The Sultan's Bride

by Ariadne Wayne

  He laughed. ‘Catherine took much persuasion to come out but I think as her friend it is my duty to keep her entertained until her child arrives, after all she will not have time to socialise after the birth.’ Caressing her hand he smiled at her as the others looked at each other, surprised at how smitten he clearly was with the heavily pregnant woman.

  Dinner was soon served and the conversation around the table continued to focus on Catherine. She didn’t mind, it was nice to be around younger people, as much as she loved her mother and father she missed the harem at the palace. A lot of the women there had been around the same age as her or only a few years older and they were like family.

  Catherine realised how settled she felt now, the baby would soon be here and she had a new best friend, one that wouldn’t let her down the way she had been in the past. For the first time in a long time she felt safe.

  They didn’t stay too late, she was so easily tired and Mary, Beth and Clare all promised to call on her soon. ‘I’m sure Richard will let you know when the baby is born, you can all come around and cluck over him,’ she laughed.

  ‘Not too much clucking,’ said John Peters, Clare was the youngest of the three and just slightly older than Catherine. ‘We have plenty of time for that to happen.’

  ‘They’re just enjoying each other,’ the rich Irish brogue of Mary teased and the group laughed.

  Richard kissed Catherine on the cheek, bidding her goodnight at the door. ‘Will you be able to get up to your room by yourself?’ he asked cheekily.

  She laughed. ‘I’m afraid even if you helped me I’d be no fun.’ As he turned to leave she called his name. ‘Thank you Richard. Tonight was lovely even if I am exhausted now.’

  ‘Goodnight Catherine,’ he said, giving her one last wave before disappearing into the distance to his home.

  Several hours later she woke in pain; her baby making his presence felt. ‘Mother!’ she cried, hoping her mother was in earshot. The door swung open and Sarah stood in the doorway.

  ‘My darling,’ she said. Catherine was soaking. ‘The waters have gone. The babe is on the way.’ She called out for Peter to summon the midwife and went about trying to make Catherine as comfortable as possible.

  Sarah made her get up and out of bed so she could remove the wet linen and get the bed ready for what was to come. ‘Mother don’t fuss so much,’ Catherine said, gritting her teeth when another wave of pain hit. She grasped the end of the bed in a vice like grip until the pain left again.

  When the midwife came Catherine had been walking around the room and the pains were more frequent. She got her to lay back on the bed and checked her over. ‘This will be a quick birth I think,’ she said, ‘It will not be much longer.’

  ‘You took hours to come,’ said Sarah suddenly, ‘I was beginning to think you were never going to be born. When you were I cradled you in my arms and prayed that I could always keep you safe but I didn’t Catherine. I have not been a good mother.’

  Catherine grasped her mother’s hand and pulled her towards her. ‘You were a wonderful mother, there are things we can’t control and I didn’t just go missing, someone took me. There was nothing you could have done to prevent it. I never stopped loving you because I was taken Mama, and you were always in my heart.’

  Sarah wrapped her arms around her daughter. ‘I would give anything to go back to that day and do things differently, I love you so much Catherine.’

  ‘I love you too mother,’ she said, before asking the midwife, ‘Is it time? I feel like I need to push.’

  She nodded. ‘It’s time to push now. Just wait until the next pain and push down.’ It took what felt like hours of pushing for Catherine’s son, he was small with a lovely olive skin tone and lots of dark hair.

  As he was placed in her arms she cried, cried for joy that he was with her, alive and safe. She cried for his father, the distant Arif who had sent her away. This child would have her alone to take care of him. She rocked with him for a while before her mother helped her put the baby to her breast. He suckled happily and she sighed as she remembered the nights in the palace with Arif, the love between them that this tiny child was the result of and her heart ached.

  When the afternoon rolled around, Richard knocked on the Stanton’s door for his daily walk with Catherine. Peter answered the door with a grin on his face. ‘Richard!’ he exclaimed, ‘Welcome, please come in’

  ‘Mr Stanton,’ he said, nodding his welcome and stepping into the entranceway.

  ‘Is Catherine ready for our walk?’ he asked.

  Peter put his hand on Richard’s shoulder. ‘Catherine will not be walking with you today, I’m sorry son.’

  Richard raised an eyebrow. ‘Is she under the weather?’

  Peter laughed. ‘Far from it, go upstairs and see her. She’s in her room, first door on the right.’

  Richard made his way up the stairs. Catherine must surely be resting but what an unusual reception from her father he thought. At the top of the stairs he paused, her bedroom door was open and when he turned the corner he could see why Peter was smiling so much.

  Catherine was lying in bed, her baby in the crook of her arm. Her hair was loose, all over her back and shoulders, he realised for the first time he had never seen it this way. She looked so tired and yet so beautiful. Stroking baby’s face with her finger she kept kissing his cheek and nuzzling him with her nose, completely oblivious to the man standing in the doorway.

  ‘I assume our walk is cancelled for today,’ he said softly, moving slowly towards the bed. She looked up and smiled at him.

  ‘I would say it will be cancelled for a few days at the least. The midwife did say however our walks helped his birth along.’ She laughed. ‘Richard, meet James.’

