Shantra looked between the two women, not sure how to respond. She hadn’t been aware of Laithir being sad or upset, but again, she didn’t know him well enough to know if he was happy, sad…okay, she got his anger – that was an easy one. But all the other emotions from the man, she was clueless.
Tamping down her anger at her own lack of information on her husband, she set Janus down on the floor. “Could one of the servants get some food and water for Janus?” she asked.
A servant immediately stepped forward, but Julia shrieked in horror. “Please tell me that isn’t a cat here in the dining room!”
Shantra jerked back and lifted Janus back up onto her lap. The poor cat was startled enough to arch his back and hiss, trying to bluster through his fear. Shantra soothed the tiny guy, gathering him close and cuddling him under her chin. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t even consider that you might be allergic to cats. I’ll…”
“I’m not allergic, but that’s an animal,” Julia snapped haughtily. “They don’t belong in the dining room or any other place inside the palace! Get it out to the stables where it can catch mice or something!”
The servant standing by the door had been about to rush into the kitchens to follow Shantra’s request, but froze with Julia’s scream. Linda solved the issue by waving the man forward. “Take the cat to the stables, please. And make sure that it gets some food.”
“No!” Shantra exclaimed, not wanting her little guy to be banished from the palace. “I’m sorry, but Laithir just gave this little guy to me this morning as a wedding present!” she told the other two women, lifting the cat into her arms and once again cuddling the tiny creature. “He’s definitely not going out to the stables.”
Julia shuddered and shook her head in revulsion. Linda was a bit more diplomatic about the situation. “Dear, he can’t stay here. It isn’t sanitary,” Linda explained with pained patience. “Just let the servants take him to a place where he can eat without interrupting our meal.” She nodded to the servant who immediately stepped forward and took the kitten out of Shantra’s arms, disappearing through a doorway that obviously led to the kitchen.
Shantra thought it was odd that the servant was bringing her kitten to the kitchens where the food was prepared, yet Janus couldn’t stay here in the dining room. But she didn’t want to cause problems on her first day so she let it go. For now.
“Well, that was a bit of a drama, wasn’t it?” Julia said, and sat back down in her chair. She pushed her blond hair back over her shoulder and took a deep breath. “Goodness, imagine, a filthy cat in the dining room,” and both women chuckled, shaking their heads.
Trying to change the subject, Shantra pulled her napkin down over her lap and looked around. “This room feels very peaceful.” The blues and creams made the room look elegant without being too formal and stifling.
Julia and Linda looked around and nodded. “I agree,” Julia said. “Of course, it’s dramatically different from the way Angela had decorated the dining area.”
Linda looked at her daughter as if the younger woman had just broken a rule. Patting her hand, she shook her head. “Dear, you know the reason why it is different,” Linda said mysteriously, giving her other daughter a look. Julia nodded and looked down at her plate. “You’re right, of course.”
Shantra had no idea what they were talking about. “How was it decorated before?” she asked.
Julia sighed, and looked around nostalgically. “Oh, lots of vibrant shades and pops of color.” She smiled and turned to her mother. “Remember how the ceiling was purple?”
Linda laughed. “Oh it was marvelous. But…”
“But?” Shantra prompted.
Linda and Julia looked at each other, then at Shantra. “You have to understand, dear. Laithir was madly in love with Angela. They were the perfect couple. Always touching, always those heated looks between the two of them.” Julia laughed. “Goodness, I would have loved to enjoy some of those looks!”
Linda smiled. “You’ll have your chance, dear.”
Shantra had no idea what Linda meant. “Why was the décor changed?” She actually liked the way it looked now. It was peaceful and calming with different shades of blues with elegant but comfortable cream chairs. It was a place that beckoned one to relax and sip coffee while reading through the latest news.
“Laithir just couldn’t stand to have memories of Angela around him. About a month after her death, he went on a rant and demanded that everything be changed. He wanted no reminders of her. He couldn’t even sleep in the private suite where you are now. He had to move out because he couldn’t sleep in the bed where he and Angela had slept together.”