Seduced by the Sheik (The Raminar Family #1)- Elizabeth Lennox Page 0,21
gently.
He eyed her for another moment and she noticed his muscles tense. It was such a simple gesture, she might have missed it if she hadn’t been so attuned to him. But she saw it and understood what he wasn’t telling her. Obviously, the man suspected what Harper wanted to discuss and would gladly ignore the conversation if possible.
Finally, he sat down, his back barely touching the chair as he looked at her with barely contained belligerence.
“Thank you, Your…” she stopped, remembering that he’d ordered her to call him Amit. She couldn’t do it. It was just too…intimate for some odd reason. Taking a deep breath, she clasped her hands together. “Something I’ve noticed over the years is that children are a sort of barometer for what’s happening in a family.” She paused, looking at each person to see if they were listening. Talia was barely holding it together, staring down into her untouched glass of wine. Gaelen and Tarin were listening, but didn’t understand. When she looked over at Amit, she wasn’t sure about him. “Some teens act out in anger, or lose themselves in drugs or alcohol. They are mimicking their parents’ behaviors, learning to deal with loss and sadness by watching their parents.”
“Our nieces aren’t doing drugs,” Amit replied, more politely than she would have anticipated.
“You’re right,” she replied, ignoring the underlying anger in his tone. “They aren’t losing themselves in self-destructive activities. Nor are any of you,” she said, pausing as each one looked at the drink in their hands. Only Amit had taken a sip of his scotch, but the others had left their drinks alone. “At least, you’re not using alcohol or drugs in order to handle your grief. But nor are any of you actually confronting the issue, either.”
She waited and, sure enough, each one looked up at her, their eyes filled with confusion. “Right now, I suspect that every one of you is hurting very deeply, mourning the loss of your sister. And none of you are talking about her. You all have learned to hide your emotions from the public,” she continued. “That isn’t a criticism.” Harper looked at each of them. “I understand that your coping tactics are necessary because of your public roles. Showing emotions in public could set off a panic in the country. I understand that each of you have learned to control your emotions so that the public remains confident in the government.” She took a deep breath.
“So, what’s the problem?” Tarin demanded, leaning back in his chair, crossing his legs so that his ankle rested on his knee. It was a defensive gesture, a sort of shield, protecting him from whatever she might say next.
She looked over at Amit and smiled, relieved that he was leaning forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees. Unfortunately, Gaelen and Talia were silent, both staring into their untouched drinks. Both still wary of whatever she might say next.
Harper continued, undeterred. It had to be said, so she shifted slightly, leaning forward so that she could see each face.
“The problem is that those little girls are only five years old. They don’t understand what they are feeling, so they look to each of you, emulating what they understand each of you are doing.” She waited, but all four of them were waiting on her to continue. “Those girls only see the stoic, silent aunt and uncles, the images that you are presenting to the world. Ellora and Elsa are emulating your actions. They are trying to be stoic and not show their sadness. But they are so overwhelmed with that sadness and confusion, not knowing what’s going to happen to them, where they are going to live, who they should turn to for comfort, or just someone to talk to, that they’ve simply…shut down. Like I said, they are the barometers of this family.” She paused, letting her words sink in. “From what I can see, each of you are so overwhelmed with your grief as well, and I suspect that all of you have been trained over the years to not let anyone else see what you’re feeling. You’ve allowed your public images, your stoic public faces, to infiltrate your personal lives.” She looked at each of them. “Each of you should be talking about your sister.” She smiled slightly. “I think you should each be talking about your anger over her death and her actions, the way she lived her life.”