by Maya Blake
But Allegra would be.
He’d seen how much the Nur-Aman people had taken to her. And her belligerent anger over the neglect his kingdom had suffered pointed to a care and concern that wasn’t a disguise.
On top of that, she wasn’t distracted by fairy-tale stories of profound love and loss the way some women were. Allegra Di Sione was practical, her breeding and intelligence grounding forces which would be nothing but a huge benefit for Dar-Aman. For him.
Slowly, he pulled the ultrasound scan from his pocket. He examined each pixel of the frame, then started over again, passing his thumb several times over the smooth surface.
As for the fierce pounding of his heart, he thought as his thumb caressed the glossy image one last time, it was adequate concern for the well-being of his child. A natural reaction to the frailty Allegra had exhibited.
What had happened to his mother wouldn’t happen to Allegra. Or their child.
All will be well. Insh’allah.
* * *
‘You brought Alessandro with you?’
Bianca grimaced and carefully avoided Allegra’s eyes in the mirror. Her other siblings had called over the past six days in answer to the news of her impending marriage. Each call had expressed their woefully disguised surprise at her uncharacteristic decision. Alessandro had been particularly sceptical, but Allegra had dealt with her lone-wolf brother for long enough to know the right words to say to him to curb any suspicions he might have.
She’d thought she’d succeeded. Alessandro’s presence here indicated otherwise.
Bianca shrugged and adjusted the heavy gold necklace adorning Allegra’s neck a careful fraction. ‘He just gave me a ride on his jet. He was...in the area.’
‘Bianca...’
‘What? Ally, come on, give me a break. You’ve always been the practical, head-screwed-on-straight one out of all of us. And yet you’ve known this guy for, what, five minutes? And you’re marrying him? Something’s obviously up, but I know better than to judge.’
Something was definitely up. For one thing, Rahim had been avoiding her since she reached Dar-Aman. She didn’t understand why, nor could she deal with the almost physical pain not seeing him brought her. ‘So you brought Alessandro to do it for you?’ she demanded.
Her sister shrugged again. ‘He’s just giving him a quick once-over.’
Allegra disguised the shaking in her hand by unnecessarily tweaking her headdress. ‘Rahim’s the sheikh of Dar-Aman, not a racehorse.’
Bianca tutted. ‘He’s also scary, in a drop-dead hot sort of way. I needed backup in case you were being strong-armed into doing this. How well do you know him anyway?’
It was Allegra’s turn to avoid her sister’s gaze. ‘I’m not being strong-armed.’ Not much anyway. She feared her unknown future as a wife, a queen and a mother. But the first step—marrying Rahim—was now an inevitability she couldn’t alter. The ceremony itself was daunting enough without borrowing future trouble.
Like answering how well she knew her future husband.
Her heart lurched as she silently answered—not very well. She’d barely spoken to or seen him between his abrupt departure on the evening of her conference and her subsequent arrival in Dar-Aman two days ago. The Marriage and Coronation Council, as they’d called themselves, had flown to New York when Allegra had told them there was no way she could drop everything and return to Dar-Aman on one day’s notice. They’d invaded her office, throwing a normally calm and efficient Zara into bewildered chaos, until Allegra had had no choice but to send her assistant home.
With Di Sione Foundation matters temporarily passed to her second-in-command, Allegra had been whisked back to Dar-Aman and thrown into a protocol initiation that had made her head spin.
But even mentally exhausted, Allegra had been able to see the further changes which had occurred since her visit two months ago. More building works had sprung up in Shar-el-Aman. The squares were less crowded with disgruntled citizens who now had jobs to fulfil them. And when the motorcade carrying Allegra to and from her whirlwind appointments with women’s organisations went past, both young and old cheered, despite not knowing who rode within the blacked-out confines of the limo.
The further extensive changes Rahim had made in the short time since she’d mistakenly condemned him were truly impressive.
But there was one matter she wasn’t pleased about. One thing that needed addressing before she married the ruler of Dar-Aman. And with her sister lingering she couldn’t make the call.
