Considering the evening's inauspicious beginning, the meal passed off well.

Lorna
was seated opposite Khalid and often caught him staring thoughtfully at her, as if
trying
to sum her up, and no doubt pigeonhole her too. He had the disconcerting habit of
not
averting his gaze when it met her own, and she was always the first to turn away.
In spite of her antipathy towards him she found him an interesting raconteur, and
could not help joining in the laughter that his tales provoked. He gossiped amusingly
about friends and family, and told anecdotes about his holidays, mentioning the
names
of the people who had accompanied him.
Most of them were also known to Dana and Hassan and appeared to be mainly
Western business friends. If he had had a girl-friend with him, he did not mention
her.
Perhaps in Kuwaiti society it was not considered 'good form' to discuss one's affairs
in
front of other females.He'd been handsome at twenty-four but he was even more

impressive
now, exuding the kind of effortless assurance and authority that came
with a long line of successes in his chosen field. The terrible injuries
he'd sustained in the accident that had killed her brother had left no
lasting mark on him. He stood tall and strong and moved with the
easy coordination of an athlete in top condition. Not for him the
consequences that had 40rn her family apart.