CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE — A SERIALIZED NOVEL

Pride and Audacity — Part 20

A stranger — a secret agreement — a changed destiny

“He was the last man on earth she wanted, but she was the only woman on earth he’d have…From the skyscrapers of New York City to the ancient sands of Ahalamin, two untamed hearts war for supremacy…”

Victoria pulled her legs under her and rested her head on the back of the chair. The same jet which had brought her to Ahalamin was now taking her home.

Home…the expression wandered aimlessly through her thoughts, looking, but not finding it’s resting place. Only now did she understand the full meaning of the word? Her heart was with a man of the desert who’d locked the doors of his kingdom. She could never go home again.

“Would you like something to eat?”

She had no idea how long Califar had been standing next to her.

“No. Thank you.” Victoria managed a fragile smile.

If not for Califar’s solicitous manner, she would not have survived the past few hours. Within two hours of Rashid’s decree, his wishes had been executed, politely removing her from his life. The chilling efficiency made her shiver.

“Are you cold, Princess? Do you wish me to adjust the temperature?” asked Califar.

“No. I’m fine.” She looked up at him. “What will happen now? Will he divorce me?”

“I cannot say, Princess. I am sure the Prince will do what he thinks best.”

“He will never forgive me. I will never forgive myself.” Deep racking sobs gurgled from her throat.

“Please, Princess. You do not wish to make yourself ill.”

“What am I going to do? I was so wrong. I let my stupid arrogance blind me. The answer was so simple…all the time…so simple.”

“What was simple, Princess?”

Victoria stared at Califar, “He loved me. I could have trusted him. Now…”

She saw the fleeting light of regret in Califar’s eyes before he cloaked the emotion. He didn’t answer her. What could he say? When the pilot’s bell tone signaled their imminent landing, it echoed like a death toll through the plane.

Victoria removed her robe and head covering. With tender longing, she folded and laid them on the chair. She stroked the soft cloth and remembered her contempt at first having to wear them. How closed-minded she’d been. Shrouded in this cloth, she’d experienced a level of love and protection previously unknown. Were such garments so different from the business suits she wore, or the robes of judges and scrubs of surgeons? Did they not all define the position and respect due to the wearer? Was one better or more acceptable than another? In her heart, she knew the answer.

Taking her hand from the garments, she forced her steps toward the exit. Califar discreetly cleared the necessary security requirements. Earlier, at her request, he’d sent a message to Jessica informing her of their impending arrival.

“A limousine is waiting whenever you are ready, Princess.”

“A car won’t be necessary. I’m sure Jessica will have secured a taxi.” Victoria placed her hand on Califar’s arm. His muscles tensed, but he didn’t pull away. “You have brought me safely home just as Rashid instructed. You have done all you can do for me.”

“Princess, I…” His voice cracked. “I remain your loyal servant. If you would…” He gritted his teeth, forcibly holding back words better left unspoken. “Remember who you are. Ahalamin’s Princess of Fire.”

“Victoria!”

Jessica’s shout could be heard throughout the lounge.

Victoria knew with her red eyes and blotched skin she couldn’t look good but, from Jessica’s shocked expression, she must look worse than she thought. She saw her friend fling Califar an accusing glare.

“What have you done to her?” Jessica shouted.

Victoria quickly interceded. “No, Jessica. Califar has been a true friend. Don’t blame him.”

Jessica, still eyeing Califar with contempt, was not convinced. “Well then, what did he let that prince guy do to you?”

“I assure you, my present state is entirely my own responsibility.”

Turning to Califar, Victoria attempted to say goodbye. “I thank you again for your kindness. I…uh. This is harder than I thought.”

“Because I am your last link, Princess. As long as I am with you, you have a connection with him. But, I am sorry. I must return to Ahalamin.” Bowing deeply, he turned and walked away.

Victoria’s hand flew to her chest. Could a heart break twice? The pain shortening her breath said yes.

Popcorn clouds floated in a powder-blue sky over the small group gathered in the cemetery. Victoria, surrounded by four children, knelt and placed a large bouquet of yellow daisies on her father’s grave. The children, in turn, did the same with a single red rose.

Four regretful weeks had passed since she’d buried her father, four remorseful months since she’d killed her marriage. The children eased closer and knelt beside her. She ached for them. They had experienced so much loss in their short lives, and now, the adoring grandfather they’d easily loved was gone too. Three months to make a lifetime of memories…not nearly long enough.

