by Lynn, Sophia
"I think we both know that I'm not going to...to run away or anything. Even if we hadn't made that bargain, I've grown up poor and hungry. I wouldn't take my daughters away from a life where they could have every advantage, grow up into the brave and wonderful girls I know they could be..."
"Frannie, darling..."
Khaliq's voice was kind, and Frannie wasn't sure if she could stand it. He reached for her, but she pulled away, shaking her head. She wanted nothing more than to swallow the lump of tears that was forming in the back of her throat and run away, but she forced herself to keep talking. If she stopped, she would never start again, and he deserved to hear the truth.
"Where am I? I barely made it through college, and before you kidnapped me, I had trouble actually getting enough meals sometimes. I know how to make ten bucks stretch for a week's worth of groceries, and I know how to stay alert so I can work fifty hour weeks and still do my own art. What in the hell do I have to offer two princesses? They don't need someone to teach them to starve!"
The tears that had been threatening for so long started to spill, and Frannie would have turned away except for Khaliq rising and putting his arms around her. For several long moments, he simply held her, rocking her a little and whispering soft words in Arabic. It didn't matter what he was saying; the comforting tone came through, and Frannie finally stepped back, wiping away the last of her tears.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I just..."
"You are going to be their mother."
Khaliq's voice was as flat as a slab of marble, and there was something inexorable behind it.
"Khaliq?"
"If you want to be their mother, you will be their mother. I would not take that away from you, and I would not take it away from them." He hesitated before gesturing at a window seat. "Will you come and sit with me?"
She felt too tired to be wary about anything just then, and she came to sit next to him. He took her hand, as if he wanted to will some of his own strength into her. Perhaps he could. She felt a little stronger as he massaged her hand.
"You are going to be the mother of the princesses. That is not nothing. Your blood will flow with the blood of the royalty of Beian as long as there is such a country, and that means that you are a part of this family, this country." He paused. "It means that you are a part of me. And darling, I do not know you yet, but I know what I see."
Frannie swallowed hard. "What do you see?"
"I see a brave woman who will not give up, who will do what is best for her children. I see a woman who will give up all for her art, and who knows that her work is worth her fiercest efforts. I see a woman who has been hurt by life, but who opens like a flower when she is given the kindness she deserves."
Frannie was desperately afraid that she was going to cry again. Khaliq touched her cheek gently with just his fingertips, and she couldn't help but lean against his touch.
"I see the woman who will mother my children. You will always have a place here. I hope you will keep it. I do not care if there has never been an arrangement like this one in all the history of my country. We will make a space for you."
"Do you mean it?"
"I do." He lifted her hand to his mouth, kissing her knuckles with an overwhelming gentleness. "You belong here. You belong with me."
CHAPTER TWELVE
Frannie
Things got easier after that. Frannie felt something in her relax, and though there were still so many questions in her mind, she felt safer now.
Perhaps it was foolish, but she trusted Khaliq. If he said there would be a place for her, it would be so. She would get to stay with her daughters. That was all that mattered.
At least...
She told herself that was all that mattered.
When she touched Khaliq, it still felt as if the world lit up. The fire that burned inside her was banked for now, but sometimes, all it took was looking at him a little too long to bring it up again. It felt like she was sitting on a powder keg, and she had no idea how to diffuse it.
It helped that Khaliq was often busy with matters of state, and in between their increasingly common talks, she could decompress by walking in the garden, consulting with Dr. Rai, or chatting with Jameela.
She was with Jameela when her things arrived from London, and the teenager bounced around, helping her unpack. Frannie had to admit that the seven large packing cartons and their rather tatty contents looked a little out of place in her luxurious suite, but she couldn't help but be a bit satisfied that she had her own things again.
Jameela, for her part, admired Frannie's posters, her books, her portfolio, and then innocently found a plain buff envelope that had fallen out of Frannie's private files.
"Oh my gosh, is this my brother?!"
Frannie swore she had never moved faster in her life when she crossed the room to snatch the envelope out of Jameela's hands. Fortunately, it seemed as if Jameela had caught one of the more innocent pictures from the night they had spent together, and Frannie stuffed the envelope into one of the drawers on her desk.
"That isn't for you to look at!"
Jameela grinned. "Things are getting better between you, aren't they?"
"Well..."
"He asks about you, you know."
Frannie was caught off guard. "Does he?"
"Oh yes. When he knows that I have been spending time with you, he always makes it a point to come by my suite and to ask me what I have been doing."
"I think that's just him being a good big brother..."
"Oh, it is not! He doesn't care what I am doing unless it has something to do with you!"
Frannie blushed so red that Jameela started to laugh. Was it possible that Khaliq thought of her as something more than just the mother of his children? Frannie wanted to squash that hope before it got her into trouble, but she couldn't quite bear to do it.
“Stop laughing at me, or I'll start telling him about those texts that make you blush so much!”
Jameela squawked with dismay at the very thought of it, grabbing Frannie's hand. “You can't! He'll stop letting me go out altogether if you tell him!”
