Cleo rose. “I thought you and Kardal were heading home today,” she said.
Like many of those attending the wedding, Sabrina and Kardal had spent the night in the palace.
Sabrina nodded slowly. “Kardal already left for the city, but I stayed behind. Sadik came to see me while I was packing.” Her gaze dropped to Cleo’s midsection.
Cleo wanted to cover herself. In the past week she seemed to have doubled in size, as if the baby developing inside of her had had a growth spurt. The dress she wore had been loose at one time, but now it stretched tight over her belly, making her condition more than obvious. She would never have worn the garment out of the suite, but as she hadn’t been expecting visitors, she’d pulled it on that morning after her shower.
She put one hand on her belly. “I guess this sort of says it all.”
Sabrina nodded. “When Sadik told me about the wedding, I’ll admit I was surprised. I knew there was something between the two of you but I didn’t know it was serious. Then when he mentioned the baby, I realized—”
“He what?” Cleo knew she was interrupting a princess and that it was probably considered bad form, but she couldn’t stop herself. “He said we were getting married?”
“That’s why I’m here,” Sabrina admitted. “To help with the wedding. He said we would have to move quickly.” She eyed Cleo’s stomach. “How far along are you?”
“I’m a week into my fifth month.” She circled the sofa and walked over to Sabrina. “Look, I appreciate you coming here, but I have to tell you, there’s not going to be a wedding. Not now, not ever. So if you want to head back home with your husband, I suggest you do so.”
Sabrina shook her head. “This is worse than I thought.” She took Cleo’s arm and led her back to the sofa. “Let’s sit down and we’ll start from the beginning. Obviously, there’s more going on than Sadik let on.”
“I’ll just bet,” Cleo muttered.
As she plopped onto the seat cushion, she realized that Sabrina’s surprise meant the king hadn’t told everyone about her pregnancy. Only a select few. Zara and…
She swallowed. Sadik, she thought, suddenly breathless. And if the king told Sadik, he had to have a reason. Which meant he already knew who was the father of her baby. Which meant the situation had just gotten a little more complicated.
“Okay,” Sabrina said, angling toward her. “Obviously, you and Sadik got involved when you were here five months ago. If you’re pregnant, there must have been a spark.”
“There was plenty of that,” Cleo agreed. “There still is, but that’s not the point.” She opened her arms, her palms up. “Look at me. I’m not even close to princess material. I don’t know anything about your country or your customs. I’m a protocol disaster. Zara might have been ignorant about a lot of things, but she turned out to be an honest-to-goodness princess. I’m some kid from the streets who barely scraped through high school. Trust me, this is not someone you want in the palace.”
Sabrina smiled. “You’re being a little hard on yourself. You’re a beautiful, articulate woman. Zara and I have spent dozens of hours hating you for your curves. You’re also a good friend and from what I hear a great sister. Why wouldn’t you fit in here?”
Cleo tried a different approach. “Sadik and I would be miserable together. We have nothing in common.”
“You have enough to make a baby.”
“Passion fades.”
“What about love? That endures.”
“He doesn’t love me,” Cleo said flatly.
She was grateful when Sabrina didn’t ask the obvious question as in, Did she love Sadik? Instead she said, “I’m guessing my brother doesn’t know what he feels right now. Things change over time.”
Cleo wanted to believe that was true. Would Sadik eventually come to care about her? Was that hope enough to build a marriage upon?
“I just don’t think I can marry him.”
Sabrina’s expression turned serious. “Cleo, my brother asked me to help you plan your wedding. I’m happy to do that. In fact, I’ll do anything I can to help. But if you don’t want to marry him, you don’t have many options. We’re talking about the child of the royal family.”
“I’m familiar with Bahanian law,” Cleo said stiffly. “I also know that exceptions can be made.”
Sabrina’s good humor returned. “I know. I’m walking, breathing proof of that. But while my father was willing to allow me to be raised outside of the country, there’s no guarantee that he’ll let you take his first grandchild away. I wouldn’t count on making that your backup plan.”
“I know.” Everywhere she turned Cleo felt trapped. “I just can’t deal with this now. In the end I may have to marry Sadik against my will, but I’m going to fight it as long as I can.”
Sabrina gave her a brief hug, then rose. “Fair enough. I’m going to head back home. When you’re ready to plan the wedding, give me a call. I’ll drop everything and come here.”
Sabrina headed for the door. When she reached it, she glanced over her shoulder. “I know I’m not Zara, but if you need someone to talk to, I’m happy to be available.”
“I appreciate that. Thank you.”
Sabrina left. Cleo flopped back on the sofa. She supposed one of the perks of marrying Sadik was that both Zara and Sabrina would become legal relatives. They would be her sisters-in-law.
Like that was enough to get her to change her mind.
Shortly after three that afternoon, Cleo received a phone call telling her she had a visitor from the American Embassy waiting for her.
She didn’t understand what that could mean, but instead of arguing with the secretary on the phone, she quickly changed and made her way to the front of the palace. There she was shown into a spacious anteroom that held several leather sofas positioned around a low coffee table.
A tall man was waiting. He wore a navy suit and carried an expensive-looking briefcase. When he heard her enter, he turned and smiled, holding out his hand.
“Ms. Wilson, I’m Franklin Kudrow, attaché to the American Embassy.”
Cleo was tired from her night of tears. She offered her most cheerful smile, then spoke the truth. “While that’s a really impressive title, I have no idea who you are or why you’re here.”
“Yes. Of course.” He motioned to the sofas.
Cleo settled down into one, while Mr. Kudrow settled opposite her. Manners, she thought suddenly.
“Ah, would you like something to drink?” she asked the fifty-something career diplomat.
“No, thank you.” He smiled and set his briefcase on the floor. “Ms. Wilson—”
“Cleo,” she said. “Just call me Cleo.”
He nodded. “Cleo, we’ve been notified by the palace of your upcoming marriage to Prince Sadik.”
Old Frank kept talking, but Cleo was having trouble listening. Marriage to Sadik? Word sure had traveled fast.
Anger filled her. If Sadik couldn’t get her to agree the old-fashioned way, he was going to do his darnedest to manipulate her from all sides. He was a master at maneuvering his way through tricky financial markets. No doubt he thought she would be just as easy to get around.
She noticed that Mr. Kudrow was careful not to look at her stomach. His discretion was probably one of the reasons he’d risen