The Sultan's Bride (12 page)

Life returned almost
to
how it had been before she had been married to him,
although she was restricted to her room her relationship with the Sultan now
took a different turn and they now enjoyed evenings together talking the way
they used to.

Catherine decided to push
back the knowledge that the baby was
Arif’s
to the
back of her mind. For the first time she felt truly happy in her marriage, and
she hoped the Sultan felt the same way.

For the nights the Sultan
showed favour to several of his other wives but Irina was always left. 
She felt the sting of her husband’s rejection far more than she let show and
had already begun to plot his downfall.  Having requested a private
audience with her husband she waited for him to accept which he finally did
when Catherine no longer visited his bed.

Nervously she waited until
she was told to go in and he sat on the bed, he had not requested anyone that
night and he told her he looked forward to talking the way they had done before
the harem.

‘You have changed husband,’
she said. 

‘For the better I hope,’ he
said with a smile. 

‘I see you are taking good
care of Catherine and the child, which is a pleasure to see.’

‘It is as it was once I took
care of you,’ he replied, ‘all those years ago when you were with child.’ 

She nodded. ‘They were good
times.’

Sitting on the bed beside him
she reached out and touched his face. ‘I miss you sometimes husband, being with
the women in the harem is enjoyable but your touch is sorely missed.’ 

‘I am sorry Irina, sorry for
not being a better husband and appreciating you more.  Catherine has
taught me so much in the short time she has been my wife, how to love is one of
many things.’

‘She is a good girl but while
she is heavily pregnant I would think that you were lonely.’  She reached
down and stroked his cock under his robe.
‘That this would be
lonely.’
At the attention she felt him move, stiffen.  He put up no
fight as she freed him and took his cock in her mouth, lovingly tonguing the
end, sliding her lips up and down the shaft.  Groaning he pulled her up to
kiss her and she pushed him back onto the bed, onto his back.

‘This is very forward of you
wife,’ he murmured.  Slowly she lowered herself onto him, impaling
herself. 

‘It has been a very long time
since I had you inside me,’ she said.  Rocking gently they moved together,
moaned together and he pulled her down to kiss her. 

‘That was nice,’ he
said. 

‘It was,’ she whispered, ‘a
nice way to say goodbye.’

‘What do you mean…’ he
started and flinched when she pulled the knife out. 

‘You let me back into your
bed but only because Catherine is too pregnant for you to sleep with.  For
years you’ve rejected me, ever since I had
Arif
but
your affection for Catherine has made you vulnerable husband.’

The first blow went deep and
he struggled against her but being on top she pushed all her weight down and
she was no longer the small woman he had married.  He coughed up blood at
the second blow.  ‘Please,’ he said. 

‘Something else you should
know,’ she whispered, ‘
Arif
is not your son; he is
Omar’s.  I had to find another man to father my child because you were not
man enough to do it.’ 

‘But Catherine,’ he struggled
to spit out the words.

‘Catherine’s child is
Arif’s
, not yours.’ She smiled with glee before the fatal
blow to his chest.  Covered in blood she cried to the skies. ‘Forgive me
for what I’ve done,’ before slashing her own wrists and lying beside him in the
blood.  ‘My love,’ she said, putting her hand to his face.

Catherine was woken by the
sound of screaming outside.  Opening the door of her room to the hallway
the guard told her to get back inside.  ‘What is happening?’ she
asked. 

‘I do not know I’m sorry,’ he
replied, ‘I will try to find out.’

‘Thank you,’ she said,
concerned at what it could be.

Shortly afterwards there was
a knock on the door, it was another guard.  ‘Please do not leave your
room’ he said.

‘What’s going on, what was
the scream?’

‘I’m sorry Sultana, I can’t
give you any details yet but you must stay safe.’

It wasn’t until the door
closed that she realised what he said.  ‘Why did he call you Sultana?’
asked
Alena
. 

‘I’m not sure,’ she said,
‘just a slip of the tongue.  We need to sit and wait.’  The day
slipping away, servants brought their meals in as if nothing had happened and
had no answers to the women’s questions.

Catherine wasn’t summoned
that evening, or the next and when it came to the third evening she was
frantic.  ‘Something is very wrong,’ she said to
Alena
,
‘I can feel it.’

Suddenly there was a knock on
the door.  When she opened it she found one of the Sultan’s advisors, the
kind man from all that time ago who had looked at her with pity on the day of
her wedding.

‘My lady,’ he said with a
quick bow, ‘I bring important news.’  He looked at
Alena
,
‘Please pack a bag, Catherine will be travelling shortly away from
Ajara
.’

The women both looked at him
confused. ‘What is happening?’ Catherine asked. 

‘Sultana, there are some
things that have happened that mean you now need to leave the palace. 
Passage will be arranged on a ship to send you back to England to be reunited
with your parents.  I have already sent an envoy ahead.’

‘What? Why are you calling me
Sultana?  Where is Irina? 
The Sultan?’
Catherine asked, fear growing inside her. 

‘The Sultan is dead. 
Irina killed him before taking her own life, now
Arif
will be the Sultan.  He is going through the ceremonies now but until then
because of the increased status the Sultan bestowed upon you, you are the
Sultana.  However, the harem must also be cleared to make way for the new
harem of the new Sultan so all women will be sent home.’

Both women looked at him in
disbelief and a sob escaped Catherine.

‘All?’
Alena
asked, ‘I came here when I had no one else, I have no home to go to.’

