The Sultan's Bride

by Ariadne Wayne

  ‘I love you all,’ she whispered.

  ‘We love you too,’ said Clare, ‘You are so much more than Richard’s wife to us Catherine, we’re all like sisters now.’

  ‘Please do not give him too much trouble,’ Catherine said, ‘If we are meant to be then we will find our way back to each other. I can only hope and pray for our reunion.’

  Richard tried to avoid the park. It was the place he had spent the most time with Catherine and he hoped she kept up her walks without him, it was good for her and for James. It didn’t stop him from walking the long way home from the law office, hoping for a glimpse of her from the end of her street.

  Sometimes he’d see a flash of brown curls and think about her. Keeping her from his mind was hard. When he worked from home he’d look out the window over to the park as if in a trance hoping to see her for just one moment. Staying away from her was the hardest thing he’d ever done.

  He had to be hard hearted now, it was the only way to determine if she wanted him or if her desire to return to her previous life in Ajara was greater. This would force her to confront this and by the time the seas were safe enough for her to sail if she was ready to book passage on the first ship to Constantinople he would know what her decision was.

  Chapter 30

  It started with the cold Peter caught, he felt awful and quickly developed a hacking cough. Sarah fussed over him. Her husband’s health had never been the same since their trip to the east. His daughter’s disappearance and the distress over the collapse of the business had taken its toll and he had prematurely aged.

  Within days he was in bed, fever burning and the doctor not able to do anything more. ‘Keep him as cool as you can,’ he’d say which wasn’t hard. It was winter and the icy blast of the north wind was freezing temperatures outside, the house was not hard to warm but the mood in the house matched the weather.

  Catherine tried to keep to herself, isolating James from Peter to try to stop the spread of the illness but it was too late and all too soon James was coughing, sometimes struggling for breath and his little body burned with fever too.

  She would pray at night to a God she wasn’t sure she believed in but it brought her solace. The thought of losing her father was bad enough, to lose her precious son, Arif’s gift to her would be too much to bear.

  James would lie in bed with her at night, her arm around the little boy but she got no sleep. Listening to him breathing, sometimes strained kept her awake throughout the night. Catherine would get no rest while James was sick.

  Then there was the worry for her father, Catherine was acutely aware that her kidnapping had meant all her parents had for all those years was each other and now it looked as though her mother could lose her lifelong companion.

  Having the doctor visit proved futile, he told them to keep Peter and James cool when they were feverish and make sure they were comfortable but had no other advice to give. Sarah and Catherine soldiered on, hoping for the best and fearing the worst.

  Towards the end of the week Mr Simpson arrived to check on the family, he was turned him away by Sarah determined to not spread the illness outside of the house. Catherine was now ill too.

  When Richard arrived in the office he found­ a worried looking Mr Simpson. ‘Is something wrong?’ he asked. Nothing ever upset old Simpson.

  ‘It’s Peter Stanton,’ Simpson said, ‘little James and Catherine, they’re all very ill.’

  Richard paled. ‘What’s wrong with them?’

  ‘Peter has apparently been ill a few days, chills and a fever, he’s gone downhill so very quickly and apparently James and Catherine have it too.’

  ‘Will they recover?’ he asked, anxiety growing as he thought of James, he must have grown so much since Richard last saw him but he was still so small and fragile.

  The old man shrugged. ‘I do not know, and Sarah wouldn’t let me too close. I have been praying ever since.’

  ‘I have to go,’ Richard said, already turning towards the door.

  ‘Of course,’ Simpson said, ‘Please let me know if I can help at all as well. I’ve seen that family go through so many bad things in the time I’ve known them. This is the last thing they need.’

  When Richard arrived in their street he could see the undertaker’s cart outside. Sarah was on the doorstep talking to the man, she looked pale and tired and as he approached she shook the undertaker’s hand and he left. The sides of the cart were too high for Richard to see into so he still didn’t know who had died or if any of them had survived.

