Stefan led Francesca into their private sitting room and poured her a glass of wine. She still looked shocked, and he wanted to help her calm down.
“My God, Pop, I thought he was going to kill you!” she said, sipping her wine and shivering.
“So did I, for a few seconds,” Stefan said. “Don’t worry about, it sweetie. It won’t happen again.”
“Of course it won’t,” Francesca said. “Because you’re going to send him back, aren’t you, Pop?”
Stefan decided to stall. “I told you before that I’m still thinking about what to do. I’ll tell you my decision tomorrow.”
Francesca’s eyes opened wide. “Pop! Are you completely nuts? The man just attacked you—almost killed you—and you’re still making plans for me to marry him?”
Stefan wasn't ready to tell her the whole truth. “I don’t blame Ran-Del for attacking me, Francesca. He’s got no reason to be fond of me—not yet anyway.”
“Pop,” Francesca said, “this is not going to work. Even if I did persuade Ran-Del into bed, it wouldn’t make him suddenly see you in a different light.”
She didn’t understand about Sansoussy customs. “It would if you married him. Then I’d be close kin. You have obligations to your kin among the Sansoussy. One of them is not to murder them.”
Francesca let lose a string of obscenities that made Stefan raise his eyebrows. “What does it take for you to see how crazy this is, Pop?” she said.
He smiled a little, but didn’t answer directly. “Elena Leong came to see me this morning.”
Francesca pursed her lips like she had a bad taste in her mouth. “What did that old whore want?”
Stefan gave her a pained look. “Please, Francesca, she’s my age. And,” he added, thinking it over, “you’re being very unkind to the whores of this world.”
“Well, what did she want?”
This was one time it wouldn't hurt to tell the full truth. “She wanted to arrange a marriage between you and whichever of her sons I could be brought to stomach.” He put his hands on her shoulders. “Elena wasn’t the first, and she won’t be the last. If I don’t get you married soon, you may find yourself standing at the altar with someone you like a lot less than Ran-Del.”
Francesca lifted her chin in a stubborn gesture. It took Stefan a moment to realize she had learned it from him. “What makes you think it’ll stop them if I am married?”
He shook her shoulders lightly, intent on making her see his point. “It ups the number of people who’d have to be put out of the way by one. You’re still young enough that people see you as someone who can be intimidated, who could be pressured into giving up control. Having Ran-Del in the picture would give you breathing room. No one will try to crowd him because they’ll be a little afraid of him.”
“You make him sound like a big, loyal guard dog,” Francesca said with asperity, brushing his hands off her shoulders. “Why can’t we just beef up the security staff?”
“It wouldn’t take the heat off you as far as needing a husband, and it wouldn’t give you a family of your own.”
She glared at him. “You’re not going to let him go, are you?”
She had figured it out. He shouldn’t be surprised. “No, sweetie, I’m not.”
“Even though he tried to kill you?”
“He was trying to escape more than he was trying to kill me. I can’t fault him for that. If he were inclined to sit in his room and mope, I wouldn’t want him for you.”
Francesca clamped her jaw shut. “But, Pop, it’s not fair to Ran-Del.”
Yes! She cared what happened to this particular Sansoussy. His plan would work. “I’m willing to be unfair in these circumstances. Besides, in the long run, I don’t think it’ll be such a terrible thing for Ran-Del. He’ll spend his life in a clean, comfortable house, be exposed to culture and learning, and have the most beautiful woman in Shangri-La as his wife.”
Francesca twisted her lips into a fake smile and folded her arms across her chest. “The most beautiful woman, Pop? What about Nisa?”
Stefan’s mouth dropped open as he goggled at her. “How long have you known?”
“For several months.” She sounded unbearably smug. “You didn’t really think you could keep it from me, did you?”
“I had hopes. Nisa knew better.”
“She’s no fool. You couldn’t love her if she were.”
She had a point. “It’s true that respect is as important as attraction in a relationship. I’ve come to realize that in the last few days.”
Francesca wrinkled her brow. “You’re plotting something. What are you up to now, Pop?”
He smiled reassuringly and answered with the perfect truth. “You’ll find out tomorrow.”