The maid cleared her throat. “Sir, may I be responsible for Sa’id? I have known him all his life. He’s a good boy and we could keep each other company.”
“Thank you,” Kateb told her. “I will speak with Yusra so that your duties allow you plenty of time with Sa’id.” He nodded.
The girl took Sa’id by the hand and led him out of the room. Sa’id paused at the door to wave at Victoria. The second they were gone, she turned on him.
“You made him a servant? He’s nine and he’s going to be scrubbing floors and doing laundry? What about school? What about his education? Or is that not serving the prince well enough?”
“You can be very trying,” he told her.
“Ask me if I care.”
“I already know the answer.” He leaned against his desk. “Does it occur to you to thank me for getting him off the streets? He now has the protection of the prince. That means he will be safe.”
“To be a servant.”
“For now,” he said patiently. “Until I am proclaimed leader, I have minimal power here. As soon as I take the office, I will pardon Sa’id so he can return to the life of a normal boy in the village.”
“Oh.” The fight went out of her. She looked around the room, then glanced back at him. “You didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t give me a chance. You’re very quick to judge me.”
“Not you specifically,” she admitted. “I’m still angry at Yusra and Rasha.”
“Our ways are different.”
She put her hands on her hips. “I don’t want to hear that again. There’s no excuse for what happened to him.”
“They didn’t like the situation, either, but they know there are reasons.”
“Maybe a thousand years ago, but not today.”
“Yusra is your friend. Do you wish to be angry with her forever? What about Rasha? Will you no longer support her business because of this? If they do not act as you wish, are they unworthy?”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re saying I’m judging them too harshly.”
“I’m saying people have different ways. Children frequently illustrate both the best and worst of every culture. Sa’id demonstrates that.”
“Are there more like him?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“When you’re proclaimed or whatever it is, will you change the law so children aren’t abandoned like that ever again?”
“You ask for much.”
“You have much to give.”
Cantara would not have asked that of him, he thought. She would have accepted Sa’id’s fate as the destiny he must endure. But Victoria would never see it so. She wouldn’t care if she expected too much of him. She would fight and nag and work until what she saw as wrong was made right.
The women were so different, he thought, knowing that while he would always love Cantara, she was no longer as much a part of him as she was. Without realizing, he had lost her. Or perhaps time had healed as it often did.
He felt regret and, oddly, hope.
Victoria could not have been more out of place in her jeans and silky shirt, her ridiculous high-heeled boots and dangling earrings. She looked like a woman prepared to go shopping in New York or Los Angeles. Her blond hair and blue eyes set her apart. Her worldview and attitude would always find injustice where others saw nothing out of the ordinary.
“You have a way of tiring a man,” he said at last.
“Then go take a nap.”
“You won’t yield at all?”
“Not on this.”
Nothing for herself, he thought, remembering how she wouldn’t borrow the sapphire earrings because she was afraid of losing one but she would borrow the tiara because it made her feel like a storybook princess.
“You are a complex woman.”
“Thank you.”
“I did not mean it as a compliment.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Are you trying to distract me?”
“No.” He sighed heavily. “When I am leader I will change the law.”
He thought she might make him promise, which he would resist. Instead she nodded. His word was enough? How unexpected.
She crossed to him, cupped his face and kissed him. The second her mouth touched his, he wanted her. Need was everywhere, even though the kiss was chaste. Imagine what would happen if Victoria actually tried to seduce him. Or perhaps it was best not to.
“I knew you would make it right,” she said earnestly. “When I found out what was going on, all I could think was that I had to get to you. I’ve never trusted a man before. Not with anything important. So thank you.”
She kissed him again and left. He watched her go, then stood alone in the silence.
He felt as if she’d handed him something important. Something precious, although he couldn’t say what. Involuntarily he looked at the calendar on the desk. How many more days until they knew if she was staying or not?
He’d planned on her leaving, had hoped to get her out of his life. Now, for the first time, he wondered what it would be like to have her stay.
Except for checking on Sa’id every now and then, Victoria spent the next couple of days mostly keeping to the harem. While she appreciated all that Kateb had done for her, she was still angry that Sa’id had been abandoned by the village—most especially the women.
She understood there were cultural differences involved, but leaving a child to starve on the streets because of actions he couldn’t control seemed inhuman. Children were vulnerable enough without worrying about that. Every time she nearly calmed down, she thought about what had happened and got angry all over again.
While she liked Rasha and Yusra, she couldn’t reconcile their actions with someone she considered a friend. As they were pretty much the only two women she knew in the area, that left her by herself for way too many hours a day.
On the third day, she was tired of the harem and went down to the kitchen for lunch. As she turned the corner to head in that direction, she nearly ran into Yusra. The two women looked at each other.
“You are angry,” Yusra said, forcing the issue.
