The Sheik's Jealous Princess(40)

Linda barely even glanced in her direction as she said, “Yes dear. I see that you’re taking our advice and foregoing another calorie-laden meal. That’s good! We’ll get you in shape yet! Laithir will adore the way you look once you start cutting back on the food a bit.”

Shantra stared at the woman, wishing she had some pithy comment to make, some witty remark that would firmly put both Linda and Julia in their place and show the horrible women that her weight was just fine, her manners were exemplary, and she was not ashamed to be in the news. But she was so humiliated; she couldn’t even express a polite goodbye much less powerful words in response to their catty comments.

She hurried down the hallway to her new studio, hiding herself behind the new drafting table. It took only minutes before she lost herself in drawing. This had always soothed her. Even when she’d been a child, she’d drawn her own worlds, her own dreams, and forgot the pain of whatever was bothering her. After the death of her parents, she’d come up with the idea of designing her own clothes. She hadn’t figured out all of the details, the how and mechanics of the goal. It had taken meeting Joline and Keith at university before she’d worked out all of that, but by that point, she’d had years of ideas on paper and in her head to work with.

So she worked the rest of the day, ignoring whatever duties she should be focusing on and just pulling her mind back to a semblance of order with her drawing.

It wasn’t until late afternoon when she felt Janus pressing his fuzzy head against her ankles that she realized how long she’d been working.

“Goodness,” she commented as she lifted the little guy into her arms. She tilted the drafting table so it was flat and Janus could walk around, exploring. “I’m so sorry that I forgot about you today, little fellow,” she said. In response, the kitten walked over and pressed his fuzzy head against her nose. “You don’t think I’m too fat, do you?”

“Who said you were fat?” Laithir demanded.

Shantra jerked upright, then looked down again when she heard something tearing. “No!” she cried out and stopped Janus from tearing a corner of the paper she’d just drawn all over. She pulled the kitten away and sighed. “Good evening. Are you all finished for the day?” she asked, pretending to ignore his question.

“Answer me, Shantra. Who said you were fat? They’ll be fired from their jobs immediately.”

Shantra thought about laughing at that promise. Would he evict his former mother-in-law from the palace? Surely the woman didn’t have an actual job. It seemed that she and Julia just sat around drinking coffee and thinking of ways to point out how their precious Angela was so superior to Shantra.

“I’m sorry for monopolizing your time the other morning, Laithir. I won’t bother you again with my silly concerns.” She looked down at Janus, wishing he could ease her stress like he had that first morning.

Laithir watched as the kitten tumbled over a container of pens, thinking that he’d like to wring someone’s neck. “No!” he snapped at the cat who immediately looked up at the Voice of Authority. But did the fuzzy kitten accept that authority? Not really.

Shantra laughed when Janus pranced over to the edge of her drafting table and looked up at Laithir, mewing when no attention was given.

And that laughter started again when he sighed as if severely put out, but he reached down and petted the feline. “Behave,” he pointed his finger down at the animal. Janus’ only response was to pounce, thinking Laithir wanted to play.

He ignored the cat and looked back at Shantra. “Who told you that you were monopolizing my time?” he demanded again, putting his hands on his hips and glaring down at her.

Unfortunately, Janus was in a playful mood. The silk tie that looked very sophisticated normally, was hanging down now, dangling in front of Janus. So of course the kitten pounced.

Laithir rolled his eyes when he had to peel the feline’s claws from his tie. “Here,” he said with disgust as Shantra covered her mouth to hide her laughter, and plopped the cat down in her lap. “Now talk to me.”

Shantra stood up, Janus in her arms even as she tried to keep him from trying to jump onto Laithir’s shoulder and re-attack the dangling tie. “Would you mind if we talked over dinner? I’m starving.”

“Because you skipped lunch again,” he told her with another glare. “And you only had coffee for breakfast. Why is that?” he asked, even as he put a hand to the small of her back and led her out of her design room.

She started to turn towards the main dining room, but Laithir shook his head. “No, we’re eating alone again tonight,” he said and led her towards their private suite. “I’m the one being selfish. I want you all to myself so that I can find out what you’re hiding from me now,” he told her.