Vistaria Has Fallen (The Vistaria Affair/Vistaria Has Fallen #1)(12)

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?” Minnie persisted. “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 with the first officer in the line. “Captain Eduardo Pe?a y Santos, se?or.”

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 whose hand 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 white shirt. 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 welcome in 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 when he would turn to greet her and see it was she. What would he do?

Duardo moved forward. They were done with the General. His turn next.

She trembled.

Remember this is not the man from your dreams. They’re not the same. It was a useless reminder. He had prompted the dreams that haunted her all day. She was helpless to prevent her response now.

Even Duardo squared his shoulders and lifted his chest. His head remained turned while he spoke to the officer in front of them in the line. In a moment he would turn to them.

He turned and smiled at Duardo. His glance did not even flicker toward her.

“Captain Pe?a, you made it. All the way from Pascuallita and during fiesta, too. I am sure General Blanco appreciates your efforts.”

Her heart leapt. He spoke English! He would only do that if he had noticed her. Had he seen her before she had seen him?

“Se?or, I would not miss this night for Chinese tea,” Duardo answered. He indicated Minnie on his left. “May I present to you Miss Minerva Benning, a friend of mine.”

Calli watched his hand encase Minnie’s tiny one, the long fingers curling right around it.

“Minnie, this is Se?or Nicolás Escobedo.”

Escobedo. The name throbbed in Calli’s mind. She recalled Uncle Josh’s words. Escobedo’s country.

“Hi there, se?or,” Minnie offered in response as he shook her hand.

He smiled, humor lighting his face. “Hi there yourself, Miss Benning. I see you have made an effective assault upon Vistaria’s military.” His gravelly voice was low and pleasant. “Are you enjoying your stay here?”

Minnie glanced up at Duardo. “I am now.”

Duardo glowed with pride and excitement, his gaze never leaving the man standing before him. Calli caught her breath, remembering now what Minnie had said: “He wanted to see him again. That’s why he hurried to the police station, only by the time he got there, el leopardo had gone.”