Then he was in her and thrusting as she closed her eyes and moaned. Wrapping her legs around him she pulled him in deeper and he licked and fondled her breasts until with a groan he let go.
‘Oh Sarah,’ he groaned, ‘My Sarah.’ Then she was lost in his arms, the smell of him, the taste of his lips and she knew her life would never be the same again.
‘You look beautiful tonight Sarah,’ said Peter at dinner, ‘There is a real glow about you, staying in Ajara looks like it agrees with you.’
She smiled at him and Irina winked at her from across the table. ‘I have been making sure that Sarah has had the best of everything while you have stayed here.’
‘Whatever it is that’s made her look so happy then I definitely agree with it.’
Chapter 7
The following morning Arif held Catherine’s hand and pulled at her excitedly. ‘I have found something to show you’ he said.
‘You will pull my arm off if you keep doing that,’ she replied, pulling her hand out of his, ‘What is so urgent Arif?’
‘You’ll see,’ he said with a grin.
He led her to a room, several hallways over from hers and showed her the secret entrance he’d found. Quietly they walked down the passageway, he had grabbed a lantern to light their way down the dark corridor. ‘Where does this lead?’ she whispered.
‘Somewhere we are not supposed to go.’ He stifled a giggle.
At the other end was a door, Arif opened it slightly and knelt so Catherine could see over him. It was the harem. There were women bathing in the communal bath area and they could see some sleeping on the large cushions in another area used for sleeping and relaxing.
Catherine peered closer, one of the women was naked, laying back on a cushion while another had her head between her legs and she could see her head moving around. Fascinated she leaned over further for a closer look.
The woman lying down threw her head back and moved her hips, pushing herself at the other. Someone walked near and Arif pulled Catherine back and closed the door. He looked at her in the light. ‘What were they doing?’
‘I don’t know,’ she replied, ‘She looked happy.’ Catherine decided against asking her mother anything, if she asked Sarah would know where she’d been and she knew it was forbidden.
Sarah and Omar were secreted in another part of the palace. Sarah had never felt so loved, even with her husband who adored her. As Omar stroked her breasts and murmured in her ear he became aware that she was barely paying attention. ‘My Sarah,’ he said softly, ‘what are you thinking about.’
‘We’ll be leaving soon,’ she whispered, ‘I can barely bring myself think about it. The thought of leaving here when I’ve found you pains me.’
He nodded. ‘I feel the same. To have met you has been such a blessing for me. I have only ever loved one other time in my life. We must make the most of the short time we have left my love and treasure the time we have had, always.’
‘I wish you could stay with me,’ he continued wistfully, ‘I would love you at every opportunity, worship you as you deserve.’
‘Peter would never let me keep Catherine,’ she said quietly, ‘I could not live without my daughter.’
‘I understand,’ Omar replied, ‘and I cannot leave Ajara. My father was in service of the Sultan’s father and I must carry on his legacy.’
‘Yet you have no heir to follow after you.’
Omar sighed. ‘It is true, at the same time I am glad. I would not want a son born into servitude as I was and I would rather die than have a daughter be a servant here.’
Then he kissed her and all thoughts went from her head as they made love again. In his arms she had found a side to herself that she didn’t know existed, she wanted more and the thought of leaving Omar was almost too much to bear. It would happen, she knew and she would settle back to her life back in London with her husband and daughter.
In the evening it was clear that Peter’s business was nearly concluded. The Sultan had been very generous in his dealings and he had managed to get a substantial amount more than he thought he would for his money.
Catherine was sad. Soon they would be on their way back to the port town where the ship was docked to await the arrival of the goods Peter had purchased before departing for England. The two month sea journey she had not enjoyed and was not looking forward to the return trip.
‘We’ll have some time before we go my sweet,’ her father said, ‘there will be children where we stay and you will make new friends.’
‘I like Arif,’ she said, ‘can’t we take him with us Papa?’
Peter laughed. ‘I’m sorry Catherine, Arif has to stay here, and he is his father’s heir. One day he will be Sultan.’
Catherine stared at her father. ‘Will he have a harem of his own?’ she asked.
Puzzled he paused for a moment, wondering how she knew of the harem. ‘I dare say he will, but that will be when he is an adult.’
‘The Sultan has a harem,’ she said, ‘Arif told me about it.’
Kissing her on the top of her head, Peter hugged his daughter and wished her goodnight. ‘Sleep well my love. We all need to get as much rest as possible before we start the journey back.’ Sleep however, was the last thing on his mind, his experiences in the palace had stirred both he and Sarah and he would not rest until he had made love to her that night.
He’d felt guilty at first, when the Sultan first suggested that he take his pleasure with another woman but as the Sultan and Hassan both had wives Peter had felt he couldn’t turn him down. This place was different to what he was used to, he had seen all kinds of things since they had set out from England but Ajara was almost in a world of its own.
The women were young and desirable, it had been easy to get lost in their charms and he had developed a much better relationship with the Sultan as a result of joining in the other activities. Once they were back in England with their goods sold and living a life of a wealthy family everything would be back to normal, Sarah didn’t have to know anything of what happened in Ajara.
