Hidden In the Sheikh's Harem

by Michelle Conder

  ‘And now for my next trick...’ he proclaimed, waiting a moment as the children shouted loudly for him to continue. ‘This one is called the lindy loop. Are you ready?’

  The excitement in the air was palpable, and every eye in the room was trained on Leo as he set the red object on an intricate movement up in the air. The yo-yo caught several times on its string, before spinning up into the air and down to the ground and then landing safely back into its master’s hand.

  The children clapped loudly, shouting multiple requests for new tricks at their entertainer. Leo was calm and indulgent, chatting easily to the crowd of little people in a way Dara had never seemed to master. She had spent weeks trying to gain the confidence of these kids, and the most she’d managed had been sharing lunch at the same table.

  Luca always stayed by her side, though.

  Her thoughts back on the present moment, she suddenly absorbed the fact that her husband was here. In the orphanage. He had lied to her, and for that she should be furious.

  And yet all she felt was a same sense of anticipation. As if she was hurtling head first down a hill and she had no power to stop it.

  As she watched, Luca stepped forward from the crowd of children. His soft black curls were falling forward into his eyes as they always did. He had the kind of unruly hair that refused to behave under the ministrations of any brush. She imagined Leo’s hair would be much the same if he let it grow any longer.

  Catching her thoughts, she shook her head and watched as her husband sank down to his knees to listen to the young boy whisper something into his ear. Leo listened intently for a moment, before breaking into a huge grin. Luca smiled up at him and they both laughed together at their secret joke.

  And Dara felt her heart break completely.

  Turning from the door, she walked quickly down the corridor and out to her car. The drive home passed in a blur. Her body felt numb and her insides shook violently.

  Once she reached the familiar facade of the castello, she walked to the stone wall that overlooked the famous cliffs of Monterocca. And only then did she let the tears come. Great racking sobs escaped her throat and sent violent tremors through her.

  It was unthinkably cruel that Leo should look so perfect surrounded by children. The one thing that she could never give him. She wept for the children she would never bear. The children she had denied wanting for so long.

  Soon the sound of tyres squealing down the driveway interrupted her silence. Heavy steps were moving fast across the courtyard towards her.

  Dara turned just as Leo came to a stop. ‘Where have you been?’ she asked innocently.

  ‘You know where,’ Leo gritted. ‘They told me that you arrived and then left—driving like a mad woman.’

  ‘You lied to me,’ Dara said, her voice almost a whisper.

  ‘I needed to understand.’ He stood with his arms crossed.

  ‘And do you? Do you understand now why it was so selfish of me to get so attached?’

  ‘To tell the truth, Dara, no—I don’t.’ He sighed. ‘You keep saying you’ve been selfish. But I don’t understand how you can consider giving your time and attention to those children as selfishness.’

  ‘I wasn’t giving anything, Leo. I was taking. I got too close. I let Luca get attached to me because it made me feel...needed.’ She took a deep shuddering breath, shaking her head at her own foolishness. ‘It made me feel like—like I was his mother.’ She bit her lip. ‘Can’t you see how wrong that is? I’ve given him hope for something that can never happen.’

  ‘What makes you believe that it can never happen, Dara?’

  ‘Look at me, for goodness’ sake. I’m a control freak who works crazy hours and spends half the year travelling around the world with my nightclub magnate former playboy husband.’

  ‘That’s...quite a mouthful.’ Leo’s brows rose.

  ‘It’s the truth.’ She shrugged. ‘We’re not family people. Aside from the fact that we can never have our own biological children.’

  Leo walked past her to the ancient stone boundary wall, leaning over to peer down at the rough sea below them. ‘I might be a jet-setting former playboy, but I think I would be ten times the father that mine was.’

  Dara froze. ‘Leo, I didn’t mean that you wouldn’t make a great father. Of course you would. You’re easy-going and kind. You’re reliable and intelligent. You would be amazing.’ She shook her head. ‘But you’re married to me.’

  ‘Dara, if it wasn’t for you I would still be going through life without a true purpose. Falling in love with you made me realize what is truly important in life. Three years ago if you had told me that I would want to spend the rest of my life living in this castle I would have laughed you out of the room.’ He turned to her, taking both of her hands in his. ‘But here I am. And this is the only place I want to be.’

  ‘I can’t be somebody’s mother. I just can’t.’

  ‘Dara, did you ever stop and think that maybe it’s okay not to be the perfect mother? Sometimes it’s okay just to try your best. I mean, you’re telling me that you’re a workaholic, and yet the matron told me that you’ve been visiting the orphanage three times a week. That’s a two-hour round trip, alone, while simultaneously running your own business, yes?’

  Dara shrugged. ‘I made the time.’

  ‘Exactly. Because you care about this boy.’ Leo stepped forward, grasping her hands in his. ‘Dara, I went to that orphanage today because I wanted to understand you. So that I could make you happy.’ He paused for a moment. ‘I honestly had no idea of the effect it would have on me. I suppose that somewhere in the back of my mind I’ve always worried that being raised by parents like mine meant that I could never be a good parent myself.’

  ‘You would make a wonderful father, Leo,’ Dara said softly.

