The Sultan's Bride (13 page)

Catherine was escorted from
the ship by the captain and then led by the envoy to her parents. 
‘Catherine,’ her mother exclaimed rushing forward to hug her daughter. 

‘Mother,’ Catherine said, not
really sure what else to say.  Tears welled up at the thought of being
with her mother again after so many years and she held her tight before Sarah
Stanton sprung back.

‘You’re with child,’ she
said, her eyes wide with surprise. 

‘Yes, I am,’ said Catherine,
‘
My
husband is dead mother and this is all I have left
of him.’

‘Your
husband?’
Sarah Stanton
asked,
a shocked look on her face. 

Catherine turned to the
envoy. ‘Did you tell them nothing?’ 

The man blinked. ‘I told your
parents what the Sultan told me to, that you were taken from them to be his
friend and now his father was dead you were being returned to them.’

Catherine nodded.  ‘I
was married to the
Sultan,
his death is what returns
me to you.’ 

Sarah looked confused.
‘The Sultan?
  You married
Arif
?’ 

Peter Stanton interrupted,
putting a supportive arm around his daughter.  ‘Let’s go home and discuss
this there, away from all these people.’

All the way to the house
Catherine thought about how to explain it.  It was obvious how shocked her
mother had been at the news she had shared so decided to take a more diplomatic
approach.  Once they were settled inside she explained to her mother that
while she had been kidnapped as a friend for
Arif
the
Sultan had married her and that the Sultana had died

Her mother sat with her arms
folded, shaking her head and proclaiming Catherine was ruined and no one else
would have her now, her marriage would never be recognised in England.
 People would think she was having a baby out of wedlock. 

A room had been prepared for
her and she was told all her childhood belongings were in the attic.  She
smiled, perhaps there were things there she could use for her child.  ‘I’m
sure your old crib is up there,’ her father said, ‘Tomorrow I will go up and
get anything that could be useful.’

‘I appreciate it Papa,’ she
said.

He wrapped his arms around
her and held her tight.  ‘I am happy you are home Catherine,’ he said
kissing the top of her head, ‘We missed you so much.  I think your mother
is in shock and I can’t blame her.  What the Sultan did was reprehensible
but now you are here and we love you very much.’

Catherine’s memories of her
father were that he had always been
so
involved in his
business and never as affectionate as this.  She buried her face in his chest. 
‘I love you both too.  I just wish this could be easier.’

‘Your mother will come
around.  She needs time to accept our little girl is now a grown woman
with a child on the way.  When the child comes she may thaw some more.’ He
let go and held her by her shoulders.  ‘Now you can make a new life for
yourself love, and we will be here for you. 
Whatever
you need.’

When he’d left she got ready
for bed.  The bag she’d bought with her had her shifts in but her mother
had left out a nightgown for her to sleep in.  It was white and stiff and
Catherine knew if her mother was to accept her again she would need to make an
effort to fit in.  She remembered the early days at the palace, crying for
her mother and now she did again wishing things were easier, wishing she was
back at the palace with
Arif
.  She missed Irina,
Alena
and even the Sultan.

Now she cried for the life
she’d had, and the one she could have had if the Sultan had let her return home
with her parent.  The door opened and her mother appeared.  She had
been crying too and when Catherine looked up at her she ran to the bed and held
her daughter tight.  That was where Peter Stanton found them an hour
later, Catherine wrapped in her mother’s arms, both fast asleep.

Two weeks later Peter’s
solicitor called on them.  Peter had sent a message and advised him of the
situation and Mr Simpson called on the family to let them know he had a plan to
request compensation from the new Sultan for the loss of the Stanton’s daughter. 
‘He stole your daughter Mr Stanton.  Your savings were spent on trying to
find her so I think there is a case for us to ask for compensation to cover
your expenses.’

With him was his law
clerk.  Newly qualified Richard Black had been with Mr Simpson for several
years.  He had been orphaned in his teens and Mr Simpson had taken care of
him as a friend of the family, ensuring that not only did he keep the family
house but he was also educated.  His plan was for Richard to take over the
Simpson law firm.  There were only daughters in the Simpson house and no
likelihood they would be involved in law and he considered Richard to be like a
son to him

He backed Mr Simpson’s
assertion that
Arif
could be persuaded to give them a
sum of money and that it could be enough to keep them comfortable for years to
come.

‘Those eastern countries have
huge amounts of money, they have wronged your daughter and you so I believe if
I could go to
Ajara
and talk to the Sultan we could
get a payment,’ he said confidently. 

There was a tap on the door
and Catherine appeared.  ‘Papa, you wanted to see me?’  Richard Black
held his breath at her beauty, instantly he saw why she had attracted the
Sultan’s attention.  Her skin was still as flawless as ever, she looked
out of those big blue eyes framed with long dark lashes and though her hair was
up rogue curls had escaped which he wanted so badly to reach out and touch.

‘Mr Simpson, Mr Black, this
is my daughter Catherine.  I thought perhaps she could give you some more
information than I about the Sultan and what kind of reception you can expect
if we do this.’ He smiled at Catherine. ‘Please sit my
dear,
this is my solicitor and his clerk.  They are planning a trip to the east
to ask the Sultan of
Ajara
for compensation for your
kidnapping.’

‘Oh,’ she said, ‘I can’t
imagine I could be much help.  I’m sure
Arif
will be amiable enough, he is a good man.  I can’t answer as to the
likelihood of…’  Suddenly she took a sharp breath and putting her hand to
her stomach stumbled towards the sofa.

Richard rushed forward and
took her arm, guiding her to sit.  Peter sat down next to her and took her
hand in his. ‘My dear whatever is the matter?’