‘This is my decision, Bianca. I’m at peace with it. That’s all you need to know, okay?’ The gravity of her reply had the effect she wanted.
Bianca exhaled and nodded. ‘I’ll see you at the ceremony, then.’
Allegra kept the smile on her face until Bianca shut the door behind her. Then she lifted her gaze to the mirror once more.
She barely recognised herself beneath the heavy make-up and the royal gold-and-blue headdress pinned into place by the dozen women who’d dressed her an hour ago. Her blue eyes shone wide and exotic, rimmed with delicate kohl and gold eyeshadow. Her mouth was painted with a special lip balm said to have been harvested from a sacred tree that bloomed once a year in the Dar-Aman desert. Carefully licking her lower lip, Allegra tasted the exotic spice of the balm. The same precious leaves had been crushed into a pulp and used to henna her hands and feet.
In fact, from head to toe, she’d been transformed into a bejewelled creature she didn’t recognise. No wonder Bianca was concerned.
But while Allegra was uncertain about what the future held, she knew one thing she absolutely couldn’t tolerate. Lifting the phone on the dresser, she dialled.
‘The office of Sheikh Al-Hadi. How many I help you?’ came a voice quite different from her future husband’s.
The depth of her disappointment was keen and sharp. ‘Hi...’ She floundered. ‘This is Allegra... Di Sione. Can I speak to Rahim?’ she asked of Rahim’s personal aide.
‘Excuse me one moment, please.’
Her hand tightened on the phone as voices murmured in the background. A full minute passed before the personal aide self-consciously cleared his throat. ‘I’m very sorry, Miss Di Sione, but His Highness is indisposed at present. He expresses his apologies.’
Pain lanced her, along with jagged anger. ‘Are you sure he expresses his apologies, or are you expressing it on his behalf?’ she shot back, very much aware she was shooting the messenger, but unable to stem the dread and bewilderment tightening into a hard knot in her chest.
‘I... Yes...of course...’
‘Oh, never mind.’ She hung up before she could make a further fool of herself.
She wished she could get up and walk out of the palatial suite that was every princess’s dream come true. Out of this fairy-tale palace. Out of Dar-Aman. But Allegra knew she wouldn’t. For the sake of her baby, she had to do this.
She had to marry a man who kept a harem right under her very nose!
A sob caught in her throat, but she swallowed it quickly as a soft knock sounded on the door and jerked her further into a reality filled with trepidation.
‘Mistress, the procession is ready for you,’ Nura announced, her smile stretched wide as she hurried to Allegra.
‘Thank you, Nura,’ she struggled to reply.
Allegra rose from the centuries-old ‘betrothal stool’ she’d been placed on and waited quietly as Nura arranged the heavy fall of the blue silk behind her, before slipping her feet into flat, ruby-encrusted golden slippers. The royal-blue gown threaded with gold matched her headdress. With wide sleeves and a fitted bodice, it flared in a stiff skirt to stop a few inches above the floor, so the jewels adorning her ankles and feet could be seen when she moved.
The double doors to her suite opened when she neared, and half a dozen women who’d been with her since sunrise curtsied deep, then began chanting the pre-wedding incantations.
Allegra had wondered why the women who’d dressed her had insisted on g
iving her the customary hour on her own before the ceremony began. Now she knew. Only her mind wasn’t at ease at all. The mental nail-biting and butterflies-battling had increased a hundredfold.
She hadn’t been able to help her mother or her siblings when they’d needed her. But with the different perspective provided ironically by Rahim, she could begin to forgive herself for her failure in that regard. As for helping the women in Dar-Aman, she was also confident her help would be welcome, even valuable.
And as Rahim had pointed out, as queen, she would be even more influential in helping to bring about change. Perhaps she’d been wrong to condemn herself so soon. Perhaps she’d needed Rahim to show her that this was her time to make a true difference.
It was the role of wife she feared most. She had no idea how she could be Rahim’s wife when she didn’t know what he expected of her. And she certainly wasn’t about to share his bed when he planned to share himself with others!
