“For the most elite, yes.” And Enzo offered me his arm.
Chapter 10
A Royal Meeting
Trumpets played fanfare, and Enzo left my side and stepped before the crowd. “May I present to you Her Royal Highness, Duchess Waverly Merric, Lady of Virginia, Duchess of the Carolinas and soon to be Princess of America.” Everyone bowed or curtsied, and I was alone on display before a crowd of a hundred people in tuxedos and evening gowns, their jewels sparkling in the candlelight of the great hall.
The butterflies flurried inside my stomach, and I felt naked. This was so unnatural. I was here alone, really alone, in front of a bowing group of strangers. I longed to be anywhere else. Or at least to have Grandma beside me to help me navigate because I was about to throw up those butterflies any second. My pending panic attack caused me to hyperventilate until my eyes caught the bent-over head of the same ordinary man from earlier.
Much to my relief, my breathing (and stomach) calmed.
I mimicked Grandma’s little nod and wave to crowds, and everyone rose as one.
A woman in a sapphire gown walked over. “Your Highness.”
Long barrel curls fell over her bare shoulders and soft curves. A second passed before I recognized her. “The Lark?”
“This will not do,” she said, her hand placed on her heart. I hadn’t noticed her French accent when she sang. “Please call me Manon. My parents are both very French, non? Bollard thought Lark had a nice ring to it, but my friends all call me Manon. I hope you do not mind my presence.” She dipped into a curtsy.
She looked much younger in person than she did on the stage. She wasn’t all that much older than me, twenty-six at most.
She pulled me into a soft hug. “I have heard so much about you from Bollard.”
Again, someone else who knew about me. I wondered precisely what Bollard told people because he didn’t know me; that was for sure. If he had, he’d at least done me the courtesy of explaining things.
Of course, I knew nothing about her, and I tried to think of a suitable response. “Your performance was amazing,” I said.
She gazed at me, and she lost herself for a moment until she shook her head and closed her eyes. “You are very enchanting, Waverly, very hypnotizing, a true Merric. I forgive my audience for they did not watch me; they watched you. I struggled to perform, for I wanted to watch you too.”
“No, you were perfect,” I said, hoping it wasn’t true. If people ignored that performance to stare at me, I was in a lot of trouble. “They couldn’t stop watching you. Those birds are incredible.”
“Oui, my birds are magical, merci. Bollard asked that I keep you company and introduce you since he cannot be here.”
I wanted to barrage her with questions about what she knew, but with the crowds and the ordinary head somewhere close by, I decided to wait. She continued, “I will be your guide in his absence for at least a few days. You have many people to meet.”
I stepped forward, but Manon placed her hand lightly on my shoulder. “We do not have to move. You are a magnet; they will come to you, and I will tell you who everyone is.”
Manon was right. All around the room, people watched me and waited.
“We have to meet the heads of industry first. Four of the seven are here.”
Enzo came over to us with a pen and a sheet of paper. “Let me know if you would like to schedule further meetings with anyone. You know, if a man or woman catches your interest.”
Manon playfully hit his arm. “I am sure they will. They must. You have quite the select crowd here.”
Manon nodded to a man with a bushy mustache and dressed in a heavily decorated military uniform. His walk and beard reminded me of a lion stalking its prey. “Waverly, may I present to you General Hector Dryden, head of weaponry and protection.”
My palms were sweaty, but General Dryden’s hand was cool, steady. “It is an honor. Rudolf, your head of security, is one of the best Libratiers in the country. I look forward to working hand in hand with you. We will become great allies in the fight against the Galvantry. It would not surprise me if you weren’t an even better fighter than your grandmother.”
“Did you know her?” The man was a little younger than Grandma, but I supposed it was possible.
“Yes, I served under her at Maligne Lake. The greatest moment of my entire career.”
“I have so many questions for you,” I told him.
“We must meet again,” Dryden said, and with that, he moved on. Enzo wrote the man’s name down.
The next person was a slender woman with deep-set eyes and a chin so pointy it could cut paper.
“Tessa Amenity, head of magnetics and power.”
“It is an honor,” the woman said. When she took my hand, I noticed a diamond hovering like magic over her right hand.
“How is that floating?”
Amenity spun the diamond. Her eyes widened with pain, but she smiled as if the pain were enjoyable. “Magnets.”
I didn’t know how to respond. Diamonds weren’t magnets, and neither was human flesh. I tried not to show any special interest. Manon thankfully waved her on and moved to the next person.
In front of me, a handsome man with dark blond hair and deep green eyes rocked back and forth on his heels. Manon waved him in closer. “This, Waverly, is Freddie.”
His hand was clammy like he was the nervous one. I found myself momentarily distracted by him. He smiled one of those smiles that make you stop and have to remember to breathe. “You’re wearing me.”
“What?” Of all the things I had expected to hear him say, this was not even close. I didn’t know what he meant, and an egg could have fried on my face it was so warm.
“I’m sorry, you’re wearing my
