at stupid functions that I don’t want to attend simply because I’m his ridiculous arm candy?” She took a deep breath to calm down and glanced at her watch. “No Rashid. I’m not coming home. Not yet, anyway.”

His response was swift and furious. “You’re disobeying me, Zarah! And that’s not acceptable.”

She’d never spoken to him in this manner and she should have expected his vehement response, but it was still a surprise. She gripped the cell phone tightly, closing her eyes to keep herself calm and not lose her temper. “You’re not listening to me, Rashid. And I find that unacceptable.” She and Rashid had rarely fought growing up because anytime she would lose her temper, he would only be amused. He’d been so much older than she was and she’d worshiped him. So this argument now wasn’t in character and she knew Rashid was struggling to figure out how to handle his baby sister.

There was a long pause and Rashid finally said, “You know Sidra gave birth to a baby girl last month. Do you think you’ll ever come home and see Tiala? She’s beautiful.”

Zarah closed her eyes and fought the tears. When she could speak once again, she said, “Please send Sidra my love and I can’t wait to meet your baby girl.”

“Any idea when that might be?” he asked, the air waves vibrating with his unspoken anger.

Zara shook her head. “I don’t know.”

Another long pause and then she heard his heavy sigh of frustration. “Will you call again next week?”

Zarah nodded, biting her lower lip to keep herself from crying. “I’ve called every week just so you know I’m safe. Next week won’t be any different.”

“And are you safe?”

“Of course. I told you that I’m fine.”

“Okay. Until next week then,” he said, knowing she was going to click off soon. Their two minutes were almost over.

“Thank you. Give my love to Isla and everyone else, okay?”

“You come home and do that yourself,” he ordered.

“Goodbye, Rashid,” she said and clicked off. There were still several seconds they could have talked, but what was the point? He’d still admonish her for going her own way and she was firm in her refusal to bow to his wishes. Each conversation was a standoff and she wished he could just be happy for her and know that she was fine.

She wandered down the picturesque pathway, not really paying much attention to the summer birds or the sunshine filtering through the leaves overhead. A squirrel darted in front of her and ran up a tree, but all she could see was her brother’s furious face and how disappointed he was with her current actions.

Derrick watched the woman he’d been researching ever since his former girlfriend had walked out of Mary’s shop with so many dresses. He’d already been fascinated with her dark, mysterious beauty but watching her work Elise’s snobbishness not to mention her pointless and transparent attempts to prove to him that she would fit in easily with his world, Derrick couldn’t help but be impressed. This woman had played Elise perfectly and been unrepentant.

She was wearing a straight, black skirt and matched it with a simple, red cotton shirt. On any other woman, the outfit would look either plain or dowdy. On Zarah, the outfit took on a peasant look that complimented her lush figure, giving him an excellent view of her enticing bottom as well as those lush, full breasts pushing against the red fabric.

He listened to her conversation, uncaring that he was eavesdropping on a private phone call. The more he saw this woman, the more he wanted to know about her. She fascinated him in ways that no other woman had ever done.

“Running away from something?” a deep voice called out softly.

Zarah glanced up, startled, and looked around. The Duke of Huntington was leaning against an old tree, obviously having overheard her conversation. She was rattled, not so much by his question, but by the instant reaction her body had with his presence. That deep, rough voice added to the frisson…and those eyes! She felt like he knew everything about her and that knowledge was all shining through those intelligent, green eyes.

He looked magnificent in his dark, dress slacks and tailored white shirt. She could see the muscles in his arms because he’d rolled the cuffs up to compensate for the heat of the summer morning that was already hot and humid. His green silk tie was still perfectly knotted around his neck though and she wondered what it would be like to loosen that tie and unbutton his shirt, her fingers itching to discover what lay underneath.

Zarah quickly looked down and made sure that her cell phone was shut off and the battery out before turning back to the man. “That was a private conversation.” Why was she feeling so defensive and belligerent all of a sudden? It must be because of the dream she’d had last night. He’d featured so prominently and she’d felt things in that dream that just didn’t seem right! It was almost embarrassing what they’d done in her dream.

He pushed away from the tree upon which he’d been leaning. “And obviously a contentious one. Are you okay?”

Zarah sighed and shook her head, straightening her shoulders to help her feel more confident. “Why is it that men seem to think that women can’t take care of themselves?” she asked angrily, not sure why she was reacting so poorly when the man was only showing a kindness. Maybe it was the arrogant way he was standing or the intent look in his eyes that seemed to strike her as obnoxious, but there was just something about this man that irritated her. Or maybe it was just the fact that he’d obviously overheard her conversation and hadn’t been gentlemanly enough to give her some privacy.

He shrugged and winked at her. “Maybe it’s the caveman instinct within the male species. Or perhaps we just want ownership over all that we see. Was that your boyfriend you were fighting with?”

She stiffened, worried about what she might have said that could reveal her identity. She didn’t know this man and couldn’t be sure that he would keep her secret if he ever found out who she was. Men tended to stick together so she could easily see this man finding out that she was the missing Tasain Princess and call Rashid, just for brownie points. “Can I do something for you?” she asked, ignoring his comment about her conversation with Rashid, wanting to change the subject quickly.

He moved out from the more shadowed area produced by the overhanging tree branches and came to stand closer to her, towering over her and looking down at her with those enigmatic eyes. “I want you to come work for me,” he said, completely surprising Zarah.

She stood there for a long moment, letting his words sink into her mind. She said them over and over again, trying to process what he meant but they still didn’t make any sense. “Excuse me?” she asked as politely as possible, but between her conversation with her brother and the way this man made her feel, she wasn’t sure if the words came out very nicely.

He watched those beautiful brown eyes cloud up with confusion and suspicion. She was different, he realized. Most of the women he ran into were doing anything they could to gain his attention but this slender beauty was going out of her way to avoid him. Not only was he more than interested, but he was definitely ready for a challenge. He wanted her. And he’d just figured out a way to move her into his sphere so that he could spend more time with her. He’d just figured out her secret and he wasn’t above manipulating her desires to get what he wanted.

He’d been keeping tabs on her subtly with the villagers. He hadn’t spent much time there since her arrival, but he was suspicious of anyone who arrived that might harm those good people. He hadn’t been able to get much information on her background, but he’d asked the people she worked with and had found that she was creative, smart and intelligent, not to mention she was eager to help them out. After looking into her suggestions, he was grateful to her for how she was helping the various business owners.

But her eagerness to help and her well-thought out suggestions gave him deep insight into her business mind. She wanted a business challenge. He could see it in her eyes and understood that desperate need to prove something. He’d created massive success in business by figuring out what people wanted and giving it to them. He was a master at channeling their desires so that they meshed with his own plans for his various companies, tying everything together so that everyone came out a winner. This woman wanted to prove something to the person she’d been arguing with.

That was fine with him. He wanted her, he’d give her a business challenge that would give her the proof she needed and he would have her in his bed. A win-win situation for everyone involved, he suspected.

“You heard me. I’ve been looking into your work. You’ve increased the revenues for several of the business owners in the village. I want you to expand your efforts.”