Will’s eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly, but it was enough to transform his face. Lilah stared straight back at him, wondering at the antipathy she sensed. Far from being offended by it, she was fascinated. After all, having known the man for a sum total of ten minutes, there was no way his reaction could be a reflection of anything she’d done.
“During a treaty signing I was covering.”
“When?” She pushed, enjoying the fact that it was now he who seemed wrong-footed.
His lips formed a deep frown, though not one of displeasure so much as thoughtfulness. “About four years ago.”
“And you became friends?”
He flicked his pen against the edge of his notebook. “We became acquainted.”
Lilah nodded slowly. There was something in this man’s reserved character that reminded her of Kiral. Not as he was with her, but as he was to strangers. There was a guardedness in the journalist’s manner that she instinctively understood.
“You don’t have friends?” She prodded, wondering in the back of her mind at the uncharacteristic line of inquisition she was indulging.
He pinned her with his eyes. Her question had unlocked a vault of feeling within him. “I’m here to interview you, remember?”
She swallowed. Her throat felt dry and thick. She lifted her teacup once more, taking a moment to settle her fluttering nerves. “Go on then.”
“You do this a lot, I presume.”
“Interviews? Or pick up jewels for my brother?”
His smile was a small twist in his lips. “The former.”
She shrugged her slender shoulders and the cream fabric of the dress she wore fell a little. Will’s eyes followed her hand as it lifted and straightened the transparent scarf. She spent a moment readjusting it, so that it hung perfectly around her once more, then focused her steady gaze on him.
Her eyes were very like Kiral’s, but other than that, they were vastly different looking. This woman, Jalilah, was petite and almost-fragile looking. Her lips were curved and her nose lifted a little at the end, making her look younger than her twenty four years. Her dark hair had been braided into a crown that sat tucked around her head. No doubt one of her many servants had arranged it for her.
“It’s part of who I am,” she agreed softly.
“Interviews are a part of who you are?”
She nodded. “Media appearances anyway.”
He leaned back in his chair, and for several long seconds he simply stared at her. “You don’t like it though.”
Her smile was enigmatic. “Don’t I?”
It was rare for Will to be frustrated by his interview subjects. It was rarer still for them to easily side-step his questions. Most people talked like faucets that wouldn’t shut off when given the opportunity.
“No. You find this sort of thing demeaning.”
Demeaning. It was just the word Lilah had thought as she’d dressed for this appointment. Looking forlornly through the windows as dusk had settled upon this fascinating city she’d longed to be on the other side of the glass, down on the streets, walking and seeing and tasting and experiencing as an incognito local. To be living without her army of security and the clothes that had cost a small fortune. Instead, she’d dressed with care and waited while her hair was braided and her make up completed, and then she’d presented herself for the demeaning spectacle.
“Are you sure you wish to interview me, sir? You seem to know my answers better than I do myself. Perhaps you could save us both some time and supply all the answers yourself.”
His laugh was spectacular. It cracked around the room like lightning. An unfamiliar frisson spun through her nerves. His entire expression changed under the force of his wry mirth. Though she didn’t know him well, Lilah wondered if it was rare for him to give himself over to it. For some reason, she thought so.
“Am I wrong?” He asked, a smile still hinted at by his broad lips.
“That I find this demeaning?”
“Yeah.”
She swallowed. “I find it intrusive at times,” she said honestly. Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “Though I would prefer you not to relay it. Such a sentiment would seem ungrateful to my people, and I would never wish them to believe that of me.”
“You think you’re ungrateful because you don’t want your inner-most thoughts laid bare for the world to read?”