The Sheik and the Slave

by Italia, Nicola

  ***

  That morning, Katharine played chess with her father, walked along the green with Abigail and her son, and dined in with her family and Thomas.

  She settled into a relaxed routine, and Edward was relieved to see her face calm and smooth from pain.

  She and Thomas walked along Hyde Park and mixed freely with the other couples. The beauty and green of the park reminded her of home. Thomas tucked her arm into his.

  That evening, she played backgammon and spent time with her beloved son. It was this quiet evening that Abigail approached her.

  “I think it’s time that I return to the Abbey, dear,” she remarked. “I have been gone too long. I need to return to my duties.”

  Katharine had been quietly reading in her father’s sitting room and was shocked at the words.

  “Abigail, no! What I mean to say is, must you? I will be lost without you,” Katharine said.

  Abigail, still clad in her religious garb, came toward Katharine.

  “Dearest Katharine,” she said. “It has been a pleasure to know you and your son and to watch as you have been reunited with your father. Now you are taking another direction, and I think you may be married soon.”

  “What?” she asked. Katharine looked confused but then understood. “Oh, no, Abigail. Thomas is a dear friend. But marriage? No, I am not ready for marriage. And he has not even hinted at it.”

  “Nevertheless,” Abigail replied. “You are a lovely woman and Thomas seems smitten. He will fill your empty heart and be a good father to your son.”

  “Please! I know you serve God and that is a high calling, but is there nothing I can do to make you stay? You have a permanent place here. With my son and, when he grows older, with me. You are welcome, most welcome, here. You are loved,” Kat said. Tears filled her eyes.

  “Oh, Katharine,” she said as her grey eyes twinkled. “You have been the dearest thing to me and like a true daughter. Your son is charming and I adore him, but I have duties to fulfill at the Abbey and must see to them. You understand?”

  “Of course. I’m being selfish. Forgive me,” she said. She clasped the woman tightly to her in an embrace. “I love you, dearest Abigail. I will stay in touch with you.”

  “I love you too, Katharine. You and your son will always be in my prayers,” Abigail replied. She touched Katharine’s face with her hand.

  ***

  Once Abigail returned to her Abbey, the house seemed quieter. Katharine missed the older woman dearly. A nurse was obtained to look after her son, and Katharine spent time with him in the park and at night. He was a darling and she doted on him.

  One evening, Katharine dressed slowly in a cream-colored silk dress with roses and vines encircling the stomacher, skirt, and at the elbows. The neckline was square, with lace along the edges. It was a beautiful dress, and she wore it with her diamond necklace and earrings.

  Thomas wore a deep purple frock coat and breeches, with yellow flowers etched along the edges at the wrists. His clothes were impeccable and elegant, and she was proud that he was at her side.

  They attended the theater to enjoy The Beggar’s Opera and afterwards, they had supper. Katharine was admired wherever they went, and Thomas noticed the men watch and follow her with their eyes. Though she was a beautiful woman, he knew that she had been through much.

  He found her beauty intoxicating and wanted nothing more than to be with her. She was withdrawn and except for that one kiss, there had been nothing between them. He had tried to quell his desires for her, to give her time.

  After supper, they were walking in Hyde Park, each lost in their own private thoughts. He had spent the time with her, watching her face and her movements, and knew the time had come.

  “Katharine, I have enjoyed the time spent with you, and I think that you enjoy my company,” he began.

  “Yes, Thomas.”

  The Serpentine looked like cool glass as they stopped next to it. Hyde Park was quiet and serene, and the smell of wet grass reminded her of home.

  “I know your heart is healing and I don’t want to push you. But I think there is a future for us,” he said. His hazel eyes met her blue ones.

  “Thomas, these past weeks have been so hard for me. But you have been a kind and generous friend.”

  “I want to be more than your friend, Katharine,” he said to her, his voice husky.

  Purple intertwined with cream as he pulled her into his arms.

