Page 62 of A Royal Disaster
Of all the ways he’d imagined this night going wrong, a burning bush definitely hadn’t been one of them.
Liam looked from his date to the flaming centerpiece. No one else was moving, so he grabbed two water goblets and poured them over the quickly disintegrating floral arrangement, for all the good it did. A server appeared at his side with a silver pitcher of water. He abandoned the water goblets and poured the entire pitcher over the smoking, sizzling mess, hoping the antique table would be spared.
“Ay Dios mío,” Elena said, covering her mouth with her hands as smoke filled the air. “I didn’t know flowers could catch on fire.”
“That makes two of us,” said the woman to her left, who was inching away from Elena as if afraid she might go up in flames next.
Liam’s gut twisted with indignation. This wasn’t Elena’s fault. The damn candelabra was a fire hazard. Honestly, who thought it was a good idea to use open flames in a house this old anyway? Much to his mother’s chagrin, in Valeria the palace staff used battery-operated candles all the time in rooms that didn’t have overhead lighting like this one.
Biting his tongue, he turned to Elena. She was shaking, not from fear, he knew, but from embarrassment. This moment probably felt like her worst nightmare come to life. “Are you all right?” he asked, lifting her chin so she was forced to look him in the eye. She nodded unconvincingly, and he silently cursed every arsehole who’d ever made her feel doubt and shame for simply existing. “Could’ve happened to anyone,” he said gently. Then he added, “I once spilled an entire bowl of pudding on the Princess of Spain during a state dinner. And I can assure you she was not impressed with the addition to her gown.”
“One-upper,” she whispered before squaring her shoulders and turning back to the table, napkin clutched in her hand. She began to mop up the water as she offered frantic apologies to the host and hostess, who seemed to be at a loss for words.
“Why don’t you let me do that,” Liam said, taking the napkins from her hands. She could handle it easily—she had strength of character he’d rarely seen—and maybe he should let her, but he wanted to do this for her. Hell, it was the least he could do. “I’m the one who poured water all over this lovely table. Have a seat and I’ll get it cleaned up in a flash.”
Elena collapsed in her chair, relief evident on her face.
The sight of Liam mopping up the sodden ashy mess seemed to spur the rest of the dinner party to action. Everyone pitched in to help, using their napkins to stop the water from spreading to the edges of the table and moving dishes to facilitate the cleanup. Everyone but Silva. He stood and watched as the staff brought additional towels and napkins, never lifting a finger to help.
Liam shot the minister a warning look. He didn’t give a damn if Silva helped clean up the mess as long as he didn’t turn that hard-nosed attitude on Elena.
Once the table was clear of water and debris, Pereira encouraged everyone to return to their seats. The staff brought out the remaining dishes and the meal continued with relative ease, although he noticed the woman next to Elena kept a close eye on the pair of candelabras for the duration of the meal.
After dessert they adjourned back to the drawing room for cocktails, and Elena excused herself to speak with the hostess. Liam suspected she was as tired and ready to put this night behind them as he was, but she knew he couldn’t leave without a commitment from Silva, and she was giving him the opportunity to get it.
When he turned to seek out Silva, he was surprised to find the minister at his side.
“I’ve been following the unrest in Valeria,” Silva said, “and I wanted to see what kind of man I would be dealing with, should we forge this alliance.”
“And?” Liam asked, draining his glass. If Silva was stringing him along, he was screwed. He had other options, but he was running out of time.
“I am pleased to see you are the shrewd negotiator I was promised.”
Liam grinned. “Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you.”
“You impressed me this evening, and your friend is quite charming,” Silva said, nodding to Elena. She stood with her back to them, chatting with the ambassador’s wife as she gestured to one of the paintings on the wall. “I admit I wasn’t sure what to expect when my secretary informed me you’d be bringing Miss Murphy, but her knowledge of Caridosoan art was rather impressive, and I thoroughly enjoyed her company. Despite the unfortunate incident with the flowers.”
“Accidents happen,” Liam said through gritted teeth.
“That they do,” Silva said. “Although it’s true some people seem more prone than others.”
Was this arsehole really going to use Elena’s accident as leverage? Or worse, a reason to back out of the trade agreement? It wasn’t like she’d caughthimon fire.
Bloody hell.
The man was talking in circles, giving nothing away. It was time to cut the bullshit. “Does this mean we have a deal?”
“Let’s just say I am not the type of man to set economic policy based on rumors and hearsay. I was impressed by the way you handled yourself during dinner. You stepped up to help Miss Murphy shoulder the burden of responsibility, though it wasn’t yours to bear. That takes great character. The kind of character Caridoso seeks in its allies.” Silva sipped his wine, seeming to come to a decision. “I believe we can come to mutually beneficial terms. I’ll have my office send over a revised proposal early next week.”
“Should I expect to see the changes I’ve requested reflected in the new proposal?” Liam asked, palms itching with anticipation.
“I believe we will be able to accommodate your requests,” Silva said, giving a curt nod. “They were…reasonable.”
“Splendid,” Liam said, relief flooding his veins as he extended his hand to the other man. Their Majesties would be pleased to hear the trade agreement was well on its way to being signed, sealed, and delivered. And with the trade agreement locked down, he could shift his attention to the bigger opportunity—Spartan. “I look forward to doing business with Caridoso, and I personally hope this is the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership.”
“Funny,” Silva said, giving him a sly smile as he tossed Liam’s own words back at him. “I was just going to say the same thing about your friendship with Miss Murphy.”
Chapter Nineteen
