SAND, sand and more sand.
Her father couldnât have sent her to a more remote place if heâd put her in a rocket and sent her to the moon. And if that had been possible, no doubt he would have signed the cheque, Bella thought bitterly as she curled her bare toes into the coarse sand of the desert and stared across the stark landscape. Come to think of it, this might as well be the moon. Or maybe Mars. The red planet.
Why a retreat in the middle of the desert?
Why not a nice spa on Fifth Avenue?
âBella?â
Hearing her name, Bella gave a moan of despair. Already? It was barely daylight.
Reluctantly, she turned. None of this was his fault, she reminded herself. It wasnât fair to take her anger and frustration out on him. âEarly start, Atif?â
He was dressed simply in a white robe, the fabric glaring under the beginnings of the Arabian sun. âI meditate before dawn.â
Bella suppressed a yawn. âPersonally I prefer to start my day with a strong black coffee.â
âYou can find a better start to the day by feasting on what lies around you,â the old man murmured. âThereâs nothing as calming as watching the sunrise in the desert. Donât you find the peace soothing?â
âHonestly? Itâs driving me stark-staring nuts.â Without thinking, Bella reached for her phone and then remembered that it had been confiscated, along with everything else that she needed to communicate with the outside world. She tapped her empty palm impatiently against her thigh and then looked down at her fingernails with distaste. Given the choice between a coffee and a manicure, she would have opted for the manicure. âDo you actually own this place?â
âI am merely passing through. When I am ready, I will move on.â
âI would have moved on after two minutes given the chance! Iâve been here for two weeks and it feels like a life sentence.â
How could her father do this to her? Thanks to him, sheâd been cut off from everyone. Left alone at a time when she desperately needed human comfort.
The shocking discovery sheâd made only two weeks earlier had left her numb and emotionally drained. The person sheâd been before that night had gone forever. So had the naive assumptions sheâd nurtured throughout her life.
Regret tore through her
You shouldnât have looked, Bella.
Like Pandora, sheâd lifted the lid of the box and now she was paying the price.
âYou allow emotion to grip you the way a falcon grips its prey.â Atif watched her with the same tranquil expression he adopted during their sessions together. âYou are angry, but your father sent you here for your own benefit.â
âHe sent me here as a punishment because I embarrassed him.â Bella wrapped her arms around herself and wondered how she could feel cold in such a hot, oppressive place. âIâve embarrassed the whole family. Brought the Balfour name into disrepute. Again.â But no one had considered what the whole sordid incident had done to her. And the fact that no one had considered her feelings simply increased her sense of abandonment.
Remembering everything that had happened on the night of the Balfour Ball, Bella felt a lump build in her throat. She wanted to know how her sister Olivia was feeling about the whole thingâshe wanted to make amends.
Her behaviour had been badâshe knew that. But sheâd been goaded. Upset. And Olivia had said things too â¦
âCan I have my phone back just to send one text?â Suddenly it seemed desperately important that she contact her twin. âOr could I use your computer? I havenât checked my emails for two weeks!
âThat isnât possible, Bella.â
âIâm going mad, Atif! Sand and silence are a lousy combination.â She glanced around her desperately and her attention focused on a cluster of low whitewashed buildings sheâd noticed earlier in the week. âHow about those stables over thereâcan I at least go for a ride or something? Just for an hour.â
âThey are nothing to do with the Retreat. The stables are privately owned.â
âStrange place to keep horses.â Bella studied the guards standing by the entrance. Why would a stable need guards? âWell, if I canât borrow a horse could I at least have my iPod? I find it easier to relax to music.â
âSilence is golden.â
âAround here, everything is golden.â Simmering with frustration, Bella looked at the shifting sands and an idea took shape in her mindâan outrageous, daring idea. âThat city we passed through on the way here, tell me about it.â