Page 14 of Vistaria Has Fallen
Uncomfortable, Calli worried it over as they ascended the last few stairs and arrived before the big doors thatwere their destination. In her heels, Calli was as tall as many of the men. She could see between heads and through the doors. A formal greeting line was causing the delay.
Beyond the line was a large ballroom, decorated in red and green bunting, plus the blue Wisteria color that must be Vistaria’s national color. More people waited inside. More soldiers. More dark-eyed, sultry Vistarian women.
Calli leaned over and caught Minnie’s eye. “What have you got us into?” she whispered.
“Only the party of theyear,” Minnie assured her.
“Screw that. Do you realize we’re the only Americans here?”
Minnie looked puzzled. “So?”
Duardo patted Calli’s fingers where they rested on the inside of his arm. “It will be alright,” he assured her. “You are with me.”
“Duardo, no offense, but I got chuckedin jail last night because your fellow Vistarians took exception to me being in their country. Now we’re stepping inside a room full of patriotic Vistarians.”
“These aregoodVistarians.” He was frowning, now, too. “They know Americans help us. They would not be rude.”
Only slightly mollified, Calli allowed him to draw her forward, through the double doors and into the line of guests being received.Duardo, perhaps sensing her distress, did not chat with Minnie and leave Calli to her thoughts. Instead, he spoke to them both.
“General Blanco is a great man. He has been leading the army under President Escobedo’s direction for twelve years. Every year he has a big birthday party. Officers who have been honored throughout the year come and celebrate with him. It is a very important evening.Soldiers work hard to be chosen, so they will be invited here.”
“That’s you, right, Duardo?” Minnie asked. “You were honored?”
“Yes. I am chosen.”
“What did you do?” Calli asked.
For the first time she saw his upbeat mood slip. His smile faded. “It was small. Nothing.”
She didn’t need a neon sign to know Duardo did not want to talk about it. “Okay,” she murmured.
“What’s nothing?” Minniepersisted. “What did you do?”
“I helped defend Vistaria. A little thing. You would be bored with the talk of it,” he assured her, with his smile turned to full incandescence.
The smile dazzled her as he had intended it to do, for Minnie smiled back. “You’re a hero, then.”
They reached the front of the formal greeting line. Duardo stood ramrod straight and held out his hand to shake it withthe first officer in the line. “Captain Eduardo Peña y Santos,señor.”
The officer shook his hand and spoke—formal Spanish, Calli realized, pleased her ear could already distinguish between the day-to-day mongrel they used and proper Spanish.
Duardo pulled Calli forward. “Major, may I present Miss Callida Munro and Miss Minerva Benning. Miss Benning’s father, Miss Munro’s uncle, Joshua Benning,is the project manager of the Garrido Silver Mine on Las Piedras Grandes. Calli, Minnie, this is Major Alvarez, my commanding officer.”
“Miss Munro, Miss Benning,” the major murmured, dipping his head forward in a short little bow. He did not smile and Calli guessed he didn’t like his junior officer with two American women on his arms. Nor did he offer his hand. Men did not shake hands with women,in Vistaria.
Calli tried to smile. She murmured hello. Duardo stepped to the next person in line, a stout man in his fifties with a chest full of ribbons and gold braid everywhere. Undoubtedly, this was the beloved General Blanco.
Calli looked ahead to the next person in the line. Her thoughts scattered and her heart seized in her chest.
Dark red hair, indigo eyes. He spoke to the person whosehand he shook, a small polite smile on his face.Him.
Her hearing faded, the noise in the room blanketed to a dull far-off roar. Her heart beat, hard and heavy, while her breathing was loud. Excitement gripped her, even as dismay settled into her bones. This was the man to whom she had beggared herself. Despite her mortification, she studied him hungrily. He wore a normal black tuxedo and a whiteshirt.Was it silk? her treacherous mind whispered and her hand itched to investigate. One step and she could touch him. Only five feet separated them.
Had he seen her yet?
“...Miss Callida Munro, General,” Duardo finished and Calli dragged, ripped, pummeled her attention back the general. General Blanco favored her with a beaming smile, took her hand and bowed over it. “You are most welcomein my country, Miss Munro.”
“Thank you.” Her concern about being a hated American was scattered by her exhilaration. Breathlessly, she anticipated the next few seconds whenhewould turn to greet her and see it was she. What would he do?