As he hadn’t mentioned what had happened in the Sultan’s rooms, Sarah’s guilt was lessened. It would cost Peter some sleep thinking about what he had done to align himself with the sultan in order to do business but if that’s what it took to secure Sarah and Catherine’s future then he had done what he’d needed to.
The following morning the horses were prepared and ready to go early, Irina and Arif there to see them off. Sarah hugged Irina, ‘Thank you so much for everything,’ she whispered.
‘You are welcome my friend,’ Irina replied.
Mounting the horses they waved goodbye. Sarah wondered where Omar was but just as she was about to turn and leave he appeared, behind everyone else. Their eyes locked and he looked at her with so much love, she made a pact with herself to never forget him or how she had felt in his arms.
‘Let’s go,’ said Peter behind her and she urged her horse on, torn between getting home and back to her life and staying here with Omar but with her daughter in mind she had already chosen her husband and didn’t fuss.
The smell of salt air signalled their return to the port town. Arriving at the port they were all relieved to see the little house they’d rented there. It would take several weeks for the goods that Peter had procured to arrive from all the places he’d bought them so they would wait it out here before returning home.
Hassan reunited with his family and things returned to as normal as they would be away from home. To get her mind off Omar, Sarah got her daughter back into her lessons. They had been sorely neglected during their travels and she was determined that Catherine would not slip too far behind. Catherine grumbled, she missed Arif and although she made friends with children that lived nearby none were as close as she had been with him.
As the weeks rolled by, the family were content, Sarah and Peter’s closer intimacies had continued and the memory of what had happened in Ajara started to fade. Peter never told Sarah what went on behind the closed door
s of the Sultan’s rooms and Sarah never spoke about it either, the thoughts of Omar too painful.
‘Mother, do I have to do lessons today? It’s so sunny and warm outside.’ Catherine said. It was humid and hard to concentrate as it was so Sarah relented to let her play with the children nearby.
‘Don’t go too far from the house,’ Sarah told her daughter and watched as the little girl met with Hassan’s children a few doors down and smiled at the little girls ease at making friends.
It was easy for Catherine she thought to herself, she could make herself welcome anyway she had such a gentle and caring way about her. She wasn’t shy either which could be as much of an embarrassment as something to be proud of. With the children nearby, she could hear the sound of children’s laughter and weary from the heat she decided to take a nap.
It was the screaming that woke her up, the child in the street screeching at the top of her voice. Sarah rushed down the steps at the front of the house, frantic in case it was Catherine but to her relief it was a little girl from across the street.
‘What’s wrong Daria, are you hurt?’ she asked.
‘Catherine is gone,’ said Daria, ‘Some men came and took her while we were playing.’
‘What men?’ Sarah asked.
‘They came up and grabbed her, put something on her face and she went to sleep, then they took her.’
Sarah clamped her hand over her mouth and screamed in horror. Running as fast as she could to the dock where Peter was loading the ship she nearly collided with him.
‘Peter someone’s taken Catherine,’ she said between sobs. She told him what Daria had said.
‘We need to inform the authorities and form a search party. We’ll find her Sarah.’
For hours they searched, there was no sign. Sarah was frantic and Peter tried to keep calm himself to console her. The authorities weren’t too interested after the first couple of days. It was common they said for young girls to go missing and in a port town she could also have easily fallen into the water and drowned.
So while the ship sailed, laden with the goods that Peter’s business partners would take care of, they stayed and searched and after many months and nothing, running out of available resources they headed for home. Heartbroken, all Sarah could think of was Catherine.
The journey back was uneventful, Sarah stayed in the cabin the whole time miserable and seasick. By the time they got home she had run out of tears, unable to cry anymore but wretched at the ache she felt for her lost daughter.
Their home seemed dark and cold when they got there, Sarah couldn’t bear to go near Catherine’s room and Peter closed the door. His regret now at ever going hung over him. No amount of money would ever help them recover from this.
Chapter 8
The morning seemed colder than ever as Peter made his way to the office. Keen to find out how the business had done in his absence he was also running away from Sarah for whom returning home had brought another wave of misery.
Every room reminded them of Catherine, the living room where she had played, the dining room where they had eaten their meals together as a family and the bedroom full of her things. Sarah was bereft with grief and Peter could not bear to see her so torn up.
Trudging to the office all Peter could think of was Sarah, he ached to see her like this and his own heart felt as though it had been ripped apart by the loss of Catherine and to see his beloved wife so sad pained him.
Peter turned the final corner and stood before the office door. The windows of the building were boarded up and he looked at it puzzled before trying his key in the door. When it didn’t turn he backed up and looked again. It was still, there was no one there which wasn’t unusual but the place looked like it hadn’t been occupied for some time.
‘Perhaps they’ve moved somewhere better,’ he said to himself before turning and walking to the home of Charles Gray, the nearest of the business partners.
A knock on the door was answered by Elizabeth Gray who threw herself at Peter to hug him. ‘We were so sorry to hear what happened,’ she said. The Grays being childless had adored Catherine and treated her as their own.
