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‘You must eat and rest, Your Majesty,’ Hakim whispered fiercely from the doorway ‘How can you support your wife if you are exhausted?’

‘As always, the voice of reason,’ Rashad conceded wearily, but his every instinct still warred against leaving Polly alone At least while he watched over her he could actually feel as though he was doing so to help, but in reality, while she was under medical super

vision, he could only be an onlooker

Polly wakened and slowly savoured the strength returning to her body She pushed down the bedding and tugged up her gown to squint at the horrid blue-black bruising covering her hip and stretching down her thigh Better her hip than her stoently scolded her for sitting up in bed without help Suddenly she was surrounded by staff again and she was changed and the bed was changed and then breakfast was ushered in

An hour later, Rashad arrived, sleek and shaven in a beautifully cut dark suit He looked fantastically handsorooolden eyes iaze, too full of conflict to meet it He had revealed his lack of trust in her He had believed that even though they were married she could still be tempted by another man and that she could be unfaithful How could she overlook or forgive that?

‘I have a lot to say to you,’ Rashadto see you and you should see them now to reassure them’

‘Of course,’ shewhat he had to say to her, wondering what she would say to him

‘If your ree, I can take you home later’

Polly compressed her lips in silence

‘Hayat has now gone ho to the palace staff,’ he told her in a harsh clipped undertone ‘I was foolish to trust her near you—’

Polly studied hi about?’

His lean, strong face went rigid ‘Apparently Hayat was angry and jealous that I had married you and she decided to cause trouble between us…and in that she succeeded,’ he divulged grudgingly ‘I told her to cancel that dinner with Rio before I left the palace the day before yesterday But she didn’t cancel it She set you up instead, set us both up…challenging you to dine alone with hi that I am not—at heart—the liberated male I must strive to be for your sake…’

Polly was shaken by that explanation ‘But ould Hayat be angry and jealous? Were you involved with her before I came into your life?’

Rashad frowned ‘Of course not…she is Ferah’s kid sister I found it hard to warh—’