Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 48620 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 243(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48620 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 243(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
Fear of the unknown squeezed her heart, but more than that she felt...joy, and with it came a certain kind of knowledge, of intuition – this was what she was meant to do, for better or for worse. And so she whispered, “It’s what I came here to do.”
Chapter Nine
The sheikh asked for her father’s blessing that same night, and after a private talk with Harper, a still slightly stunned Howard had given it. A logistical discussion then followed, with her father eventually agreeing to move into the palace with her and take up an official position in the sheikh’s government. After, the sheikh walked to her door, and when she looked up, he slowly shook his head at the mute question in her eyes.
“I don’t think I can control myself if I’m alone with you.” His voice was flat.
“I see.” She bit her lip.
“You are worried about something.”
“Does my being a virgin really matter so much?”
“It is one of the requirements of the law.”
“I see.” She knew she was being redundant, but it was the only thing she could think of saying, with the rest of her busy struggling against the wave of pain that came with her words.
“This disappoints you,” the sheikh observed.
“I’m not sure...how I feel about it.” Because what if she wasn’t a virgin? Didn’t that mean she wouldn’t have registered on his radar at all?
“You are wasting your time dwelling on hypothetical questions.” His words had her blinking in surprise, and the sheikh said simply, “You are easy to read.” After a moment’s hesitation, he slowly reached for her hands and brought them to his lips. “Just think of it this way, qalifa. Fate has decreed you to remain a virgin for me. Can you not be satisfied with that?”
No, Harper thought. What she really wished for was the impossible. She wanted him to say that he would still have chosen her, even if she weren’t a virgin. But that couldn’t be, could it? For only a man in love could say such things – and this man, for all his desire, for all his trust and respect of her, did not love her.
And so in the end, Harper only forced a smile. “I guess I can try.”
The sheikh pressed his lips to her hands. “It will be good between us, Harper. Believe this. Believe in me.”
“I...do.” More than I should.
Releasing her hands, he pulled her into his embrace, and she went to him willingly. He kissed her hair, murmuring, “Good night, my Harper.”
It was his first time to call her that, and her toes curled. Oh, this man was too good at exploiting her weakness. My Harper, he had said. It was too, too sweet, and yes, it was enough to dispel the hurt that came with his earlier words.
“Good night, sheikh.”
She felt him smile against her hair. “Do you not think it’s time you call me by my name?”
Harper thought about it, tried to imagine her saying his name, and she just...couldn’t. He had always been the sheikh to her, and to have that change overnight was—-
“Impossible,” she muttered.
The sheikh sighed. “And you would think that, of course.”
“Maybe next time,” she hedged.
“I would like to say that you sound very convincing, but you do not.”
She pulled away, grumbling, “Do you have to have your way with everything?”
“Is it too much to ask for my bride to call me by my name?”
And because she was feeling contrary now, she said hotly, “Yes, it is!”
They stared at each other.
A moment later, they were smiling.
“We will have a good marriage,” the sheikh declared.
Harper couldn’t help laughing. “You’re crazy.”
“But you believe me. Nem?”
She wanted to lie, just to be contrary, but looking into his dark eyes and seeing the soft gleam of tenderness in it, she realized she couldn’t do it. And so she mumbled, “Nem.” And then she quickly got inside her room and slammed the door on his face.
Harper leaned against the door, face flushed, heart swaying.
God, that had been embarrassing.
But it had also been true.
She did believe him.
Even though they didn’t love each other and came from different worlds – no, universes...
She believed him. They would have a good marriage. She would damn make sure of it.
WEDDING PREPARATIONS commenced the very next day, and Harper was immediately caught up in a whirlwind of activity. There were countless fittings to attend, names and faces to memorize, and then there were the rules.
There were so, so many of them, and worse was how they sometimes clashed against each other. There were rules in Arab culture that did not agree with certain customs distinct to the kingdom of Ramil. There were rules observed in Islam that were not known to Christians. And those just made up the tip of the iceberg, and it didn’t help at all that Harper’s court tutor was adamant that she would not only become familiar but proficient with them as well.