“That doesn’t mean she's not a risk.”
Hannah could see Kyril’s jaw tightening from across the table. “If you’re going to speak about my wife like that in her presence, you can excuse yourself from the table right now, Issam.” His voice rang with authority.
“My point is worth considering,” said Issam defensively.
“Not now,” Zafir commanded. Then he turned back to Hannah. “We’re ahead of ourselves on many counts. All of us—” He shot a look at Issam and Rami. “—are anxious to get to know you. Tell us, what was your career in the States?”
Hannah cleared her throat, trying to will away the nervousness. “It—well, it wasn’t much of a career, but I was an assistant in a law firm.”
Zafir nodded. “Noble. The legal profession is an admirable one.”
She laughed, containing herself at the last moment. “I—no, I wasn’t a lawyer. Only an assistant. But I’m very good at bringing coffee. Does anyone want anything?”
There was a moment of loaded silence, and then Adira laughed, a belly laugh that was infectious. Even Issam couldn’t keep a small smile from his face.
“Oh, Hannah,” Adira said through her laugher. “Your days of bringing coffee are over. Welcome home.”
13
“What do you think of this one?” Daya held another length of sumptuous fabric up in front of Hannah. Her head was already swimming from the piles of fabrics stacked around the room, delivered early that morning by a prestigious fashion house in the city. The plan was, Hannah gathered, to design a dress for her. She hadn’t imagined the process being so…involved.
“It has its charms,” said Adira, coming up alongside her mother and cocking her head at the same angle. “But I don’t think it’s the one.”
“How do you know what you’re looking for?” Hannah asked.
Both women laughed gently. “It’ll make you…” Daya searched for the word. “…glow. It will make you radiant.”
Hannah glanced at the mirror. Her face had gone pink from the heat, despite the palace’s top-notch air conditioning, and she felt vaguely sweaty despite wearing the lightest sundress imaginable. Being pregnant would do that for a person. So would being plunged into the deep end with your new in-laws. “I feel plenty radiant already.”
“And you are,” Adira said, taking her by the hand. “Absolutely lovely. Do you need a break?”
Hannah didn’t want to seem rude, but her feet ached, her back felt tight, and though planning was her first love, there wasn’t actually much of it for her to do. Adira and Daya had thrown themselves into organizing the details of the wedding. Hannah’s part was mostly to stand there like a paper doll. It was, she admitted, quite the undertaking. Kyril had mentioned that his family was already planning a ceremony, but their new circumstances necessitated an upheaval in the regular program. For one thing, the wedding had to be moved sooner. A lot sooner.
“I think I do.” Hannah headed for a sofa at the far end of the space. She sank onto it gratefully. It faced two enormous windows overlooking the palace gardens, and her gaze traced the trajectory of birds in flight. Then, the luxe, smooth surface of the sofa welcoming her tired body, she closed her eyes.
It was hard to be without Kyril. She hadn’t thought it would be, at the beginning of all this. Part of her had imagined that she would go it alone in the pregnancy and perhaps even become a single mother. She’d set off on that first cruise across the ocean with as much determination as anyone. And now, barely a week after they arrived at the palace, it made her skin tingle to be away from him.
Maybe it was the pregnancy that made her miss him so much, but after the intensity of their time together, she felt his absence keenly. He was just so busy. She hadn’t realized—how could she have realized?—how safe and secure he made her feel until he was sequestered in meetings with advisors all day.
On the other hand…
Hannah opened her eyes and looked out over the gardens again. The birds out there—they weren’t caged. They flew where they pleased. If she were alone, she’d be able to do what she wanted, too. Wander the markets. Wander the world. She missed the freedom she had when her husband wasn’t the one in charge of running the country.
Especially the freedom to see the movies. Oh, the movies. She had missed the Oscars for the first time in years. She had always made a point of seeing all the movies before the awards ceremony, and this year, with all her travel plans, she hadn’t had the time.
But the ring on her finger reminded her that she was Kyril’s wife. This was the price she’d pay for a lifetime of security. There would be new rules when it came to her time. She simply had to adjust.
“How about a drink?” Adira had abandoned Daya to the mountains of fabrics and come to the sofa, sitting beside Hannah and offering her a cool glass of water infused with mint and cucumber.
“I’d love it.” Hannah took her glass and sipped. It was delicious and refreshing.
“You look a little sad, Hannah.” Adira studied her. “Are you feeling tired? Do you need to call it a day?”
Hannah laughed. “I am a little tired. But I was sulking about something stupid just then.”
“Tell me,” Adira demanded, eyes sparkling. “Is Kyril spending too much time away? I’ll get him right now.”
“No, it’s not that.” She bit her lip. It did sound silly. “I usually watch all the Oscar-nominated films before the awards ceremony. I didn’t get to see them this year…not in time, anyway. Do you have those movies here?”