The Sheik's Son

“It’s quite all right, my dear. We were just getting acquainted,” Madame Necker said to her daughter, pouring the fourth cup of tea as Germaine settled next to her mother on the couch.

“What were you talking about?” Germaine inquired of the small group. “Were you talking about that pamphlet?”

Eugenie blinked in complete ignorance while Madame Necker shook her head. “No. We were speaking of your father and Sophie’s father.”

Germaine waved a hand at the group. “Oh, bother them. A pamphlet written about women’s rights by a woman is much more interesting.”

Germaine was young but she was educated as her mother had seen fit and her mind was quick and bright.

“I thought you of all people would enjoy the pamphlet, Mère. Your salon is full of such intellectuals.”

“Well, we still don’t know for certain if the pamphlet was indeed written by a woman,” Madame Necker said as she sipped her tea.

“Of course we do. Jean Unknown and women’s rights? It is the work of a woman,” Germaine said firmly.

Eugenie was confused by the conversation. “What pamphlet is this?”

“One that everyone is talking about,” Madame Necker explained to the older woman.

“It’s about women’s rights and we think a woman wrote it,” Germaine said, smiling happily.

Eugenie sniffed. “How disgraceful.”

Germaine’s face fell. “Why is that?”

“My dear, women’s rights already exist. They have the sphere of the home and of the family. Everything else is the province of men,” Eugenie said.

Sophie shrank back in her seat. She had so enjoyed the time spent with the celebrated salonist. When her daughter had joined them and spoke of Sophie’s own pamphlet she had been soaring high above Paris. Now she felt nothing but deep shame and embarrassment at her grandmother’s old-fashioned views.

But Madame Necker did not seem embarrassed, only slightly amused. “My dear Eugenie, you are, of course, correct. Women’s rights are in the home.”

Eugenie nodded in their shared agreement.

“But things are changing. And I would not want to live all my time on this earth and not see change, for change is as natural as nature itself,” Madame Necker said, sipping the brown tea.

Eugenie frowned at her words.

“I was more than willing to make certain my daughter was educated. And she was. And I understand your son was also this way with Sophie,” Madame Necker continued.

Eugenie cast a glance at her granddaughter. “Yes.”

“So we must hope for their sake that the world changes and enables them to achieve what they want,” Madame Necker said. “As women, the home and family is an important part of our world. But why wish them only that when the entire world can be theirs?”

“Things were so simple when I was a girl. My only hope was that I married well and that he was a good man. I was lucky. He was both. Now women want so much more,” Eugenie muttered.

Suzanne smiled. “Yes, they do. And we should encourage them.”

Sophie smiled in return. Madame Necker was indeed a modern woman with ideas that would change the world.

Chapter 4

Sebastian had received the two letters together. One was from his mother. She wrote about his homeland and the goings-on of people he knew. She wished him well and sent her love.

The second was a letter from his father. He started at the cursive handwriting in Arabic which he always associated with his father. It was a lovely language and he had the writing of a scribe. It wasn’t until the latter part of the letter that he groaned.

His younger sister was named Noor Margaret; she was married with two small children and lived in England with her husband. Their parents had been very matter-of-fact in their names: Each child had an English name and an Arab one.

Sebastian’s full name was Mohammed Sayed Sebastian. He was named Mohammed after his father and grandfather, but in Europe he went by Sebastian.