split second later. She didnât think anything except the plate was broken. Bruises would be evident tomorrow though.
A number of servants descended on the scene to clean up the shards of glass and check on her. Their kindness kept her temper in check. One of the men helped her up and handed her a clean plate. She fixed her plate and retreated to an uninhabited table in the corner where she picked at her food. Her appetite had fled as fast as she had hit the floor.
With the breakfast fiasco finished, she resumed her examination of the natives, as she referred to the other women. She soon discovered most of the tall and curvaceous women knew their own beauty and its effect. Rude and demanding, they expected those around them to jump at their every command. Most of the less attractive women obliged the former and almost always did as asked. With a few exceptions.
âBring me coffee,â demanded Neylan, the large woman who had pushed Cahri at breakfast. The servants scurried to fulfill her commands. Moments later her voice could be heard again. âNot hot coffee. Itâs hot enough in here to fry an egg as it is. Never mind, bring me ayran instead. It will refresh me.â
âIâm sorry, but we do not have any made, nor the ingredients to do so.â The servant girl backed away as Neylanâs face changed to an unattractive mottled red.
âWhat do you have then?â
âWe have kefir.â
âKefir? This is abominable. I thought we were supposed to receive the best care, and all our needs would be met. I need something cool to drink. Bring me something, now!â
The servant clenched her hands behind her back, but her face remained stoic.
âIâll see what I can find, miss.â
A different servant girl brought back a glass filled with water. Cahri smothered a chuckle. She distanced herself from the scene, afraid that if she didnât, she would laugh out loud at the womanâs theatrics.
Another exception was a young woman, a girl almost. She couldn't be more than seventeen or eighteen. Tall and slender, with few curves, her loveliness came from within. Cahri wanted to get to know her, but as yet hadn't decided when she would break her silence. Tomorrow? The next day? When this was over?
Chapter Seven
From the comfort of his office, Josiah observed the women through the video feed on his laptop. Many acted rude and some were downright nasty. Heâd watched the incident at breakfast, horrified that someone could be so unkind.
What had Ashura been thinking when he'd selected some of these women? The servants reported which ones grumbled about the meals, service, or whatever else fell short of their ever increasing expectations. After watching them for the last two days, he picked a few to eliminate first, but couldn't dismiss too many of them too soon or his father would be displeased at his effort to get to know them. In this case, it appeared as though he would be choosing the best from the worst.
Why must he have a wife now? Why must it be this way?
The one Anaya had pointed out to him just sat in the corner watching the others. She spoke to no one, nor did anyone speak to her. He couldn't see her well because of her distance from the camera. There appeared to be an animal in her lap. As he watched, she picked it up. Ah, a white cat. She flipped it over and rubbed its belly. With a smile, he imagined the purrs the cat would emit.
He wanted to do an inspection right away to get a closer look at her. Her skin appeared paler than the others, and she always wore a hat, but then Anaya had told him that much, and yet remained silent about anything else, which was unusual. On most occasions, his sister talked to him non-stop about anything and everything. Why did she choose now to be quiet when he needed her wisdom the most?
Anaya called her Cahri. The name appealed to him, though it was not one heâd heard used before. She had a certain grace about her when
A number of servants descended on the scene to clean up the shards of glass and check on her. Their kindness kept her temper in check. One of the men helped her up and handed her a clean plate. She fixed her plate and retreated to an uninhabited table in the corner where she picked at her food. Her appetite had fled as fast as she had hit the floor.
With the breakfast fiasco finished, she resumed her examination of the natives, as she referred to the other women. She soon discovered most of the tall and curvaceous women knew their own beauty and its effect. Rude and demanding, they expected those around them to jump at their every command. Most of the less attractive women obliged the former and almost always did as asked. With a few exceptions.
âBring me coffee,â demanded Neylan, the large woman who had pushed Cahri at breakfast. The servants scurried to fulfill her commands. Moments later her voice could be heard again. âNot hot coffee. Itâs hot enough in here to fry an egg as it is. Never mind, bring me ayran instead. It will refresh me.â
âIâm sorry, but we do not have any made, nor the ingredients to do so.â The servant girl backed away as Neylanâs face changed to an unattractive mottled red.
âWhat do you have then?â
âWe have kefir.â
âKefir? This is abominable. I thought we were supposed to receive the best care, and all our needs would be met. I need something cool to drink. Bring me something, now!â
The servant clenched her hands behind her back, but her face remained stoic.
âIâll see what I can find, miss.â
A different servant girl brought back a glass filled with water. Cahri smothered a chuckle. She distanced herself from the scene, afraid that if she didnât, she would laugh out loud at the womanâs theatrics.
Another exception was a young woman, a girl almost. She couldn't be more than seventeen or eighteen. Tall and slender, with few curves, her loveliness came from within. Cahri wanted to get to know her, but as yet hadn't decided when she would break her silence. Tomorrow? The next day? When this was over?
Chapter Seven
From the comfort of his office, Josiah observed the women through the video feed on his laptop. Many acted rude and some were downright nasty. Heâd watched the incident at breakfast, horrified that someone could be so unkind.
What had Ashura been thinking when he'd selected some of these women? The servants reported which ones grumbled about the meals, service, or whatever else fell short of their ever increasing expectations. After watching them for the last two days, he picked a few to eliminate first, but couldn't dismiss too many of them too soon or his father would be displeased at his effort to get to know them. In this case, it appeared as though he would be choosing the best from the worst.
Why must he have a wife now? Why must it be this way?
The one Anaya had pointed out to him just sat in the corner watching the others. She spoke to no one, nor did anyone speak to her. He couldn't see her well because of her distance from the camera. There appeared to be an animal in her lap. As he watched, she picked it up. Ah, a white cat. She flipped it over and rubbed its belly. With a smile, he imagined the purrs the cat would emit.
He wanted to do an inspection right away to get a closer look at her. Her skin appeared paler than the others, and she always wore a hat, but then Anaya had told him that much, and yet remained silent about anything else, which was unusual. On most occasions, his sister talked to him non-stop about anything and everything. Why did she choose now to be quiet when he needed her wisdom the most?
Anaya called her Cahri. The name appealed to him, though it was not one heâd heard used before. She had a certain grace about her when
Similar Books
