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“Hi, Mr. Greensboro.” I laughed, looking him over and then my mother.
She wouldn’t be alone in first class. She’d be with him. Maybe he was the reason why she was more concerned over her outfit.
“My mother was asking about her outfit; how do you think she looks?”
He stared for a moment and seemed to struggle with words. “Umm. Same as always…very nice.”
I grinned at that. “Umm.” Okay then. “Mom, you look stunning. Just please don’t wear the fur coat over it.” I nodded to the snow-white chinchilla jacket she had on the coat stand.
“That’s the statement piece.”
I shook my head. “You are going to get the animal rights activist groups angry at you again.”
“It’s not like I bring the chinchilla back by not wearing it!”
This woman…I loved her, and I would miss these conversations.
“I’ll let you finish, and we will have our big hug out before you go,” I said to her.
She nodded.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, Mr. Greensboro,” I said to him at the door.
“No thanks needed. I was paid.” He grinned.
I nodded, and I wanted to ask him to watch out for her, but he always did anyway. Stepping out into the hall, Wolfgang—and now Gelula—were waiting for me again.
Every day felt like a hundred days sometimes.
“What’s next on the schedule?”
“The Grand Dowager requested that you join her for tea.”
Oh no.
“I can send word that you are currently unavailable, ma’am,” he said, reminding me that I didn’t have to go. But I needed to do as my mother said and buck up.
“We’ll go. Also, Wolfgang, is it possible to get a full record of every person working in the palace? Their full names, their positions, a description of those positions, how long they have been working here, preferred pronouns, their birthdays, whether they are married, where they are from…as much as possible.”
His eyes widened. “On everyone, ma’am? It’s possible, but that’s hundreds of people.”
I nodded. “Everyone, Wolfgang. You can start with the people who have been here the longest.”
“Yes, ma’am, I’ll get right on it.”
I didn’t care how many people it was. I couldn’t go around completely clueless all the time. At some point, people would expect me to know.
CHAPTER 9
This was a trap.
“I’m very pleased you could have tea, Your Grace,” Queen Arabella said as her old assistant handed her a teacup from a cart set up with a whole array of cookies, cakes, and other treats that you could use to somehow bribe or blind children.
“It’s my pleasure, but you may call me Odette, at the very least in private. After all, we are family now,” I said to her as I took the teacup. I still wasn’t a fan of tea, but I’d gotten very good at drinking it.
“Agreed, now you are in the family fold, the very heart of the fold. I hope you and I can have a very amenable relationship,” she added, lifting a piece of sugary cake to give to me.
“I would like that as well,” I said as I saw the danger sign flashing; I felt like Ariel beside Ursula about to sign my voice away without realizing it because I was wrapped up in a catchy song.
