‘yum.’ It was fabulous.”
Luisa entered with his coffee, then placed it at his elbow. After she slipped out, he said, “You all look anxious to speak, so we’ll hold the fruit pie debate for later. If it’s something other than the Strada il Teatro project, let’s hold on it. We’re down to nine weeks before parliament needs a finalized plan in hand. And that’s at the latest if we want to ensure it’s part of their budget discussion for the Central Business District.”
Looks were exchanged, then Sergio said, “I can give the Strada update, but it ties into another matter, so they need to be discussed together.”
“Which is?”
Sergio’s eyes flicked to Zeno, who said, “The Claire Peyton situation.”
Chapter 14
Eduardo’s gut tightened. He made a conscious effort not to show it. “There’s a Claire Peyton situation? I’m unaware of a Claire Peyton situation, let alone how one might relate to the Strada il Teatro.”
He said it in a tone meant to end discussion, but Zeno forged ahead. “The morning news reported that the ambassador attended the opera with you on Saturday and was seated in the royal box. We” —he made a circle with his index finger to encompass everyone in the room— “didn’t see her mentioned on the schedule. The usual royal tabloids have speculated wildly about the reason—”
“As they always do.”
“Yes, Your Highness. So far, the mainstream outlets have steered clear of speculation. However, one of the high-circulation tabloids indicated that members of the backstage crew were overheard in the alley behind the theater saying that during the intermission, the king was on the catwalk above the stage holding hands with a mystery woman later identified as Claire Peyton.” Zeno visibly reddened as he said it, but his voice remained even.
“And this affects the Strada project…how?”
“It’s a problem, Your Highness, because the gossip is out there,” Sergio said. “Even if Zeno avoids the topic in this morning’s press briefing so as not to call attention to it, every other outlet is now looking for it.”
“Men and women have been known to see each other socially, Sergio, particularly single men and women.”
Eduardo didn’t miss the look of surprise on the faces of his senior staff. They hadn’t expected him to confirm that the night was, in fact, a date.
Sergio folded his hands in his lap, then quickly unfolded them and leaned forward. “It’s my job to give you the truth, even when it’s hard to do so. Part of your popularity lies in the fact that you are single. It gives you a certain mystique. If that changes—even with a woman whose reputation is as good as the ambassador’s—it will affect everything you do.”
“Wait a minute. You’re saying that going on a date will hurt my popularity, and therefore hurt our ability to unify support for the Strada project before we hit the deadline to put it in front of parliament? That’s a stretch, don’t you think?”
Even as Eduardo said the words, he envisioned Giovanni sitting across the cribbage board from him, warning him that his popularity would take a hit.
Of course, then Giovanni had said, “you’re in trouble anyway,” and urged him to ask Claire for the date.
“I’m looking ahead,” Sergio said. “Anyone with a vested interest in the Strada project will do the same. Groups who have been brainstorming ways to push back against aspects of your plan may be tempted to wait and see how this plays out rather than come to the table. If your popularity were to dip, they’ll take advantage of that fact to ask for more concessions.”
Eduardo drummed his fingers on the desk, then said, “Point made. Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it, shall we?”
“There’s also the agreement you made with the ambassador, Your Highness. You said you’d introduce legislation to parliament regarding support for her education program if she harnessed certain votes.”
Eduardo gave a roll of his hand, urging Sergio to continue.
“When you told us about it last week, my consultants didn’t believe the deal would matter. They doubted the ambassador could find the support to hold you to it. But that’s changing. We understand that the ambassador is meeting with Monica Barrata today. She met with Franco Galli last week and the word is that he came away leaning toward the program. If he supports it, Barrata is also likely to give it her support. They tend to vote in lockstep.”
“She’d still need Luciano Festa and Sonia Selvaggi. They’ll be far more difficult to convince.”
“I agree, those two