Alizeh’s disappointment was breathtaking, but she bade herself be calm. After all, it appeared Hazan had built contingencies into the plan. The nosta alone was a tremendous gift; the certainty it provided was a great balm even now, steadying her in these turbulent seas. What was it he’d said when he’d given it to her?
So that you never need wonder who your enemies might be.
“It was you,” Alizeh said, meeting the eyes of the stranger. “It was you who sent me this dress? And the shoes?”
He hesitated a beat before saying, “Yes.”
“Why?”
“I was returning a favor.”
“A favor?” She frowned. “A favor to me?”
“No.”
Alizeh drew back. “To whom, then?”
“To our mutual friend.”
This was twice now he’d mentioned their mutual friend. Was he concealing Hazan’s identity in front of Miss Huda?
“So you do this for him,” Alizeh said softly. “Which means you’ve no vested interest in assisting me.”
“My interest is only in discharging myself of an old debt,” said the young man. “Our mutual friend has asked that I repay him thus, with these specific instructions, and so Ihave done. I was never meant to come here, not unless the circumstances demanded my intercession, as they do now.”
“I see,” she said. The nosta was burning hot against her sternum. This stranger was neither friend nor foe, she was realizing, which made the situation rather tricky.
“What is your name?” she asked.
“My name is irrelevant.”
“Irrelevant?” she said, surprised. “What am I to call you then?”
“Nothing.”
Alizeh could not hide the flash of irritation she felt at that. “Very well,” she said stiffly. “Where do we go from here?”
The stranger opened his mouth to speak and hesitated at the sight of Miss Huda’s eager face. Her curious eyes.
Gently, he cleared his throat.
“I would really rather not discuss any of this in front of”—he glanced again at Miss Huda—“a third party, though I recognize that, in this, the mistake is mine. Somehow I thought— That is, for a moment, there appeared to be only one person in the room. I thought the young lady of the house had joined her party downstairs.”
“I’m standing right here,” Miss Huda said sharply. “You need not discuss me as if I didn’t exist.”
“Ah,” he said, tilting his head. “But I would really rather you didn’t.”
Miss Huda’s mouth dropped open.
Quickly, Alizeh turned to her. “Can I trust that you will keep the details of this day to yourself?”
“Of course,” said Miss Huda, drawing herself up to her full height. “I’ve never in my life betrayed a secret. You may depend upon me to be the soul of discretion.”
The nosta went ice cold at that, sending a shiver through Alizeh’s body.
She grimaced.
As if he, too, had felt the lie, the stranger locked eyes with Alizeh.
