THE UNSUITABLE BRIDE

CHAPTER SEVEN

Sleep, little one, save your energy.

As if.

Thoughts of Lisa’s parting remarks swirled through Roseanne’s mind all night. The bed smelled of Lisa. Roseanne’s body ached in a delicious, addictive way so that every movement reminded Roseanne of Lisa’s hands on her flesh, Lisa’s hardness and strength. When Roseanne wasn’t thinking about the way Lisa’d pleasured her, Roseanne’s mind was ticking over the whirlwind of the last twenty four hours and the fact she was about to be transformed from ‘the Illegitimate Princess’ to Emira of this powerful country.

Roseanne’d barely got to grips with life in Mosar, though her brother had instituted a sort of immersion training, sending Roseanne to a kind of ‘royalty school’ in the form of tutors who came each morning to educate her in the ways of the country, governance, diplomacy and the history of the region. Courtesy of that, she didn’t feel so completely panicked by the idea of serving as a Queen to these people.

She’d fought against the idea of marriage to Lisa but somehow that had changed, and so quickly.

Heat flushed her body as she pinpointed exactly what had changed.

Sex.

The feeling of euphoria that came from being touched and kissed by Lisa, by being made love to by Lisa. Roseanne felt a rush of giddy, overpowering pleasure but there was worry there too. Worry about how out of her depth she was with Lisa. Worry about what would happen when Lisa’s sexual interest in Roseanne waned – as surely it must. Why else would a woman like Lisa still be single? Worry about what Roseanne’d do in a loveless marriage with a wife who was no longer interested in her.

She tossed and turned, but sleep continued to evade Roseanne and a future with so many unanswered questions haunted her. The sun rose over Salim early, and she gave up on even trying to sleep, pushing the covers back and moving to the window. Her eyes found the mountain range, her heart thundering at the significance of Lisa’s cabin there. The sun rose and Roseanne tried to focus on this one day in time – not the thousands that would follow and what they might bring.

“You look exhausted.”

Roseanne blinked up at Lisa’s voice, Lisa’s intrusion completely unexpected, Roseanne’s body’s response predictable as heat flushed her cheeks and her nerve endings reverberated at a desperate frequency.

Roseanne’d spent the morning meeting people. Women. Wives of senior government officials, and some who occupied senior positions themselves. And most importantly, Lisa’s sister. Minnie Katabi. As beautiful as she was insightful, Roseanne had found their interaction particularly draining, because Minnie had been operating under the assumption that theirs was a love match. Despite the fact their countries had been embroiled in hostilities for a lifetime, Minnie had made an effort to set those aside, and Roseanne had been glad. In another universe, she imagined the two of them might have become friends.

Roseanne’s understanding of Arabic was good, but maintaining conversations for several long hours in a row had zapped her of the little energy she had remaining. She’d been enjoying a quiet ten minutes to herself, staring vacantly at a fascinating sculpture across the elegant courtyard, mesmerised by the slow fall of water from its top, soothed by the gentle noise and the opportunity to avoid conversation for a time.

But the appearance of Lisa was instantly energising. Roseanne stood, pressing her palms to the side of her pale pink dress, fixing Lisa with what she hoped would pass for a cool smile.

“Do I?”

“Yes.”

“How…flattering.”

Lisa put a hand beneath Roseanne’s elbow, guiding her away from the courtyard, a frown on Lisa’s lips. “You should not sit out in this sun so long. Your skin will burn.”