She hated this man. She shouldn’t—it wasn’t Christ-like—but he had raped her mother. Out of spite. And she resented having his attention trained on her.
“She had that look too.” He pitched her head backwards, then returned to his settee and nodded to his eldest son.
Crown Prince Maaz leaned forward and gave her a hard look. “Did you enjoy the trip?”
Knowing this prince did not approve of her in his home, Leighton guessed the question was a trap. Staring at the inlaid black designs in the marble floor, she made herself offer a benign reply. “It was an unexpected honor to be invited.” A smile would be a nice touch, so she put one on her face. “It was my first trip to France.”
He stood, and it seemed the very movement stirred a wake of heat toward her. “That is not what I asked,” he bit out in irritation.
Dread churning, Leighton knew she had to enter his trap. “Yes,” she admitted quietly. “Princess Daria was exceptionally kind to include me.”
“She was,” he pronounced as he paced closer, treating her as if she were on trial and he the prosecutor. “Many in this House believe she was too kind. That you were treated to an excursion far beyond your right.”
Treated? Had he forgotten that she’d been attacked? That a man had nearly strangled her in a botched robbery? Yet…his point was valid. Since he had not directly asked a question, she kept her lips pressed together.
“Perhaps,” he said with a sneer, “at the hotel, you managed to get hold of the princess’s phone. Send a secret message to someone to help you escape.”
Leighton started. Mind racing, she frowned that he was accusing her of orchestrating the attack. Outrageous! Ludicrous! But she had no proof of her innocence. Too, arguing with him would only earn his backhand.
“You have nothing to say for yourself?”
Oh, she had plenty. A quiet answer turns away wrath… She wet her lips as she thought of an answer that would turn aside his anger. “I was never left alone while on the trip, Your Highness.” This might be a good time to try and convince him she had no desire to escape, yet she knew she could not bring herself to lie. If she said she did not want to go on the trip in the first place, he would accuse her of being ungrateful. It was an impossible situation.
He stared at her hard as quiet rankled the receiving hall, all eyes trained on her. “The man who put his arm around your neck—do you know him?”
“No, Highness.”
“What did he want?”
“He demanded money.”
“And did you give it to him?”
“I had none to give,” she said plainly. The unfairness of being targeted then and now sent her pulse into overdrive, but she forced herself to remember… If I am here, Ummi is not.
“And you are sure you did not know him?” Crown Prince Maaz demanded as he stood over her, staring her down with the full weight of the entire royal House.
Leighton started. “Quite sure.”
Scratching his beard as he paced around her, he grunted. “It makes no sense when you, an unknown, is attacked and not the princess.” He returned to his cushioned settee at the front, next to the king.
“I agree,” she said, breathless at the unspoken accusation. When he snapped a glower at her, she remembered herself and fell silent.
“It is suspicious that you arrive here,” he continued, “are chosen to go on this trip, and suddenly, my sister—who has never been a source of attacks—is at the center of one.”
“Your insinuation cuts me deep. I did not ask to be here or ‘arrive here,’ but I have never given any complaint or fight, despite horrific treatment, and now I am?—”
But Prince Maaz flew off the settee, and struck true and hard, knocking her to the ground.
Even as she caught herself, she saw others coming too. Panic streaked through her chest, and she huddled there, covering her head. Felt spittle land on her arm and clothes. Hands slapped at her head as she curled into a ball. Pain exploded through her side from a kick, making her cry out.
“Enough,” a voice commanded distantly. “Khalil!”
The doors clattered open, and the men receded, revealing the king.
“Remove her from the hall,” King Faruq ordered.
Aching, crying, she hunched to protect herself even as she heard the quick steps approach. Her temporary guard grabbed her arm and pulled hard. Pain pinched her shoulder as she scrambled to get upright before he ripped it out of the socket. He thrust her through the doors.
