She heard his soft laughter and then felt his arm move around her waist, pulling her close for an affectionate hug before he released her and moved towards the entrance of the palace. Drat! That man knew exactly what she was thinking! How could he know? Had something besides the blush come across her face?
She glared at his disappearing back, wondering how she could get back at him. She needed some sort of protection against a man so smart and intuitive. She had to have some secrets, didn’t she?
She took a deep breath and calmed her raging temper. She had to live with this man so it was probably more important to figure out how to get along with him rather than to get back at him for being an obnoxious brute who could read her mind.
“Can we discuss my plans for tomorrow?” she asked, scrambling after him as his long, muscular legs ate up the ground while he re-entered the palace. Being so much shorter than her husband could definitely have some disadvantages, she thought as she hurried to catch up with him. She assumed he was heading back to his office and she was right. Unfortunately, several other people were way ahead of her, or had been waiting in ambush for Hussan and got his consideration first. She followed behind him more slowly when she realized that she wouldn’t get his attention immediately, waiting her turn while several men rushed up to him, giving him news, documents to review or sign, a paper to approve or whatever it was. He really was an impressive ruler, she thought, leaning her shoulder against one of the less destroyed columns in the hallway outside of his office. She admired the way he listened carefully to each person’s concerns, gave instructions or guidance, sometimes asking for additional research and information and then moving on to the next person.
There were about seven or eight people vying for his attention and she saw the impatience in his eyes, but that was only because she was looking for it. None of the people requesting his attention noticed or they didn’t pay attention and Hussan did a good job of hiding it for the most part. She had to give him credit for being available to the people he assigned to follow through on his instructions.
She listened attentively as he didn’t just hand out instructions all the time, but slowly tried to get each person to make the decisions themselves. As she watched, she realized that Hussan wasn’t just leading the country, he was teaching the others how to lead. Apparently, each of these people were heads of one department or another. All were young and eager to please, but not overly experienced. He was fashioning his government, slowly and patiently through guidance not an iron fist.
Had she been wrong? Every moment she spent in this man’s company showed her more and more that he wasn’t the person she’d originally thought him to be. He was demanding and hard at times, but not the brutal dictator she’d heard through the gossip mills. Were the border villages just having a harder time being reached? Their progress was so much farther behind than the inner cities. Was there something else going on that she wasn’t aware of? Were there petty dictators around that might be trying to usurp his control?
She shuddered at the possibility of Silaria going through yet another power struggle. The civilians were always the victims in so many ways when a war started. The elite fought on the front lines, the soldiers were hurt and killed in horrible battles that could destroy their bodies and sometimes even their minds. But the civilians bore a heavy burden when the fighting came their way. Homes were destroyed, women and children hurt and killed, whole towns demolished and memories lost when villages were flattened or burned.
She pushed away from the column and walked towards her bedroom. Suddenly, she wanted to help the man. Wished she could do more for him. She had to figure out a way to give as much as he did.
Perhaps they could have a discussion about how she could help over dinner that evening. Isla’s step picked up as the thought of being with Hussan, all alone once again and maybe even dining in her bedroom again? She wouldn’t put a name to what she was feeling though. She just enjoyed the anticipation of having a long, quiet conversation about her future responsibilities with a man she was starting to….respect.
She let that word roll around in her mind for a moment and then nodded. Yes, she was genuinely starting to respect the man she was going to marry and that was definitely a good thing. My goodness, she thought, smiling as she turned the corner of the main hallway, what a difference one day could make in a person’s attitude!
She was in her closet, considering the various outfits she could wear for dinner with Hussan, her fingers running over several of the dresses and wondering what his favorite color might be. She showered, using some of her favorite rose scented soap that Zarah had sweetly sent along with her other makeup and clothing. She mentally made a note to send her sister a thank you note. She’d been very sweet and considerate in sending these items. She would have felt very vulnerable if she’d been forced to wear the same outfit she’d been in yesterday, not to mention going about the palace without makeup on. She wasn’t ugly, she just didn’t want Hussan to see her without makeup.
She bit her lip, remembering their shower earlier in the day. He’d seen her then, hadn’t he? She hadn’t cleaned her makeup off last night, so she couldn’t imagine how she’d looked in the shower.
She shrugged her shoulders. The man hadn’t seemed to mind her appearance one little bit, if her memory served correctly! She shivered deliciously at the memory, wondering if he might be interested in a repeat of the previous night.
Not that she was falling in love with him, she told herself sternly. There was no way she could fall in love with a man after two days. She was just….impressed with him.
She picked up a dark blue silk dress that came down just past her knees, skimming along her figure and hugging her waist and wrapping elegantly around her breasts then up over her shoulders in an elaborate twist. She liked the way this dress made her eyes look darker, as if they were a rich brown instead of a hazel-like brown. Even her hair appeared more lush and darker with this color. She smiled, wondering why she’d never worn this dress before. She’d chosen it spur of the moment during one of her shopping trips to Paris last year but she’d never had an occasion to wear it. Perhaps tonight would be the ideal time?
She smiled secretly, hoping that the dress was subtle enough to keep her pride intact but send out the right message. The message being that she wanted Hussan to take her into his arms and make her feel so incredibly wonderful, just like he had last night.