The Sheikh's Bartered Bride

"I have told my nephew." She could hear the royal impatience clearly across the phone line. "It is my will and the will of his people that he return to rule the Kadar province."

"He didn't mention it." Why hadn't he?

"He refuses to return."

"What?" She couldn't believe it. Then she realized she'd just shouted into the ear of a king. "I'm sorry, Your Excellency, but I cannot understand this refusal. My husband wants to return to Jawhar, I know he does. "

"I am certain of this too, jewel of his heart."

What in the world? Why had he called her that? “Then...”

A heavy sigh and then, "He is convinced you would be unhappy living in Kadar."

"That's ridiculous. I loved our time there. He knows I did."

"I think, perhaps I should tell you a confidence."

She wanted to hear anything that would make sense of this bizarre situation. "Please do."

"It is not something I would share with the wife of my nephew in the usual circumstances, but his stubbornness leaves me no choice."

"I understand," she said with a fair bit of her own impatience.

"Very well. When he was at university, Hakim had a relationship with a woman he believed he loved. A woman he believed loved him."

Maybe Catherine didn't want to hear about this.

"Hakim asked this woman to marry him, to return to Jawhar and live as his sheikha. This was before it was decided he would oversee our business holdings in America."

"She turned him down. He told me."

"She told my nephew that no matter how much she loved him, no western woman would willingly give up her career, her lifestyle and her country to move to a backwater like Kadar." The King's voice dripped acid.

"This woman told Hakim he had to choose between his position as a Sheikh of Kadar with life in Jawhar and her."

"He chose his position," Catherine said, stating the obvious. After all, the two had not married.

"But with you, he has found the true jewel of his heart. He chose you over his duty to his people."

"What do you mean?"

"He believes your happiness lies in Seattle, therefore he has refused to return to his homeland and his people."

Catherine's body started shaking and she had to sit down. "But I didn't ask that of him. He never said anything."

"He does not wish to distress you. He told me that he thought you might sacrifice your happiness for his, but he would not allow you to do so."

"But I'd be happier in Kadar. I want to raise our babies in his palace. I like the sunshine. The people are wonderful. I could learn to race camels." She was babbling, but so stunned from the news that Hakim had chosen her over his duty that she couldn't control her tongue.

"Babies?" the King inquired with meaning.

“Oh... I..."

"Perhaps you will have good news to share when you and my nephew return to Jawhar?"

"But Hakim said he doesn't want to come."

"No, Catherine, he said you do not wish to come and therefore he will not."

She bit her lip. What was the King thinking now? "Are you angry with me?"

"No. I spoke to Lila and many whom you had contact with on your visit to Jawhar. I am convinced this problem my nephew believes exists is in his head, not your heart."

"You're right, but what should I do?"

"Tell him your feelings." The King sounded a bit exasperated with her dull thinking.

She smiled. "I want to do more." Hakim deserved a gesture that showed how much she loved him, how much she wanted to live in Jawhar with him. "Maybe you could help me out..."

Hakim opened the door to the penthouse with a sense of anticipation he had never had prior to his marriage. She would be waiting. His Catherine. His little kitten.

Perhaps she would be curled up on the sofa as she had been yesterday. He smiled at the thought. Such a welcome did indeed make up for a lot. It made up for everything. He could live the rest of his life in this damp climate if it meant basking in the warmth of her love.

There would be children. Sooner than later. His heart pounded at the thought. She already carried his child, perhaps a son, the next Sheikh of Kadar. A son who would be an outsider to his people like he had been in the Palace of Jawhar after his parent's death. But the child would belong in their family. He would fit with Catherine and Hakim. It was enough. It had to be enough.

The sound of soft music from the bedroom drew him, but he found the room empty. Eastern music played from the built-in sound system and the door to the lavish en suite bathroom stood open. He walked in to find his wife lounging in the deep sunken bath, the fragrance of jasmine surrounding her, a subtle lure to his senses.