Undercover Sheik by Marton Dana

Author:Marton, Dana [Marton, Dana]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Suspense
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-12-14T00:44:13+00:00

NASIR in the traditional robe and dress of his people was darkly handsome. Nasir in a suit was a two- legged cardiac arrest. Sadie tried not to gawk as she caught up with him.

The Western clothes seemed to close the distance between them somehow. He could have been any of her neighbors back at home, any of the doctors at the hospital. Well, not any, really. She hadn’t ever met anyone quite like him.

Had he been offended by the exotic dress Dara had insisted she should have? The odd look he’d given her was hard to interpret. It was a fine dress, though, no matter what anybody thought. The cool silk caressed her skin with every step, the loose fit comfortable in the heat of the evening. And it did seem suitably modest, at least by Western standards. The hemline came to her ankles and the long, flowing sleeves covered her arms to the wrist. The neckline was as prim as could be. She was as well-covered as if she wore the abayah, although the dress’ fine material, lovely color and flattering cut were a far cry from that shapeless, drab garment.

They engaged in small talk as he led her up a curving staircase carved from stone, chatted about what she thought of the queen’s quarters, if she’d had enough rest.

Then they finally reached the gardens and whatever his last polite question had been was promptly forgotten.

She could do nothing but stare.

Paradise.

Or as close to it as man could come.

“It’s stunning,” she said, finding the word insufficient.

Palm trees bobbed in the evening breeze, grass—honest to goodness grass—edged the bricked walkway. The profusion of flowers was dizzying, their colors and scents a true feast for the senses.

“It seems unreal.” She moved forward as the garden drew her in.

The balmy air on her face felt wonderful. She’d spent the day with Dara, even took lunch in the queen’s quarters. She’d been pampered to death and received a new wardrobe. And they talked ceaselessly about everything from Dara’s life in Beharrain to Sadie’s misery at the bandit camp.

“My grandmother planted the first garden up here,” Nasir said. “My father made sure it was tended after her death, but during the civil war and Majid’s rule the plants were neglected and most of them died. Dara has been working on restoring the garden based on old pictures.”

She’s doing a fabulous job, Sadie thought. From everything she’d seen so far, Queen Dara seemed happy and fulfilled—not at all what she would have expected from a Western woman in this situation. She’d thought Dara was trapped here by her love for the king, willing to give up her own culture. But the woman she’d gotten to know that afternoon appeared anything but “trapped.” She ruled. And nobody could deny that she looked radiantly happy.

The garden’s beauty drew Sadie’s attention from the enigma of the queen. The winding path before her begged to be explored. She heard water somewhere just around the corner. She discovered the source once they rounded the bend—a magical fishpond with a cleverly sculpted waterfall.

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