She wasn’t going to anger the parliament. She rallied, calling on every lesson in etiquette she’d ever been given. She stepped toward him, offering him a seat on the couch. “Of course not. Please come in. Should I call for refreshments?”
It would make the servants happy. They’d been waiting to be given something to do all day long. One hovered just outside of the door.
His head shook slightly as he lowered himself to the couch. “I already rang for tea. I hope you don’t mind. It should be here in a minute.”
With perfect timing, a young man in long, formal robes strode in carrying a tray with a lovely silver tea service. With an elegant hand, he poured two cups and then bowed, leaving them alone again. Piper let the spicy scent of the hot tea fill her senses. Everything was decadent here. Even the tea. She took a little sip.
“I thank you for receiving me,” the parliament representative said. “I merely wished to call upon you. I was at the banquet last night, but I did not get the pleasure of an introduction.”
She tried to recall him from the night before. The evening had flown by in a flurry of new faces and names. She took another sip of the tea. Rich and fragrant, it reminded her she hadn’t eaten all day. “I apologize. Last night was my first big reception. I didn’t get to meet everyone.”
“My name is Khalil al Bashir. You have heard of me, no?”
She put the tea down. Khalil. Yes, she’d heard of him. Nothing good. “You’re the cousin.”
He inclined that perfectly coiffed head. “I am, indeed. But I hope you don’t believe everything you’ve heard. I’m afraid my cousins don’t like me much. My grandfather decided to buck tradition long ago. He loved my grandmother. He did not wish to share the bride his brother had selected for them.”
“He gave up the throne for a woman?” It was an interesting story. She didn’t like the word “selected,” however. As far as she knew, Rafe and Kade had been involved in the process.
He held his cup, and she couldn’t miss the slight shake of his hand. “Oh, yes. Theirs is a great love story, and one I understand. I have to admit that I find the whole idea of sharing a wife a bit distasteful and barbaric. It is an old tradition and one I have tried to see eradicated.”
“Shouldn’t people be allowed to decide what they want?” The idea of sharing a wife was odd, but she couldn’t really see why it was wrong if everyone involved agreed to it.
Khalil’s hand waved in an imperious motion, dismissing her thoughts. “Were you allowed to decide, Miss Glen?”
There were landmines everywhere. This man might seem perfectly pleasant, but everything had changed, and she couldn’t count on appearances. “I have every option open to me, sir. I can call this whole thing off when I wish to.”
That much had been made clear to her. She hadn’t spent the whole time crying. She’d used her computer, looking up everything she could find on Bezakistani marriage laws. Apparently the tabloids were fascinated with the royal brothers. If only she’d paid attention to a magazine other than The Economist, she might have been more ready for this morning.
“This isn’t about love, Miss Glen. The reason the brothers marry a single woman is that they do not wish to split the wealth. It is a way to keep the property intact. This way, they need only give their daughters dowries, and meager ones compared to their wealth. My grandfather was given next to nothing when he chose to marry my grandmother. Al Mussad blood ran through his veins, yet he was treated like a commoner.” Khalil’s face had gone red, but he stopped as though realizing he was losing his temper. He took a long breath and that charming mask slid over his face again. “There were five brothers then.” He smiled a little. “You should be glad you need only deal with three.”
She couldn’t even imagine five. Of course, a couple of weeks before, she wouldn’t have been able to imagine three. But they were all so different. Each so appealing in their way. “I think you should probably talk to your cousins.”
“I am not here as family, Miss Glen.” He sighed, leaning forward. “Please relax. I truly do not bite.”
She sat back, holding herself apart. “I don’t think this is a good idea. Talib wouldn’t be happy that I’m talking to you alone.”
“Talib would be quite upset, but then Talib doesn’t always tell you what he is doing, does he?”
“Obviously not.” But she wasn’t a complete fool. “You were the one who told the press.”
He shrugged. “What they did was not only not fair to you, it was not fair to this country. You will have enormous influence over the sheikh. We depend on him. Can you not see how important your position is?”