no claims of victory. Instead he pulled her to her feet and helped her onto her horse. They rode back to the palace in silence. Once there, he swept inside without saying a word.
“I’m not discounting all that your majesty has already done,” Dora said patiently. “However, the job isn’t complete. We have more work to do.”
Fire flashed in her eyes, and color stained her cheeks. She looked passionate and committed, and it was all Khalil could do to stay in his seat and listen quietly. What he wanted was to jump to his feet and publicly claim this woman as his. He wanted to drag her off to his rooms and make love with her for the rest of the afternoon.
But he didn’t. For one thing, Dora, his brothers and he were having a working lunch with the king, and Khalil didn’t think that any of them would appreciate his impulsiveness. Well, Dora might, but she would never admit it. Another reason to resist was that his most stubborn wife continued to sleep in her own quarters, across the palace from his. Despite that lone kiss the previous week, she had not willingly come to him and initiated their lovemaking. She frustrated him until he was sorry they’d been at peace with their neighbors for so many generations. He was in the mood to go to war.
Instead he sat quietly while his wife argued with his father. It was the king’s fault. Givon had been the one to set up the brief tour of the country for Dora. She’d spent three days this week visiting nearby towns and villages, and each night she’d returned home filled with ideas.
“The colleges are open to all,” the king said and took a spoonful of sorbet. “Even the women.”
“Yes, and how much they appreciate your forward thinking.”
Her voice was calm, but Khalil caught the faint note of sarcasm in her tone. She was beautiful when she was inspired, he thought suddenly. How had he not noticed that before? When they’d first met, he’d barely seen her. Then they’d married so quickly, and he’d been angry and confused about all that happened. There was also the matter of her resistance. Yet despite it all, or perhaps because of it, he’d grown to see the real woman who was Dora Khan, princess of El Bahar, and he knew that she was a jewel. That he’d stumbled upon her under what were at the very least unusual circumstances only made him treasure her more.
“King Givon,” she said, pushing her dessert aside and leaning forward. “Opening the colleges to women isn’t enough. Despite the advances made during your glorious rule, many families still believe it is a waste to educate a woman. They don’t bother to send them to more than a half dozen years of school, and most only receive that much because your government has made it the law. There are hundreds of bright and articulate females out there, and their potential is going to waste.”
The king raised his bushy, graying eyebrows. “They marry, they produce children. That is not a waste.”
“Oh, I agree completely. If you’re saying that your people are El Bahar’s greatest resource.”
Khalil watched as his father considered Dora’s words. Khalil saw the trap at once, but he had the advantage of knowing his wife’s agile mind. The king was not so fortunate.
“Of course. They are our future.”
“If that is your belief, then I don’t understand your willingness to ignore and waste nearly fifty percent of the resources available to you. Educated women can still marry and have many children, but uneducated ones can do little to improve technology or teach in the schools, or become doctors and lawyers and entrepreneurs.”
She stared at the king. “These women deserve a chance to be their best. Not only for themselves, but for their country. All I’m asking is that you consider preparatory schools for teenage girls. Give them the opportunity to learn what they need so they can attend college.”
King Givon glared at her. “Schools mean buildings and teachers. That requires a large financial commitment.”
“You’d need scholarships, too,” Khalil reminded him. “Very few families could afford to send both sons and daughters to college.”
The king frowned. “You want too much.”
“It’s not possible to have too many dreams, Your Majesty. Especially when those dreams reflect what is best for El Bahar.”
“Oh, so now you want to tell me how to run my country?”
Khalil forced back a grin. If the king thought he was going to intimidate Dora, he was in for a shock. Khalil had long since learned that his wife had a mind of her own. He glanced at his two brothers who had wisely stayed out of the discussion. Their gazes moved from Dora to Givon and back. He noted the faint flicker of respect in their eyes when they looked at his wife, and he was proud. He might have chosen her because she was convenient and met many of his criteria, but he wanted to keep her because he could not have found anyone more suited to himself and his world.
Dora smiled at the king. “Your Majesty is a wise and compassionate ruler. I would never presume to tell you how to oversee your country. I’m merely pointing out that there is no point in trying to move forward with the heavy weight of a silly tradition holding El Bahar back.”
The king glared at Jamal and Malik. “Have you nothing to say?”
The two brothers exchanged a glance. Malik shrugged. “We don’t want to get involved.”
“They’re afraid,” Dora said.
Malik looked at her as if he was going to protest, then he grinned. “Let’s just say that Jamal and I have no desire to take you on, Princess Dora. You would be a most formidable enemy.”
“And a most advantageous ally,” Jamal added.
The king made a low growling sound, then turned to his youngest son. “Have you nothing to say, or are you content to let your wife speak for you?”
“As a man married to one of the bright, articulate women Dora mentioned earlier, in this matter I’m quite comfortable letting my wife speak for us both.”
The king did not look pleased with his response. He returned his attention to Dora. “I will consider what you have discussed with me and take it up with members of the inner council. That is not a promise or a commitment, Dora, it is my word that I will not dismiss your ideas. Your heart is in the right place.” The king softened his words with a faint smile. “Even if you remain a Western woman filled with foolishness about equality for your gender.”
“Who’s the fool?” she asked. “She who speaks the words, or the man who listens?”
Givon laughed. “Leave me, all of you. I have work to complete this afternoon.”
They rose and left the king’s private dining room. Malik and Jamal headed toward their offices, but Khalil put his hand on Dora’s arm to stop her.
“Let’s go for a walk on the balcony,” he said. “I think you probably need to calm down.”
“I’m not upset,” she told him, but she allowed herself to be led outside onto the balcony.
The summer heat was nearly upon them. Already, midday temperatures climbed to a hundred degrees. They stayed in the shade, but even so they walked slowly so as not to get overly warm.
“I
