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He looked to Sarah, momentarily confused.
Sarah, though, was still not feeling up to speaking.
“No.” Syed didn’t miss a beat. “Her name is Sasha. She’s going to spend time with you, when your mom and I are out.”
“Sasha,” Lexi nodded thoughtfully, apparently warming to the idea of her royal privilege. “That’s a nice name.”
“Yes,” he grinned.
Sarah cleared her throat, her eyes huge. “Are you talking about a nanny?”
His eyes held a warning as he looked to Sarah. “Lexi will have several nannies.”
Sarah compressed her lips and bit back on a wave of resentment. “That’s something I would like to be consulted on,” she said, trying to keep the anger from reaching Lexi’s little ears.
He smiled reassuringly. “And you will be. Sasha is the only nanny I have engaged and if you do not like her,” and now he squeezed Lexi’s hand, “Or Lexi finds her dull, then she does not have to stay.”
Lexi seemed completely accepting of this strange turn of events. “I think I will like her,” she said, lifting her free hand to toy with her tiara.
“And this,” he pushed another door inwards. Sarah’s temperature was spiking; they were close to his bedroom now and that knowledge was weakening her ability to think, let alone think objectively and clearly. “Is your mother’s dressing room.”
“Her what?” Lexi frowned. And was it little wonder? The idea of a dressing room was as foreign to Lexi as it was Sarah.
He pushed the doors – they slid into the wall, creating an opening that revealed what would be better described as an incredibly classy boutique. “Oh, wow.” Lexi stepped into the carpeted space. There were racks on either side, hanging an enormous selection of dresses and clothes. Gowns, too, frothy and bright. In the middle there was a white arm chair and behind it, shelves set into a long, skinny bench. She walked towards it on autopilot, pressing on one of the drawers to open it.
It slid out automatically, and inside, there were diamonds galore. Necklaces, earrings, brooches. The next one showed four tiaras.
She kept walking, inspecting each drawer, becoming less and less cognisant as she went. At the back of the wardrobe, she realised there was yet another door. She walked through it, almost squeezing her eyes shut for fear of what she might find.
Like an old-fashioned starlet’s dressing room, there was a mirror surrounded by lights, and the bench beneath it was full of professional-looking make up and hair kits.
She walked towards it in wonder and then turned back to stare at Syed. There were the shoes. Dozens and dozens and dozens filled into each and every cube of the wall. Flat shoes, high shoes, everyday shoes.
It was far, far too much.
“Syed,” she groaned, dropping her head forward.
He lifted Lexi up and propped her on his hip, as though he had been carrying children around for years. “Do you like it?”
The words were gravelled.
Lexi shook her head, her bewilderment apparent.
“Oh, it’s so pretty,” Lexi sighed, catching her reflection in the mirror and marvelling at the crown.
And it was so absurd, so utterly surreal, that Sarah burst into laughter.
“Yes, darling. It’s all very, very pretty.”
*
“You are angry with me?” He asked quietly.
Sasha was an excellent imaginary tea-party companion. She knew all the tricks and was delighting in a large piece of cake, going by the exaggerated forking of invisible food and patting of her stomach. Lexi was being a fabulous host, pouring phantom cups of tea for the seven assembled toys (Sarah was thrilled to see Bear had taken Guest of Honour seating, to her left). The tiara hadn’t left her head all afternoon.
“Yes. And no.” She bit down on her lip. “I thought we said we’d take it slowly? And hiring nannies for my daughter is something I should have been consulted on.”
“I did not intend to sideline you, but she will need someone with her tonight, and Sasha comes with the highest recommendations. Until today, she worked for our ambassador, based in Manhattan. I trust her implicitly.”