  “I can make you happy, Katharine. Only let me,” he asked in a whisper before his mouth touched hers in a kiss that was sweet and loving. He broke the kiss and she stepped away from him.

  “I need time, Thomas,” she said.

  He caressed her cheek.

  “You will have all the time you need. Come, let’s get you home.”

  A movement caught her eye, and she thought she saw a dark shape behind a large tree. Was that a man? Surely not, she told herself. It was simply the shadows of the night.

  Thomas caught her arm just as she tried to focus on the shape. Was she in danger? Should she be concerned? She quickened her pace and did not glance behind her.

  ***

  The morning had been uneventful, and she spent much of it with her son. She saw that he was growing up; with a pain in her chest, she noticed that he looked like very much like his father.

  He was a constant reminder of Mohammed, and she ached at his small face, eyes and limbs that were so beloved. How could he have abandoned them?

  Later that afternoon, she spent time with her father and they played chess. She was convinced he let her beat him even though they were both superb players.

  She finished dinner with her father and wanted to feel refreshed before tea. She changed into a simple yellow dress with the square neckline edged in yellow lace and along the elbow-length sleeves. The skirt fell in soft waves about her body as she walked and her square heels were yellow silk.

  She ventured toward Hyde Park as the short walk from the Mayfair townhouse refreshed her. She thought about Thomas and his admission the night before and she wondered about it. She would live comfortably with him as the second son of an earl. He would look after her and she was concerned about her son, though she had no reason to think he would be anything but a surrogate father.

  As the sun lowered in the sky, she wondered if she could love Thomas and make a life with him. She had given her heart and soul to Mohammed and it had ended so badly. She worried about opening her heart to another.

  The trees were lush and the grass thick underfoot. She nodded to several couples who strolled along and a nurse who pushed a child along in a baby carriage.

  It was serene, as it had been the evening before, yet the twilight had cast a rosy glow among the trees.

  She saw a man walking ahead of her dressed in forest green breeches and frock coat. He wore a wide-brimmed hat and she saw his dark hair was clubbed. He seemed strangely familiar, but she didn’t see his face. Suddenly, he turned around to change directions and almost crashed in her. Katharine’s breath caught in her throat. She gasped.

  She froze and could only gaze at him in horror. Then, she turned and fled.

  “Katharine!” Mohammed yelled to her.

  She ignored him as she tried to flee, but her corset was so tight she couldn’t breathe deeply enough to move quicker.

  He swore under his breath and then chased after her. It wasn’t hard to catch up with her as she wasn’t moving that fast. She had seemed horrified at seeing him and he wondered why. After all, if anyone’s behavior was to be condemned, it was hers.

  He caught up with her and grabbed her arm, swinging her to face him.

  “Katharine,” he called her name sternly.

  She closed her eyes and willed him to be gone. The pain and betrayal came back raw and fresh and she didn’t want to remember any of it. He looked so sinfully handsome dressed in green, showing off his dark skin and hair. It was so unfair. Why was he back?

  “Don’t touch me,” she said. She tried
to jerk away, but he pulled her closer to him. She could smell his masculine, clean scent.

  The scent of jasmine clung to her. It triggered the memories of them lying together with nothing between them but jasmine and the hot night when he had taken her for the first time.

  Her blue eyes were luminous as he held her beneath a large oak tree.

  “Katharine, what is going on here? I have been worried for your safety and I return to London to find you cavorting with your new lover. I should never leave you alone, for your bed gets cold quickly.”

  Katharine saw red as he dared to bring up Thomas while he was married with a new child.

  “My bed gets cold?” she threw back at him. “That’s rich coming from you! My God, when I think of everything I have sacrificed and what I have been through and you…”

  “And I what?” he asked, pulling her into his arms. “And I what, Katharine? I made you a promise. I stood before you and told you I would speak to your father. I had the marriage license. We were to be married.”

  He was so angry that she had thrown away all of their love and future for a titled Englishman. Was she that cold and calculating? Had everything been pretend?