  ‘I’m not so sure about wonderful. But after today I know I would like the opportunity to try.’

  Dara looked up into her husband’s eyes and saw the emotion there. ‘Are you saying that you want us to start a family together?’

  ‘We’ve been a family from the moment you agreed to spend the rest of your life as my wife. I want to take this next step with you—to start a new adventure.’

  Dara closed her eyes, letting the air finally whoosh into her lungs. The fear of even daring to want this had stopped her from acknowledging her true feelings about Luca. Hearing Leo say these things... Hearing him shine a proverbial light on her deepest yearnings...

  She looked up at her husband once more and saw that he was watching her quietly.

  ‘I want to be Luca’s mother.’

  The words came out rushed and tumbled over each other on their way. But once she had said them out loud it was as though she truly understood herself for the first time. Her hands started to shake—a quake that continued up her arms and down into her abdomen.

  Leo put his arms around her but she gently removed them, needing to pace for a moment with this newfound sense of terror coursing through her. It was one thing to be afraid of wanting something that she knew could never happen. But to admit that she wanted it...? To open herself to rejection and heartbreak...?

  To Leo this was a new feeling—the idea of becoming a parent. But for Dara this was a sensation that had haunted her for years, a thought that had consumed her at times. She had fought back against the feelings of hopelessness by cutting the thought out of her life altogether and deciding that she no longer wanted to become a mother.

  Now she knew the truth. She had never stopped wanting it. She had just been waiting for this moment.

  ‘I can’t believe this is happening...’ Dara breathed, her thoughts swimming with the enormity of what they were discussing.

  ‘It’s only happening if you want it to.’ Leo stood in front of her. ‘I meant what I said on that beach three years ago. You wi
ll always be enough for me, Dara. You are more than I deserve.’

  Dara felt the fear melt away as Leo’s arms enveloped her, and all her worries seemed smaller all of a sudden. She breathed in the familiar scent of his aftershave and told herself that she needed to commit this perfect moment to memory.

  ‘I want to start a family with you.’ She pulled back to look into her husband’s eyes. ‘I want us to become Luca’s parents. If he’ll have us, that is.’

  ‘Hearing him speak about you today, I have no doubt that he thinks just as much of you as you do of him,’ Leo assured her.

  ‘I hope so.’ Dara bit her lip. ‘Leo, once we take this step there is no going back. There will be no more impromptu trips to Paris—no more yachting for weeks along the Riviera. We’ll have to consider school term times. It won’t be just you and I.’

  ‘I’m quite aware that children are a lot of responsibility.’

  ‘I just want to make sure that you’re certain this is what you want. That we aren’t going into this with our eyes closed.’

  ‘Dara, stop worrying and let yourself enjoy this. I have complete faith that you will plan every little detail perfectly. Just leave all the fun stuff to me.’ He laughed.

  Dara smiled. He was right—she was a ball of nerves. She took a deep breath, feeling a sense of excited anticipation hum through her veins.

  ‘I will start proceedings in the morning.’ Leo smiled. ‘We can go to the orphanage ourselves.’

  ‘I can hardly believe that this is happening.’ Dara shook her head. ‘Never in my wildest dreams...’

  Leo pressed his lips tenderly to hers, his hands spanning her waist and pulling her to him in a tight embrace. ‘I was afraid to share you with anyone else, but now I find myself wanting to show you off to the world. You amaze me with all you’ve overcome.’

  ‘You’re the one who helped me to overcome it.’

  Their kiss turned from soft to heated, and the wind whipped around them as the sun dipped slowly towards the sea.

  * * *

  The next morning Dara arrived at the orphanage bright and early, with her husband by her side. They entered the common room just as the children had finished breakfast. No sooner had they stepped into the room than a tiny head of jet-black curls came barrelling towards them.

  ‘Do you know the yo-yo man?’

  Luca’s eyes widened as he looked from Dara to Leo. Dara imagined her husband must look like a giant from the small boy’s height, and yet he wasn’t frightened.

  ‘Luca, this is my husband Leo. He came here to meet you.’

  The other children had filtered into the room, all their attention on the man with the yo-yo. Leo continued to delight the children with more tricks and Luca sat resolutely by his side, telling all the other children that ‘the yo-yo man’ had come to meet him.

  Before they knew it, the children were called to have lunch. As much as Dara wanted to stay there all day, she knew that now it was time for the official part of their visit.

  As the lunch bell rang Luca’s eyes turned wide and he ran to her. He looked up at her with that uncertain expression she had come to recognise so well after more than three months of visits.

  ‘I promise that I will come back,’ she said solemnly.

  Luca was a child of abandonment, so he regularly made her promise that she was coming back in their same special way. Dara held out her pinkie finger, letting him lock it with his own tiny one.

  She felt a hand at her waist. Leo stood by her side, watching the exchange with interest. ‘Is this some secret handshake I don’t know about?’ he joked.

  ‘I can teach it to you too,’ Luca said quietly.

  As Dara watched, her husband got down on his knees and promised the young boy that he would return. She felt a swell of love for this man who had helped her to overcome so much.