  She was turning in towards the front door when he called out to her. Turning back she looked towards him and he saw her shoulders shake as she started to crack from the pressure she was under. Just a moment later and she was in his arms, crying on his shoulder. ‘Mrs Stanton, what’s happened?’ he asked, ‘Mr Stanton? James? Catherine?’ His voice cracked as he said the last name.

  All she did was cry. ‘Peter?’ he asked in a whisper. She shook her head. ‘James?’ She sobbed louder and he pulled her in tighter.

  ‘Oh sweetheart,’ he said, ‘I’m so sorry.’

  She let go. ‘James,’ she said through her sobs, ‘James will be fine, he’s sleeping now but recovering. Catherine is still so very ill.’

  He let go and moved towards the door. Sarah reached out and grabbed hold of his arm. ‘Richard, you mustn’t. If you were to become ill as well I’d never forgive myself. It’s bad enough that you have been this close.’

  Richard looked at Sarah. ‘I’ve been such a fool, if she dies without knowing how I feel about her I’ll regret it for all of my days.’

  Richard entered the house. To the left James was playing in the middle of the living room floor and beamed at Richard. A happy looking child he was so much like his mother, the chocolate brown hair and big blue eyes with the olive skin tone he’d inherited from his father.

  James stood on shaky feet and made his way to Richard, the wooden toy horse in his hand being presented to him like a trophy. Picking him up, he hugged and kissed the boy, taking a deep breath in his hair before putting him back down with his toys.

  ‘She’s in her old room,’ Sarah said, ‘Last time I checked on her she was asleep.’ Promising not to wake her Richard crept up the stairs. All thoughts for his personal safety went out the window at the thought of Catherine dying and he realised he no longer cared about her past or even if she’d been unfaithful while he was away.

  He heard her breathing before he got to the door, it was heavy and forced, sounding as if she was struggling with every intake of air. Her eyes were closed and she was as her mother had told him, asleep.

  Leaning over her he kissed her forehead, feeling how hot her skin was, springing back when her body was racked by a coughing fit. ‘Oh my poor Catherine,’ he murmured.

  Her eyes opened. ‘Richard?’ she said, her voice raspy from coughing.

  ‘Yes love, I’m here.’ Taking her hands in his he felt their warmth, squeezing them in his hands and putting them to his lips to kiss.

  ‘You shouldn’t be here; Father has already died from this.’

  ‘I know,’ he said, ‘but I would not be anywhere else right now my love.’ She coughed again and he reached for the cloth beside the bed, dipping it in the water that her mother had put there. Stroking her face with the cool water he kissed her forehead again.

  ‘Why are you here, I thought you didn’t want anything more to do with me?’ she asked.

  ‘I love you,’ he said, ‘Although we have been apart my feelings have never changed for you. I have struggled to stay away these past weeks Catherine, I’ve missed you so.’

  ‘If these are to be my last days I have some things I want to say to you,’ she said, pausing for breath before continuing. ‘I love you Richard, I wanted our marriage to be a proper one when you returned. I missed you a great deal. I realised that I wanted to be in your bed as well as hold your heart.’

  ‘When you are better we can talk again. Right now Catherine, save your
energy. You need to be resting and not worrying about anything.’

  Lifting a cup of water to her lips he let her take her fill before putting the cup back beside the bed. She sighed. ‘There is one more thing I have to take care of and I need your help.’

  ‘Anything my love,’ he said.

  ‘If I die then I want you to watch over James. Mother will be able to raise him, there is plenty of money now for the two of them but I want him safe. Until Arif has his own heir James will need protecting.’ She coughed again before taking a big breath and closed her eyes, the effort showing on her face.

  ‘I will always look out for him love,’ Richard said softly, ‘He may not be my flesh and blood but he is very dear to me.’ She nodded and drifted back off to sleep.

  Then he sat and held her hand, praying for her to find relief in sleep, praying for her to wake up. ‘You can’t go,’ he whispered, ‘It’s my fault we’ve been apart, I thought you should follow your heart and choose where you wanted to be. It’s so clear now that it was me you loved after all and now my heart is breaking at the thought of losing you. I love you so much Catherine.’