  “None of that matters now, how could it?” she spoke coldly. How dare he stand before her and speak of the past when he had married an Arab woman and gotten her with child. “Why are you even here? What do you want?”

  “To finish what we started, Katharine.”

  “There’s nothing to finish. This is over. Go back to Arabia.”

  He released his grip on her and boldly raked in her feminine form.

  “We’ll see, princess.”

  Chapter 26

  Katharine watched him walk away and wanted to scream. How dare he touch her and taunt her when she had been neglected and discarded? What an arrogant man! He wanted to finish what? she wondered. Why had he been so cool and collected? Did he want a second wife?

  Had he decided that he would exist the way he had been when they first met and that she would eagerly submit to being a second wife? It was unthinkable. She was even more furious with herself for being drawn to him, even now.

  His dark eyes weakening her, even now. She wanted him even though he had been with another woman and he had a child. It was disgusting. She was almost shaking with anger and contempt for herself as she made her way home. How did he even know of Thomas? He had casually mentioned “a lover,” though she had said nothing. Then it came to her. Of course.

  He could have been the man outside the townhouse in the early morning and the shadow she saw last evening with Thomas. Had Mohammed been following her? For what purpose? It seemed so strange. He had a wife and child in Arabia; what was he doing here? She suddenly thought of her child and realized she must tread carefully.

  She did not want to antagonize Mohammed until she discovered his true purpose for coming to London. She would protect her son at all costs.

  She decided to tell no one of the encounter.

  ***

  Mohammed ventured back to The George, where he was staying, his mind in turmoil. He had not been expecting Katharine that evening. After his encounter with her and Thomas the day prior, he had vowed to stop following her. Watching another man kiss and touch her had been excruciating.

  At first, he had wanted to confront the unknown man and possibly drive a fist into his face. He had also wanted to question Katharine who, before his return, had been lost to them all and missing. He had come to London expecting to be reunited with his dearest and shortly marry her, but instead he had found her in another man’s arms.

  He was angry and confused at her cold greeting and barely recognized the warm woman who had given herself to him that hot Arabian night. As he returned to The George and stepped inside it, with its wood floors and oak beams, he thought suddenly of the one question he needed answered above all else. Where was their child?

  ***

  Sarah smoothed her orange silk skirt down as she waited patiently in the sitting room for Katharine to join her. The ladies had been invited by a close friend of Sarah’s to a card party and supper and Katharine had agreed to attend. Edward declined to attend, and Charles was at his club, White’s, so the ladies were to attend alone.

  “Yes, yes Sarah. I’m running late, forgive me,” Katharine said. She wore a beautiful blood-red dress with intricate gold vines along the stomacher and sleeves. The gold wound along the skirt and she wore red square heels to match. She wore delicate ruby earrings and no necklace. Her blonde hair was piled at the nape of her neck.

  “Come, let’s away, Katharine,” Sarah said.

  Together, they hired a hackney cab and arrived as the party was underway. Katharine had not wanted to leave the townhouse, especially since she feared running into Mohammed. But she chided herself that he would never mix in society and he had seemed just as bewildered as she when they had come upon each other in Hyde Park.

  Katharine was pleased to be out and noticed the mix of ladies and gentleman in the room. The ladies were delightfully dressed in an array of colors and the gentleman liked vibrant peacocks. Katharine noticed several people glance their way. Unbeknownst to her, Katharine looked particularly striking, as the red dress contrasted sharply with her blonde hair.

  She noticed several women murmuring while they played faro, and there seemed to be a buzz in the air. There were sofas and chairs placed comfortably around one room. In the next room, Katharine saw a variety of foods on the table. It looked delicious. She placed a strawberry in her mouth.

  When she returned to the main room, she saw that Sarah had joined a table to play cards and an older lady beckoned to her at a sofa.

  “Dearest Katharine,” the older lady spoke to her.

  “Lady Dunvale,” she replied. Katharine smiled at the woman who was an acquaintance of her mother’s.