“Yes.” She braced herself for the fight—for the older woman to say she would never understand the ways of the desert people and so on. It was an argument she could never accept.
“I was wrong.” Yusra sighed. “My husband has been gone many years now and still I hear his voice in my head. He would tell me about the old ways and how they must live on. I believed him, and I didn’t question Sa’id’s fate. No one did. It was not something we wanted to see, so we all looked away. It took someone from the outside to remind us of who we are. That we value family and kindness.”
It took Victoria a second to realize she didn’t have to be mad anymore. “I don’t know what to say,” she admitted. “I’m glad you see that Sa’id is only a little boy.”
“Of course. He’s a wonderful child. Rasha and I have been talking. As soon as the prince is made village leader, we are going to ask him to change the law. We will stand firm on this, not leaving until he gives in. Rasha has already talked to Sa’id’s cousin about taking them both in. Her children are grown and her house more empty than she would like.”
The relief tasted sweet, Victoria thought happily. “Kateb is already planning to look into changing the law, but I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear that there are others who agree with him.”
“Good.” The older woman tilted her head. “So we are friends again?”
Victoria smiled. “Yes. Of course. I’m sorry we fought.”
“The fault is mine. I got so used to what has always been.”
“We all do.”
“Come,” Yusra said. “You were on your way to lunch. We will eat together and talk about all the ways we can change the laws.”
“Kateb won’t like that,” Victoria said with a laugh.
The kitchen was crowded with many of the staff. When Yusra and Victoria entered, the large room went silent. Victoria fe
lt everyone looking at her.
“Ignore them,” Yusra said, approaching the buffet set up against the far wall. “They will get used to you. It will take time. Word is spreading about what you did to help Sa’id.”
“Not everyone will like me butting in.”
“Perhaps, but those who don’t will not have the courage to say anything. At least not to your face.”
Victoria laughed. “Then I’ll try to enjoy them talking behind my back.”
“As you should.”
After lunch Victoria made her way to the library. She wanted to see if there were any lists or catalogues for all the artwork in the palace. Someone had to figure out what was there and make sure it was taken care of. Or at least insured. Assuming insurance was available. Did Mutual of El Deharia exist?
She’d been in the large, open room dozens of times. As she walked in, she saw someone else was there, which was odd. Usually she had the space to herself. Then the man turned and her heart skipped a beat or two before resuming a slightly elevated rhythm.
“Kateb,” she said, then realized her voice was a little breathless and cleared her throat. Lately she’d noticed a bit of a quiver when they were together. A slight vibration deep inside her belly. It was more than just the longing to be with him. It was something else she couldn’t name and didn’t want to study too closely.
“I didn’t think you were the library type,” she said.
“I am not,” he told her, looking amused. “Yusra informed me you were heading this way and wished to speak with me. Apparently she believes you have the power to summon me.”
Yusra had called him? She wasn’t ready to share what they’d discussed at lunch an hour ago, but unless she came up with a credible substitute, it appeared she was going to have to.
“She’s right,” Victoria told him. “You have appeared.”
“How fortunate for you. What is it now? Emancipation for cats? A school for the sheep?”
“Don’t mock my good works,” she told him, even as she smiled. “Yusra said I was right about Sa’id.”
“Words I’m sure you never tire of hearing.”
“That’s true.”
“What did you promise at lunch? Are my people to ask for more money? Better weather?”
She hesitated. “I haven’t had a chance to organize my thoughts.”
“Has that stopped you before?”
“Not really. Okay. More than fifty percent of the staff at the palace is female and most of them have children. The time their shifts begin and end follow a tradition that dates back a couple hundred years to when mostly men worked here. It would be helpful for them to start and stop at different times. Some want to come in early, others late. It seemed reasonable to me. Also, the male secretaries make more than the female secretaries. I can’t begin to tell you how much that annoys me, speaking as a former assistant.” She paused for breath.
He stood, looking at her, still appearing amused.
“Are you taking this seriously?” she asked.
“Very.”
“Did you want to write any of this down?”
“Not really. You will remind me of anything I forget.”
“That’s true.”
“What else?”
“The textiles. I don’t know how to get them into the marketplace. I was wondering if I could write some of the other princesses in the area. They’ve been doing the royal thing longer and might have some suggestions. From my research, Princess Dora of El Bahar seems like a great place to start. But I think I need your permission to do that.”
“You have it.”
As easy as that? “And the other stuff?”
“I will address it when I am leader.”
“The first week?”
“Perhaps the second. I will be busy the first week.”
She wanted to launch into him but held back. He’d been more than reasonable about Sa’id, so she wasn’t going to assume it was something silly.
“With what?” she asked.
“As leader, I am granted twelve virgins. I may pick one as my wife or not. The others live in the harem, there only to please me.” He smiled. “So I will have my hands full for the first few days.”