In less than an hour, she would no longer be Allegra Di Sione, but Her Royal Highness, Allegra Al-Hadi, Queen of Dar-Aman.
And she was already failing at that! Because she knew she would never be the kind of wife who would blithely look the other way while her husband lay with other women.
She wanted to be the only woman he took to his bed. His only wife. And she wanted Rahim as her husband. Her true husband. The admission shook her to the core, even as the cruel reminder that Rahim’s sole reason for marrying her had been to secure legitimacy for his heir and to please his people struck deep.
Anguish slashing through her, Allegra’s steps faltered as they reached the edge of the western wing. Through a large Moorish archway, a gold carpeted walkway led to the palace’s private beach. Rose and jasmine petals had been strewn along the way. The part of her that wasn’t reeling with deep apprehension took in the sheer beauty of the ceremony and logged it away in her memory banks.
Beyond the boundaries of the no-fly zone Nura had excitedly pointed out to her, news helicopters from around the globe hovered.
She was concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other when a tall shadow detached from the VIP guests lining the walkway to follow her down to the beach. Her breath caught as Alessandro stopped in front of her.
‘Allegra.’ His voice was firm, but his eyes bore into hers with brusque concern which warmed her.
‘Alex. Bianca told me you were here.’
He frowned. ‘Are you sure about this?’
Beneath the folds of her gown, she crossed her fingers and pushed down the overwhelming panic and despair. ‘Yes, I’m sure,’ she said in as firm a voice as she could muster.
Her brother stared at her for another brooding minute, then nodded. ‘Then you have my blessing. And Grandfather’s too.’
Allegra glanced at Bianca, who’d joined them, then back at Alessandro. ‘You weren’t just in the area, were you?’
He shook his head. ‘No. The old man sent me.’
Despite her clogged throat, Allegra summoned a smile. ‘Thank you.’
With another nod, her brother stepped back into his place in the crowd.
The end of the walkway loomed and the chanting stopped. Yasmina, the head of her wedding entourage, turned and gestured to her feet.
Wordlessly, Allegra took off the golden slippers. Yasmina picked them up and stepped to the side.
‘You make the journey alone from here.’
Heart in her throat, Allegra glanced down the endless flight of steps.
On the beach, wearing a blue and gold abaya and matching keffiyeh held in place by silk rope, stood Rahim. His eyes were trained on her, his frame tall and proud, his demeanour set in stone.
A shift registered deep in her soul, pressing home that there was no turning back. Whether she wanted it or not, Rahim was her destiny.
On bare feet, she glided down the stairs and paused at the edge of the carpet.
At the instruction of the three elders officiating the ceremony, Rahim strode forward. Stopping in front of her, he removed his own jewelled slippers and stepped barefoot on the carpet next to her.
Wordlessly, he held out his hand and she placed hers within it. Warm and strong, his hand gripped hers, setting off fresh nerves, and a horde of new butterflies.
She glanced up at him, and darkened hazel eyes bore implacably into hers.
‘We do this part together.’
Shakily she nodded and stepped off the carpet onto the warm, coarse sand with Rahim.
The elder moved forward and uttered words she didn’t understand. Opening an ancient book, he extracted a long, braided rope and nodded at Rahim. He spoke his vows in Dar-Amanian, his voice firm and deep. Then Allegra repeated the words she’d learned in the language of the kingdom she was about to dedicate her life to.
Rahim held her steady and the rope was bound around their clasped hands from her wrist to his.
‘Now in English, so there is no misunderstanding,’ Rahim commanded.
Allegra swallowed. ‘In the presence of the sand, sea and sky, I pledge myself to you. My honour, my body, my soul.’
Rahim’s gaze pinned hers. ‘In the presence of the sand, sea and sky, I pledge myself to you. My honour, my body, my kingdom.’
And with those handful of words, they were married.
* * *
‘Where are we going?’ Allegra asked, although she half suspected the answer.
Behind the wheel of the sturdy Jeep, Rahim navigated another shadowy sand dune, one of many they’d encountered since their journey from the palace straight after the wedding feast.
