“I can’t deny they’ll be delighted enough not to cause any problems,” Navid said.
“But are you sure Yasmine will come?” Rek asked. “She won’t guess something’s wrong?”
I shook my head. “You don’t know Yasmine. She would never miss an opportunity to gloat over Nyla. She’ll come.”
* * *
I was proved correct when Yasmine’s acceptance came the next morning, only an hour after our messenger delivered the invitation.
I wanted to be the one to take Rek’s formal invitation to the palace, but I didn’t dare show my face there. If the sultan saw me, he might invent some further reason to keep Rek stuck with him, and we couldn’t risk anything going wrong for the dinner.
To his credit, Navid tried not to look gleeful at having an excuse for yet another trip to the palace himself, and I tried my best not to mope around the house while I waited for his return.
Yara had already kicked me out of the kitchen for distracting her workers. We had received word Rowan was well enough to return home the next day, and Yara seemed to be channeling her emotions at that news into panic at the unexpected dinner party.
I spent the day at Mariam’s side, expecting her to need support for Nyla’s reappearance. To my surprise, the day went much more smoothly than expected. While there were sure to be battles in the future, Nyla didn’t even appear to notice most of the changes Mariam had made, or the way the servants already showed a marked preference for her sister-in-law.
The answer for Nyla’s unexpected forbearance soon became clear. Yara—not quite as distracted as she appeared—had given a message to Layla when she delivered their breakfast. After eating the meal, Nyla had emerged into the main house in a glow of triumph. Every other consideration had been eclipsed by the news she would be hosting Yasmine at a select dinner party that was to include—as a surprise to her rival—the crown prince himself.
Although it hadn’t been my intention, my plan had placed Mariam and Nyla on the same side, the two of them united in their conviction that a great deal of preparation was needed for a royal visitor. I helped too, of course, running errands for Mariam all day.
Navid returned late in the afternoon, having been gone far longer than needed to deliver a message. He greeted his mother and aunt but carefully avoided looking in my direction. I narrowed my eyes at him as he gave the two older women a charming smile.
“I hope my news will be welcome and won’t disrupt your plans too greatly,” he said.
“What is it?” Nyla asked sharply. “His Highness isn’t coming after all?”
“No, no,” Navid said reassuringly. “Quite the opposite. Prince Tarek will be here shortly, but he is not to be our only visitor from the palace.”
“Navid,” I growled under my breath, but he gave no indication of having heard me.
“Her Royal Highness, Princess Adara is also to attend,” he said blithely. “As well as one of the royal viziers.”
“The princess!” Mariam clasped her hands together, stars in her eyes.
“That will show Yasmine,” Nyla cackled. “She’s never had a single royal sitting down at her table, and I’m to have two.”
“And what is the name of this vizier?” I asked.
Navid finally looked my way, a twinge of guilt on his face. “Azzam.”
I groaned. I should have seen it coming. Of course Navid would have gone to see Adara while he was at the palace and, once with her, he would have told her the entire plan. The rest was inevitable.
Adara had been convinced about Azzam’s guilt from the start. She probably thought if she could just get him in the same room as Esai, she would be able to trick them into revealing everything.
I pulled Navid aside as the other two made rapid changes to their planned seating arrangement.
“Please at least tell me everything is set with Rek?”
“Of course,” Navid said.
I sighed. “I just don’t want Adara to get hurt. There might be fighting by the end of the night. I would have thought you’d want to protect her as well.”
“Of course I don’t want to see her hurt.” His voice turned stern. “But I’m not going to try to protect her by keeping secrets from her. Adara is no longer the child you remember. She’s been involved with this since the start, and she deserves to be here tonight just as much as the rest of us.”
“I—” I stopped, the protest that had leaped to my lips dropping away. “Actually I have no response to that. You’re completely right.”
“I am?” Navid did an exaggerated double take and looked over both shoulders. “Are you sure you’re talking to me?”