The Sheikh’s Stubborn Bride by Leslie North

13

Afew days later, Stella sat in Naziha’s office space for her matchmaking business in a building the family had owned for years in downtown Jazid. While the outside was traditional, the interior had been modernized, with neat, clean, contemporary décor. There was even a small kitchen off to the side where Naziha’s Aunt Rakah was making snacks for them, in addition to the delicious tea and cakes they were enjoying now.

As good as the food was, Stella just didn’t have much of an appetite. She forced down one tiny cake and started on a second, but she could’ve been eating sawdust as far as her tastebuds were concerned. It was hard to think of food when things with Kadir were still such a mess.

Naziha watched her from across the desk, dark gaze narrowed over the rim of her teacup. “How is the situation with my brother?”

Stella gave a heartfelt sigh, staring down into her own mug of cooling tea. “Not good, I’m afraid. We haven’t really spoken since the night of the opera, and he doesn’t seem interested in having much to do with me at all.” She shook her head, swallowing hard against the lump of sadness in her throat. “I’m scared, Naziha. What if I lose him because of all this? We were just starting to get to know each other and deepen our relationship and then this.”

“Don’t worry.” Naziha set her cup aside then reached over to pat Stella’s hand. “Seriously. I know my brother, and he would not end a marriage over one small fight.” Stella gave her a dubious look and Naziha grinned. “Really. I know it seems bad now, but it will get better. Had he said anything at all to you since that night?”

“Nothing more than good morning and good night.” Stella frowned. “Oh, and I think he asked me to pass him the hummus at breakfast yesterday.”

“Right.” Naziha chuckled and sat back, picking up her pen to tap it on the pristine white blotter covering her desktop. “Well, Kadir has never been one to share his feelings openly. Always keeps his emotions hidden from view, I suppose because of training to be king. It wouldn’t do to have his heart on his sleeve during a crucial negotiation for the country.” She paused. “In fact, I can only recall one time when I’ve seen him truly break down.”

“Tell me,” Stella said, eager to better understand the complexity that was her hard-to-read husband.

Naziha paused before speaking. “You know that your wedding day was to be mine, yes?”

“I do.” Stella nodded, her mouth in a tight line. “I don’t know what happened, though. Kadir won’t talk about it, and it didn’t feel right asking.”

“Well, then it’s time you knew.” Naziha took a deep breath to steady herself. “I was engaged to a wonderful man named Charles. He was British and we met while we were both at school in the states. We were very different people, but it made us stronger as a couple, you know? My brothers didn’t see it that way because when they met him they focused on those differences. The fact that he was a little uptight, a little nerdy … they teased him and he didn’t know quite how to handle it. It was always awkward for him to be around them. They claimed it was all in fun.” She shook her head. “Charles did his best to be a good sport … well, until the night he couldn’t.”

“What did they do?” Stella, cringing as she imagined the combined firepower of the three Oman brothers.

“Shortly before our wedding they said they wanted to take him out for a stag night. I thought it was the beginning of a real friendship between them. Charles was so excited, it was adorable.” Naziha’s expression darkened. “They brought him to a local restaurant, a relic where only old-timers go, and told him tradition stated that if he wanted to be a good husband to me he had to eat everything put on his plate. They served him an entire fermented fish for virility, a heaping pile of boiled locusts for wealth, and a massive bowl of stewed lizard tails to guarantee a male heir.”

Stella felt green just hearing about the dishes. “Is that a real tradition?”

“No,” Naziha replied in a sharp voice. “They made it up just to torture him. My brothers wouldn’t touch any of that stuff but they loved making Charles eat it.” Her expression softened. “Kadir told me later that Charles tried so hard to finish everything, and it was obvious how much he loved me and wanted to do the right thing to please the family.”

Stella felt her heart sinking. “What happened?”

“Charles got so sick. It was awful, I almost had to take him to the hospital. He was furious when I explained that it was all a joke. Kadir tried to apologize for what they did but Charles wouldn’t hear it. Charles and I fought, and he said it was obvious he’d never fit in with our family. That he’d never felt welcome in Al-Fatha. So, he left. Kadir called Charles and tried to get him to talk but he hung up on him and cut off all communication with us. And that was the one and only time I saw tears in my brother’s eyes, when he realized that my heartbreak was his fault.”

“But Salah and Yusef were in on it too,” Stella insisted.

“They were,” she agreed. “Salah was the instigator of all of it, truth be told. But Kadir is the oldest and felt the most responsible for allowing it all to happen. He was crushed he played a part in it, and he couldn’t make it better. Stella, he’s a deeply feeling man, he just can’t always show it.”

“I’m well aware,” Stella replied. “Naziha, I’m so sorry you went through that. Are you … are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she replied too quickly. “I’m very happy making perfect matches, like the one I made for you and Kadir.”

Stella shook her head, her eyes downcast. “It doesn’t feel that way lately. We have very different ideas of what the future holds for Al Fatha.”

“So I’ve heard,” Naziha said with a nod. “You should know that I support you on your ideas about preserving the old city’s heritage.”

“Really?” Stella felt wave of surprise rush through her. She’d expected the siblings to stick together, especially against her, since she was basically still an outsider. She and Kadir might be married, but it hadn’t been that long. And sure, Naziha was her friend, but she’d thought blood would beat that bond any day.

Naziha nodded then gestured to the room around them. It was sparsely furnished and painted a rather bland shade of beige at the moment, but the closer Stella looked at the details of the molding near the ceiling and the detail work on the window cornices, she could see the craftsmanship and the beautiful hand carving.

“Did you know that my family’s matchmaking business has been in this exact location for generations?” Naziha asked. “See those over there?”