‘Dar-Amanian wedding custom dictates that a bride spend a secluded night in a Bedouin tent with her groom,’ he replied, his eyes on the road before them.
He’d barely spoken to her, except to introduce her to their most distinguished guests during the wedding reception. All through the ceremony, he’d conversed with his ministers, then their guests. But to her, he remained polite and courteous, but distant. And she hadn’t had much to contribute in the way of conversation, consumed as she was by what the future held. And the very vivid, unacceptable subject of his harem.
Her stomach roiled as she struggled to answer. ‘Yes, I know that from the giant book I had to study in twenty-four hours. Same way I know that the royal bride has a two-week grace period before her coronation for the night to happen.’ She certainly wasn’t in a hurry to grace Rahim’s bed, not when the thought of him choosing another bed in the near future stabbed like a hot knife between her ribs.
‘That grace period was to accommodate monthly issues that no longer apply to you since you’re already carrying my child. I did not see the need to wait,’ he stated.
Allegra’s head snapped round to him as she caught the thick pulse of lust in his voice. She was fiercely glad the interior of the Jeep was dark and he couldn’t see her unguarded reaction to that lust. Or the need for it to be solely hers. ‘I didn’t think...we didn’t discuss anything about the physical part of our marriage.’
‘What is there to discuss?’ he demanded.
She gave a shocked laugh. ‘A lot, I should imagine. Or did you think I would accept the status quo without question?’
He directed a frown at her. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘Why did you not take my call this afternoon, before the wedding?’ she slammed back, the hurt she’d tried her best to gloss over gaping wider.
‘I was busy,’ he replied.
‘Too busy to make time for your fiancée?’ She shut her eyes for a second, as if it would block out the need she could hear in her own voice.
A tense silence greeted her, his face a stark profile. ‘I assumed it was pre-wedding jitters prompting the call. Since we are now married, I’m inclined to think we’re past those reasons.’
‘You assumed wrong. We’re most certainly not.’ Her hands tightened in her lap, a new and sharper pain lancing her when she considered what she’d do if he refused what she was about to request. Sadly, her response, should he refus
e, would be definitive.
‘I’m listening, habibi.’
She sucked in a steadying breath. ‘I need you to close the east wing.’
‘What?’ The puzzlement in his voice squeezed at her heart.
‘Shut down your harem, or we won’t be consummating this wedding.’
‘My...? Where did you get the idea that I had a harem?’ he bit out.
‘Please, Rahim...don’t toy with me. This isn’t something I intend to live with. I don’t care if you threaten me with jail. Promiscuity isn’t part of this marriage deal.’
‘Allegra, be quiet for a second,’ he inserted harshly after navigating another steep dune and bringing the Jeep to a stop.
Silence broken only by the exotic sound of desert creatures drenched them. Her hands squeezed tighter, her whole body vibrating as she waited for him to continue.
‘I don’t know where you got the idea from, but there is no harem. Not in the east wing, not in the whole palace. My father was a one-woman man and so was my grandfather. I intend to be the same. The only woman who will be servicing me in bed is you. The east wing is used to house female undergraduates who form part of the internship programme to complement their hospitality degrees at Dar-Aman University. The male students are housed in another wing in the palace.’
She gaped at him, the sheer relief pounding through her rendering her speechless for several heartbeats. ‘I... What?’
He repeated what he’d said, his voice deep and powerful. Eyes the colour of a Dar-Amanian sunset gleamed at her. ‘You’re welcome to interview the students yourself if you don’t believe me.’
Slightly dazed, she shook her head. ‘That...won’t be necessary.’
‘So you don’t wish me to shut it down?’ he mocked.
Heat flared up her face. ‘No. Of course not. But can you blame me for asking?’ she murmured.
‘No, but the lingering of certain preconceived notions could become a problem for us. Now was there anything else you wished to threaten me with on our wedding day?’ he finished, his voice holding a lethal calm she’d only witnessed once—in his study on her last night in Dar-Aman two months ago when she’d accused him of neglecting his kingdom.
