positive
first impressions?"
"I do not like that
man."
"He doesn't much care for
you either, Mohan," she countered.
"And your decisions
and actions are the reason you've
gotten off on the wrong foot with
each other. Therefore, it's
your responsibility
to undo the damage you've caused."
He barely shrugged one shoulder.
"I want him sent away."
Alex clung to the shreds of her
patience. "In the first
place, that simply isn't
possible. There's no one to replace
him until your father's own
guards arrive. You have no
choice but to make the best of
the present situation. Which, I
must add, includes being polite,
hospitable, and finding
something approximating a
friendly demeanor.
"In the second place,"
she went on, ignoring his scowl and
narrowing eyes. "Pushing
one's difficulties off to where they
can't be seen, doesn't eliminate
them. They're still there, still
requiring a solution or redress.
Having them at a distance
only complicates the task of
making matters right. You have-however
inadvertently-created a poor
impression of India
in the mind of Mr. Terrell. If you don't correct it, don't
demonstrate that you come from a
people of kindness and
grace, he'll not only carry away
a wrong view of India, but
will pass that view on to others,
compounding the misunderstanding.
Surely, you don't want-"
"I want to go home," he
interrupted. "Now. Today."
Of course he did. What child
wouldn't want to be with
his parents, his brothers and
sisters, his aunts, uncles, and
cousins? "I can understand
that, Mohan," she offered sincerely.
"I truly can. Hopefully soon
your-"
"I command you to make the
necessary arrangements."
"I will not," Alex
rejoined, her sympathy for him withering
under the increasing heat of her
anger. Patience, she
silently instructed herself. Patience.
"England is full of dirty
people."
She took a deep breath and
counted to five. "You've seen
little of England outside of
London," she calmly reminded
him. 'Therefore, your statement
is an opinion based on nothing
more than ignorance. I'll further
point out that dirty people are found all over the world and that India too has
its
allotted share."
He snorted and tilted up his
nose. "I never saw any in
India."
'That," she snapped, her
toleration completely undone, "is
because you lived in a royal
palace and dirty people weren't
allowed in. Is there a specific
reason for your contrariness
today, Mohan?"
He sat up straight and lifted his
nose another degree.
"I am a prince. I am not
required to explain or justify my
actions."
And she wasn't required to
restrain Aiden Terrell, either.
At the moment his approach to
discipline had enormous appeal.
'That sort of attitude is what
leads to palace coups,
Mohan," she pointed out,
resolved to hold the higher ground.
''But since you're a considerable
number of years away from
that reality, let me provide you
with a more immediate one.
Your present behavior is
unacceptable, making you truly unpleasant
to be around. That being
the case, you will take
your midday meal in here, in solitude.
Further, you will remain
in here until such time as you
think you're capable of
conducting yourself in a civil
manner."
With that pronouncement, Alex
turned and walked across
the threshold. She was turning
back to pull the door closed
when he made one of his own.
"I will not eat."
"Suit yourself," she
shot back, pausing with the doorknob
in hand. "I'll remind you
that it takes twenty-one days to
starve a child and suggest that
unless you plan to discover a
font of self-control in the next
few minutes, you'll be wasting
not only the food, but also the
infantile demonstration."
"I hate you!" he
screamed as she confined him. ''I hate
England! And the queen!"
Alex rested her forehead against
the door frame and
closed her eyes. He was only ten,
she reminded herself. He
was far from
first impressions?"
"I do not like that
man."
"He doesn't much care for
you either, Mohan," she countered.
"And your decisions
and actions are the reason you've
gotten off on the wrong foot with
each other. Therefore, it's
your responsibility
to undo the damage you've caused."
He barely shrugged one shoulder.
"I want him sent away."
Alex clung to the shreds of her
patience. "In the first
place, that simply isn't
possible. There's no one to replace
him until your father's own
guards arrive. You have no
choice but to make the best of
the present situation. Which, I
must add, includes being polite,
hospitable, and finding
something approximating a
friendly demeanor.
"In the second place,"
she went on, ignoring his scowl and
narrowing eyes. "Pushing
one's difficulties off to where they
can't be seen, doesn't eliminate
them. They're still there, still
requiring a solution or redress.
Having them at a distance
only complicates the task of
making matters right. You have-however
inadvertently-created a poor
impression of India
in the mind of Mr. Terrell. If you don't correct it, don't
demonstrate that you come from a
people of kindness and
grace, he'll not only carry away
a wrong view of India, but
will pass that view on to others,
compounding the misunderstanding.
Surely, you don't want-"
"I want to go home," he
interrupted. "Now. Today."
Of course he did. What child
wouldn't want to be with
his parents, his brothers and
sisters, his aunts, uncles, and
cousins? "I can understand
that, Mohan," she offered sincerely.
"I truly can. Hopefully soon
your-"
"I command you to make the
necessary arrangements."
"I will not," Alex
rejoined, her sympathy for him withering
under the increasing heat of her
anger. Patience, she
silently instructed herself. Patience.
"England is full of dirty
people."
She took a deep breath and
counted to five. "You've seen
little of England outside of
London," she calmly reminded
him. 'Therefore, your statement
is an opinion based on nothing
more than ignorance. I'll further
point out that dirty people are found all over the world and that India too has
its
allotted share."
He snorted and tilted up his
nose. "I never saw any in
India."
'That," she snapped, her
toleration completely undone, "is
because you lived in a royal
palace and dirty people weren't
allowed in. Is there a specific
reason for your contrariness
today, Mohan?"
He sat up straight and lifted his
nose another degree.
"I am a prince. I am not
required to explain or justify my
actions."
And she wasn't required to
restrain Aiden Terrell, either.
At the moment his approach to
discipline had enormous appeal.
'That sort of attitude is what
leads to palace coups,
Mohan," she pointed out,
resolved to hold the higher ground.
''But since you're a considerable
number of years away from
that reality, let me provide you
with a more immediate one.
Your present behavior is
unacceptable, making you truly unpleasant
to be around. That being
the case, you will take
your midday meal in here, in solitude.
Further, you will remain
in here until such time as you
think you're capable of
conducting yourself in a civil
manner."
With that pronouncement, Alex
turned and walked across
the threshold. She was turning
back to pull the door closed
when he made one of his own.
"I will not eat."
"Suit yourself," she
shot back, pausing with the doorknob
in hand. "I'll remind you
that it takes twenty-one days to
starve a child and suggest that
unless you plan to discover a
font of self-control in the next
few minutes, you'll be wasting
not only the food, but also the
infantile demonstration."
"I hate you!" he
screamed as she confined him. ''I hate
England! And the queen!"
Alex rested her forehead against
the door frame and
closed her eyes. He was only ten,
she reminded herself. He
was far from
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