Seduced by the Sheik (The Raminar Family #1)- Elizabeth Lennox Page 0,20

dominant personality. Apparently, Elsa was that personality between the twins. Fascinating, Harper thought delightedly.

To her relief, the two big men didn’t comment, obviously understanding that it was significant, but talking about it might stifle the moment.

The rest of the meal went by without incident except for the moment when Tarin asked the girls what they would be studying with their tutor that day. Both girls stared at him for a long, silent moment.

But Tarin won Harper’s heart when he simply shrugged, acting as if the girls’ silence was normal. “I suppose you’ll probably learn about the one eyed frog-man today.”

Gaelen nodded, looking equally serious. “I remember that lesson. Very strange. I don’t know how the tails grew like that, but…” he left the sentence hanging, shaking his head. “I wish both of you luck.”

Harper knew exactly what the men were doing and thought they were the most amazing, handsome, wonderful men she’d ever met. Brilliant, actually!

The girls turned their dark heads towards each other, then looked back at their uncles, clearly unsure if their uncles were teasing or serious.

Their nanny arrived to take them away for lessons. “Good morning, Prince Tarin, Prince Gaelen,” the nanny greeted them with a formal curtsy. She completely ignored Harper, but that was fine. Harper was more concerned with the girls’ well-being and didn’t mind being shunned if it meant that the girls were allowed into the dining room for meals. “Did you have a good breakfast?” the nanny asked cheerfully.

Both Elsa and Ellora stared at the nanny, then Elsa slipped off of the dining room chair, fluffed her green dress, then looked to Ellora who did the same. The pair walked silently to the nanny who took their hands and led them from the dining room without a backwards glance.

Harper finally released her breath once the girls were out of hearing. “Thank you!” she whispered, covering her mouth with her hand. “That was exactly what the girls needed.”

But as Harper watched, both men seemed to…harden? No, that wasn’t the right word. Deflate? No, not exactly. But sort of.

The men looked down at their half-filled plates, then almost simultaneously, stood up. “I have work to do,” Tarin announced. The man realized that he was being rude and turned back from his abrupt departure. “Thank you for joining us this morning. And thank you for helping us with our nieces. They…they are precious.”

Gaelen was just as formal. “I look forward to dinner, Doctor Ross.” And she was left alone.

Harper picked up her cup of coffee, contemplating that meal. She’d barely eaten anything, her attention captured by the interplay between the men and the twins. Twenty-four hours ago, Harper would have thought that the only two people in this palace who were still mourning the loss of Princess Orella were the small, silent girls trapped in the nursery.

Now, she wasn’t so sure. Now she wondered if there were other emotions that weren’t being dealt with.

Sipping her coffee, she contemplated how to confront the issue. And yes, confronting it was absolutely necessary, even if it meant having to deal with his big bad “Highness”. As much as she’d love to avoid that man…speaking of emotions that were being avoided…she had to understand what was going on underneath the still waters of this family.

Chapter 8

“Okay, you’ve got us all here,” Amit snapped, entering the salon and going directly towards the bar to pour himself a glass of scotch. “What do you need to talk to us about?”

Harper had arrived first, wanting to watch everyone’s reactions. Talia’s had been the most obvious, but that was normal. Women tended to show their emotions more easily than men, and being the youngest of four…no, five…she wouldn’t have had the same rules applied to her behavior during her formative years.

Tarin and Gaelen were harder to read initially. In fact, if she hadn’t seen them during breakfast, Harper might not have thought that they were still dealing with the loss of their sister.

But that moment when the girls had left the room and their engaging masks had fallen…that had been telling and she knew what she had to do. They weren’t going to like it, but it was an issue she’d seen over and over throughout her years as a psychologist.

She waited until Amit had poured his drink and turned to face the room. Harper cleared her throat and stepped forward. “Please, could you sit down?”

He lifted a dark eyebrow at her request and knew that he’d prefer to stand. “It’s important,” she explained