She had some charms, however.
On a different occasion in her acquaintance he’d noted her elegant bone structure, but he noticed now that she had deep, inky eyes that looked perpetually languid, ready for bed. It was the kind of half-lidded gaze that reminded him, with a twinge of awareness, that her birth mother was a courtesan.
“Well?” Sarra snapped.
Huda flinched.
It was negligible – the way she jolted, briefly squeezing her eyes shut – and Kamran would’ve missed it had he not been staring at her directly. Yet he frowned at this, for it had seemed an involuntarily reaction of one bracing for violence. It made him wonder whether she’d been struck as a child, and he was shocked by the spark of anger he experienced at the thought.Huda clasped her trembling hands before tucking them out of sight; he watched as she drew breath before she smiled, as if she were summoning courage.
“I – well, that is – I’m not sure a person should be reduced to a single purpose,” she said, “for the human heart is known to contain such diversity of feeling and expression –”
“She’s here for the queen,” Hazan flatly supplied.
Kamran glanced at him.
“Miss Huda is lady-in-waiting to Her Majesty.”
Huda sank back in her seat with relief, staring gratefully at Hazan.
“Lady-in-waiting to the queen?” Sarra was saying, intrigued. She sat up straighter, then steepled her hands under her chin. “Is it she who requires you to wear such hideous clothes, darling? Has she demanded you diminish your beauty in her presence?”
Kamran almost choked. As if Alizeh’s otherworldly beauty could ever be threatened by Huda, who continued to resemble an egg swaddled in the implausible scramble of its own yolk. He made a great effort to suppress a laugh, only for Huda to level him a glare so murderous it was practically treason. By the angels, Kamran was going to be a bloodyking.
Men had been executed for lesser offenses.
He returned her glare with a furious glower of his own, briefly blinded by an outrageous desire to throw her over his shoulder, toss her in a boat, and send her out to sea.
“A terrible shame,” Sarra went on. “You look about as absurd as a court jester. And that ghastly shade of yellow, with your complexion! It’s very nearly criminal. Then again” – she smiled – “royalty can be odiously self-important.I would know.”
“Forgive me, ma’am, but you’re quite mistaken,” said Huda, her face ablaze with heat. “This gown was selected by my mother.”
“Your mother?” Sarra stared. “Good heavens. Does the woman hate you?”
Huda ignored this question with a thin smile. “Alizeh – that is, Queen Alizeh –”
Kamran winced.
“– is tremendously kind. I can’t imagine she’d ever force me to wear an ugly garment. In fact,” said Huda, warming to the idea, “in fact, she’s an exceptional seamstress. Just days ago I’d commissioned her to make me a rather beautiful gown, but sadly there wasn’t time to finish the job, and I’d no choice but to wear one of my older frocks on this journey.”
Hazan swore under his breath again and Kamran was tempted to do the same. Sarra had gone still, staring at Huda as if she’d lost her mind.
“Youcommissionedher?” the woman echoed. “You commissioned a queen, you mean, to make you a gown? Are you daft, girl? Tell me you aren’t serious.”
Huda looked around nervously before biting her lip. “No?” At the warning look from Hazan, she cleared her throat. “N-No. Certainly not,” she said quietly. “I wasn’t at all serious.”
Sarra lost her patience then.
“You,” she barked, turning to Hazan. “You seem to be the piece most likely to finish this puzzle. Tell me what you know of the girl.”
“What I know of her is none of your business.”
Omid gasped; Deen paled. Kamran almost cracked a smile.
The Queen Mother straightened in her chair, appraising Hazan now as if she might eat him. She sent a fleeting look at the footmen lining the back wall, made a gesture with her fingers, and the footmen were at once dispersed. There was thesnickof a door closing before she pasted on an angry smile.
“None of my business?” she said, her eyes glittering with fury. “I know nothing of her origins, nothing of her parents – The girl is to be my daughter-in-law, and I’ve only recently learned of her title –”
“Your daughter-in-law?” Kamran cut her off, alarmed. He nearly stood from the table. Hell, he nearly lost his head. “You mean – It’s true? They are to be married –”