“And then you won't be able to go to Cafe Americain at all!”
Frannie couldn't help but laugh. Jameela was mostly allowed to go where she pleased, but she slipped away from her security detail more often than Khaliq liked. Frannie knew that Jameela went to Cafe Americain, an international spot a bit off the beaten track. Reading between the lines, Frannie thought the girl might have been meeting a boyfriend there, something that Khaliq would certainly not have approved of. Khaliq loved his little sister and trusted her, but as he had mentioned to Frannie once, it was the rest of the world that he didn't trust.
Between spending time with Jameela and entering into a cautiously hopeful, if still confusing, phase of her relationship with Khaliq, Frannie was feeling better. She was keeping some weight on, and Dr. Rai was pleased with her progress.
She was actually thinking things weren't quite so bad when she ran into Khaliq's mother in the garden. The older woman was walking the paths as she was walking them, and coming around a bend, Frannie nearly ran into her before coming to a halt.
“Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean—”
“Didn't mean, didn't mean. What a fool you are!”
Frannie stared at her, taken aback by this direct attack. She hadn't seen the woman except from a distance since their disastrous encounter when she had first arrived, and this raw aggression made her belly drop.
“I...”
“It is not enough that you come to this place and flaunt your lack of morals in front of my young daughter! It is not enough that you have seduced my son! You have the nerve to bear the heirs of Beian in your foul and polluted body!”
Frannie gritted her teeth. She was ready to simply turn her back and walk away. Khaliq was right about her being willing to lash out if she was attacked, but on the other hand, this was Khaliq's mother, her babies' grandmother. She was willing to keep the peace. Then
she heard what the older woman said next, and her insides started to boil.
“If those babies come out malformed and wrong, I shouldn't wonder, from the poison of your belly!”
Frannie turned around so quickly that it made the woman fall back a step, gasping in shock, but she hardly cared. “Don't!”
“Do not dare use such a tone with me!”
“Don't you dare say another word to me! You have no right to speak about my babies like that, especially when they are Khaliq's babies as well! You are not allowed to abuse two innocent children before they are even born! They are innocent, and if you dare breathe another word about them, then I will personally make sure that you never lay eyes on them!”
“You have no such authority!”
“I'll find it! I'll take it myself! Just keep your damn mouth shut about my children!”
For a moment, Frannie could barely believe that she had spoken like that to the former queen of the country she was standing in, but then it looked as if the older woman was going to puff up like a frog, ready to croak her into submission.
“She's absolutely right.”
Both of them looked up to see Khaliq coming down the path. He moved casually, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, but there was something terribly focused about his gaze, and Frannie saw his mother flinch. Despite the dire look in her son's eye, the older woman rallied, straightening up and pointing an accusing finger at Frannie.
“This woman has insulted me...”
“That woman is going to be the mother of my children. She will not be spoken to in this manner. Until you can learn to keep a civil tongue in your head, you are not welcome here.”
Frannie was at once thankful that Khaliq had stepped in and mortified that he had to do so. She couldn't take it any longer. She turned on her heel and walked away. Well, maybe she was running away. It didn't matter. She just couldn't be there any longer.
***
Frannie ended up in one of her favorite places in the palace. It was an airy room that she had heard the servants refer to as the solar, and as the sun set, it took on a dusky, violet light that made her feel strangely peaceful. She came to the solar fairly often with Jameela, but at the moment, she was grateful to have it to herself.
When the door opened, she looked up, but when she saw it was only Khaliq, she sighed, relaxing again.
“I am not going to apologize to her, you know.”
“I know. I don't want you to. I came to apologize for her behavior, and also to tell you that you will not be seeing her here any longer.”
“What did you do?”
“We had a talk, and we agreed it was in everyone's best interest that she take herself to the summer house on the Black Sea. Perhaps she can return when the children are born, but only so long as she is kind to them, and to you.”
Frannie knew that she should feel as if this was a victory of some sort, but she could not really feel it. Instead, she only felt bereft, empty. When Khaliq came to sit on the velvet divan with her, she scooted away, wanting more space between the two of them.
“It's more than just my mother, isn't it?”
“Well…it's her, but it's also what she represents.”
“Explain it to me, please.”
“I don't fit in here. I never will, will I? I'm just this...strange foreigner who has less class than the most junior servant, and your mother can tell. And what is it going to be like for our daughters, who are going to see that their mother is so below them—”
Frannie stopped in surprise when Khaliq covered her mouth with his hand. For a moment, she was taken by the warmth of his hand, and then he pulled away, looking at her sternly.
“I will not allow my mother or indeed anyone in this country to say such things about you. That includes you. Those are unkind things and untrue as well. I do not want to hear them.”
“But they're true! They're true, and I'm never going to fit in here. I have no place in Beian, and—”
“Then we will make you one.”
Frannie stared at him. “You sound as if you really believe that.”
“I do.”
Khaliq hesitated as if he were coming to a decision. When he spoke, there was something in his voice that made Frannie shiver. “Do you want to know why I believe that?”