She intended not to linger in the past, not give in to the melancholy underlining every emotion. Her memories didn’t always listen to her good intentions, though. When she knelt beside the newly turned earth and traced the writing carved into the headstone, there seemed nothing but regret, guilt, and memories.

She’d called her father shortly after her return from Ahalamin. Still confused and angry with him at the time, she nevertheless accepted his invitation to talk. In time, she came to accept his motives, if not his methods. In his own way, she knew he’d loved her very much. Confiding in him became a tremendous relief, a unique experience that broke down years of isolation for both of them. Overall, her father’s most profound gift had been the day he’d bartered her to a desert prince. His outrageous actions had given them treasured moments of laughter and reflection. He was thrilled when she told him about the children. So much so, he pulled some heavy strings to get the adoption rushed through. She and the children had been a family for eleven weeks.

Talli reached over and repositioned her rose so it lay on top of the yellow daisies. “Victoria, Grandfather loved us…didn’t he?”

“Very much. He said, ‘life had saved his four best presents until last.’”

Aaron wiggled his way across Talli to settle on Victoria’s lap. Wrapping his baby arms around her neck, he squeezed. She’d come close to losing him too. Three days and nights she’d stayed by his side while his little body fought for life. She’d ached for Rashid’s presence. The strength of his comforting arms haunted her. He would have helped her care for this child.

The challenges of the past sixteen weeks had shown her no mercy. Putting her personal pain aside to help her father had certainly tested the fiber of her being. He’d wanted to die in his own home instead of the sterile confines of a hospital. She’d given him that, at least. Those few happy weeks watching his grandchildren swim and play in his garden added a quality of life he’d never expected to enjoy. In the end…for him…it was enough.

Victoria shuddered. The emptiness inside her darkened her days. The time with her father, even her immeasurable love for the four little members of her family, couldn’t dispel it. And now…a new heartache. She carried a child. She’d thought she could never do Rashid greater harm than what had already been done. She was wrong. She’d denied him her love. Could she deny him his child too?

“Victoria, don’t cry,” said Breeze. “Everything will get better. We’ll help you as you helped us.”

“Yes, we’ll never leave you,” said Emily as she squeezed Victoria’s hand.

Victoria swiped the tears from her cheeks and hugged her girls. “You’re right. How could I be sad with all of you to love me?”

“Maybe, cause you miss your daddy and the prince,” said Talli while rearranging her rose again.

“I do miss them, very much.” Leave it to a child to get straight to the heart of a problem. She’d told the girls a condensed account of her marriage. They knew she loved Rashid and that she was guilty of hurting him. They accepted her explanation, but sometimes she could see their concern and confusion.

“Tonight will you tell us another story about the desert people?” asked Talli.

“Yes, I’ll tell you how those women honor their warriors with a water ceremony.”

“Great! We love your stories about the prince and the desert people,” said Emily.

“It’s getting late we better start for home,” she said, lifting Aaron off her lap. “Aunt Jessica is coming and she’s bringing you a new movie and caramel popcorn. You don’t want to miss her, do you?”

Four children, eager to see the woman who could entertain, dazzle, and surprise them, piled into the car. They loved their Aunt Jessica almost as much as she loved them. Victoria sighed. Surely, with Jessica’s help, she could manage to raise these children without doing them further harm. Although her new family tested the limits of her energy, watching her children grow and thrive was worth any effort. Certainly more fulfilling than any position she’d filled while on Wall Street. Thinking of the financial district made her thankful for the one problem she didn’t have, money.

Her father’s estate endowed her with considerable resources. Not to mention the fact that within a week of her return from Ahalamin, she’d received a visit from two representatives of the city’s most prestigious law firm. Rashid, it seemed, had made financial arrangements for her support. She’d refused the astronomical amount of money, but her refusal went unheeded and the money kept accumulating. He hadn’t reached out to her in any other way. One slender thread of hope dangled just to torment her, though. As far as she knew, he hadn’t formally divorced her. She wanted to believe he still loved her. Remembering with what speed she’d been removed from his life, there seemed little hope such a fantasy could be true.

Three hours later, after hotdogs and a swim, the children settled in the media room with a movie. Victoria put a load of wet towels in the wash while Jessica took popcorn to the kids.

“Well, they’re heavy into the super-hero stuff,” Jessica said. “How about we girls take a bottle of wine out by the pool and relax.”

“Sounds wonderful but make mine apple juice.”

“Apple juice! Since when don’t you enjoy a glass of wine?”