Stella glanced at an assortment of miniature jewel-toned bottles adorning a shelf on the opposite side of the room. She’d noticed them briefly when she entered earlier, but had been so preoccupied with her marital troubles, she hadn’t paid them much attention. Now she got up to take a closer look.

They were beautiful, sparkling in the sunlight, as if beckoning her to touch them. Stella picked one up, squinting at the tiny, fading label affixed to the front of the cobalt bottle. It was written in Arabic, and while she had learned a few words in the native language of Al-Fatha, these weren’t familiar. She looked over at Naziha behind the desk. “What was in this?”

Her friend grinned, getting up to walk over to Stella. She took the tiny bottle from her, ran an affectionate thumb over the label, and put it back on the shelf. “This contained a love potion, many decades ago.”

“Really?” Stella smiled for the first time all day. “I thought such things were fairy tales.”

“All fairy tales have some basis in reality.” Naziha winked at her then gestured for them to take their seats again. “My point is that if Kadir’s plans go through, this building where we sit now, where my ancestors have sat for generations, will be razed. One of his modern skyscrapers will go up in its place. There will be no place for love potions or matchmaking or mystical earth-mother things we deal with here. It will all be buried under forty-five floors of glass and steel.”

“She speaks the truth,” Aunt Rakah said, sticking her head out of the tiny kitchen next door.

“Heartbreaking,” Stella replied as she looked from one woman to the other. “That’s exactly what I’m fighting with him about. But I’ve learned I don’t have much sway with my husband about this issue.”

Naziha scoffed. “I don’t believe that’s true, Stella. In any marriage there are points where a couple can compromise. How you handle those situations is critical to the success or failure of a relationship. I feel it’s obvious you and my brother have reached such a juncture. And while you are a married couple now, both of you had plans for your lives and futures independent of each other. As you get to know one another and begin to blend your lives and futures, there will be more arguments like this one. What’s important is that you both take a step back and assess the situation through the other’s eyes. Realize that this is a subject that existed before you were together. If possible, put it on the back burner while you explore other areas of your relationship. They may produce less friction and show you more things your marriage has to offer.”

With a sigh, Stella’s shoulders slumped. “If I could, I would, trust me. But I’m afraid this issue will just keep coming up. It’s not like Kadir isn’t planning to charge ahead with his plans for the old city, history and my input be damned. How am I supposed to make peace with that? Especially when people’s lives and livelihoods depend on saving and protecting this area? I just don’t see how we can find a way to coexist with that between us.”

“It is challenging, I’ll give you that.” Naziha picked up her pen again, tapping away as she concentrated, her frown deepening. “There has to be a way though, even if we can’t see it yet. Perhaps if you and my brother can talk things out more, without fighting, you can come to understand each other better. Maybe find new ways of working through this problem towards a solution that is acceptable for you both.”

Honestly, Stella couldn’t see how that was possible, but she didn’t have much to lose in trying, and possibly everything to save. With a determined nod, she stood and grabbed her purse. “Fine. I’m willing to try. Wish me luck.”

“Hazun saeid,” Naziha and her aunt called as Stella headed out the door to the waiting car that would take her back to the palace.

At the last minute, Stella changed her mind and told the driver to wait. She needed to burn off her excess energy and clear her mind for the task ahead—presenting a clear and compelling case to Kadir for why he should change his plans and keep the old city as it was now. And what better way to do that than by strolling through the area in question?

It was a lovely day, warm and sunny, with a slight breeze to keep it from getting too hot. As she walked from Naziha’s office through the ancient streets of inner Jazid, the sounds and smells and sights of the neighborhood filled her, energizing her senses—the calls and laughs of the children playing in the streets, the spicy scent of zaatar and cumin and nutmeg drifting from the food carts and bazaar booths lining the curbs, the bright pops of color from the scarves and baskets of the local vendors in the marketplace. So vibrant, so wonderful.

The thought of all that culture just disappearing under construction signs and skyscrapers was heartbreaking. She walked further, stewing over it all and only becoming more bogged down in the difference between her and Kadir, until she feared there was no way out.

Then she rounded a corner, and the gorgeous glass dome of the planetarium glittered before her like a beacon, and her spirits lifted. Kadir loved that building. So did she. It was one of the few points of agreement between them. In fact, dancing with him beneath the beautiful stained-glass heavens had become one of her most cherished memories. Perhaps he felt the same.

Perhaps this was the sanctuary they needed to leave all their troubles outside and come together again to reach a compromise. Perhaps, if she invited him here, he’d come. In fact, she was sure he would. So sure, she took out her phone and texted him right there on the sidewalk with the old city bustling around her.

Meet me for dinner tonight. 8 p.m. Planetarium.

Stella hit Send then lingered near one of the sun-warmed sandstone buildings nearby to wait for his response. In the past, Kadir had always returned her messages quickly, but now…nothing. She waited and waited, walking aimlessly through the market, until half an hour went by. No word. Stella checked her phone to be sure it had gone through, and yes. The message had been delivered right after she’d sent it, which meant he either didn’t know how to respond or didn’t want to. From their shared calendar, she knew he was in his office all day today, no meetings or other distractions that would keep him from answering.

Her heart sank.

Was this truly the end of things between her and Kadir? Was their marriage over practically before it had even started?

No. She pushed away from the wall and headed back toward the planetarium. No. Stella wasn’t a quitter, and she wasn’t about to start now. She’d go ahead with her plans tonight and prepare a romantic dinner her husband wouldn’t soon forget. First she’d book the space, then she’d talk to the chef at the palace about food, then she’d make sure Kadir got her invitation. Then she’d wait and see if he’d show.