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“Dinner will be another twenty minutes or so,” I told her. “Would you mind walking the palace until then?”
She nodded. “That would be great.”
She grinned with a mouthful of beautiful white teeth.
I took her into the official state rooms.
She marveled at the various historical images, paintings, and items adorning the walls.
I explained what they were — to the best of my knowledge, at least.
I didn’t possess the same encyclopedic knowledge as Sleii but it was good enough.
Sometimes that was for the best as Sleii could go on sometimes!
Qara stepped into the doorway and announced dinner was ready.
I led Layla toward the dining room.
The servants had arranged for Layla to sit at one end of the long table and me at the opposite end.
It was alongway!
“Let’s move me over beside Layla, shall we,” I said to Qara.
He glanced at me.
He wanted to tell me it was against protocol — that the Governor shouldalwaysbe at the head of the table and that by moving my position to where I had indicated, I would end up putting Layla in the seat of superiority — but he simply nodded his head
Once they had moved everything over, the servants waiting to one side with their silver platters brought them over and deposited the first course before us.
I was aware of the servants standing around the edges of the room, watching us.
It made me more than a little uncomfortable.
After all, I didn’t want them to hear our conversation, so I decided to play a little game:
“Something interesting happened to me today,” I said.
“Oh?” Layla said.
“Someone came to my office and demanded a meeting.”
At first, I kept my eyes on my meal and didn’t look up at her, but when I did, I noticed the mischievous glittering smile alight in her eyes. “How presumptuous of them.”
“Yes,” I said with a heavy sigh. “But I gave the meeting.”
“Why did you do that?” Layla said, frowning. “You should have forced them to wait like everyone else. Letting them get what they want will only encourage them in the future.”
I took a sip from my wine glass and tried to hide my smile. “I know. But it’s always best to be polite. Even when you have meetings you don’t really want to do.”
Layla kicked me in the shin — just enough for me to feel it.
I couldn’t hold it in any longer and threw my head backand barked a laugh that bounced off the tapestries on the walls.
No doubt the servants were looking at each other, having never heard me laugh that way before.
I placed a hand over my mouth. “Sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
