The Sheik and the Slave (17 page)

Chapter
10

Katharine
’
s
homecoming had been bittersweet. Her father was patient with her, and no one
had pressed her for details of what had happened when she was taken away to
Arabia. There were so many questions that remained unanswered, and her pride
and honor were the reasons she could not answer them. She could never tell her
father what had happened between herself and Mohammed, and her mother smirked
at her as if she already knew the truth.

She watched idly in the mirror as the young maid pinned up
her hair. Unlike in Arabia, where her hair had been long and flowing, in
England, she pinned her hair up. She thought she hated Arabia, with its sun,
heat, food, women, and miles of nothing but sand! More and more, though, she
found herself thinking of that place and dreaming of him. The dreams were
always the same. He would summon her and she would obey him. In her dreams, she
was always satisfied.

In the mornings, she awoke from the hot desert sand to the
cool, crisp English air, rolling green hills, light rain, and loneliness
without him.

She had been in England for a month, hardly speaking of her
time away, when Francie asked her one evening about it. It was then that she
realized the truth. She had fallen in love.

No one asked about him or his name, and he remained the
large shadow in the room. Her father thought she had been returned home safely
and ever the same, but he was wrong; her time spent far away from home had
altered her. She tried to look away from her reflection in the mirror. She had
lost weight since coming home, and her manners were barely recognizable to her
family. Once outgoing, free, and happy, she now spoke very little and
interacted even less.

Her mother had made no mention of a suitor for marriage, but
Katharine had resigned herself to marry. She would never see Mohammed again,
and the time had come to marry.

"Are you pleased, my lady?" asked the timid Irish
maid after her hair had been dressed.

"Thank you. You are very gifted," Katharine
replied. The maid smiled shyly.

"Will you be wanting to dress for dinner?" asked
the maid. Her Irish accent was lilting and pleasing to the ear.

"The pink frock is fine," Katharine said,
gesturing to the pastel dress lying across her bed.

"Begging your pardon ma'am, but the color washes you
out. Perhaps the purple or salmon colored gown would do."

"No. The pink is fine," Katharine said. She had no
desire to look charming or alluring. Everything in England seemed cold and
serious, and her heart yearned for the warmth and burn of Arabia. And for him,
a small voice said.

***

Lady Anne sipped her soup delicately as Edward watched his
daughter from across the mahogany table. She barely touched her food and said
very little.

"Daughter, I won't have you wasting away before my very
eyes," Edward spoke to her as she looked away.

"I'm not hungry, Father, that's all," she said,
shrugging her slim shoulders.

"Come, come," he said to her. He pushed his empty
soup bowl away as he eyed his beautiful girl.

"Perhaps we should tell her about our plans, Edward.
”
Katharine
’
s mother said.
“
That should put a bloom
in her cheeks." Lady Anne smiled encouragingly.

"Indeed. Your mother and I are planning a large ball in
two months
’
time. A
grand affair to welcome you back and perhaps announce a betrothal, too,"
he said unsurely. Edward looked across to his wife, Anne, and both looked over
at Katharine.

Katharine's head jerked up.

"You have a husband in mind for me?" she asked.

Edward took his time in replying. He knew Baron Adams had
treated his daughter abominably, and that the Earl had been too old for her.
This time, he would choose better.

"Well, several, my dear. But you will have the final
say," Edward assured her.

"Who are they?" Katharine asked absently.

Edward rattled off several names; most were silly dandies
and older men, but one name caught her attention.

"Did I hear you say James Clifton?" she asked.
Katharine caught his eyes.

"Yes, you knew Jamie well enough when his family lived
nearby. The two of you grew up together, I dare say," Edward said as his
glass of wine was refilled.

"Well, he's older than me by ten years, but I remember
him to be a good man," Katharine admitted.

Lady Anne smiled in relief at her interest.

"Could you arrange a meeting with him here?"
Katharine asked her father.

"Of course, of course. Capital idea, splendid,"
Edward said, smiling broadly.

Katharine stared absently at her crystal wine goblet. If she
married and conceived a child, maybe her heart wouldn't ache so much. Maybe she
could live half-alive in England knowing that she had lived too much in Arabia.

"Thank you, Father. I
’
ll
excuse myself," Katharine said, moving quietly away from the table.

***

Katharine settled herself on the window seat in her room,
overlooking the vast gardens. Her forehead rested against the cool glass.
Why
was she cursed to dream about him at night?
she wondered.

In her dreams, he was masculine, intelligent, strong-willed,
and sensual.
Could he have at least one flaw that I could focus on
permanently?
she thought. Her dreams were too vivid in detail, and he was
always relentless.

In the latest dream, she held a beautiful little boy in her
arms, with honey-colored skin, dark, curly hair, and blue eyes. She hated sleeping
and she hated being awake without him. But, she knew she had done the right
thing. They were too different and their lives together would never have
worked. Her future was in England, and his was in Arabia.

Her father had arranged a meeting with James Clifton; they
would enjoy the gardens and take a light supper. Her father was beside himself
with joy and only wanted her settled and happy. She was the only remaining
child of his not married.

She dressed in a sky-blue gown that accented her slim curves
and eyes, but the color was too pale for her. It washed her out. She chose the
gown on purpose. She did not want to shine.

She had not seen James in several years and wondered if they
would have anything in common.

***

Her mother and father introduced James to Katharine in the
large sitting room decorated in gold and cream colors.

"Lady Katharine, I'm glad to see you well," James
said. He bowed over her hand, kissing it lightly. He was a quiet man, with
thinning blonde hair and sky-blue eyes. James was taller than her by only a few
inches.

"I remember you and your family when I was a little
girl,
”
she replied.
“
We played together as
monkeys in the trees," she said, recalling a childhood game.