  Leo straightened, and they waved as the boys ran in single file towards the lunchroom. Luca was the smallest of the lot.

  ‘It was so good of you both to visit us today.’ The friendly matron smiled as she welcomed them into her office. ‘I couldn’t help but notice your interest in little Luca,’ she said speculatively.

  Dara turned to the woman, meeting her gaze. ‘My visits here haven’t been as selfless as I’ve made them out to be.’

  ‘You are a very kind woman, Dara. I don’t believe that you came here out of your own interests.’

  ‘Maybe not at first, but it has definitely become that way.’

  ‘I have watched your progress with Luca intently. You know his history. He came to us a very scared and lonely boy. Since your visits he has changed. He talks more with the other children...he is more confident. Your attention did that for him.’ She smiled again.

  Leo stepped forward, taking Dara’s trembling hand in his own. ‘My wife and I would like to start proceedings to adopt Luca.’ He felt the enormity of the words as he spoke them.

  The other woman’s eyes lit up with emotion and joy. ‘Oh, after yesterday and today I confess that I had started to hope. But our hopes get dashed here far too often.’

  ‘Our intentions are genuine. We would like to become Luca’s parents,’ Dara said. ‘We know that the process is long, but we believe he will be happy with us. That we can give him a good home.’

  Tears filled the old matron’s eyes as she took one of Dara’s hands in her own. ‘You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for you to realise that, Signora Valente.’

  * * *

  Dara stood by the fireplace, straightening the stockings and biting her lip. Was she jumping the gun by adding one smaller stocking beside their own two? She worried at her bottom lip for a moment, before making a final sweep of the living room. Piles of gifts lay stacked under the tree, ready to be torn open by eager little hands. She had wrapped each box painstakingly in bright paper with intricate bows. She wanted to make today as special as it could possibly be.

  ‘Dara, stop worrying. The place looks amazing.’ Leo strode into the living room, his hair lightly ruffled from being outside. ‘You’re going to have to get used to less organisation around here.’

  ‘I know. I’m just keeping busy.’ She sighed.

  ‘He’ll be here soon. You’ll be kept very busy for the weekend. Last chance... You’re sure you don’t want to hire a nanny?’ He smiled mischievously.

  ‘We will do just fine on our own.’ Dara laughed as Leo swept her into his arms. ‘He’s just one little boy—how much work could he be?’

  ‘I have feeling those are brave last words.’

  She felt the excitement and the nerves coursing through him just as they did inside her. Leo pressed his mouth to hers softly, tracing the outline of her lips with own. She twined her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck and sighed as he deepened the kiss, moulding his hands tightly to her waist. He shaped his body closely against hers, the warmth of him pressing hard against her.

  She wanted to remember this moment for ever. Kissing the man she loved, here, in the home they had created, as they waited to welcome their son to his new home for the first time.

  Their son.

  In just a few moments she would officially be a mother. The realisation hit her like a freight train and she broke off their kiss just as the doorbell rang.

  ‘Are you ready?’

  Leo looked into her eyes, squeezing her hand tightly as they made their way to the entrance of the castello.

  He smiled. ‘I can’t wait to see his face once he realises he’s going to live in a real-life castle.’

  Dara felt her nerves melt away as she saw the excited expression on Leo’s face. Suddenly she just knew that everything was going to be wonderful from this moment on.

  They opened the door to find their social worker helping Luca out of the car. His tiny face was turned up and he was looki
ng at the castello with awe.

  Dara ushered Luca inside, welcoming the social worker, who would be staying for the settling-in period. The adoption process had definitely been speeded up by Leo, with the Valente name seeming to cut through some of the red tape, but it was far from over. This weekend was for Luca—to ensure that he was happy to come and live with them at the castello for good. They had a multitude of activities planned and had put the finishing touches to his bedroom.

  Over the past weeks they had spent long hours bonding with the young boy, going on day trips and meeting with various officials. It was a gruelling process, but one that was vital. Everyone had to be sure that he was happy to be adopted by them. That was what mattered most.

  Luca ran into the hall and barrelled into Leo’s arms. ‘Wow, you really do live in a castle!’

  ‘I don’t tell lies.’ Leo smiled down at him.

  ‘Will we be living here all the time?’ he asked Dara in a small voice.

  Dara looked at the social worker, aware that her every move was being assessed. ‘If you would like it, this would be our home, yes.’ She turned to Leo, feeling her confidence begin to falter.

  ‘Are there ghosts in this castle?’ Luca asked suddenly.

  ‘There used to be.’ Leo looked pointedly at Dara for a moment. ‘But then a brave princess came and chased all the ghosts away.’

  Dara felt tiny fingers wrap around her own. She looked down to see that Luca had grabbed on to her hand tightly as they ascended the stairs to show him his new bedroom. Her heart soared at this show of affection.

  ‘I thought the knight was supposed to save the princess?’ Dara questioned light-heartedly as she gripped her son’s hand.

  ‘Sometimes the knight is the one who needs to be saved.’

  Leo caught her eye and Dara smiled to herself.

  They had saved one another. Two broken souls who had somehow managed to make each other whole again. After all they had overcome in both their pasts, she was certain that the future could only be bright.