"My dear, James will love it," Anne said, smiling. She watched a young French girl pin the hem.
Kat grimaced as she stood with her arms held out at the sides of her body.
"I'm sure he will. What we women do for fashion," she said, grinding her teeth together.
"Oui, tis true," the young girl said, her mouth filled with pins. Anne and Kat looked over the young girl's red head and smiled at each other.
***
The ball was fast approaching, and Katharine was wrapped up in many details of planning it. She spent her days with James or Francie and assisted her mother with menu and music selections. She selected the flowers and other decorations. She kept herself busy and went to bed tired each night.
Her parents were overjoyed at the betrothal announcement and only wanted her to be happy. Katharine had discovered that her father had a special present for her to be revealed that night, but he would not even hint at what it could be.
Kat smiled as the sun began to set. She walked arm in arm with Francie down to the small creek that flowed through her father's expansive property.
"You look much better, Kat," Francie told her.
“I feel better, Francie,” Kat said. “I feel more at home.”
"Will you be happy with him?" Francie asked. She watched the light filter across her friend's face. She marveled at the delicate bone structure of high cheekbones, lush lips, and blue eyes.
"I hope so," Kat admitted, looking away from her friend.
Francie was silent as Katharine marveled at the beautiful sunset.
"Was he handsome?" Francie then asked quietly.
"No," Kat replied. She looked down at the grass and darted her eyes over to look at her friend.
"Oh," Francie replied.
Kat's cool blue eyes met Francie's warm, chocolate ones.
"He was beautiful,” Kat confessed. “He was everything a man should be."
“Oh Katharine,” Francie said as her voice broke.
“I don’t want to talk about this, Francie. Come. Let’s go back to the house,” Kat said, leading her back down the path.
The day of the ball dawned bright, with a clear blue sky hanging over the large estate. Katharine slept in late and took only tea for breakfast. She went riding with James, and then took a long nap to steady herself for the night to come. Most balls lasted well into the night and into the next morning, so she wanted to be fresh for her guests.
Francie had spent the night and would continue to do so for the next week. The invitations had been sent out weeks in advance, and Katharine was anticipating a few hundred guests to entertain. The guests staying at the Fairfax mansion began arriving in the afternoon, while those that would only attend the ball arrived later.
Katharine grew anxious as the sun began to set. The food was being cooked and placed in the large sitting room, while the musicians were setting up in the large ballroom. The chandeliers with special beeswax candles lit the rooms, and the floors had been polished to a high shine. An excitement filled the air as she and Francie dressed.
Francie changed into a peach satin dress with a square neckline and small bows at the hem of her skirt. She wore pearl earrings and a simple pearl necklace. The peach color complimented her dark hair nicely.
Katharine looked stunning in her silk ruby dress. The low neckline exposed her lush breasts, and the stomacher was a beautiful work of art. The small ruffles along her elbow were white and contrasted with the ruby red.
She wore single drop diamond earrings and a diamond choker, which caused men's eyes to take in the necklace and then dip to her breasts. She hated the effect, but her mother had insisted. Her golden hair was piled onto her head, with small curls escaping along her neck.
"You look quite lovely, my dear," Anne said as she kissed her cheek. Anne had chosen a deep purple gown, with amethysts adorning her neck and ears. Edward wore a coat and waistcoat of black with gold detailing and snugly fit knee-length breeches, low-heeled shoes, and silk stockings. His hair was powdered and clubbed with a black ribbon.
"You do us proud, child," Edward said to Kat. He kissed her hand and led her and Francie downstairs.
The guests were gathering in groups, but Edward led his daughter away from the gathering crowds.
"Come with me, my dear. I have something to show you," he said. Edward took her hand and led her outside. They walked to the back of the large house and down a small passage that led to the stables.
"I am so happy to have you safe and home with us, Daughter. I have a gift for you from the bottom of my heart," Edward said as he led her forward.
Inside the stables was a beautiful new horse. The stallion was the color of chestnut, with a muscled body that rivaled even the Irish horse breeds.
"Father! He's beautiful!" Kat gasped.
"Besides, I know you don’t like sharing your brother’s horse. Now you have your own," he said.
Kat threw her arms around his neck.
"He came from far away. I'll introduce you to the breeder later," she heard her father say.
"Thank you!" Kat clasped her arms around him and kissed him until he chuckled.
"You are welcome, dearest."
Francie had followed at a discreet distance and together they hugged each other.
"He's lovely, Kat," Francie said as they admired the stallion.
Kat smiled as the proud horse came forward to nuzzle her.
"He's flawless," she said.
Katharine spent several minutes with her new horse before she joined the ball to resume her hostess duties. She greeted the guests and everyone seemed genuinely happy to have her returned home safe and sound.
***
The candle lights flickered low and the music began. It was a beautiful piece by George Frederick Handel, a Trio Sonata in B Minor. Katharine listened to the music and closed her eyes. The violin, flute, and continuo were in perfect sync with each other as the music moved and flowed through the room. She stood with James, sipping a glass of champagne, while she watched her guests mingle. A hundred people filled the room, and dozens more stood or danced in clusters and groups around the food tables. Champagne was in abundance. She had lost count how many people she had greeted and smiled at. She suddenly felt lightheaded as the champagne drizzled into her veins. The trio sonata continued playing, and its beauty was mesmerizing.
