Ella’s eyebrows lifted, silently waiting for the real issue.
“Your brother is very charming, Ella. I suppose that I was…irritated…by the events of that weekend. But he used that charm to get me out of my funk.”
Ella’s eyes softened. “You didn’t lose your brother, Luna,” she pointed out gently, ever the sweet and caring woman. “You gained me!”
Luna laughed and nodded. “Yes, but at the time, it didn’t feel that way. And I wasn’t so much opposed to you, as I was opposed to easing the tensions between your country and mine. I know that you didn’t grow up there, so you wouldn’t know, but the animosity between our two countries has been…” she searched for a diplomatic word.
“Annoying?” Ella offered.
Luna smiled, nodding. “Yes. It’s been annoying. So, having your brother,” she didn’t want to use his name, “was difficult.”
“And you say that he charmed you?”
Luna shrugged, not wanting to continue with this conversation. “Yes, well, regardless, I just–”
“That’s odd. Because Tasim isn’t known for his charm,” Ella interrupted thoughtfully. “He doesn’t have to be. In fact, most people consider him a real jerk.”
Luna grinned despite her ever-present exhaustion. “I don’t think that’s the word people use.”
Ella waved that aside. “So if my brother bothered to dig out the charming side of his personality, then…!” Her eyes suddenly widened. “What happened?!” she demanded, leaning forward.
Luna was startled by Ella’s perceptiveness. “Nothing!” she lied through her teeth.
Ella’s lips pressed together, her eyes narrowing as she contemplated Luna’s blush. “Yes, it did! Something definitely happened! My brother is categorically not charming! He’s a horrible, arrogant bastard. Traits which make him an excellent leader! He doesn’t put up with anything less than the absolute best from everyone around him. But…he is NOT known for his charm!”
Luna’s mouth fell open. “But…your uncle! He said something about how Tasim uses his charm like a missile!”
Ella laughed, slapping her knee with delight as she shook her head. “Not Tasim!” she said between gasps of laughter. “No way! He doesn’t need to! He’s only charming to…!” Her laughter faded and her smile shifted from amusement to…wonder?
“He fell for you!” she whispered. “If he was charming, then–”
Luna’s chest tightened. “No, he didn’t,” she interrupted.
Ella nodded slowly. “Was he kind?”
Luna blinked at her sister-in-law, surprised by the question. “Well, yes, but he had to be.”
“Did he make you laugh?” Ella continued.
Luna didn’t reply. “I can see the truth in your eyes, Luna,” Ella said softly. “What did my uncle say? Exactly.”
Luna thought back to the night of the wedding reception, her heart still aching even after two months.
“He didn’t say it to me,” Luna admitted, feeling shame for the words that she’d overheard. “I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. But I…”
A delicate hand fluttered in the air. “Don’t worry about the circumstances,” Ella interrupted. “Just tell me the words.”
Luna bowed her head, blinking back tears. When she lifted her head, Luna couldn’t look at her sister-in-law. It was too painful. Too humiliating.
“Your uncle said something about ‘he has the bitch eating out of the palm of his hand’ and how Tasim uses charm like other leaders use missiles.”
There was a long, painful silence.
“Here,” Ella said.
Luna looked up. “What’s this?” she asked, taking Ella’s cell phone.
“It’s a picture,” Ella explained.
Luna looked down at the picture, a soft smile curling her lips. “I didn’t know that Tasim had a dog,” she replied, blinking rapidly.
“Until about six months ago, he didn’t.”
Luna looked up, trying to understand.
Ella nodded towards the picture. “Tasim adopted that dog. She had been mauled by some sort of wild animal. About six months ago, Tasim had gone out on horseback, the first time he’d been out in months! He’s painfully busy, so when he goes out, he really needs time to be alone so that he can regroup.” Ella sighed. “Apparently, Tasim came across this dog, which was pretty feral by that point. The dog snarled and growled as Tasim approached, but Tasim knew that the dog was just in pain and scared out of her mind.”
Luna gazed at the picture of the dog, then at Ella, confused. “But…this dog…? She looks fine to me.”
Ella smiled. “That’s because Tasim refused to give up on her. He had a vet air lifted out to his location because Tasim refused to leave the poor dog. The vet sedated the dog and brought her back to the animal clinic. The surgery to repair the dog’s muscles and tendons took about ten hours. There was damage to her stomach as well. Even after the surgery, she had to be hand fed a bottle for about two weeks. Tasim wouldn’t let anyone else near her. Only him. He cared for that dog, worried about her and coddled her until she was up and running around. The two are pretty much inseparable now. The dog sleeps in Tasim’s office during the day. She follows him into all of his meetings, even the top secret ones. The generals balked at having a dog in the room with all that super-secret information, but Tasim only laughed at their objections, assuring them that the dog wouldn’t reveal any state secrets to their enemies. So now, the entire palace staff treats that dog as if she were some sort of royalty!”
Luna couldn’t stop the tears from falling now as she continued to stare down at the picture of the dog. “The rabbit,” she whispered. Tasim’s pet rabbit. Or the rabbit he’d hoped to adopt all those years ago. “What’s the dog’s name?”
“Peter. That seems like a silly name for a female dog, but…” Ella shrugged as if there was nothing she could do about it.
“Peter Rabbit,” Luna muttered, mentally chiding herself for
