Liz Fielding - The Sheikh's Convenient Princess

From secretary...to the sheikh’s wife!

Sheikh Ibrahim al-Ansari knows a reconciliation with his estranged father means accepting his father’s choice of bride...unless he gets there first! Luckily he has the perfect princess in mind—his new assistant Ruby Dance.

After her last cheating boyfriend, Ruby is avoiding all commitments, but this promotion could help her family, so she agrees to a temporary marriage. She should be craving her next assistant role, not the devastating beauty of the desert and the man who rules it all...

Romantic Getaways

Escape to Paradise!

This Valentine’s Day escape to four of the world’s most romantic destinations with these sparkling books from Mills & Boon Romance!

From the awe-inspiring desert to vibrant Barcelona, and from the stunning coral reefs of Australia to heart-stoppingly romantic Venice—get swept away by these wonderful romances!

The Sheikh’s Convenient Princess

by Liz Fielding

The Unforgettable Spanish Tycoon

by Christy McKellen

The Billionaire of Coral Bay

by Nikki Logan

Her First-Date Honeymoon

by Katrina Cudmore

The Sheikh’s Convenient Princess

Liz Fielding

www.millsandboon.co.uk

LIZ FIELDING was born with itchy feet. She made it to Zambia before her twenty-first birthday and, gathering her own special hero and a couple of children on the way, lived in Botswana, Kenya and Bahrain—with pauses for sightseeing pretty much everywhere in between. She now lives in the west of England, close to the Regency grandeur of Bath and the ancient mystery of Stonehenge, and these days leaves her pen to do the traveling.

For news of upcoming books visit Liz’s website: www.lizfielding.com.

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I’m dedicating this, my 65th title, to my wonderful

readers—some of whom have been with me from

the first Friday in December 1992, when my

first book, An Image of You, was published.

You are my inspiration.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text From secretary...to the sheikh’s wife! Sheikh Ibrahim al-Ansari knows a reconciliation with his estranged father means accepting his father’s choice of bride...unless he gets there first! Luckily he has the perfect princess in mind—his new assistant Ruby Dance. After her last cheating boyfriend, Ruby is avoiding all commitments, but this promotion could help her family, so she agrees to a temporary marriage. She should be craving her next assistant role, not the devastating beauty of the desert and the man who rules it all...

Introduction Romantic Getaways Escape to Paradise! This Valentine’s Day escape to four of the world’s most romantic destinations with these sparkling books from Mills & Boon Romance! From the awe-inspiring desert to vibrant Barcelona, and from the stunning coral reefs of Australia to heart-stoppingly romantic Venice—get swept away by these wonderful romances! The Sheikh’s Convenient Princess by Liz Fielding The Unforgettable Spanish Tycoon by Christy McKellen The Billionaire of Coral Bay by Nikki Logan Her First-Date Honeymoon by Katrina Cudmore

Title Page The Sheikh’s Convenient Princess Liz Fielding www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author LIZ FIELDING was born with itchy feet. She made it to Zambia before her twenty-first birthday and, gathering her own special hero and a couple of children on the way, lived in Botswana, Kenya and Bahrain—with pauses for sightseeing pretty much everywhere in between. She now lives in the west of England, close to the Regency grandeur of Bath and the ancient mystery of Stonehenge, and these days leaves her pen to do the traveling. For news of upcoming books visit Liz’s website: www.lizfielding.com .

Dedication I’m dedicating this, my 65th title, to my wonderful readers—some of whom have been with me from the first Friday in December 1992, when my first book, An Image of You, was published. You are my inspiration.

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

Extract

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

‘BRAM...’

Bram Ansari had answered the phone without looking up from a document that had just arrived by courier. ‘Hamad...I was about to call you.’

‘Then you’ve received the summons to Father’s birthday majlis.’

‘It arrived ten minutes ago. I imagine I have you to thank for that.’

‘No. It’s his wish. He’s sick, Bram. It’s a significant birthday. You need to be home.’

His brother did not sound particularly happy at the prospect.

‘I doubt everyone thinks that.’

‘It’s covered. The old man has negotiated a secret deal with the Khadri family.’

‘A deal?’ Bram frowned. ‘What kind of deal?’ The last time he’d seen Ahmed Khadri the man had threatened to cut his throat if he ever stepped foot in Umm al Basr. ‘Tell me.’

As his brother explained the secret deal his father had negotiated to enable Bram to return home the colour leached out of the day until the sky, the sea, the flowers overflowing the tower turned grey.

‘No...’

‘I’m sorry, Bram, but at least you’re prepared. If Bibi hadn’t managed to smuggle a note to her sister you would have been presented with a fait accompli.’

‘You think I can go through with this?’

‘It’s the price that must be paid.’

‘But I won’t be the one paying it!’ He took a breath. ‘How is your family?’ he asked, cutting Hamad short when he would have argued. ‘The new baby?’

‘In sh’Allah, all my precious girls are thriving. Safia sends her fondest wishes and thanks for the gifts.’ He hesitated. ‘She said to say that you are always in her prayers.’

Bram ended the call then swept the invitation from the table in impotent fury. The longed-for chance to kneel at his father’s feet and beg his forgiveness had come attached to a tangle of string that would take more than prayers to unravel. It would need a miracle.

The phone beeped, warning him that he had a missed call. He glanced at the screen and ignored it. His aide was spending a long weekend with friends in the Alps and the last thing he needed right now was a joyous description of the snow conditions.

* * *

Qa’lat al Mina’a, perched high on its rocky promontory, shimmered like a mirage in the soft pink haze of the setting sun.

Far below, beyond a perfect curve of white sand, a dhow was drifting slowly along the coast under a dark red sail and for a brief moment Ruby felt as if she might have been transported back into some Arabian Nights fantasy, flying in on a magic carpet rather than a gleaming black helicopter.

The illusion was swiftly shattered as they circled to land.

The fortress might appear, at first glance, to be a picturesque ruin, a reminder of a bygone age, but behind the mass of purple bougainvillaea billowing against its walls was a satellite dish, antennae—all the trappings of the communications age, powered by an impressive range of solar panels facing south where the jebel fell away to the desert.