Ushering him in to sit down she poured him some tea. ‘Is there any news of Catherine? I have been so worried for her Peter and upset for you and Sarah.’
He shook his head. ‘There has been no sign, we still have people looking but each day holds less and less hope. I don’t know what to do Elizabeth, Sarah is so distant.’
She patted his hand. ‘As long as you are there for each other you’ll get through it. There must be some hope to hold onto.’
Standing up she smoothed down her dress. ‘I will fetch Charles for you. There are business matters you need to discuss.’ Pausing in the hallway she took a deep breath and closed her eyes thinking of the further pain that was about to be inflicted on the Stantons.
Charles was direct and to the point. ‘John took all the money from the business, everything we earned from your trading trip is gone. I have started rebuilding from what I had myself and you are welcome to join me but we are starting with very little I’m afraid.’
Peter’s jaw dropped. ‘Everything?’ he whispered.
Charles sat beside him. ‘I’m sorry to lay it on you the minute you are here but it’s all gone Peter. We made a handsome profit on the goods you shipped and he took it all.’
Reaching out he put a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. ‘I am so sorry to hear of Catherine’s disappearance Peter, if there’s anything we can do at all.’
Still in shock Peter nodded. ‘I will talk to Sarah, we’ll have to sell the house and buy something smaller but I would like to stay in business with you if I can.’
‘I still can’t believe it,’ Charles said, ‘all that time we were in business together with your father and then you. From what I hear he had debts that he told no one about and desperate took the money and ran.’
After more tea and talking Peter headed home to Sarah, telling her what had happened. Surprisingly she took it better than he had expected. ‘There is no point in being upset about this, what’s done is done. I would give all the money I had to get my baby back.’
Peter wrapped his arms around her. It was the most she had said in days. ‘I know sweetheart, I know.’
He took a deep breath. ‘Charles has offered me a partnership but we’re going to have to sell the house so I can buy into the business. With John running the way he did we haven’t lost any of our clients so we can rebuild.’
She nodded. ‘I understand.’ Looking up at him he saw her blue eyes filled with tears. ‘When Catherine comes home she won’t know where we are.’
‘She’ll find us love, no matter what she’ll find us,’ he said, holding her tight, kissing her cheek and wiping her tears.
Chapter 9
Catherine Stanton woke up to the dust and noise of a carriage. Feeling the bumps on the uneven road she screamed, realising she was not where she was supposed to be and her parents were nowhere to be seen.
From the other side of the carriage an arm appeared, and then another and the little girl was given more of the drug to keep her still until they got to their final destination.
When she awoke again she was in a very familiar place, the Sultan’s palace in Ajara where he now stood over her. She struggled but he held her down so she couldn’t get away. ‘Please let me go,’ she said, ‘My Mama will be very worried.’
‘You don’t need to worry about that anymore,’ he said, ‘You will be living with us here now, your mother and father have gone home to England and left you here so you can be playmates with Arif. Didn’t you like having him as a friend?’
‘I did but I want my Mama,’ the little girl wailed.
‘It will take time to adjust but you will like living here, I will put you in the care of the Sultana and she will look after you. Arif has missed you since you left; you are very dear to him.’
Catherine cried and the Sultan picked her up and carried her to the door
of the harem. ‘See to it that she is dressed appropriately and taught the ways of our people,’ he said, ‘she is to be a playmate of Arif and as such treated like my own daughter.’
Irina looked at him. ‘Husband, this is not something you should have done. Sarah will be heartbroken and the little girl needs to be with her mother.’
His nostrils flared. ‘You dare question me? Believe me her family have been well paid for her. Now take her and settle her.’
The Sultana smiled at Catherine and took the girl from his arms. Catherine squirmed but the woman was surprisingly strong and she was unable to break her grip. She sobbed for hours until there were no more tears, her grief for her mother consuming her.
Over the next few weeks Catherine stayed in the harem. The women dressed her as a girl of the palace would be dressed and she was educated in their language and customs. At night she cried for her parents and Irina would hold her and rock, ashamed of her husband’s actions. She had made a good friend in Sarah Stanton and for them to have stolen her child was so wrong. In the harem at night with the weeping child she vowed that one day she would make everything right for her friend and the daughter she would be missing beyond reason.
As time went on Catherine adjusted to palace life, she talked about her parents less and while the Sultan rejoiced at what seemed to be her new attitude she hid her sadness and talking about them made the heartache worse.
Omar was horrified to see her back, realising that the Sultan had kidnapped her but having no way to find Sarah to tell her. He vowed to take care of her as if she was her own and look for an opportunity to return her to her mother. His heart ached for Sarah’s loss as it did for his loss of her. He was a man of passion but had not opened himself to many, she had been a shining light in his life and he felt the pain of her leaving greatly.
The children weren’t allowed outside the palace but they had the courtyard to play with and its lush garden, Catherine would stand and look up at the moon sometimes wondering where her parents were under that same moon and if they were thinking of her.
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