  He bent over; the big blue eyes of the little boy cuddled up with his mother looked up at the new face that was looking back at him. ‘He’s beautiful,’ he said, taking James’ little hand in his own. ‘So tiny and precious.’

  Catherine beamed. ‘I am so very proud of him. He will be a strong boy, so handsome, so like his father.’

  The words escaped before she thought about them and Richard saw her close her eyes, thinking of her time in the palace. ‘But he has me now and my parents to guide him. He will grow up to be a fine young man, I am sure of it.’

  Richard let go of James and took her hand in his. ‘You have me too Catherine, I’m not going to disappear anytime soon. Both of you are very dear to me now.’

  She squeezed his hand. ‘I’m so glad I have you as my friend Richard, you are very dear to me too.’

  Chapter 24

  As the days went on and she recovered from childbirth Catherine had more visitors. Mary, Beth and Clare all arrived laden with gifts for the baby and fussed over her and little James. Peter, feeling more than a bit overwhelmed by all the women in his house started taking his own afternoon walks but didn’t begrudge her.

  It was nice he thought, that she had found friends. He’d seen how terribly lonely she had been since she’d returned remembering how busy the palace had been in what seemed like the distant past and realising that as part of the harem she would have been surrounded by others all the time. He’d fretted about how his daughter would cope with their quiet life.

  Richard was particularly attentive, determined now to win the young mother’s heart. Every day like clockwork he would be there, showering attention on her and James which she took graciously. Her heart had felt like a hole had been torn through it with the loss of her husband, the harem and of Arif but slowly between James and Richard she felt like she was healing.

  Two weeks after the birth she was eager to resume their daily walks. She fashioned a sling as she’d seen used in the palace by the servant girls who sometimes carried around their babies while completing their daily chores and the weather was especially nice, being the height of summer so thinking James would benefit greatly from fresh air and sunshine she talked Richard into escorting her to the park.

  They to
ok the walk slowly, she was tired from late nights with James and still feeling tender but feeling the sun on her face made her feel energised and Richard was pleased to see the colour in her cheeks, and her smile. He promised to take her walking every day as they had before.

  Richard was as good as his word and faithfully he arrived at the house every afternoon at the same time to take them to and from the park, and although things hadn’t taken a romantic turn he was still completely and hopelessly in love with her. Catherine was warm and polite but kept her distance and began to enjoy the daily visits so much that when one day he didn’t arrive she enquired with her father if he had heard anything.

  ‘I’m sorry my darling,’ he said, ‘I’m sure there is a good reason why he has not come, I know how much he enjoys these walks with you.’ Catherine went by herself, missing the small talk they made when they got to the park. The sun was nice and warm and she enjoyed cuddling James and talking to him. Without Richard around she told him all about his father and how much she’d loved him, told him about the life they’d have together now just the two of them.

  She stopped along the way to look at the house Richard had indicated was his, there was no sign of anyone being there and she wondered again where he was.

  When she arrived home, Richard was in the front parlour with her parents. James had fallen asleep on the way home and her mother took him from her with a big smile. ‘Let me settle this one into his crib and leave you and Richard to talk.’ Looking over her shoulder she shot a look at Peter that Catherine couldn’t decipher but her father left the room after her, a big smile on his face.

  ‘I missed you on our walk today Richard,’ she said, ‘I’ve gotten used to your company.’ A smile crossed his face and he moved closer to her.

  ‘Catherine, I need to talk to you, please, take a seat.’ He guided her to the sofa where they sat.

  Taking one of her hands in his he took a deep breath. ‘I leave soon to travel to Ajara to discuss compensation for your family for your abduction. I’m also going to speak to the Sultan about something for you too. In Mr Simpson’s and my opinion you’re entitled to something as well for what was done to your life.’ She nodded, it was nothing she didn’t already know and she wondered why he was talking to her like this about it.

  ‘The last few weeks we’ve spent time together and I have really enjoyed getting to know you and James so with that in mind I came here this afternoon to ask your parents for your hand in marriage.’ She gasped. It came as a surprise that he had done this, despite suspecting that he had feelings for her but this was not expected.

  ‘I know there has been no great romance between us and I know that you are not in love with me but after all that you have gone through I’m offering you and James a home of your own. If we were to marry before I went away we could settle you in and you could get used to the house while I was away and maybe even get used to me. It’s not a huge house but it has three bedrooms so there could be a room for me, for you and one for James if you wanted to.’

  ‘You would not expect me to share your bed?’ she asked curiously.

  ‘I would not force you into anything. I think you have had enough of that in your life. I see a young woman who needs companionship and a father for her child and I think you have already guessed that I’m in love with you.’

  ‘What if I can’t return your feelings Richard, or you meet someone else who fell in love with you, what then?’

  Reaching up he stroked her cheek. ‘I knew from the moment I first saw you I never wanted anyone else Catherine, everything I have is yours and I give it to you freely.’

  His thumb wiped away a lone tear that had rolled down her cheek. ‘You love me that much?’ she whispered, barely able to get the words out.

  ‘I do love, and I will wait as long as it takes for you to love me back.’

