Devrim's Discipline - Brianna Hale Page 0,48
country. I hope all of them. I’ll have to ask Devrim what he thinks about this when I see him next.
My heart sinks when I remember that, when I do see him next, he won’t want to speak to me.
I blink quickly and turn to Mama. “You were always telling me that there were things about being a chambermaid that you would change for the better. Now’s your chance.”
Mama thinks about that for a moment. “True, darling.” She smiles hesitantly as if suddenly realizing I’m no longer angry with her.
I look away quickly, because while some of the heat has gone out of me, I’m still not happy with her about what she did to Devrim.
The next morning, we both receive embossed letters on thick cream paper. Mama has two, one regarding signing the new deed for the house, and another from the King’s office. Mine is from the King’s office, as well.
Dear Lady Wraye Rugova,
Thank you for coming to the palace yesterday. A press office at the palace would be ideal, and I would like you to lead it. Might I suggest that you intern at a large company, one with an established relationship with the press, to learn how these things are done?
Barbican Manufacturing is expecting you at lunchtime today. Please ask for Miss Callisto Longe at the front desk.
Yours sincerely,
Anson R
My eyes widen as I read the letter over. This sounds like King Anson wants me to learn how a press office works, and then run one. That’s more than a little daunting. I could be terrible at it.
The R after his name is written with a curly flourish. “R? Why Anson R?”
“R is for Rex. King, in Latin,” Mama says. She sniffs and tucks her letter back into its envelope. “I’m to attend the first advisory board meeting today, and tomorrow, we’re to visit and speak with the staff at Hotel Ivera. This letter says nothing at all about being paid for my work.”
“Oh, Mama. What about Rugova House and our fortune? They’ve been given to us by the country, and the work we’ll do is for the country. I think it’s a wonderful idea of the King’s.”
Mama looks like she’s not sure if she agrees with me, but goes to get ready for her meeting, at the same time I do.
Barbican Manufacturing is a factory on the west side of the city, a huge brick building with warehouses and offices up on a mezzanine, overlooking the factory floor. A blonde woman in her forties, wearing glasses with thick black rims, greets me at the front desk.
“Lady Wraye, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” She smiles and shakes my hand, bobbing in a curtsy.
All morning I’ve been thinking of myself as Wraye the worker, not Wraye the lady, and suddenly, I feel flustered. “Miss Rugova is fine. Or even Wraye.”
Miss Longe ignores me and keeps calling me Lady Wraye. She shows me around the factory and the adjoining offices. “We used to make hundreds of different household items, everything from buckets to thimbles, but we’re concentrating on a few core lines now that the borders are open for imports.”
“Who owns the company?” I ask, following her toward her desk.
“Galen Levanter.”
My high heel catches on the floor, and I stumble. “Galen Levanter?”
She turns to me brightly. “Does Your Ladyship know Mr. Levanter?”
“I, ah, know the family a little. Is he related to Archduke Levanter?”
“Yes, Mr. Levanter is Archduke Levanter’s younger brother.”
A brother. I didn’t know Devrim had a brother, and one who doesn’t go to Court. Maybe they don’t speak? How sad if they’re estranged.
I sit down opposite Miss Longe at her desk. “Why do you call your employer Mr. Levanter and not Lord Levanter, but you won’t call me Miss Rugova?”
“Because that’s his name. Mr. Levanter renounced all ties to the First Families, under the People’s Republic. He had to, otherwise, he never could have kept the factory.”
“And now? Isn’t he part of the family again?”
Miss Longe smiles politely. “I don’t like to speculate about things I don’t know.”
I feel my face burn. I’m so hungry for any news about Devrim that it sounds like I’m hunting for gossip. “Yes, of course. You’re absolutely right. Let’s get started, shall we?”
A lot of Miss Longe’s work is writing press releases based on company reports and fielding phone calls from journalists. She puts all the calls on speaker, so I can listen in. They ask her a lot of tough questions and try to trip her up, but