To Kiss a King - NIcole Burnham Page 0,67
were supposed to forget that topic.”
“When do I forget anything? As to Greta and the sprints, my guess is that she’s testing your aerobic capacity versus your anaerobic capacity. It’s good to have a balance. Sprints require more muscle.”
Eduardo cast a suspicious look at his assistant. “She told you to say that.”
“Not in those exact words.”
“I feel plotted against. Monarchs develop a sixth sense for that. You should tread carefully.”
Luisa merely shrugged. “Think of it as a metaphor for your duties. As a king, your position is one that requires endurance above all else. You’re in it for the long haul, but the ability to sprint now and then serves you well.”
“Did Greta tell you that, too, hoping I’d embrace sprint work?”
“Oh, no. That was all mine.”
“The next time I’m forced to suffer through sprints, I’ll be sure to keep it in mind.” As they approached the office, he said, “I may need an entire pot of coffee this morning.”
“I’ll be quick with the refills, then.”
He began the meeting as soon as Luisa returned with his coffee. Sergio started with a report on a new parliamentary initiative to shore up the San Rimini Emergency Trust, a fund instituted to help in times of natural disasters. The measure was overdue, so Eduardo was glad to hear it was moving forward. Sergio promised to include the details in the king’s briefing book so he could read about it after the meeting.
After that, Sergio flipped to a new page of notes. “Now for the not-so-good news. The staff teams working on the Strada il Teatro project are meeting increased resistance from the casino owners and the Grand Prix organizers. Both groups know we’re on a tight timeline and they’re trying to work that to their advantage. However, the bigger issue is the drop in your favorability numbers. We have every other group in line, even the Central District Historical Society. But if your numbers go any lower, everyone is going to think they have room to renegotiate.”
“What are the latest poll numbers?”
“You’ve dropped from a high of seventy-seven percent to around sixty-one. That’s still a very good number, Your Highness, but the trajectory is concerning.”
Eduardo felt the shift in the room, though his senior staff were all careful not to show it.
“What else? Give it to me straight.”
“San Rimini Today did a piece on Claire Peyton early last week. The usual biographical information, a bit about her time in Uganda, and a description of the work she’s done since arriving in San Rimini. It was mostly favorable and had a sidebar about a medical research exchange that took place recently between San Rimini and the United States. However, when a television network did street interviews asking citizens what they thought of the article, most hadn’t read it. Instead, they were quick to offer opinions on whether or not you should be dating her. A few wondered whether there could be a conflict of interest, but most said that they couldn’t imagine anyone taking Aletta’s place. Those interviews were shown repeatedly on Wednesday. That spurred a Thursday morning talk show on a different network into an hour-long discussion on whether Claire should be made a queen if you were to marry.”
Sergio gave one of his eyes a brisk rub as he spoke, as if trying to wipe away an exhausting weekend. “Our latest poll was taken on the same Wednesday that the street interviews were broadcast, and the numbers didn’t reflect whether the respondent had seen the coverage because the pollsters didn’t know to ask. However, the talk show hadn’t yet aired, nor had the weekend story about the ambassador’s ex-husband. I assume you saw it?”
“I did.”
“That could also change the numbers.”
Eduardo appreciated that Sergio was careful not to say that his popularity would take another hit, though they all knew it.
“I can handle all of this in the briefing room today,” Zeno said. “The story on Claire’s ex-husband shouldn’t get much traction. He’s not credible and that’s obvious even to frequent tabloid readers. The rest I’ll dismiss just as I do other speculation about your private life.”
Sergio nodded along as Zeno spoke, then said, “On the bright side, we have less than a month before we hand off the plan to parliament. There’s only so much that can affect your numbers in that time.”
“You’re saying that it’s a race to the finish.”
Sergio gave a tilt of the head. “The goal is to maintain. If that can be done, we’re fine. Parliament will leap