‘Because it is so beautiful,’ Kasia said, as if it were obvious. ‘Let’s explore more.’ Rushing to a dresser that stood against one wall, she switched on a lamp, casting a golden glow over the room.
Jewels sparkled and glowed, and dusty linens draped the furniture, which obviously hadn’t been used for many years. But Cat couldn’t help noticing the more modern touches. An old-fashioned record player stood on a book stand full of paperback novels, while a lavish couch was covered in a quilt with the Stars and Stripes on it, that looked incongruous next to the ornate Arabic-influenced interior design of the rest of the salon.
‘Which queen did this place belong to?’ Cat asked, but she already knew.
‘Queen Zelda,’ Kasia said, her footsteps soft on the silk rugs that covered the marble flooring as she rushed to an archway in the far wall and hauled back a screen. Her soft gasp propelled Cat across the room.
Kasia stood aside to reveal an array of silk robes, hanging in what had to be the Queen’s dressing chamber. Made of gossamer-thin silk like the ones they both wore to stave off the heat, these lavishly embroidered garments had one crucial difference: the material was completely transparent.
Cat’s cheeks heated as Kasia ran her hands under the cloth. ‘Look how fine they are.’
Cat touched the silk, the fabric unbearably sensual against her fingertips. ‘Do you know anything about Queen Zelda’s time at the palace?’
It had never even occurred to her that Kasia might know something about Zane’s mother. Zelda had left Narabia when Zane was still a baby, which was over thirty years ago. Plus, the girl was an inveterate gossip, happy to give Cat the inside scoop on all the comings and goings of the women in the women’s quarters, but she’d never spoken about the royal family. No one had.
Kasia looked sheepish. ‘I only know the stories.’
‘What stories?’ Cat asked, dropping her voice to a whisper to match Kasia’s furtive tone.
‘They say that Tariq built this chamber for her when she became pregnant. He did not want her to drink the wine she loved too much. But when she became sad, he would not let her leave.’
‘Are you saying he kept her here against her will?’ Cat asked, unable to keep the shock from her voice.
Kasia nodded, avid curiosity lighting her face. ‘Yes, that is what they say. That he kept her locked in here for many months, until the new Sheikh was born—like a beautiful bird in a gilded cage.’ Kasia’s florid imagery and her obvious eagerness to repeat the unsubstantiated gossip made the story sound preposterous. Like the plot of a trashy novel. Or a Gothic romance. But something about the chamber—its haunting beauty, the lingering scent of white musk perfume—felt oppressive... And desperately sad.
If Tariq had kept Zane here against his will as a teenager, wasn’t it also possible he had kept his m
other here against her will too? He would certainly have had the power to do so, if what she’d read in the ancient scrolls still held true today. That the Sheikh commanded a divine right to rule, not just over his subjects, but also over the royal household.
‘That’s tragic, if it’s true,’ Cat murmured. Maybe Tariq had been trying to save Zelda from her addiction, but he should have got her help, not just locked her up here. No wonder she had run away from him.
‘No, no.’ Kasia looked shocked by Cat’s assessment. ‘No, it is not tragic. It is romantic.’ Kasia sighed and Cat realised in that moment how young and sheltered the girl was. ‘Do you not see? He loved her with such passion, he could not let her go.’
‘But she would have been a prisoner here,’ Cat said.
Kasia only laughed. ‘Would you not want to be a prisoner here—’ she swept her hand out to encompass the stunning suite of rooms ‘—if you could have His Divine Majesty make love to you every night?’
Of course not, she wanted to say, but the denial got lodged in her throat, swallowed up by the wave of desire that had sprung from nowhere.
Heat rose up her torso, her nipples peaking painfully beneath her robe as the memory of Zane’s lips feasting on her mouth blazed through her body like wildfire.
Oh, for pity’s sake.
What was wrong with her? It had been a simple kiss. A mistake. They’d both agreed as much. Why couldn’t she forget it?
Kasia lifted one of the negligees off the rail and held it in front of Cat.
‘Imagine you are wearing this and the Sheikh comes to you,’ she teased, batting her eyelashes outrageously. ‘He is so handsome, and he wants only you. Would you say no?’
‘Yes!’ Cat croaked, wanting desperately to mean it, but the picture Kasia painted was all too reminiscent of the lurid pleasures that had chased her in dreams every night since she and Zane had shared that ill-advised kiss.
‘Put it on. See how glorious it makes you feel.’ Kasia grinned, the mischievous twinkle as enchanting as it was dangerous as she thrust the garment into Cat’s hands. ‘And then tell me you would turn the Sheikh away.’
The girl reached to undo the buttons on the front of Cat’s robe.
‘Stop it. Kasia! Are you mad?’ Cat whispered furiously, finally managing to bat the girl’s fingers away, but not before she’d undone enough buttons to have Cat’s robe hanging open. ‘I’m not putting it on. That would be totally wrong.’
‘I know. I was only joking.’ The girl pressed a hand to her lips to contain her laughter. ‘But you looked so shocked. I could not help teasing you.’