  Dropping to one knee, he kept her hand in his and kissed it gently. ‘Catherine Stanton, will you do me the very great honour of becoming my wife?’

  Her head was spinning, and despite her uncertainty she found herself nodding and the words came before she even thought about it. ‘Yes Richard, if you will have me, I will be your wife.’

  Chapter 25

  Everything flew by in a whirl, at the end of the week they were to be married. Peter Stanton was most anxious to get the compensation bid underway and Richard was just as anxious for Catherine to move into the house and get settled.

  Two days before Catherine went to Richard’s work place and asked to see him. Shown into his offices she sat nervously while he took her hand and kissed it.

  ‘What is it Catherine? Not changed your mind I hope,’ he said anxiously, now stroking her hand in his, hoping that she was still of a mind to marry him.

  ‘I have not but I feel the need to be completely honest with you,’ she said, ‘There was so much that happened in the palace that I have not spoken of.’

  ‘It does not matter to me,’ he said, ‘Your past is your past and a lot of what happened was not wanted by you, I know that much. I also know you are a good woman and a good mother to little James. I know you don’t love me the way I love you but I am hoping in time that will come.’

  Tears welled up in her eyes. ‘I hope so too,’ she whispered, his show of kindness overwhelming her.

  The ceremony was private, just the family and Mr Simpson in attendance. Richard had no parents; they had died several years before so Catherine and James were now his family. Catherine settled into Richard’s little house with ease. She loved having space of her own and he told her she could do whatever she wanted to the place within reason. He earned enough as a law clerk to support them and while they weren’t rich by any means they wouldn’t want for anything.

  James had been moved into the bedroom at the top of the stairs so that he was easy to hear from the bottom floor if he was asleep up there, with Catherine taking the bedroom between James and Richard at the end of the hallway.

  It was a satisfactory arrangement for all of them, he doted on James and Catherine and the pair slowly got used to living together, though at night in his lonely bed he thought of her on the other side of the wall lying alone and wondered if she thought of him.

  All too soon it was time for him to leave for the east and she farewelled him at the dock with a chaste kiss on his cheek. ‘Please tell me while you’re away you’ll think of me,’ he said, ‘you will be in my thoughts.’

  She hugged him tightly. ‘I promise. I do care so very much for you Richard and I will miss you.’

  He looked into those big blue eyes he loved so much and leaned down. ‘Then I will give you something more to think about.’ Touching her hair, he wrapped one of her curls he’d been longing to touch around his finger and then taking her by surprise he kissed her, his tongue seeking hers in a long drawn out kiss that took her breath away.

  Then he was gone, aboard the ship that would take him to the land of her ex-lover and she put her fingers to her lips, not wanting the feeling to go away. She did care about him and it pained her that she had not been able to open her heart to him. The sudden loss of her previous life had been a shock and dealing with being home with her parents had been sometimes difficult. It should have been the easiest thing in the world to fall in love with him; he was handsome, kind and was wonderful with James. Living with him had been an easy adjustment to make and she felt she had real freedom for the first time in her life.

  It wasn’t until she got home to an empty house that she realised just how much she would miss him. James had fallen asleep on the way home and she put him down for a nap, curling up on the sofa in the living room with a book and wondering how she was really going to cope with the quiet.

  The evenings became the worst, all her life she’d had people around her, first her parents, then the bustle of the palace, then her parents again and James. Although James was company at only a few months old now he still slept a lot and she was glad for Richard’s study which was full of books.

  Several
times a week she would have Richard’s friends call on her. They had come around to the little house for tea one morning when she asked, in the middle of a conversation about their lives and what else had been happening. Richard had been gone for two weeks at this time and Catherine was missing his presence, the house didn’t seem the same without him and the other women sensed it.

  ‘Tell us about the Sultan’s harem,’ Clare suddenly said. Silence filled the room as the words they all wanted to say but hadn’t, came out.

  ‘What do you want to know about it?’ Catherine asked, not wanting to spill too much detail about her former life. These women were her friends but English society was so very different from what she had grown up with.

  ‘I only know what I read in books,’ said Clare, ‘That the women all live together, away from men. But I’ve heard…’ her voice dropped to a whisper as if she was trying to not be overheard. ‘That they take care of each other’s needs as only one of them can be with the Sultan at a time.’

  Catherine nodded. ‘That does happen.’

  ‘I knew it,’ Clare said gasping, her eyes widened.

  ‘But how do they do that?’ asked Mary, ‘They don’t have the bits men do.’

  With that the table exploded into hysterical laughter and Catherine thought they were finished but it soon became clear that they were waiting for her to volunteer the information. She took a deep breath, ‘They use fingers and tongues, the way men do and they use objects usually made of wood, shaped like a man and smoothed to perfection to slide…’ She blushed. ‘Inside.’

  She expected the women to erupt into laughter but they all just stared at her. She wondered if she’d told them too much when Beth slyly said, ‘So, where do we get these… objects from?’

  Chapter 26

  Richard’s thoughts were occupied with Catherine, the two months the trip had taken to get to Ajara there had been nothing and no one else on his mind. He resolved that when he went home he would convince her they should have a real marriage, she would share his bed and they could start their own family.