The adults laughed at the image and the two began to
reminisce. Edward withdrew to his study and Anne settled herself in the far
corner with her embroidery, to give them privacy yet still play chaperone.

"I remember you too. A delightful, lovely little girl,
turned into a beautiful woman," he complimented her easily.

"You're very kind," Katharine said. She smiled
lightly as her blue eyes flashed up to his.

Later, Katharine and James walked along the garden path,
where ornamental pears, hydrangeas, roses, and lavender grew in abundance.

She asked solicitously, "How is your father, Jamie?
Well?"

"Yes, and my mother as well. They are anxious to renew
acquaintances with you and your family."

"As am I," she said. Katharine remembered the
good-natured older man named Henry and his mother, Lizbeth.

"Jamie, I have not spoken much about what happened in
Arabia," she told him as they both stood still.

"Katharine, what's past is past. We all have secrets
and things we prefer kept in the dark,
”
he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips.
“
I ask for your friendship, companionship,
and loyalty. If you agree, I would like to pursue this and eventually marry.
But I will make no demands on you. Ours will be no grand romance, but I will
treat you as a husband would a wife. And I would like to have a family."

Katharine's lashes swept down to hide her tears. He would
leave her with her memories of Arabia and she would lock them inside her heart
forever.
I must close this book and never reopen it,
she thought.

"We could announce our betrothal at the ball if that
pleases you?" she asked, squeezing his hand in return.

"Yes, very much," he agreed.

***

"Oh my dear, such news, such news!" Katharine
’
s mother exclaimed. Lady
Anne dabbed at her eyes as Edward smiled broadly at the couple.

Anne had known that her daughter
’
s moment would come, and now it had. She
would no longer have to be ashamed of her unmarried daughter.

Katharine smiled lightly but wanted to escape to her room.
She felt a headache coming on.

***

She helped plan the expensive ball with her mother. They
made certain that the different meats had been ordered and helped the cook
bring in additional kitchen servants from the village. Katharine knew the ball
would be a great burden on the servants, and she tried to be a kind mistress,
to remember them.

She spent almost every day with Jamie, except when he had to
journey to London on business.

She enjoyed his company, and neither of them made demands on
the other. It was an unspoken pledge that their marriage would be one of
friendship, family desires, and little else. She knew several marriages that
survived in exactly the same manner.

He knew she enjoyed spending time reading and riding and he
left her to her own company. She, in turn, knew he had obligations in London
and allowed him his freedom.

***

Frances Rose Maxwell hugged her friend tightly as they sat
down to tea in the blue and rose-colored upstairs sitting room.

"I've missed you so," Francie told her as they
settled across the small table laden with sandwiches and tea.

Katharine thought instantly of Bashasha's kindness and
almost choked on her sandwich. She had to learn to conceal her thoughts better.
She could only think of Arabia was when she was alone and knew it would be
better for her piece of mind if she never thought of it at all.

"I've missed you, Francie. Missed you terribly,"
Kat said with tears in her eyes.

"I've heard the stories and I don't care about
anything. You are safe, well, and loved," Francie said as she poured the
tea.

"Thank you," Kat said as she reached out a hand to
her friend and squeezed. Katharine was worried that her neighbors would point
and whisper about her, though none would dare openly confront her.

 "So what is the theme of this ball that everyone is
talking about?" Francie asked.

"I don't know," Kat said, laughing. "It
changes daily. Greek mythology, famous royalty, savages!"

Francie laughed, and her brown eyes danced.

"You should have the final say.
‘
Tis your party," Francie teased.

"I would prefer a simply ball with no theme but lots of
good friends. And you, my dearest friend, must arrive early to serve as hostess
with me."

"Your wish is my command," Francie told her.

***

Edward read the letter quickly and beamed. He rubbed his
hands together over the fire and smiled. His darling daughter would have a
present fit for a queen. He had procured her a most beautiful horse and was
quite pleased with himself. He went in search of Anne to tell her the good
news.

"She will be pleased, Edward. You are too
generous," Anne said as she embroidered in an upper room facing the
gardens. She often thought her husband was too giving to their daughter.

"Nonsense. She deserves this bit of happiness. She's
been complaining for years that she has to ride her brother's castoff
horse."

"True," Anne said, nodding.

"Now she will have a horse bred for a queen,"
Edward said proudly, leaving the room and whistling as he walked down the hall.

***

Katharine stood still so that the silk dress could be pinned
for alterations. She was eating very little and sleeping poorly, so her
jewel-toned ruby dress was being taken in again.

The silk dress was a low-necked gown worn over the
petticoat, with an opening in front to show a splash of the petticoat. The
stomacher was decorated with glittering red gems and pearls and was pinned to
the gown; underneath, her corset was heavily boned. The close-fitting sleeves
ran just past the elbow and were trimmed with ruffles.

The neckline scooped low across her breasts and ended almost
at the edge of her shoulders. It created a lovely display of her delicate
collarbone, neck and breasts, so much so that she felt naked. Her ivory-colored
shoes were decorated with delicate pearls.

"Must it be so low?" Kat asked the French
seamstress, who had been brought in to sew their dresses.

"Oui mademoiselle.
”
the woman replied.
“
It
is all the rage in Paris. Indeed, it is much more elaborate there,
”
she continued.

Kat glared at her mother, who sat watching the spectacle.
"But this isn't Paris," Kat hissed at the seamstress.

"My dear, James will love it," Anne said, smiling.
She watched a young French girl pin the hem.

Kat grimaced as she stood with her arms held out at the
sides of her body.

"I'm sure he will. What we women do for fashion,"
she said, grinding her teeth together.

"Oui, tis true," the young girl said, her mouth
filled with pins. Anne and Kat looked over the young girl's red head and smiled
at each other.