“I'm almost afraid to ask.”
“Do you?”
“...yes.”
“Because in my heart I know you are mine.”
Khaliq leaned in, and this time she saw the kiss coming. It was gentle, but no one would ever call it sweet. Instead, it was dark and possessive, utterly consuming, and something in Frannie responded to it like the desert to water. Her hand came up to tangle in Khaliq's shirt, holding him close, and for a moment, she let all of the fears and worries about her life and where she fit in fall away. All that mattered was being in this whirlwind with Khaliq.
When he pulled away, she made a soft, longing noise, and he laughed a little.
“Every day with you, I am learning more. Mostly what I learn is that I want to keep you. If you feel the same...come to my rooms tonight. I will never turn you away. Come to me, and let me prove to you where you belong.”
Then he was gone, and Frannie felt as if the world had turned upside down.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Frannie
In the end, Frannie knew why Khaliq had told her to come to his rooms that night rather than simply taking her in the solar. She was honest with herself, and she knew she would have let him do exactly as he liked.
Instead, it had to be her choice.
If she were honest with herself, she knew there was no chance she would stay in her own rooms that night. The pull that existed between her and Khaliq was too strong. For the last few weeks, they had lived in a state of increasing tension. They could pull away from each other, or they could give in to the urge to come closer, but there was no living as they were.
It was pure contrariness that kept Frannie away until midnight. She fought with herself for hours, and in the end, she rose, clutching her robe around her like some sort of Victorian maiden, and made her way down the halls.
Her knock on Khaliq's door was soft and tentative, but he opened it for her almost immediately. He was dressed only in a pair of loose linen pants, and she stared at the muscles on his chest for a long moment before Khaliq laughed and pulled her in.
“Were you waiting by the door?” she asked.
“Not exactly, but I did find myself gravitating towards the chair next to it for some reason.”
“So very sure I would come?”
“Quite the opposite. Hopeful, rather.”
For some reason, that made Frannie blush. “Khaliq, I don't know about—”
“No.”
She looked up, startled. “Just...no?”
“Not tonight. I have heard your arguments, and I have heard your fears. Tonight, you are not going to listen to them.”
“They're pretty loud and strong.”
“I am louder. I am stronger.”
He spoke with an utter conviction in his voice, and Frannie felt something inside her relax that had been clenched for a long time. She allowed him to lead her to the bench at the foot of his enormous bed, and when she sat, he knelt in front of her.
“Do you believe me?”
“Yes. At least, I think I do.”
“By the end of tonight, you will be sure.”
“Khaliq, I don't know...”
His hand came over her mouth again, and rather than being offended he was shutting her up, Frannie felt oddly relieved of the responsibility of speech. She didn't have to second guess her own words for him. She didn't have to think about what she was going to say or what she was going to do. Right now, all she had to do was listen.
“If at any point you do not like what I am doing, tell me to stop. But from this moment on, you may only tell me to stop. Nod to show me that you understand.”
Frannie nodded, and a shiver of heat went through her. She felt as if
she were falling, falling, falling, and she did not care about hitting the ground because Khaliq would keep her safe. He would not let any harm come to her.
“Good. You are a lovely girl, and you should not allow the shadows in your own mind to overcome you.”
He leaned forward and tilted her chin up for a long kiss. It awoke the fire in her that never seemed to go away entirely, not when Khaliq was around, and when his tongue found its way between her lips, she whimpered a little, sucking on it lightly. She was rewarded with a full body shiver from Khaliq, and his soft chuckle made her cling to him.
“So lovely, so very perfect…”
He kissed her for what felt like an eternity. Time didn't exist for Frannie any longer. All that mattered was Khaliq and how he was making her body feel, how she could almost feel the hunger rising up from him like a fog. His hands passed over her lightly, stroking her shoulders first before coming down to settle over her thighs.
She was so enraptured by his kiss, by his potent ability to charm her with nothing more than his lips, that she yelped in shock when his hands fisted in her tunic and simply tore the fabric away.
God, but he's strong...
She instinctively reached for the rags of her clothing, but his large hands over hers stopped her.
"No. I want to see you naked. I have thought about this moment for...so very long."
There was a slight quiver in his voice, and suddenly Frannie was stunned by the idea that he was telling the truth. She had generally thought that after their single encounter in London, he hadn't thought of her at all. Now she wondered.
Hastily, she stood and started to strip. Her hands slowed as she thought of how different her body was now that she was pregnant. She felt a pang of self-consciousness when she stood in front of him, aware of the tender weight of her breasts, the bulge of her belly. She was rounder everywhere now, but it did not seem to hurt her appeal as far as Khaliq was concerned.
"Gorgeous. Glowing and heavy with life..."
She wanted to argue, but instead he pulled her into his arms again, kissing her deeply. This time, his tongue plunged between her lips, setting a rhythm that her body recognized. It was an ancient dance they were doing, and the beat that Khaliq set was one she knew deep in her core.