The Sheik's Son

Katharine hid a smile while Mohammed looked at his daughter. “How far has this gone?”

“What do you mean?” Leila squeaked.

Mohammed reached down and jerked his daughter up to stand in front of him. “How far?”

Leila pinkened under his gaze as Katharine admonished her husband. “Mohammed, stop it.”

“So you are in love. And no longer a virgin,” Mohammed assessed.

Leila blushed at his words. “Father, please.”

“And what if he doesn’t want you? What if you were just convenient? You know nothing of men. And Frenchmen are the worst.” Mohammed cursed.

Leila felt the tears. “No,” she whispered.

“For God’s sakes! What is going on?!” Sebastian yelled. “Will someone please explain why you are here with no word in the middle of a ball?”

Katharine smoothed her ice-blue silk gown with her hands. “Your sister wrote to me. It seems she is in love. We came to assess the situation. As to the ball, your housekeeper told us where you both were.”

Mohammed released Leila and said. “It seems your sister was getting more of an education than you realized here in Paris.”

“What?” Sebastian asked, astonished.

“Father!” Leila yelped. “I’m in love, Bash,” she told her brother quietly.

“Yes. She’s in love. And she’s given her virginity to him,” Mohammed said angrily.

“How is my falling in love any different than what happened with you two?” she fired back to her parents. “You were a harem girl!” he accused her mother.

Katharine gave her daughter a withering look. “I was never a harem girl! I was a-a bather.”

Mohammed tried to hide his own smile as he well remembered her bathing.

“In love? What?” Sebastian was more confused than ever, trying to catch up with this absurd conversation.

“I’m in love with Etienne,” Leila explained to him.

It took a moment for the words to sink in and then he remembered it all. All the times she had spent with his friend and now his friend had taken advantage of his innocent, sweet sister. He saw red and knew that the family honor must be avenged.

“Jesus,” he swore. In a moment he was out the door while Leila cried out to stop him.

“No.” Her father held her back. “This is how things must be dealt with. You handled everything wrong. Honor is at stake. A man can never dishonor a woman without consequences.”

Katharine agreed. “Sebastian must right your wrong.”

“But it was my fault,” she cried.

“I can well believe that,” Mohammed murmured.

***

Sebastian looked down the ballroom length and didn’t see Etienne. Suddenly he spotted him speaking with Luc in a far corner of the ballroom.

> He moved quickly and even as Etienne acknowledged something that was being said, Sebastian drew back and slammed his fist into his friend’s face. There was a cry and many astonished glances, and the orchestra grinded to a halt. There were murmured cries as people nearest them turned to stare at the two men.

Etienne had seen his friend coming toward him and knew by the speed and his face that something was not right. When Sebastian drew back, he knew with certainty that Leila had told him everything.

He fell back into the wall and tasted blood and knew his lip had been split.