“To—” Justin stopped. “Yes. You have. Haven’t you.” His tone seemed flatter. Neutral.
“I’m—” Arthur cut himself off. Earlier words had caught up. “The Minister of Agriculture? I wanted to be there! I have the numbers for the wheat exports!”
“Go.” Justin fluttered a hand at him. “Deal with your wheat. Distract yourself. Think about at least buying time. If you want him, if he wants you…you should take what you can.”
* * * *
The agricultural meeting went well, or Arthur thought it did. He ran into his mother’s office two minutes early, clutching notes; Tatiana gave him a scolding look that was also appraising, as if taking in his distraction and likely reasons.
He sat up straighter. He pulled out charts. Lots of market data. Trends. Neatly copied.
The Minister of Agriculture arrived, y
