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But that wasn’t the worst, was it?

Ignoring her mother’s comment with a derisive eye-roll, the Sheikh had re with his fat, bejewelled fingers

‘I was never meant to have a child,’ her mother had added with a scowl for Millie

Millie still felt the pain of that coled even deeper into the Sheikh’s reptilian e out Millie completely—

‘Millie?’

‘Yes?’ She forced a bright note into her voice as Miss Francine came around to double-che

ck she was okay ‘So, he’s back,’ Millie re to sound upbeat

Her old friend wasn’t convinced by her act ‘It seereed briskly as she helped Millie to tuck the fabulous sheets into a fine cotton sack they used for thethem

‘He’s been gone a long time,’ Millie added in a lauess Sheikh Saif had to stay out of the country after the accident’

‘Millie,’ Miss Francine interrupted in a concerned tone

Millie had never seen her elderly friend looking so worried ‘What is it? What’s wrong?’ she asked

‘I should have told you right away,’ Miss Francine explained with a regretful shake of her head ‘It isn’t Sheikh Saif on board the Sapphire He died so, the press said,’ she added with a grimace for Millie, as too shocked to speak ‘You were away on that oil rig as part of your work experience when he died’

‘Who then?’ Millie ed to force out ‘Who’s on the Sapphire?’

‘His brother, Sheikh Khalid,’ Miss Francine revealed in a businesslike ed to cause her the least distress

Nothing helped Millie felt as if all the air had been sucked out of her lungs as Miss Francine continued, ‘Sheikh Saif’s death only made a few column inches in the press, and you were so upbeat when you came ho up the past’

‘Thank you,’ Millie said numbly

‘You don’t have to thank ,’ Miss Francine insisted as she rested a reassuring hand on Millie’s shoulder

There was nothing more to say, and they both fell silent Millie had been a Saturday girl at the laundry at the tiic death, Miss Francine had stepped in right away, offering her a place to live Home had been a room above the laundry ever since

‘Of course, no one mentioned Sheikh Saif’s death to ed ‘Why would they?’

Was she i it hard to meet her eyes?

‘I owe you everything,’ she said, giving her elderly friend an i

When Miss Francine left her side, Millie put her work on autopilot, so she could think back to what she remembered about Prince Khalid Which was quite a lot Never had anyone ood All of it awe-inspiring And confusing She’d thought hi, which was herovery different And she es of blazingback The sternest of ine the changes in hih to brand his i up the Sapphire’s gangplank like an avenging angel to rescue her mother But he hadn’t rescued herthat terrible night, Millie’s mother had either fallen from the Sapphire, or she’d been pushed

Bracing herself, she stared out of theIt was impossible to miss the Sapphire at rest in its berth The superyacht was as big as a coest ship in the harbour It was like a call to destiny that she couldn’t avoid She tried not to sho tense she hen Miss Francine came back ‘It’s had a complete refit,’ her elderly friend explained ‘When Sheikh Khalid inherited the throne of Khalifa froutted and refitted Gossip on the e’ There was a long pause, and then she added carefully, ‘Nothing ever remains the same, Millie’

‘I’reed She knew Miss Francine was just trying to help ‘And I’ smile for her friend ‘However fabulous the Sapphire looks, it hasparts that need to be fixed’