  The tears rolled down his face as he looked down at the woman he was so in love with and wished he could start again.

  Catherine’s body continued to burn with fever through the night though her breathing began to ease and in the morning Richard was woken by the little boy in the next room crying for his mother.

  As he opened the door it creaked in the otherwise quiet house and James, hearing the door squealed excitedly thinking his mother was coming for him. He pulled a face when Richard walked into the room and Richard laughed.

  ‘Sorry little fellow, I know I’m not the person you are looking for but whatever happens to your Mama we are going to have to put up with each other for a very long time. You’re not getting rid of me.’ Scooping the boy into his arms and kissing his face, James giggled. ‘Now let’s get you some food, I bet you’re hungry.’

  Sarah was in the hallway when they emerged. ‘Good morning,’ she said, ‘how is Catherine?’

  ‘Sleeping,’ Richard said, ‘she had a quiet night.’

  ‘Good, that would be the first in a while, I’ll check on her and then join you downstairs.’

  The trio ate in silence, Catherine was sleeping peacefully, her fever still unbroken and Sarah and Richard both worried for the little boy who was now fretting for his mother. Although it wasn’t likely he would become ill again the doctor had said it was best to keep them apart and the separation was taking its toll on James.

  To distract him Richard offered to take him to the park. Sarah protested at first arguing that since Richard had been exposed to the illness he should stay inside with them, quarantining himself away from everyone else. ‘James needs fresh air, it will be good for him,’ he said.

  Sarah sighed. ‘I just wish you would leave it for just a while longer, it’s possible that you will get this illness and then what?’

  ‘I promise we’ll stay away from other people,’ he said, his hand reaching out to her shoulder. ‘We’ll stick to ourselves and James can chase the ducks they were in force in the park when I was there and I’m sure he’ll love it.’

  She laughed. ‘I will give you some food scraps you can take to feed them, he’ll love that more.’

  Richard smiled, realising he’d just been given leave to take his stepson out.

  ‘I’ll dress him warmly and don’t you be out there for long,’ Sarah said. ‘I’m just looking forward to spending some time with him, it’s been too long since I got to do that,’ Richard said.

  Setting off down the street the pair made their way slowly to the park, James pointing at everything along the way and wanting to look. Richard smiled at the little boy who had picked up a few words and when they got to the park he most definitely knew what a duck was.

  The two of them laughed as James alternately fed and chased the ducks, putting down the food to entice them closer, only to run after them. Legs running as fast as they could, wings flapping the ducks made an awful noise in protest of their treatment but would soon come back when more food was produced.

  Richard smiled at the boy’s attempts to catch them, he had clearly not been walking for long as he was unsteady on the short, chubby legs but the grass was soft and James’ laugh was infectious as he stumbled and rolled around.

  All too soon they had no food left to continue the game and Richard picked up the now tired James to carry him home. ‘Soon you can see your Mama,’ he said to the boy, ‘she’ll be well and we can start our new life all together. We’ll come to the park all the time.’

  James was fast asleep by the time they got back to the house where Sarah anxiously waited for them. She had news. ‘Catherine’s fever looks to have broken,’ she said. Richard’s face broke out into a wide smile. ‘We can’t celebrate yet,’ she said, ‘there is still the cough and she is so tired.’

  ‘It’s a start,’ Richard said, hugging the sleeping boy in his arms tightly. James squawked in protest and Richard made his way upstairs to put him into his bed gently, kissing him on the forehead as he tucked in the blanket.

  ‘He had so much fun,’ Richard said, turning back to the door where Sarah was waiting, ‘I look forward to sharing more time with him and his mother.’

  Entering the next room he found Catherine sitting up, she coughed as he walked in the door almost as if she was reminding him she was still ill but he sat on the bed and put the palm of his hand to her face to feel her skin against it.

