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      The Sheikh’s

      Unsuitable Bride

      Liz Fielding

      Dear Reader,

      My first book, An Image of You, was published many years ago, and I still remember the rush of excitement, the thrill of receiving a phone call to say that this publisher, who had been part of my reading life for so long, wanted to publish my book. This year I will be writing my fiftieth Mills & Boon^® romance, and the thrill remains.

      Love truly is the most powerful human emotion, and there is nothing more rewarding than writing—and reading—a story that reveals the strength, tenderness, the unique capacity for sacrifice of the human heart.

      In The Sheikh’s Unsuitable Bride, Diana Metcalfe lives in a small terraced house in London, while jet-setting Sheikh Zahir al-Khatib lives in luxury in an exotic and beautiful palace. Yet it is not the vast social gulf that divides them, but the demands of family and duty that seem destined to keep them apart. Only love can find a way …

      With warmest wishes,

       Liz

      About the Author

      LIZ FIELDING started writing at the age of twelve, when she won a writing competition at school. After that early success there was quite a gap—during which she was busy working in Africa and the Middle East, getting married and having children—before her first book was published in 1992. Now readers worldwide fall in love with her irresistible heroes, adore her independent-minded heroines. Visit Liz’s website for news and extracts of upcoming books at www.lizfielding.com.

      CHAPTER ONE

      ‘LEAVE that, Di.’

      Diana Metcalfe backed out of the rear door of the minibus she was cleaning and, stuffing a handful of chocolate wrappers into her overall pocket, turned to face her boss. The woman, unusually, looked as if she was just about at the end of her tether.

      ‘What’s up, Sadie?’

      ‘Jack Lumley has gone home sick. He’s the third today.’

      ‘The café’s meat pie strikes again?’

      ‘So it would appear, although that’s the Environmental Health Officer’s problem. Mine is that I’ve got three drivers with their heads down the toilet and a VIP with a packed schedule arriving at London City Airport in a little over an hour.’ Despite her worries, she managed a wry smile. ‘Please tell me you don’t have a hot date tonight.’

      ‘Not even a lukewarm one.’ Who had the time? ‘You want me to work this evening?’

      ‘If you can.’

      ‘It shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll have to give Dad a call, let him know he’ll have to give Freddy his tea.’ ‘How is your gorgeous little boy?’ ‘Growing like a weed.’

      ‘Daisy keeps asking me when he can come over for another play-date.’ Then, ‘I’ll fix up something when I call your father. You don’t have time, not if you’re going to meet that flight.’

      Diana blinked. Meet the flight …? ‘Excuse me? Are you saying that I get the VIP?’

      ‘You get the VIP.’

      ‘But I can’t! You can’t …’

      Sadie frowned. ‘You’ve been checked out on the car haven’t you?’

      ‘Um, yes …’ Company rules. Everyone could, in theory, drive any car, in the Capitol fleet. In theory. But this was the newest, most luxurious, most expensive saloon car in the garage—pride and joy of Jack Lumley, the company’s number one driver. While she’d anticipated a shuffle round to take up the slack, an extra job or two, never, in her wildest dreams, had she imagined she’d ever be entrusted behind its leather-covered steering wheel.

      Or entrusted with one of their top drawer clients.

      ‘Thank goodness for that,’ Sadie said with feeling.

      Apparently, she could!

      Diana slapped a hand over her mouth, but not quickly enough to catch the word that slipped out.

      Sadie sighed. ‘Please tell me you don’t use that kind of language when you’re on the school run, Diana.’

      ‘Me? Oh, please! Where on earth do you think I learned a word like that?’

      ‘Are the kids really that bad? My father took it on as a public service, something for the local community, but I won’t have—’

      ‘The kids are okay,’ she said quickly. ‘Really. They’re just at that age where shocking the grown-ups is a sport. The trick is not to react.’

      ‘The trick, Di, is not to join in.’

      ‘I don’t …’ Realising that she just had, she let it go. ‘Right.’ Sadie looked thoughtful. ‘I’ve half a mind to put Jack on the job for a week or two when he’s fit. Teach them to think twice about their language. Teach him to think twice about eating dodgy meat pies on my time.’

      The senior driver of Capitol Cars reduced to driving a minibus full of lippy primary school kids?

      Having swiftly recovered from her shock, Diana grinned. ‘Now that’s something I’d pay good money to see.’

      They exchanged a glance. Two single mothers—one at the bottom, the other at the top of a male-dominated business—who between them had heard every chauvinist put-down, every woman driver joke in the book. Sadie, with obvious regret, shook her head. ‘Unfortunately he’d resign rather than do that.’

      ‘Totally beneath his dignity,’ Diana agreed. ‘I’m sure learning that I’ve been driving his precious car will be punishment enough.’

      Sadie just about managed to stop herself from grinning back and snapping back into ‘boss’ mode she said, ‘Yes, well, just remember that at this end of the business the clients prefer their chauffeurs politely invisible.’

      ‘No singing, then?’

      ‘Singing?’

      ‘I find it keeps the passengers from using bad language …’ ‘I’m serious!’ ‘Yes, ma’am.’

      ‘Right. Well, come on. I’ll brief you on Sheikh Zahir’s itinerary while you change. This is a full dress uniform job. And yes, before you ask, that includes the