He huffed a self-disgusted exhalation. Honestly. He needed to take the hyperbole down a notch or several. Cara Delaney was not bringing good tidings of great joy. If she was an angel, she wasn’t a good one. He arranged his mouth into the shape of a smile but took care that his eyes did not convey any warmth. “Ms. Delaney?”

“Yes.” She stuck out her hand in that aggressive way Americans had. Her nails were varnished in a red so dark it was almost black. “A pleasure to meet you,” she said in a tone that suggested there was in fact nothing whatsoever pleasurable about making his acquaintance as she attempted to break his fingers.

“Likewise,” he murmured, squeezing her hand as hard as she was squeezing his. It was ridiculous, these displays of dominance, when everyone, except perhaps American management consultants, knew that when it came to getting what you wanted, soft power was a great deal more effective than brute force. Bone-crushing handshakes and shoes that should be subject to EU weapons regulations were not only empty signifiers, they suggested an underlying lack of confidence that could be exploited.

He made a mental note.

“I know you’d been working closely with Bradley Wiener to prepare for his arrival,” she said. “I hope getting me instead isn’t too much of a disappointment.”

He was supposed to rush to assure her that she could never be a disappointment. Instead, he kept his face expressionless. “I do hope Mr. Wiener’s health is improving?” To think of all the effort Matteo had invested—speaking of soft power—in . . . well, frankly, in manipulating the Wiener gentleman.

It wasn’t that he thought he could have any real impact on the economic policy of Eldovia. At least not given that the king had made up his mind about the job Ms. Delaney was here to do. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t play a role in shaping how that job was done. In minimizing the chaos and injury she was surely here to visit upon them.

He’d done so much work already on this front with Mr. Wiener, worked to convey the rich culture that was Eldovia, to explain the importance of tradition and continuity. And now he had . . . her. He would have to start all over, just as he was headed into his busiest time of year, too.

Well, there was nothing for it. The only way out was through, onward and upward, etcetera, etcetera.

Ms. Delaney did not address Matteo’s inquiry about her colleague’s health. “I can assure you that Brad has oriented me to the file.”

The file. As if an entire nation, its well-being and prosperity, could be reduced to something so pedestrian as a file. But he needed to remember that in her mind, it could. It already had been.

“I didn’t realize you would be meeting me,” she said.