  She was much cooler than earlier in the day, and he grinned at her before leaning forward and kissing her forehead. ‘Much better,’ he declared and she smiled.

  ‘Sleeping made a difference I think, I’m so tired still but a lifetime away from how ill I felt earlier.’

  ‘Let’s hope you get better from here on,’ he said, a grin playing across his face, ‘the sooner you get better the sooner we can start our life together.’

  Catherine reached for his hand. ‘I like the sound of that. Mama said you were out with James when I woke up, is he well?’

  He smiled. ‘He is fine, I took him to the park where we used to walk and he fed and chased the ducks until he was so tired he fell asleep.’

  She laughed. ‘He has grown so much since the time we spent together before your journey to Ajara.’

  ‘He has, a delightful little boy your son is now.’

  She squeezed his hand. ‘Our son Richard, I want you to be his father as if he was our own.’

  ‘That won’t be a problem, he is a lovely boy and I adore him as much as I adore his mother.’

  She smiled, looking at him slyly. ‘I think I would like to bathe now I’m feeling better, would you help me husband?’

  ‘Catherine, if you are suggesting what I think you are I think it would be best to wait until you are healthy and strong again.’

  ‘Who me?’ she said, innocence written all over her face. Richard laughed. ‘I understand but I would like you to help, perhaps you can sponge me down.’

  Richard raised an eyebrow. ‘Perhaps that would be a good idea, I am your husband after all. Besides, I’m sure this means you are definitely mine now.’

  She grinned. ‘Yes, you are responsible for my wellbeing and I would hate to see you remiss in your duty.’

  He laughed, calling out to Sarah to help him prepare the bathtub which she did happily, seeing Catherine and Richard together again was something she had hoped for and it appeared that they had put their differences aside.

  Sarah left them to themselves and Richard took his wife’s arm to help her out of bed. ‘You will need to help me remove my nightgown,’ she said wearily, her body aching just by standing. In one quick movement he had the garment over her head and she was naked in front of him.

  ‘Richard,’ she whispered as he pulled her closer, nuzzling her neck with his lips.

  ‘My love,’ he murmured, bending to sweep her into his arms before lowering her gently into the tub of war
m water.

  Rolling his sleeves up, he wet and soaped up the wash cloth as she sighed, sinking into the water, her aches and pains suddenly feeling much better. ‘It’s amazing what hot water can do,’ she said.

  ‘Sit up,’ he said, kneeling beside the bath.

  ‘You know you could join me in here, I’m sure there’s enough room,’ she said with a pout.

  Richard laughed. ‘There is plenty of time for that my love, I don’t want you over-exerting yourself.’

  She sighed as she leaned forward and he started to run his hand up and down her back with the cloth. ‘I was scared that I would lose you forever,’ he said quietly, ‘I don’t know what I would have done if I had.’

  Turning towards him she looked into his eyes. ‘It looks like you’re stuck with me instead. So what are you going to do now Mr Black?’

  He leaned towards her pressing his forehead to hers, ‘I thought I just might love you for the rest of my life,’ he said then kissed her tenderly before returning to washing her. She smiled as he told her to lay back in the tub while he washed her breasts before making his way between her legs, looking her in the eyes while he stroked her thighs before gently reaching between her legs and making her gasp at the touch.

  ‘Oh Mr Black, I thought you were going to be good,’ she said, laughing at the face he was pulling as if he had discovered some hidden treasure.

  ‘I am being good,’ he said, ‘you need washing.’

  She laughed but was soon caught up in a coughing fit.

  ‘Oh sweetheart,’ he said, helping her sit to gain relief.

  When she stopped coughing he resumed his washing then sat beside the bath while she soaked in the warm water.

  ‘I’m sorry for everything Catherine, I should have listened. I was so confused when I returned and I thought you should give thought to Arif’s offer. He is James’ father after all.’

  She smiled. ‘He has never been James’ father, not the way you have been. I missed you so very much while you were away Richard, I even started sleeping in your bed hoping when you returned you would join me in it.’