Olivia nodded. That was something that the wealth of oil could change. Communication ought to be the right of every citizen, but of course it would be difficult to achieve in a nation like Saqat with vast swaths of uninhabitable land interrupted by tiny pockets of civilization.
“I would like to meet her very much. When can you arrange it?”
“This afternoon, if you want. Sadiah finishes work at four o’clock. If you don’t mind her sons being there, we can go to her house then.”
…
Olivia was still smiling when she returned to the palace with Jemimah. She didn’t have any nieces or nephews, and she’d never spent time with young children. Sadiah’s boys were delightful. Aged five and seven, they had been intrigued by Olivia and continually peppered their conversation with questions, demanding to know what sort of animals lived in Scotland, and how many times she had flown in a helicopter. Sadiah explained that her husband was in the marine rescue service as a helicopter pilot, hence the boys’ obsession, and also their disappointment that Olivia had been on more helicopter rides than they had.
Olivia and Jemimah stayed for the boys’ tea, a messy affair consisting of a rice dish followed by some fresh fruit and chocolate buttons.
The visit had been exhausting, but a lot more fun than she had expected. While the children ate, she chatted with Sadiah. She had warmed instantly to the other woman, and when Sadiah invited her to be interviewed on the radio show, she had wanted to say yes, but knew she would have to confer with Khaled. She’d emailed him as soon as she got back to the palace asking to see him.
Now, she poured herself a cool drink and collapsed onto the sofa with her laptop, still smiling as she recalled her visit.
“You wanted to see me?”
Olivia had been expecting an email confirming an appointment. She wasn’t prepared for Khaled to simply knock on her door and walk into her suite. She got hurriedly to her feet, embarrassingly conscious of her own cheap T-shirt and crumpled linen skirt, now liberally stained with chocolate after an encounter with one of Sadiah’s enthusiastic boys.
“Yes. Thank you for coming.”
“I’ve only got half an hour,” he said hastily. “I’m supposed to go to a dinner this evening.” He was already dressed in formal white robes that made him appear magnificently mysterious and unapproachable.
“With your fiancée?” Olivia asked, before she could stop herself.
Khaled’s expression iced over. “With her family. And I am not yet formally betrothed to her.”
“Of course. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. That wasn’t what I wanted to talk to you about, anyway.”
Olivia sat down where she had been working, and Khaled took a seat as far away from her as possible.
“So what did you want to talk to me about?” His voice was cold and his body language sent out warning signals, but his eyes were soft and warm when they rested on her.
Olivia took this as a hopeful sign and plunged in. “Jemimah took me to meet her cousin Sadiah today.”
“I imagine you would get on well with her.”
She hadn’t expected that. “You know her?”
“No, I’ve never met her, but I listen to her show occasionally. She’s an impressive woman.”
“Yes. I liked her. She asked if I would be a guest on her show.” She didn’t tell Khaled that Sadiah had said it was a series on inspirational women. It was nonsense to imagine that she was an inspiration to anyone. But she was a businesswoman and an engineer, and Sadiah had told her there weren’t many women in those kinds of jobs in Saqat.
Khaled’s eyebrows rose. “What did you say?”
“I said I would need to check.” It wasn’t her place to talk about oil in Saqat until a public announcement had been made.
Khaled frowned. “I don’t know, Olivia. Simply knowing your name might be enough to connect you to MCI Oil.”
“And the last thing you want is for everyone to know about the oil until a decision has been formally made. I understand. How about if Sadiah gives me an Arabic name? Sort of a translation? She’ll be conducting the interview in Arabic anyway, and Jemimah will translate my answers.”
“You really want to do this.” Khaled looked at her in amazement.
“Yes, I do.”
“Why?”
Olivia shrugged. “I liked Sadiah and what she is trying to do with her radio show. Women deserve to have high hopes and ambitions. If my interview inspires some of the little girls in Saqat to become engineers and businesswomen, then it will have been worth coming here, no matter what happens to the contract.”
Khaled nodded slowly. “Yes, of course. Well, then you should do the interview.”
“Sadiah emailed a list of questions. Do you want to check them in case there are any you would rather she didn’t ask?”
“No, I trust your judgment.”
Their eyes met, just for a moment, and Olivia’s heart began to pound.
“Thank you,” she managed to say.