The Mermaid's Curse (California Mermaids Book 1) by Kristina Ludwig Page A

Monterey?”
    “The same thing that brings you here,” she says, laughing. “I’m on holiday.”
    “And where are you from?”
    Oceania waves her hand. “Far away. You probably wouldn’t even know the place if I told you.”
    Father leans toward Oceania, steepling his fingers. “Oh, trust me, I’m quite well-versed in geography.” His sharp, badger-like eyes snap with challenge. “Why don’t you try me?”
    I intervene, just as Oceania draws in a shaky breath. I can tell that Father is already starting to frighten her. I’m sure that she’s never encountered any creature like him in her relatively peaceful mermaid world.
    “Oceania is quite the musician,” I interrupt. “Why don’t we play something for you?”
    Mother springs up from her seat, clapping her hands. “Good fun! What instrument do you play, Miss Oceania?”
    “The sea harp,” Oceania answers quickly. Her face reddens as both my parents stare at her.
    “The sea harp?” Father repeats. “What in tarnation is that?”
    “I—uh—meant the regular harp,” Oceania says, faking a smile. “I don’t know why I added the word ‘sea’ to it. I suppose it’s just the ocean air getting to me.”
    Mother places a hand on Oceania’s shoulder. “I’m sure that’s exactly what it was, dear. The same thing happens to me all the time.” Turning toward the doorway, she calls, “Nelly! Can you fetch us the harp, please?”
    The next few minutes are a flurry of activity as Nelly sets up Amelie’s harp next to the baby grand piano, and Oceania and I take our place in front of the small group.
    As I slide onto the piano bench, I wink at Oceania. If there’s one way to win over my father, it’s with Oceania’s gift of song.
    Although he doesn’t encourage my music, Mother said that Father once told her that he fell madly in love with her the instant he heard her sing in the opera house for the first time.

 
    Chapter Thirty-One: Oceania
     
    “Let’s play ‘our’ song,” Xavier says under his breath, smiling at me. I know instantly that he means the Sonata of the Mermaid .
    So, as Amelie and Xavier’s parents look on, we sail into the music as smoothly as a yacht pushing off from the docks.
    During the first few strains, I look around the room, gauging the reaction of our small audience. Amelie treats me to an encouraging grin, while Arabella sinks into the fainting couch, closing her eyes and moving her hands to the rhythm. Robert, however, reacts completely differently than I’d expected. When he’d been interrogating me earlier, he’d seemed fierce, like a shark going for blood. But now, his dark eyes have gone soft, and the corners of his mouth have vanished into his mustache as he smiles ever-so-slightly. He must feel something like the magic that surges between Xavier and me—all the time, but especially when we play music together.
    I close my eyes, losing myself in the fusion of Xavier’s piano and my harp, our voices floating above the instruments in joyous harmony. When we’ve finished performing the sonata, Arabella and Amelie erupt into a round of applause.
    Robert remains frozen in place for a few seconds after the music has died away, and then he sits up very straight, his eyes wide, as though he’s just come out of a long trance. He claps with the others, adding, “Bully!”
    I have no idea what “bully” means, but from the enthusiastic way he says it, I’m thinking it means something good.
    “You are quite the performer, Miss Oceania,” Robert says, his eyes lit from within and a silly grin on his face. I had no idea he was even capable of looking like this, and I immediately know that he’s probably succumbed to the power of my special talent. “I’ve never heard such beautiful music from anyone, except the women in my family, of course.”
    “Thank you.” I smile graciously, but my feelings of happiness melt away the second that my eyes land on Xavier. He’s grimacing and chewing his bottom lip, and