“Your hands full?” She didn’t care that her voice came out as a screech. “With twelve virgins? Are you serious? I don’t believe this. There are serious matters of government for you to consider and you want to talk about twelve virgins?”
She was just getting started when Kateb began to laugh. He crossed to her, put his hands on her shoulders, then kissed her.
“I am pleased that Nadim never did raise his head from his work enough to notice you. Had he seen the spark of life you carry inside, he might have decided you would do for him and he would never have appreciated your fire.”
He kissed her again, this time lingering against her mouth until she felt her knees go weak.
She didn’t understand. “You’re not marrying one of the virgins?”
“No. Nor will I take them into the harem.”
“Then why bring them up at all?”
“Because you make it so easy, Victoria. You should learn to control your temper.”
She glared at him. “What I should do is throw one of these books at your head.”
He laughed again. “You won’t. The books are rare and you might damage one.”
“That’s true.”
He touched her cheek. “Your points on the women are well taken. And yes, write Princess Dora and ask her advice. She is a strong, intelligent woman. You have much in common with her.”
He left her standing in the middle of the library, feeling as if she’d been struck by a train. What had just happened? What exactly had he said? And why had she reacted so strongly to the thought of the other women? Why should she care?
She walked toward the shelves of books, only to stop. Her breath caught in her throat as the truth…and horror…of the situation crashed into her.
She cared because sometime since arriving at the Winter Palace, she’d fallen in love with Kateb. She’d given her heart to him and now he had the power to destroy her.
She knew love was for fools and now she’d become one. Her fate, her very future, rested on a single moment of chance. If she was pregnant, she would stay in the presence of a man who would never believe she loved him. And if she wasn’t pregnant, she would be forced to leave. There was no middle ground, no happy ending, no way to win.
In this game, the deck was truly stacked against her.
Chapter Ten
The workrooms of the house shined as if they had been polished for days. Kateb supposed they had. The launching of the Internet site for the women’s jewelry business had attracted many of the village’s residents and Rasha would want to impress her neighbors.
Kateb circulated through the crowd, looking for Victoria more than listening to those around him. He was one of only a few men in a sea of women, which should have made spotting her difficult. However, her blond hair caught his attention.
He saw her speaking with one of the artists. Victoria said something and the other woman laughed. She had her profile to him. Her features had become familiar, yet were still beautiful. He knew that beneath her professional suit lay curves that could drive a man to madness, but he did his best not to think of them. Better to focus on the event itself and on the orders coming in through the Web site.
“Prince Kateb.” Rasha appeared at his side and bowed. “We are so honored that you have come here this afternoon. You have made so much of this possible. We will always be grateful.”
“You have a thriving business,” he told her. “I support that.”
“Thank you.” She waved to the crowded room. “This is all because of Victoria. She is the one who saw the possibilities. She worked tirelessly. Did you see her business plan? It was very impressive. I believe she went to college.”
Rasha’s voice sounded wistful. While many El Deharian women attended college, it wasn’t that common for g
irls in the village. They went to local schools, then frequently married young and started a family.
“She has a two-year degree,” Kateb said. “In business.”
“Imagine what she could have done if she had been able to earn a four-year degree. Education is so important.”
“Do you have daughters?” he asked.
“Yes. Two. They are eight and ten.”
“Will they go to college?”
She looked surprised by the question. “They are intelligent girls with dreams, of course, but I am not sure…” She cleared her throat. “No woman in my family has attended college and my husband, while supportive, would not see the need.”
A fairly typical reaction, Kateb thought. The men had to be shown the need.
Rasha excused herself to see to her guests. Kateb returned his attention to Victoria. What would have happened to her if she’d gotten a four-year degree? Would she have entered a management training program in a large company? If so, by now she would be close to running the world.
He smiled at the thought. Perhaps the world would be a better place for it.
Yusra moved toward him. “You have seen enough?”
He checked his watch. “I have been here nearly twenty minutes.”
“Plenty of time for them to notice your presence, sir.”
He wondered if Victoria would agree. Regardless, he was ready to return to the palace. Yusra walked with him. Once they were in the street, she paused.
“Victoria is already working with the women who weave. Did you hear? She had written Princess Dora of El Bahar to ask for her help in marketing the fabric. She has a meeting scheduled with the old men who carve. They, too, wish to sell on the Internet.”
He hadn’t heard that. “Interesting. She has started a revolution.”
“In only a few weeks. You must be very proud of her.”
Pride implied he had some influence or control over her actions. She had done all this on her own.
“She isn’t like the women of the desert,” Yusra said earnestly. “At first I thought of her only as someone to please you. To help with the loneliness. I know you still miss Cantara, and that is as it should be. Victoria would be a distraction. But she is more. She saw the truth about Sa’id when the rest of us turned away. She sees the possibilities.”
The Sheik and the Bought Bride Page 13