  They settled on the sofa as the voices floated around them.

  “My dear, you are most exquisite. You should be married,” she said. The older woman patted her brown hair, which was slowly graying, and sighed. “Lord Dunvale has been dead now several years, and I miss him dreadfully.”

  “He was a good man,” Katharine agreed.

  “And you are young! In the prime of your life!” Dahlia Dunvale reprimanded her.

  “You are very kind.”

  “My dear, I must introduce you to a newcomer amongst us. All the women are fawning over him, and I daresay there is reason. He is oh so handsome! I’m sure he would like to meet you,” she said. Lady Dunvale moved through the room in her silver and blue dress, making her way to a corner where several sofas sat facing each other. A handful of women were surrounding one man and seemed to be doing exactly as Dahlia said: fawning over him.

  As they made their way closer, Katharine felt her heart beat in her ears.

  “My dear, allow me to introduce you. Sir, this is Lady Katharine Fairfax. Katharine, this is…”

  “Yes, Lady Dunvale, I have already met the charming Lady Fairfax in Hyde Park. Did I not?”

  Katharine looked at Mohammed sitting amongst the high-bred ladies of London society and nodded.

  “Yes, we did,” she agreed.

  “Oh dearest. I must attend to my friend Clarissa. I will return,” Lady Dunvale said. She bustled off, leaving Katharine to take an empty seat on the end of the sofa with another lady.

  Mohammed sat next to a red-haired lady on one sofa while three women sat facing him on another sofa.

  Katharine racked her brain with an excuse to leave this group when the redhead with breasts almost spilling out of her dress leaned into Mohammed.

  “Sir, you were about to tell us of the weather in your land,” she said, smiling at him.

  Mohammed locked eyes with Katharine.

  “Yes, Madame, I was.” Katharine looked at the three wide-eyed women sitting on the sofa opposite him, who were absolutely enthralled.

  “Nothing in London can compare with my land and its unique weather,” he began.

  Katharine eyed
him warily and thought he looked dreadfully handsome. She had seen him in long white robes but he was completely at ease in fashionable Western clothing as well.

  His frockcoat and waistcoat were oyster-colored, with intricate silver and yellow embroidery along the cuffs and covering the waistcoat. His breeches were oyster-colored and his silk stockings white with black shoes. As usual for him, his hair was clubbed but not powdered.

  “The weather is hot, sometimes blisteringly so and sand covers my land,” he spoke.

  “Sand?” asked one wide-eyed young woman with hazel eyes and black hair.

  “Yes, Lady Violet. Like the sands you might see on the beach but more. Much more.”

  Lady Violet giggled and looked at her two friends.

  But Mohammed could only see Katharine. She looked stunning in her red dress, and the gold embroidery only brought out her hair and lush skin. He watched her bite her lower lip on one side and it almost drove him over the edge.

  The red-haired lady leaned in again and almost brushed her breasts against his arm. “And the women? Are the women beautiful?” she asked.

  “Lady Louise, no one holds a candle to the Englishwoman,” he said. Then, his lips brushed the back of her hand. All four women laughed heartily and Katharine felt sick. He had a wife and child at home and he was seducing more women? Good God, the man was insatiable.

  “Are you married, sir?” Katharine asked, causing all five people to look at her.

  Mohammed turned away from Louise and looked at Katharine.

  “No. I am not married, but I have loved one woman very deeply,” he said. His brown eyes met hers.

  Louise tsk-tsked with her tongue.

  “But sir, that is most unfortunate. You did not marry this lady? She got away?”

  “Yes. She did,” he said as he locked eyes with Katharine.

  “And the men, sir? What are they like?” Violet asked him.

  “They are men. Some good, some bad. All hope for a good wife and sons,” he said.

  “Then they are no different from Englishmen,” sighed Violet, causing everyone else to laugh.

  “Excuse me,” Katharine said, and she used the moment to escape him.