“I could have a manor house in the English countryside, for all you know.”
“You could. But you haven’t.”
“Don’t tell me, you’ve checked.”
“Of course.”
“Why would you bother investigating someone so disloyal, so easily bribed?”
“Because I didn’t believe it when my father told me then, and I certainly don’t believe it now. You wanted me to hate you, you wanted me not to follow you because you knew I would.”
“You can think what you like.”
“I do.”
“Although I can’t think why you imagine I would accept a bribe and then not spend the money.”
“Oh, I don’t think you haven’t spent it.” Electricity crackled in the air between them. “Iknowyou have.”
He couldn’t. He might, for some reason, guess, but he couldn’t know. She’d done everything to cover her traces. If there was one thing she knew about it was objects and ownership.
She shook her head. “Why would you think such a thing?”
“It’s illegal for a foreign national to purchase an object of cultural interest in Gharb Havilah. But you know that, of course.”
She refused to be drawn into the conversation. “What is that to do with me?”
“You bought the Qur’an in a private deal. A week later, the object was brought to Gharb Havilah and presented to the museum.”
She shrugged. “Then I suggest you follow up with whoever brought it here.”
“You know full well, that a courier company delivered it. A company that had no knowledge of who had sent it.”
“Well, I fail to see why you believe I’m connected with this.”
“Theyhad no knowledge, butImade it my job to find out.”
She’d had enough. She knew he’d never stop until he’d got what he wanted—her admission of guilt. He’d found out the truth somehow and was determined she should admit it. She swallowed. “How did you find out?”
The intensity had left his features as he sat back, now he’d got what he’d wanted. “I didn’t, Gabrielle. It was merely a guess. True, it was an educated guess. That is why I wanted you here—to find out for myself the truth. I needed to know for certain.”
“You tricked me.”
“I did what I had to do to uncover the truth. And, I rather think it was you trying to trick me. You took the money from my father because you believed him when he told you that you would be no good for me and the future of my country. Isn’t that so?”
She pursed her lips closed. He’d got what he wanted, and he wasn’t going to get any more.
“And you only used it when you discovered the piece was for sale. You bought it and donated it anonymously to the country. Didn’t you?”
His words filled the cavernous room, seeming to hang accusingly in the air. It seemed he wasn’t going to relent until she’d given him an answer. “Yes.”
He changed visibly before her eyes. It was as if a weight had been released from every muscle and sinew in his body. It was only then that she realized how much this meant to him. But it changed nothing. She’d simply have to find another way to show him that they had no future together.
He nodded and stopped pacing and sat on a chair opposite her. “So that leads us to another puzzle. Why would you spend a small fortune on a heritage collection which belongs to a foreign country?”
“Why, because it’s important.”
“For us, maybe. But for you? You’re not one of us, are you?”