When the Duke Returns by Eloisa James Page A

a tiger ruby. And as it happened, I have something of a collection. I do believe that some of the gentlemen in question had no expectation of winning the princess’s hand but they were happily offering up tiger rubies anyway.”
    â€œBecause of the harem,” Isidore asked, raising an eyebrow.
    â€œBeautiful women,” Simeon said. “Exquisite in every way.”
    â€œWonderful.” Her tone could have curdled milk. “How did you ever resist the temptation?”
    He grinned at her. “I had you.”
    â€œWell,” Isidore said, “You didn’t—”
    â€œ Have you,” he put in. “You’re right. Let’s put it this way: I didn’t have you. Yet. But you were worth more than a night in a harem and a tiger ruby.”
    Isidore thought of various remarks she might make, comparing her worth to that of the hen-wit, and stopped herself. “What does a tiger ruby look like? I’ve never heard of it.”
    â€œGorgeous: rubies with a tawny yellow streak through them. They’re tremendously rare. In the end the sheikh was able to garner only eight such rubies even with the lure of his harem.”
    â€œHow on earth do you know? Did you go to the wedding?”
    â€œOf course! Vizier Takla Haymanot won, and after eleven days of feasting (Takla needed a rest after the contest), he married the sheikh’s daughter. Then I bought the eight rubies from the sheikh and we were all happy.”
    â€œWill you show me one?”
    â€œNot at the moment. They’re in the bank.”
    â€œIn a bank? If I had rubies like that—though of course their history is rather disagreeable…”
    â€œDisagreeable? They were traded for pleasure.”
    â€œI doubt the ladies of the harem felt so.”
    â€œIf they didn’t, they did a good job disguising it. They got to choose, you know.”
    Isidore felt herself turning a bit pink, but she was fascinated. “They got to choose?”
    â€œYou have to understand that this particular sheikh had two hundred and thirteen wives in his harem. And he himself was rather elderly. So the young ladies in his harem had little entertainment. The eight suitors were brought forward, and the ladies were allowed to choose. That was another aspect of the contest: if no lady chose to bed a suitor in a given round, he was out of the competition.”
    â€œOh!”
    â€œYou would look lovely in a harem veil,” he remarked.
    If she forced a consummation to the marriage by prancing about wearing nothing but a veil, Simeon would never be granted an annulment. It was something to think about.
    â€œI rather like the way that sheikh managed things,” Isidore said.
    â€œReally?”
    â€œThough if I were the princess, I would have talked the sheikh into changing the contest.”
    â€œAnd?” Simeon prompted.
    â€œI think it would be very interesting if the princess too had been able to choose her future consort, the way the ladies of the harem were. I presume the gentlemen in question were not dressed?”
    He looked genuinely surprised, which was very satisfying. He needn’t think he was the only one who could talk about bawdy things.
    The carriage drew to a halt and she automatically started putting her gloves back on.
    Simeon reached over and pulled one away.
    â€œWhat—”
    Then he snatched the other. And finally, when the carriage door opened, he flung them straight out into the street. They flew past the face of a startled groomsman, who gave a little shriek and stumbled backward, falling onto his bottom.
    â€œYou are utterly deranged!” Isidore said with conviction, leaning forward to look at the street. “I can’t go to my appointment without gloves.” Sure enough, her blue gloves were lying in a puddle of blackened rainwater.
    â€œYou hate them,” Simeon said, leaping out of the carriage and holding out his own ungloved hand.
    She ground