Page 1 of Seduced By the Sheikh

CHAPTER 1

“Zakariyya?” Sheikha Soraiya could only repeat the name her father had uttered. She stared at him. Had he gone mad?

The most recent image of Zakariyya, as he’d appeared on the celebrity pages of an international gossip column, came to her mind. He’d been trying to shield his latest conquest from the paparazzi and glared at the camera while he did so.

His close-cropped hair, slight frown and the brows which shaded dark eyes, all suggested a fierce control. An impression which was at odds with the curve of his lips which, even when unsmiling, hinted at a sensuousness which the gossip columns did nothing to dispel. Her friends couldn’t get enough gossip about him, but she only read it because of who he was — her fiancé’s brother.

Her father glared at her. He hated her questioning him. “That’s what I said.”

She must have misunderstood. Although her father had already waved a dismissive hand at her and was talking to his vizier, she stood her ground. She needed reassurance that her world hadn’t just shifted from under her.

“Father,” she said, summoning up the courage to interrupt.

He frowned and turned to her. “Why are you still here?”

“I have a question, father.”

“A question?” He looked perplexed, and no wonder. She never asked questions of him. She and her father were usually in complete agreement about affairs of the state, which was all they ever discussed. But this was a little more than that.

“Yes. You just mentioned the name of my fiancé.”

“What of it?”

“You referred to him as Sheikh Zakariyya ibn al-Hadar. That is my fiancé’s younger brother. I am promised to Sheikh Kadar, the King of Sirun. Surely you meant Sheikh Kadar?”

Her father glowered at her. “You should know I say nothing I do not mean. No, Sheikh Kadar has abdicated in favor of his brother, Sheikh Zakariyya. You will marry him now.” He dismissed her with a wave of the hand as if it made no difference who she married.

She gasped. “Abdicated?” She couldn’t believe it. She swayed a little and reached out to grip the back of a chair. It was as if an earthquake had jolted her world, twisting it like a kaleidoscope and forming a completely different pattern — one she didn’t understand. “But why? I don’t understand. Why did Sheikh Kadar leave? And where has he gone?”

“Apparently he has retreated into the wilderness somewhere in Sirun. I’ve been informed he’s chosen love over duty.” Her father made a dismissive sound.

“He’s abdicated for love,” she repeated dully. She’d always known she was destined to marry Kadar and, on the few formal occasions they’d met, she hadn’t been sorry. Kadar had been easy to like — conversation had flowed and, if he’d appeared somewhat reserved, she hadn’t minded. She’d been lost in those beautiful deep brown eyes from the moment she’d first met him. They often featured in her dreams. But apparently he hadn’t thought about her green eyes in his dreams.

She gritted her teeth and released her hold on the chair. She turned to her father. “Then he is not the man I thought he was. He doesn’t know his duty.”

Her father’s frown disappeared, relieved no doubt that she’d come to her senses. “Indeed. And you do. So you will marry Zakariyya, daughter. Next week as planned.”

Despite her new-found strength, a frisson of nerves ruffled her composure. “But, father, I have not yet met him.”

“What’s that to do with anything?”

It had nothing to do with anything, of course. This was a union long-planned for political reasons, not personal.

“I simply thought it might…” She hesitated as she tried to think of an excuse which her father would accept. “It might be something Sheikh Zakariyya would appreciate.”

“He won’t care. He simply wants the wedding to proceed as quickly as possible.”

The frisson of nerves turned into queasy flutterings. “But, father, maybe it should be postponed. I have some work to complete on the recent trade negotiations with the French.”

“Someone else can finish it. No one is irreplaceable, Soraiya. And besides, the delegation will be traveling to Sirun in a few months. It’s the first step in our closer economic co-operation between all three countries. You can follow-up with them in person if necessary.”

She nodded. “Of course, but… Surely it’s important to conclude things properly. That’s why I thought?—”

He held up his hand. “Enough,” he bellowed. “The wedding will proceed as planned. The public announcement will take place later today.”

His vizier, Aabid, coughed. “Sheikha Soraiya must agree to this change, Your Majesty.”

“Of course she agrees. The child knows her duty. Don’t you? We need this marriage to cement our two countries’ relationships. Blood ties. That’s what it’s all about. There’s nothing stronger. Plus we get their protection and they get Soraiya’s inheritance from my mother at her next birthday. Although, I’m less happy about that. It would have been useful to me,” he grumbled.

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