 ‘You will be able to
stay but as a servant.’  He looked back at Catherine, ‘We also need to get
you out of here as you carry the Sultan’s child and there will be people who
see you as a threat to
Arif
.’

‘What do you mean?’ she
asked.  At six months pregnant she was already carrying large and felt
uncomfortable walking let alone doing anything threatening. 

‘There will be concerns that
with you carrying the former Sultan’s child that you will be looking for
opportunities to get
Arif
off the throne and elevate
your own child.  I would rather we get you out of
Ajara
safely now than have anyone come after you.’

Omar entered the room. ‘We
must move, there is already talk of some of the men coming to interrogate
Catherine as to her intentions, it is inevitable that they will decide she is a
threat.’ 

‘Won’t
Arif
protect me?’ she said, gasping.

‘
Arif
is just a child,’ Omar snapped, ‘he has
neither the knowledge
or
the skills to be the Sultan.  Irina struck so early.  He
will be led around by his father’s friends who will convince him what is right
and wrong and they will not care for you.’

‘Can I see
Arif
before I go?  I must say goodbye, I must tell
him…’ her voice trailed off.

 ‘I can arrange it but
we’ll have to go through one of the passages,’ Omar said, ‘And we must be
quick, I have a carriage waiting to take you from the palace.’

He moved closer to Catherine
taking her hands in his. ‘A long time ago I knew your parents and I swore when
you came here that I would do what I could to return you to them, now I will
fulfil that promise even if it risks my life.  We must do this quickly and
get you on your way.’

Omar led Catherine through
the passageway until he got to the room he was looking for, inside was
Arif
.  He checked that
Arif
was alone before ushering Catherine in.  ‘I’ll just stay in the
passageway, just a few minutes,’ he said.

‘Catherine,’
Arif
said, rushing to her and kissing her tenderly. ‘Mother
killed father, now I will be Sultan.’  He was so excited and she suddenly realised
he really had no idea what it all meant.  ‘Once the ceremonies are
completed I will take you as my wife and you will be my Sultana.  I will
treat the baby as my own.’

Tears streamed down her
face.  ‘The baby is yours
Arif
,
I had to make your father think it was his so that he
wouldn’t do anything to hurt either of us.’

He looked into her eyes.
 ‘Oh my Catherine, this is more wonderful than I could ever have
imagined.  Time is short my love, return to your room and I will summon
you later.’

‘Goodbye
Arif
,’
she said through her tears.  In the cramped corridor Omar took her into
his arms and held her while she sobbed. 

‘It’s for the best
Catherine,’ he whispered, ‘now you can return to Sarah.’

Wrapping a cloak around her
he helped her into the carriage.  It would be a long trip to the
sea.  The carriage ride was uncomfortable, in her state of pregnancy she
felt every bump and the road was not very good.  Finally, exhausted from
the travelling and from crying she fell asleep.

When the carriage came to a
stop she woke, smelling the sea air conjured up memories of her childhood, the
one the Sultan had stolen from her and Catherine’s eyes filled with tears at
the reminder of the last time she was in this place.

Escorted aboard a ship she
made her way to her cabin, it was small and the bed wasn’t the most comfortable
but it would do for the journey home.   She was weary, now she had
somewhere to lay her head she realised just how weary she was and she hoped
above everything that the baby did not want to make its appearance while she
was at sea.

Vaguely remembering the
seasickness from the sea journey so long ago Catherine feared this return trip,
the nausea of early pregnancy had long since faded but coping with the increasing
strain that pregnancy was putting on her body was enough without the addition
of something new.

There was a knock on the door
and one of the guards from the palace stood in the door.  ‘Omar said you
would need this when you arrived home, I visited a lady I know near the port to
see if she could help.  I hope this fits.’  He handed her a gown, the
type that a lady in London might wear.

Briefly she wondered what the
fashions were like there now, would she fit in?  Then she laughed at the
insanity of the thought.  She had not touched foot in England for 12
years, and they could all be wearing the flowing gowns they wore in
Ajara
now for all she knew.

All the same she accepted the
gown from the guard and settled into the cabin ready for the ship to cast off.
  
The envoy had sailed the day before so would
make sure they were there to greet her when she arrived.

Alena
had packed several items of clothing for her, several
much less revealing than the usual robes she wore but she stayed in the cabin
for the duration of the trip and rested.  Even being on board was tiring
and she wished that she had been able to make the trip after the baby had been
born.  By the time she arrived home the baby would nearly be ready to be
born, if it didn’t arrive early aboard the ship.  It would take two months
to get there and by then she would be seven months pregnant.

When the captain told her
they would be arriving that day she picked up the gown she’d been given and
examined it.  It not had been selected for its fit, but was not too tight.
Nevertheless it was not what she was used to wearing, not flowing and
comfortable, it looked stiff and awkward.

It was pretty, a deep blue
colour it matched her eyes and the trimming in velvet felt soft to the touch.

Pulling it over her head the
fabric flowed down her body and the bump of her baby looked almost hidden by
the folds of the skirt.  Wrapping a shawl around her shoulders she made
sure the bed was made neatly and her bag was packed before stepping on deck to
see the ship arrive at the dock.

Waiting at the dock was the
envoy, she recognised him from one of the Sultan’s meetings and a couple,
looking anxious.  The man was tall and thin with grey hair now where once
it had been brown, a serious expression on his face. The woman was wringing her
hands and her brow was furrowed as she looked over the deck of the ship. 
For the first time in nearly 12 years Catherine Stanton saw her parents and as
her eyes locked with her mother’s the woman stepped forward towards the
gangplank.