The Sheikh's Bartered Bride

His feelings of obligation toward his king stemmed from more than a simple sense of honor, they stemmed from his emotions as well. How could it be otherwise when the King had become the only consistent entity in Hakim's life?

"And these troublemakers, they are the same ones who threaten the royal family now?" she asked Latifah.

Latifah's dark brown eyes snapped with anger. "Yes. Though smaller in number. The sons took over where the fathers left off. It is criminal. They have no popular support and still they attempt these horrendous things. They would have succeeded in their assassination attempt on Hakim had he not been so well trained in combat."

Unwelcome fear jolted through Catherine. "They tried to kill Hakim?"

"Yes. Did he not tell you? Men. They hide these things and believe they are protecting our feelings. Women can give birth. Do not tell me we are too weak to know the truth."

Catherine agreed, but right now she wanted to know more about the assassination attempt, not discuss the misconceptions between the sexes. "When did this happen?"

"On Hakim's last trip home to Kadar. It upset my grandfather very much and for once he did not complain when Hakim returned to America."

He'd married her, not only out of duty, she now realized, but out of a very real need to protect his family from the horror of the past. For him, these living visas represented an opportunity to protect his family. Something he could do personally, not just pay for with his great wealth. .

She understood that.

She also understood that the concept of barter being exchanged at a marriage was not the same for him as it was for her. That had been brought home as Latifah helped Catherine sew several gold coins onto her headdress for the wedding. It was a dowry provided by the old sheikh in order to show her value to his people.

Among these people, such an exchange was not only acceptable, it was expected.

Her father and King Asad's deal that centered on her marriage to Hakim was in no way out of the ordinary.

In one sense, she could truly comprehend his view of their marriage, but understanding did not lessen the pain. She had believed he loved her and he didn't. She felt betrayed by him, by her father and by her own misreading of the situation. She'd talked herself into believing he loved her, but he'd never used the words. It had all been in her own mind and that made a mockery of the wealth of feeling she had for him.

"What about love?" she asked Latifah as the other woman finished affixing the final coin to the fabric.

Latifah's brows drew together. "What do you mean?"

"Does love have no place in marriage among your people?"

The other woman's eyes widened in shock. "Of course. How can you doubt it? I love my husband very much."

"Does he love you?" Catherine could not help asking.

Latifah's smile was secretive and all woman. "Oh, yes."

“But...”

"Love is very important among our people." Latifah lifted the headdress and admired it.

"Yet your marriages are based on economic gain." Catherine was trying to understand.

Latifah shrugged. "It is expected for love and affection to grow after marriage."

"Does it always?" Did Hakim expect, to come to

love her? Was he open to the possibility?

Latifah carefully laid the headdress aside and surveyed Catherine. "It is the duty of both husband and wife to give their affection to one another. You must not worry about this. It will come in time."

Catherine met Latifah's exotic eyes with her own. Could a woman so beautiful comprehend her own insecurities? She did not see how. Latifah's husband had probably found it very easy to fall in love with his wife. They shared the same background, the same hopes and expectations and she was stunning to look at.

Hakim, on the other hand, was married to a woman who had been raised very differently from himself. The fact that she was also ordinary and shy only added to the mix of Catherine's insecurities.

That evening, she was allowed to see Hakim under the sharp eyed chaperonage of his grandfather. They had no opportunity to talk about anything of a private nature, which frustrated her. She understood many things about Hakim that had eluded her, but she needed to talk to him before she would commit to going through with the Bedouin marriage.

The fact she was even considering it spoke volumes about the effect his absence from her life for two nights and a day had on her. She missed him and if she missed him this much after such a short absence what would the rest of her life without him be like?

Although the marriage had clearly been a business arrangement, he had made the effort to develop a personal relationship between them. He had shared his time with her, proving to her that they enjoyed one another's company. His friendship was as hard to let go of as his lovemaking.