Page 13 of Queen of Barrakesch
“Start where you feel comfortable.”
Their friendship was such that they could segue into more serious matters even though they typically maintained an easy-going, teasing relationship.
With a wry twist of his mouth, Wasim said, “I had an interesting talk with my father. It seems not settling down has consequences.”
“Oh.” Keeping her voice light, Imani said, “Goodness, he’s like my parents. There’s no rush.”
“On the contrary, there is a rush,” he said grimly, ominously. “He’s passing me over for the throne.”
“What?” Imani’s mouth fell open.
“You heard me correctly. There was a time when I didn’t want the position, but in recent years I’ve changed my mind. There are plans I want to implement which I won’t be able to unless I become king. The throne ismine. If I choose to decline it, that’s a different matter, but to be passed over is…unacceptable.”
The vehement tone of his voice and the way his eyebrows lowered over his eyes indicated his displeasure. Wasim played hard, but he worked hard, too, and she knew that one day he would be a good king.
The changes he wanted to make were unpopular ones his father had been unwilling to attempt. Among them was downsizing the monarchy’s Advisory Council by slashing the number of advisors. But to hear that he might be passed over for the throne was shocking. There must be more to King Khalid’s decision.
“Why the rush?” Imani asked.
“As you know, I went to see my father yesterday. Almost immediately, the conversation took an unexpected turn.”
He told her everything they discussed, his responses, and his father’s decision to pass him over.
Imani sat stunned, with a hand covering her mouth and sadness in her heart. “Wasim, I’m so sorry. King Khalid will truly be missed.”
The king was tough but beloved because he was open-minded and had made decisions that impacted the country in positive ways.
Wasim nodded. “He doesn’t want anyone to know yet, so please don’t tell your uncle. He wants to disclose his medical condition on his own terms.” Her uncle, King Babatunde, and King Khalid were friends.
“A few weeks isn’t a lot of time,” she said.
“No, it’s not,” Wasim said, his cheekbones sharpening with grief. He sighed heavily. “I’m angry that he’s skipping over me, but at the same time I feel as if I’ve let him down. He’s always mentioned his desire for me to marry, and I didn’t. Now this happens. Yasmin is married with a child and another on the way, and even Akmal seems to have found someone.”
“What? I didn’t know Akmal was getting married,” Imani said.
“I understand your shock. He can be quite irresponsible, but he’s had his eye on a member of the royal family in Jordan. The families have been in talks, and now they’re in the middle of negotiating thenikah,” he said.
“If Akmal, who is younger than you is on his way to getting married, what’s stopping you? And that’s not a rhetorical question. Why haven’t you married? Why don’t you have any prospects?”
“I’m like you. I haven’t found the right person yet.”
She glanced out the window and then looked at him again. “What are you going to do, Wasim?”
“What can I do? I don’t have time to find a wife to put my father’s mind at ease. And then thinking about everything I have to do with him dying…” He swallowed down the pain. “The truth is, there is too much work to be done to worry about marriage. His administration and the family and I need to focus in the coming weeks. We don’t have much time. I will do whatever I can to give my father peace of mind and work with his successor as he wishes to use me.”
They both fell silent, each in their own thoughts. Imani was in a state of shock. King Khalid was dying and Wasim, his presumptive successor, would not succeed him.
Then she had an idea—wild and radical and completely outrageous, but…it might work, in both their favors.
She lowered her voice so that if anyone stood near the open door, they couldn’t hear. “This is going to sound crazy, but hear me out.”
“I’m listening.”
She leaned toward him. “We could help each other. You want the throne and want your father to pass in peace. You can’t have him worrying about the kingdom in his last days, and he admitted he thought you’d be a great ruler. I need my parents to leave me alone instead of trying to force a man on me that I don’t want. A man who will probably try to keep me from accomplishing all the goals I have because I’ll be tied down as his wife and mother of his children. Here is my solution: We should pretend to be engaged.”
Wasim stared at her. “Pretend?”
“Yes. Think about it. I’m a noblewoman—a member of the royal family of Zamibia, one of Barrakesch’s most trusted allies. I’m accomplished, I know your family, and they know me and my character.” She stopped talking and waited for his response.
