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“Thank you,” she said with pure sarcasm. “Every woman wants to hear she looks like death warmed over.”
“But I am concerned.”
“Not so worried you hesitated to tell your father about my pregnancy though you knew I didn’t want you to.”
“It is a blessed event. Naturally I told him.”
“That’s not the way you reacted in the car.” He hadn’t seemed even remotely blessed then.
“I saw the potential problems first. It is in my nature.” His tone was pure shrug even though his shoulders remained immobile.
She used to tease him about that trait. Right now, she found it more frustrating than funny. “We also agreed in the car that we would wait to announce my pregnancy.”
“Actually we were out of the limo when you expressed your opinion in that direction.”
She made a sound of pure frustration at his attempt to tease around the issue. “You didn’t argue with me.” She took a deep breath and released it slowly, praying her earlier nausea would not return. “Silence is an implication of agreement.”
“Clearly it is not.”
“You knew I would assume you would wait to tell our families until we had spoken further about it.”
“I did not tell your family.”
“You think your father hesitated to share the news with King Malik and my father?”
Zahir shrugged, looking far from repentant. “It is good news worth sharing.”
“You are a manipulator.”
“I prefer master of circumstances.”
“Call it what you like, I won’t be tricked that way again.”
“I did not trick you. I avoided unnecessary conflict so as to prevent further upset.”
“I am upset now.”
“Why?”
“I wanted to wait to tell anyone.” She glared. “And I heard you—it’s not just your family. You want to tell the world.”
“I explained my viewpoint earlier.”
“And that’s it? We disagree and you do whatever you please?”
“Would it make you feel better if I claimed otherwise?”
“It would make me feel better if you said it and meant it.”
“It will not always be as I wish it.”
“Oh, really?”
“You left Zohra, did you not?”
“You’re saying you would not have prevented me if you had been able to?” She made no attempt to temper her skepticism.
“You gave me no such opportunity.”