“Since I became a mother.”

“You’ve been a mother for weeks. And, as I recall, we’ve shared a couple of glasses of wine after dinner before. Are you getting all weird on me now?”

“I don’t know about weird, but I am certainly overwhelmed.”

“Honey, you’re a natural. Just look at you and those kids.”

“But…I’ve never…” Victoria hesitated. I’ve never started at the beginning before.”

“What beginning?”

“You know. Pre-natal vitamins and regular checkups.”

“No! You don’t mean?” Jessica squealed.

“Yes, I saw my doctor last week. I’m four months pregnant.”

“Go sit down. I’ll bring you a large glass of juice.” Jessica coached her friend toward the patio.

Victoria gladly obeyed. She walked onto the terrace and sat in one of the loungers by the pool. The small waterfall separating the pool and spa filled the evening air with playful gurgles. She needed this respite. Lately, she’d been tiring out quicker than normal and now she knew why.

“Okay, here’s your juice. Now, we need to get down to the hard stuff. When are you going to tell Rashid?”

“I don’t know if I should. He hates me. He could want his child and not its mother. He can do whatever he likes, Jessica. His rock-hard resolve makes the Great Wall of China look like a pile of pea gravel. I don’t know what to do.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but there are two important issues you’ve overlooked.” Jessica cast one of her pay-attention-looks at Victoria and continued. “First, you are crazy in love with this guy and wasting away because of it. Second, he’s there and you’re here because you didn’t trust him in the first place.”

“You’re right.” Victoria’s stomach muscles clenched.

“I know I’m right. He still hasn’t divorced you. In my book, that means something.”

“Believe me; he has a book of his own.” Victoria shifted to look directly at Jessica, clasping her hands tightly. “You can’t imagine how badly I treated him. I ripped his heart out, destroyed his pride and self-respect. I was demented, out of my mind with worry. I said whatever it took to make him let me go. I went too far.”

“When did small obstacles ever matter to a deal maker like you? The Victoria I know wouldn’t stand still and let defeat run over the top of her. How far are you willing to go to make things up to him?”

“If I thought I could make things right…I’d do anything.”

“You’re one of the best negotiators I know. Use those skills. If they don’t work, then use your female arsenal, and remember…don’t play nice. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose.”

“You make everything sound too easy.”

“After my brief encounter with your husband and his friend, easy is not a word I’d use in the same sentence with them. No plan is without risk. If we get you into the country, there is still the real possibility he could turn you away. In your condition could you bear the stress a second time?”

Fear left a sour taste in her throat. Every night she went to bed with his last words echoing through the chambers of her heart. “I have given you what you most desire. It is finished.” Exposing herself to more emotional anguish would not be good for the baby. Nevertheless, if she didn’t try to see Rashid, her baby would lose its father. Rashid would lose his child.

“It’s a risk I need to take. Both Rashid and this child deserve to know each other.”

“Then let’s make a plan.”

A half bottle of wine later, Jessica assured Victoria that they possessed an unbeatable plan. Unbeatable or not, Victoria knew it would take all her nerve and then more. Jessica could plan, but in the end, Victoria knew she was the one who must face Rashid.

After Jessica left for the evening, Victoria didn’t want to think about the plan any longer. She helped the kids get their pajamas on and then they all piled into her bed. They read a story to Aaron, who was asleep before the second page. The next thirty minutes were spent in girl talk, interspersed with giggles and tickles.

She told the girls to gather close because she needed to tell them a secret. Then she revealed her news about the new baby and the plan to see Rashid. With their mouths gaping, the girls resembled baby birds. Talli was the first to react. She launched herself at Breeze, wrapped her arms around her sister’s neck, and broke into heartbreaking sobs. Breeze rocked her little sister, all the while, looking at Victoria for direction. Victoria, at a loss herself, caressed Talli’s cheek.

“What’s wrong, sweetie? Tell me so I can help.”

Talli’s words, heavy with pain, gave voice to the anxiety in each of the girls’ eyes. “You got a new baby. You don’t want us anymore.”

Victoria lifted Talli from Breeze’s arms and cradled the child in her lap. She urged Emily and Breeze to move closer to her side. “Never, as long as I live, will I give you up. If our family grows to have fifty more babies, you will always be my children. This new baby will join our family and we will all love and care for it together.”

“But what about the prince,” asked Emily? “What if he doesn’t want us?”

Victoria’s heart lurched in her chest. She quickly shoved her own insecurities aside in the hopes of comforting her children. “We are a family. We stay together no matter what.”

