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Dishes were brought to the table. Eliana glanced down at the food. "I hope you like the meal," she said. "I made sure that some of your favorite dishes are on the menu."
"You did? How do you know what my favorite dishes are?"
She squinted at him. "I remember what you ordered on our first date. How much of a fuss you made about it. You didn't stop trying to get me to try that lamb dish, all night."
"You did like it, though, didn't you?" he asked.
She shrugged. "It's an acquired taste."
"That means you loved it," he said and laughed quietly.
Kadeem saw Gretchen watching him and Eliana talking. As was so often the case with Eliana's American mother, there was a noticeable look of appreciation on the elegant woman's features. Kadeem was sure that Gretchen understood what was going on between him and Eliana. How important it was to them both.
"Everything okay?" Gretchen asked, as if reading Kadeem's mind.
He nodded. "Perfect," he said. He looked longingly at Eliana. "I have everything I could ever want, this evening," he said.
And just as he finished saying those words, just as he declared his satisfaction, Kadeem saw Azem finally turn and peer sternly at him.
It was going to be a long night, Kadeem told himself.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
After the meal was completed, Eliana leaned her head closer to Kadeem. "My father is going to make a speech," she told him.
She saw Kadeem's brows furrow. "He is?"
Eliana nodded. "He wants to say a few things."
Kadeem's expression darkened. "Let's hope he's diplomatic," he said in a low voice.
Eliana glanced at her mother. Gretchen's expression was impassive. Beside her mother, Eliana saw the thoughtful look on her father's face.
For the entire duration of the meal, Eliana had been worried. She'd sensed the tension at the table on more than one occasion. She'd seen the way her father had kept looking in Kadeem's direction. And in her father's eyes there had been a look with which Eliana was all too familiar.
Of course, for the benefit of the guests, Eliana had pretended that everything was perfect at the head table. She had been expertly schooled in how to maintain a calm, impassive demeanor. Especially when circumstance called for it. And this was most definitely one of those moments, she told herself.
Eliana saw her father tapping his fingers impatiently on the table. She wondered what he was planning to say. Surely, there might be some way of talking to him, just to make sure he wasn't about to do something which would shame Kadeem or Eliana.
She asked herself why her father couldn't just accept Kadeem for what he was. The sheikh who had been given a choice and had made his preference known in a manner which was absolutely crystal clear. The engagement was going to proceed to its inevitable conclusion, and there was nothing her father could do to stop it. His hands had been tied by tradition. Maybe that was why he was angry about this union. Perhaps, he hated the idea of his daughter's destiny being taken out of his hands.
All the plates had been cleared. Guests were enjoying their drinks. The steady hubbub of conversation hadn't subsided one bit.
Azem stood, and in response, the guests stopped speaking. Within moments, a hushed expectation descended upon the room.
Azem tugged on his elegant jacket. He glanced down at Gretchen and then at Eliana. Had he just tried to smile at her? Eliana was confused by that, especially given how serious he'd been throughout the meal. He hadn't spoken one word to Kadeem. No matter how many times she'd tried to encourage him, her father had resolutely ignored Kadeem.
Azem faced the guests. "Esteemed guests. Welcome to our home on this very auspicious occasion. The formal engagement of our precious daughter, Eliana," Azem said and then turned to look at Eliana.
She felt her face flush as every eye in the room locked onto her. Eliana glanced at Kadeem who just smiled at her.
"And of course, we must extend a warm welcome to the man who has proposed to Eliana," Azem continued. "Sheikh Kadeem Al Kharif of Qazhar."
A polite ripple of applause filled the room. Eliana watched as Kadeem nodded and smiled at the guests. Then she saw him look up at Azem. Kadeem acknowledged her father's introduction with a nod of his head.
Azem lifted a hand to still the applause. "Most of you know that relations between Qazhar and Zahram have always been cordial. There is a long history of friendship between our two countries."
Eliana glanced at her mother. Gretchen smiled at Eliana. It seemed as if her father was intent on keeping his speech civil and polite.