‘The baby Papa, he just
kicked hard.  I will sit here just a while and pray it does not happen again.’ 
She smiled though he could tell she was not comfortable.

‘Catherine if you would like
to go to your room and lie down I’m sure we can do this later,’ he said,
stroking her hand. 

‘I am
fine,
please tell me what you need to know.’  She put her hand, still in his on
her stomach and he laughed as he felt his grandchild kick.  ‘Feisty little
thing,’ she said with a laugh. 

‘As you were my love,’ he
replied with a smile.

She repeated her story to
them, that the Sultan had kidnapped her, taken her as his wife and then died by
the hand of the Sultana who had also taken her own life.  There was no
need to complicate matters she thought and now her life felt like it had been
so complex that it was hard to get her own head around everything that had
happened to her.

When it was over she closed
her eyes as the baby kicked again and her father brushed her hair from her face
with his hand.  Richard watched enviously, as pregnant as she was with another
man’s child she was still more desirable than any other he’d laid eyes on.

‘If we are finished I would
like to go for a small walk,’ she said, ‘I could do with the fresh air.’

‘Are you sure
love
?  Surely you should be resting,’
 
Peter
responded, concern for her written all over his face.

‘I am going crazy sitting
here Papa, I want some fresh air and I think a walk will do me good.  I
promise I won’t go too far from the house,’ she said. 

‘Excuse me,’ Richard
said.  The pair turned and looked at him. ‘If it would make you feel
better Mr Stanton, I’d be only too pleased to escort Catherine on her
walk.  If anything happens I’ll be there to seek help for her.’

Peter nodded. ‘I would
appreciate it, I worry that the baby could come early or the walking is too
much for her.’ 

Catherine smiled. ‘Papa, I
will be fine.  If Mr Black walking with me makes you feel better and he’s
happy to do it then please let me out of this house.’

He laughed and touched her
nose with his finger, a gesture he had not done since she was a child. 
Catherine grinned.  ‘You are still very hard to say no to my love, I will
agree but you will let Mr Black escort you and no being difficult.’

‘Who me?’ she said innocently
which made him laugh more.

Richard offered her his arm
and she took it, pulling herself up from the sofa.  ‘I am Richard,’ he
said, ‘Mr Black was my father.’

 Catherine laughed.
‘Fine, Richard it is, now shall we go?’ 

‘She always was impatient,’
said her father fondly.

As they walked down the road
she thanked him. ‘Papa is very protective of me, I understand why but I’m no
longer eight years old.  I do appreciate your gesture.’

‘You’re welcome, it’s not
often I come to the rescue of a damsel in distress and I could see from your
father’s face he wasn’t happy with the idea of you going out alone.’

‘I suppose it is because the
last time he didn’t see me again for nearly twelve years.  I’ve just spent
so much time stuck inside these last few years that fresh air and sunshine
means so much, I don’t think my parents quite realise this.’

‘Any time you want to go for
a walk and I’m around I will be more than happy to escort you.’  They’d
reached the park and he took her to a park bench beside the pond where they
could look at the water and see the children playing.

 ‘One day you’ll bring
your child here I would think,’ he said, ‘
It’s
a nice
area, my house isn’t too far from here, just on the other side of the park.’

‘Do you have children
Richard?  This little one came as a surprise to me and I certainly didn’t
think I would be alone but now I’m looking forward to my baby arriving.’

‘Maybe one day,’ he said,
‘I’d need to find a woman that could live with me first.’

She laughed. ‘The Sultan
didn’t try to find that out, there was no choice when it came to marrying him.’

‘Do you miss him?’ he
said. 

‘I do, he was so very tender
at the end,’ she said sadly, ‘I am sad in some ways but happy in others. 
To be with my mother and father again means so much.’

‘I’m sure it does, I’m glad
to see your father so happy.  Mr Simpson has done a lot of work for him
over the years and this whole business of you being kidnapped and then losing
so much of his money he made on that journey really took it out on him.’

She paled. ‘What happened to
the money?  We have not talked about his business, I remember when we were
travelling that he said the deals he were doing would make us rich.  I
know the home we’re in now is not the same one we lived in when I was a child
but I had no idea he’d lost money.’

‘I’m sorry Catherine, and I
don’t mean to upset you.  I assumed you knew.  While your father was
overseas a business partner disappeared with a very large sum of money, your
father was almost ruined but he came through it.’ He was concerned now, the
colour had drained from her face and he took her hand in his and squeezed it to
reassure her. 

‘I am fine,’ she said
finally, ‘So much must have happened while I was away but we have all been so
consumed with what happened to me, I was completely unaware of what had
happened at home.’

She looked at him, her eyes
full of sadness. ‘It is imperative now that
Arif
compensates my parents for what happened.  What happened to my father is
his father’s fault.’  He nodded.  ‘Please also don’t tell my father
that I know, I don’t think he would want me to know now with the baby so
close.  He’s worried enough about me now.’

‘Of course,’ he said and
helped her up so they could start the walk back. 

‘Thank you so much Richard,’
she said when they reached the front door of the house, ‘having some fresh air
was good for me and the baby I think and I enjoyed the conversation.’

‘You are welcome,’ he said, ‘
Any
time you want to walk I am happy to walk with
you.’ 

‘Perhaps I could even visit
you sometime, if I can walk as far as the park by myself.’

He laughed. ‘You would be
welcome any time Miss Stanton.’ 

She kissed him on the cheek.
‘Thank you again then Mr Black, until next time.’  He grinned and nodded,
his feet feeling lighter all the way home.