When she opened her eyes and looked across the room, she glimpsed him across the room and knew she had drank too much. He had walked behind a group of people standing at the far end of the room. Kat almost dropped her flute of champagne.
"Darling, what is it?" James whispered as he felt her lean into him.
"The heat. It's the heat," she answered. "I need some fresh air."
"Of course. I'll accompany you," he said.
"No, you should stay. I'll only be a few minutes,” she replied. She moved her dress hem aside as she moved gracefully through the room.
Kat placed her champagne glass on a table and walked outside the ballroom and into the night. A few couples were outside talking and they greeted her. Her brother Charles and his wife, Sarah, smiled at her, and Charles kissed her in greeting.
She smiled to them and then turned away. She was going mad! She brushed a hand across her forehead and flushed cheeks.
Katharine looked out over the gardens that she knew so well. Earlier that day, she had stood next to James, thinking of the stallion and wanting to give him a proud name. She had always loved Greek mythology so she had thought of Ares, the god of war. But just then, she had seen him. Either that or her imagination was going wild.
She saw at first the figure behind the large group of people at the far end of the ballroom. He was dressed in a deep blue coat and waistcoat with snug knee-length breeches, low-heeled shoes and silk stockings. His hair was unpowdered but clubbed with a black ribbon, and he appeared to be clean-shaven. He was well-dressed, and the cut of the coat showed off his muscled back and the width of his shoulders.
The breeches di
d well to expose his muscled legs, and his dark shoes had no buckles on them.
But as much as tried to fit into this world, he did not. He was like a wild tiger in a small cage. He belonged in a hot world of sand and sandalwood incense, not in a ballroom filled with dandies and champagne.
He belonged in a world of sandstorms and harems, where the world smelled of incense and jasmine.
Kat shook her head. This was madness. This was what happened to women who had no clean grasp on reality. She wandered into a farthest part of the gardens, where the willow trees had been planted long ago. The birch and ash trees grew there as well.
Katharine was particularly fond of elm trees. The willow tree branches dipped low, almost to the ground, and she stepped inside one. She looked down at her hands and saw that they were shaking. She closed her eyes and remembered his goatee as his mouth touched hers. She remembered his hands on her, inside of her, and taking her that night after the party.
The air was cold, and her breath foamed out as she exhaled. The willow tree branches encircled her and protected her as she sighed. She must let it go. She must forget him. This can only drive me mad, she told herself for the thousandth time.
She touched the diamonds at her throat and tried to calm herself. Silly, she said to herself. She breathed out and turned to go back to the party.
But then, her quick intake of breath and the pounding of her heart inside her chest happened instantaneously. She shook her head and closed her eyes.
"You aren't real," she breathed out in disbelief, her breath foaming in the cold air.
"Oh, I'm real enough," he mocked her.
His clothes were European as she had seen in the ballroom and his hair was pulled back without a wig. But his golden body belied the fact that he was not European and never would be. He would never fit in and would never want to. He had come here for one reason.
"I don't understand. How are you here?" Katharine asked him, as her fantasy and nightmare collided together. She pressed a hand to her exposed chest as her heart raced.
"The horse, your Arabian, was my Arabian. I bred and sold him to your father," Mohammed explained.
"Did you know when you sold it to him that it was for me?" she asked.
"Yes," he said. His dark eyes met her blue ones.
Mohammed watched her intake of breath, which caused her breasts to swell over her neckline.
He had watched her that night, not able to take his eyes from her. He had many dealings with Europeans because of the Arabian horses he bred. The horses were renowned for their beautiful bone structure and stamina, but he had never accompanied the horses once they were sold. He had always dealt with the foreigners, accepted their money and had his men transport the horses. This time was different, however. This time everything was different.
Her father had written to Mohammed, inquiring upon the price of an Arabian stallion. Edward wrote in detail about his spirited daughter, explaining that the horse must be the same, intelligent and spirited. Mohammed had accompanied the horse to England to bring back what was his by Arab law.
He had watched her stand near the English dandies at the ball and smile into their faces. He had watched a young blonde dandy rest his hand on Katharine's waist and clenched his own fist in anger. She had used her body well to trap men into wanting what they couldn't have. Poor Majeed had found out the hard way. His own brother was enchanted by the little falcon! Majeed should have known better.
And now, after coming across the sea, he was here to claim her again. There would be no negotiations and no bargains; she would be his.
Unaware of his thoughts, Katharine shook her head, confused. Her diamond earrings glistened in the dark.
"Why are you here?"
Mohammed stepped toward her.
"You know exactly why I'm here. I'm here to take back what's mine," he told her.
He closed the small gap between them and jerked her into his arms.
"No," was all she managed to say before his mouth took hers. He was clean-shaven and well-groomed, which only made him more dangerous. She knew what was underneath the fancy clothes.