Talli lifted her head from Victoria’s chest. “We don’t have to leave?”

“My heart would break if you left me.” She kissed the top of Talli’s head.

“We never want to leave you, do we, Talli?” Breeze coached her sister.

Talli dropped her head and fumbled with the hem of her nightgown. Victoria didn’t know what the child was contemplating, so she waited to hear her decision. Talli crawled off Victoria’s lap and stood beside the bed. Placing her little hand across her heart, she made a solemn vow. “I like this home. I stay here with you, and Breeze, and Emily, and Aaron.”

Victoria placed her hand across her own heart. “And I will stay with you too, Talli.”

Talli, her fears allayed, bounced back into the middle of the bed. “Can the new baby sleep with me in my bed?” she asked.

“When the baby gets big enough, I’m sure your new brother or sister would like that very much. Until then, maybe you can help me put the new baby in its own special bed at night.”

Later, Victoria lay awake and worried. So many things could go wrong. She ached for Rashid’s smile, his touch, the security of his love. She wept for what was lost and for everything she could still lose.

“Don’t be discouraged, Victoria,” said Jessica. “We’ve managed to get the six of us across an ocean and smack in the middle of your husband’s country.”

“True,” Victoria replied as she continued to pace the room. “But we haven’t managed to clear customs or leave this infernal airport yet.” She should have thought to use a false name on her passport. How stupid could she get! The name Davar was bound to attract the kind of attention she didn’t want.

Thirty minutes earlier they’d been escorted into a private lounge by two serious looking officials. Airport security was in an uproar. No one knew what to do with their VIP prisoner and her entourage. The children sat in a line of chairs like little sparrows on a wire, anxious and quiet. She didn’t have a clue what to do next, but she’d better figure something out before she had four crying children and an Amazonian warrior on her hands.

“Is one of you Princess Davar?”

Lost in their dilemma, none of them had noticed the entrance of the distinguished-looking man with stern eyes. His dark coloring definitely marked him as a native of the Middle East despite his western-styled business suit.

“I’m Victoria Davar,” she replied and took a deep breath.

He gave her a respectful bow and rubbed his hands together as he studied her. Victoria could sense his growing tension as if he hadn’t really expected her to be who she was. Faced with the unpleasant reality, he was obviously not happy with his task. Lowering her eyes, she kept silent until he spoke to her again.

“My pardon, Princess. My name is Jamal Omier. I am the Airport Director. There seems to be a small problem with your travel arrangements. According to our information, Prince Davar has canceled your travel consent. I am afraid we cannot permit you to enter Ahalamin. May I suggest you allow me to immediately arrange tickets for your return trip?”

Schooling her voice to remain calmly lowered, she attempted diplomacy. “I think there is some mistake. I am here as a tourist. As you can see, I have my friend, Miss Heathly, and four children with me. I’m sure under this circumstance something can be arranged.”

“My pardon, Princess, but Prince Davar’s wishes are inviolate. Unless he accompanies you, or you have a travel permit signed by him, you cannot enter the country. I am sure you do not wish to disregard your husband’s wishes.”

“Then, may I suggest we call my husband and ask him to sign the permit.” She could only hope Rashid would be reasonable since she was already in Ahalamin.

“This would be most improper, Princess. One does not question a man’s dictates in these matters, especially the Prince. I am sure you understand.”

“Then could you please send for the First Regent, Califar Cadin.”

“I tried to reach the First Regent before coming to speak with you. I was told he left the country this morning and is not due back for three days. We have not been able to contact him. Now, if you will give me a destination of your choice, I will arrange tickets for you and those who are traveling with you.”

Victoria didn’t like his pasted-on smile or his smug assurance that being a mere woman, she would defer to his wishes. Dropping all female submission, she put to use the tactics she knew best. She placed her hands on her hips, raised her chin in the air, and riveted him with a glare which screamed, ‘Now Get This!’

“We will honor my husband’s dictates, Mr. Omier. However, I will not be leaving this airport until I have seen Mr. Cadin. Therefore, I will give you a list of items I expect delivered within the hour. My husband may not wish for me to enter Ahalamin, but I do think he would expect me to be treated with the respect that is due to his wife.”

The man’s eyes widened with a new perspective as he waited for her to compile the list.

To be continued…

If you’re enjoying Victoria and Rashid’s story, please consider recommending it to your friends and sharing it on social media. ~ I thank you, Lynda

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