Page 28 of Sheikh's Pregnant Fiancée

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Jarah barely saw Aubrey during the day, and the nights belonged to their cravings. With little sleep, the days rolled into each other until their trip to Hal Rabat. Ensconced in a guest suite of the Hal Rabat palace, he finished getting ready for their first dinner with Sheikh Yusef Abadi, an intimate dinner party consisting of only the two royal families. He made a final check in the sitting room mirror and adjusted his tie. The expensive black suit was tailored to his fit body. He preferred the modern suits to the traditional robes, although there was a time and place for both.

Last time he’d been here, he’d been given a room on one of the lower levels, but now that he was married, he was in a suite near his father. Jarah wasn’t at all certain how Abadi and his administration would treat Aubrey, but they were treating him like the crown prince, finally.

It had been hard to get the respect of the sheikh of Hal Rabat. Maybe this trip would finally be different.

He turned from the mirror when Aubrey walked in from the bedroom.

Jarah was pleased to see that he didn’t need to instruct Aubrey to wear a hair covering. Even with the headscarf, she looked beautiful. She’d been unusually quiet during the quick flight over, and even quieter when they were shown their rooms in the palace.

“You look great,” he said as he took her in. The traditional blue dress covered her from neck to ankle, but the cut was incredibly flattering along her figure without being too revealing. Her head covering was loose. Since she wasn’t Muslim or from Hal Rabat, she didn’t need to have all her hair covered, and a few chestnut tendrils escaped.

“Thanks. Your mother taught me how to tie my scarf so it doesn’t fall off. I’m so nervous,” she confessed as she smoothed her hands over her dress. “Are you sure it’s a good idea for me to be here?”

“You’re my wife. It’s important that we be seen together.” Absently, he checked his phone and scrolled through his emails before he pocketed it again. “All right, let’s go.”

She took a deep breath and gave him a half smile. Of course she would be nervous about dinner. This was her first act as his sheikha, but he was certain that Silaah and Bibi had taught her well.

Hal Rabat was a far more conservative kingdom. When they left their suite, Jarah was acutely aware that Aubrey was keeping her distance behind him knowing that women were not to walk with or in front of their husbands. His mother hated the oppressive atmosphere and refused to come because of it.

At every corner a guard watched them. They were still, their faces impassive, but he could see the contempt in their eyes when they saw Aubrey.

Ignoring them, he reached his father’s suite and knocked on the door. Mikal answered, and behind him stood Cyril, dressed and wearing his ceremonial crown. They stepped into the room, and Jarah bowed to his father and from the corner of his eye, saw Aubrey curtsy nervously.

“Aubrey, you look wonderful,” Cyril said with a smile. “My wife chose your dress well.”

“It is beautiful. I feel like a fraud wearing it.” Then, remembering who she was speaking to, she sank down into another curtsy. “I’m sorry. What I meant to say was thank you.”

Cyril chuckled. “We are alone. I am pleased by your familiarity. I may be king, but I am also your father-in-law. I like that we are presenting as a close family unit. My wife’s unwillingness to travel here has opened my eyes to the differences between our kingdoms, and I see why she does not attend. After this initial meeting, should you choose the same—”

“She will not,” Jarah said. It was rare for him to interrupt his father, and Cyril lifted his eyebrows. “My apologies for cutting you off, but Aubrey understands the importance of our relations. Mother has the right to do as she wishes, and when I am crowned king, Aubrey will have those rights as well. For now, she goes where I go.”

His father looked puzzled, but Jarah didn’t want to go into more detail. His father believed that women were not part of business, and he’d witnessed Cyril shut Nura down when she showed interest. Thankfully, he had learned to open up to her, but Jarah didn’t want to shut Aubrey out of anything. He didn’t want to spent nights on end without his wife.

He wanted her by his side whenever possible.

After a moment, Cyril said, “Come, we will be late if we dawdle much longer.”

They filed out, this time with Cyril in front, Mikal alongside Jarah, and Aubrey in the back. Along the way, they collected guards, escorting them through the halls and down the steps until they reached the doors to the formal dining room. They were opened, and the four of them filed in.

Sheikh Yosef Abadi, his wife Hala, and their children awaited them. Elleni Abadi was their eldest child. Jarah could still remember the bitter disappointment in Yosef’s voice when he admitted that his firstborn was a daughter. He was then blessed with two sons, Christos and Andreas. They were all under the age of twelve.

Yosef was only a few years older than Jarah. The former sheikh died ten years ago, his wife following him into death a year later. According to Cyril, Yosef’s rule was even stricter than this father’s, resurrecting traditions that had long since been left by the wayside. Cyril was not pleased. He and the former sheikh had been friends, and Hal Rabat had been easing their laws restricting their women until Yosef became the ruler.

Now, women weren’t allowed to drive, and women under the age of forty weren’t allowed to be out by themselves. The problem was that there were no laws in place to allow for widows and unmarried women. Punishments ranged from fines to jail time.

A number of women had intentionally married into Rihamel families so they could enjoy more freedom. Cyril worried that relations between the two kingdoms would be strained.

Hala and Elleni both rose from their seats at the table and bowed their heads. Yosef and his sons did not. Servants pulled out chairs for Jarah and his family.

“The princess will sit by me,” Yosef commanded.

Jarah, Cyril, and Mikal all looked up in surprise, and Aubrey froze. Salaah had no doubt informed her that she would be sitting at the end of the table with the other women.

Even Hala widened her eyes in surprise, but if she objected, she didn’t say anything.

After a slight hesitation, Jarah nodded to Aubrey, who moved to the indicated chair. She curtsied to Yosef and took her seat.

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