His one hand held her body to his while his other hand went to the back of her head. He pulled out the pins that held her hair in place, causing a golden waterfall down her back.
"Please," she said, struggling against him. Katharine tried to move away from him but couldn't. His mouth moved over hers, but the kiss wasn't sweet. His mouth took hers until she tasted blood. His tongue delved against hers and his leg came between hers as he pushed her back into the trunk of the willow tree.
"You are mine, princess," he breathed into her neck before he lightly bit into it. His bite caused goose pimples to break out on her arms, and she shivered.
"No, things are different. This is a different place," she gasped, trying so hard to fight the urge to give into him.
"You and I are the same, princess."
Katharine shivered in the cold and at his words.
"No we aren't," she argued.
Mohammed held her body against the tree.
"I have not come this far to play games," he said. His hand moved to her low-cut gown and moved his fingers inside. Without tearing her dress, he pushed her breasts up and moved the dress down. He took one tight nipple into his warm mouth. She whimpered.
"You dress like a whore here. Then play the whore for me," he said. His fingers threaded into her hair as his mouth touched her other nipple, which was tight and wanting the attention. She moaned in spite of herself.
She felt herself come alive as she pressed into him. She couldn't help it.
"Moan for me, princess. I remember how you like it," he whispered in her ear. Katharine blushed in shame. She wanted him so badly.
His hand wrapped around her long, blonde hair and pulled down on it so her chin jerked up. His mouth touched her sensitive neck and he pressed into her body. He was hard for her. Ready to take her.
"If I fucked you right here, would you even try and stop me?" he asked cruelly.
Katharine almost cried out. She wanted him to lift up the hem of her dress. She would have given her soul to feel his thick cock deep inside her. She could feel her juices damp inside her.
"Please," Katharine said as she tried to fight her conflicting emotions.
Mohammed watched her face and saw her conflict. He released her, pushing her away from him, and she stumbled. She pulled her bodice to cover herself and tried to pull her hair back, but her hands were shaking.
"You shouldn't have come," she told him. She was trying hard not to cry in front of him. "You have to go," she continued.
"I am not leaving England without you," Mohammed told her, before he left her alone underneath the willow tree.
Katharine stood staring after him, incredulous. Had this proud, intelligent man really come all the way from Arabia to bring her back with him?
Her heart shuddered at the thought. What were the lengths he would go to keep her? And what would he do when the betrothal was announced tonight?
Kat trembled at the thought. But suddenly, deep down inside, she felt alive again.
Chapter 11
Anne sipped her champagne as she stood next to her husband. She watched the couples whirl across the floor and spied Katharine's friend Frances in the arms of the squire's son, Samuel.
Samuel was of good stock and expected to take over his father's holdings when the time was right. Anne thought they might make a good couple; after all, Frances could not expect to marry too highly, given her own status, she sneered.
"Edward, where is Katharine? I haven't seen her in a goodly ten minutes," Anne asked.
Edward smiled down at his wife and replied, "First you decide she is too morose, and now you worry she is gone astray?"
"Ridiculous!" Anne admonished him lightly.
But Edward was worried for his daughter. Since she had returned to them, she was altered, and Edward feared for her. She had been such a spirited young girl, intelligent and beautifu
l; fortune hunters had come after her. However, her keen intelligence kept the men at bay, and those who might have prospered with lesser women were sent packing.
"My dear, I have come upon a wonderful idea!" Anne said excitedly as she gripped her husband's arm.
Edward rolled his eyes at the tone. Anne had outlandish ideas and often thought of herself before others.
"After the engagement is announced this evening, we will send Katharine, with a chaperone of course, to my sister Louisa in France!" Anne smiled broadly.
Edward arched an eyebrow at his wife. Anne saw the look and pounced on it.
"But my dear, it will be just the thing to right her spirits, just the thing!" she continued. Edward left his wife briefly, to converse quickly with Jamie, and then returned to Anne's side.
"Anne, if you feel it would do Kat some good to spend time in France, than I will agree. But let’s ask her. After all, she is just returned to us and might be against the idea of traveling."
"A holiday away from all this will be just the thing." Anne assured him.
***
Katharine rested a shaking hand against her breasts. She should not have let him touch her.
”I remember how you like it,” he had whispered in her ear. She shivered in the cool air.
She was so easily swayed. He had touched her, kissed her, and she was ready to do anything. She had wanted to lift her fashionable Paris dress up and wrap her legs around his waist. To feel his thick cock deep inside her was all she wanted at the moment. She was weak. So weak, she cursed herself.
She could feel the beads of moisture on her forehead and she almost sobbed.
"Kat?"
She turned and found Jamie there before her.
"Jamie," she answered, breathing a sigh of relief.
"What happened to your hair?" he asked. Her perfectly coiffed hair had been pulled down when Mohammed had touched her.
"It was so heavy," Kat supplied weakly. “I had a headache.”
"I see," he said. "Your father asked that I find you and bring you back to the ballroom."
"Thank you," she replied. She took his arm as they walked back to the house.
"I would still like to announce our betrothal," Jamie said quietly.
The Sheik and the Slave Page 13