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

I know why; although his voice and piano were hauntingly lovely, his father didn’t so much as acknowledge his performance. “I couldn’t have done it without Xavier. Isn’t he a fine musician?”
    The grin falls off Robert’s face, and he waves the suggestion off the way I would shoo away a bothersome sea crab. “Certainly. Music is a nice hobby for him, but don’t be expecting him to keep practicing with you forever—he has a fortune to make in the banking business, after all.”
    “Everything isn’t about money,” Xavier mumbles under his breath, but his voice is lost as Arabella cries, “Miss Oceania, my dear. What an honor it was to hear you perform.” She shivers a bit. “It was almost…otherworldly. Please tell me that you’re considering a vocation in the opera. You have so much potential that it would be fairly criminal not to.”
    “Thanks,” I say, feeling my face heat up. I’m not used to such effusive praise. So far, the only person who hasn’t gushed all over me has been Amelie. “But as far as singing in the opera, I—uh, hadn’t really thought much about it.”
    “Well, you must think of it,” she persists, clasping her hands. “Why don’t you come to our party this Saturday evening, dear? You can perform before all of our friends, to build your confidence. Some of our guests are patrons of the arts, and you’ll make just the right connections.” She glances at her husband. “Don’t you think that’s a wonderful idea, Robert?”
    Robert frowns for a moment, beckoning Arabella to his side. She floats across the room, and the two carry on a brief discussion in hushed tones. However, a mermaid’s sense of hearing is quite well-developed—it has to be, to discern all the nuances of underwater life. So, naturally, I hear everything.
    “We can’t invite this girl to the party,” Robert says. “What about Victoria?”
    “What about her?” Arabella says. “We’ll have many guests, dear. Why not one more, especially one this talented? The arts need her.”
    “But how will Xavier pay attention to both women? And we still don’t know who this Oceania really is. Why, we don’t even know where she’s from!”
    “With a voice like that, it doesn’t matter. And besides, Xavier is twenty-one. Don’t you think it’s about time that he makes his own decisions about women?”
    “But all that money—”
    “I came into our marriage with barely a penny to my name. But that didn’t stop you from falling in love with me, did it?”

 
    Chapter Thirty-Two: Xavier
     
    My parents confer in the corner, and I hope desperately that my mother will work her persuasive magic once again. She’s the only person in the world who can sway my father, although I must admit that he’d seemed spellbound by Oceania’s voice and harp. I’ve never seen him grin like that for so long.
    Oceania is sitting on the edge of the seat by the harp, watching my parents intently. I wonder whether she can hear what they’re saying; I certainly can’t.
    Amelie slumps back on the couch, rolling her eyes at my parents’ rudeness. I’ve never known them to talk about a guest, right when she’s present. But finally, they turn back to us and Father says, “Of course, Miss Oceania, you are welcome to join us this Saturday, if your schedule allows. And you must bring your family with you. We’d like to meet your parents.”
    Of course he’d like to meet her parents, most likely to judge them and tell me how inferior they are to Mr. and Mrs. Simonsen.
    Oceania swallows hard. “I’m afraid that will be impossible, sir. My parents aren’t here. I’m traveling alone.”
    “A young girl like you, traveling without a chaperone?” Father blusters. “That’s unheard of.”
    “Where I come from, it’s quite normal, actually,” Oceania says.
    Amelie sucks in her breath, and both Father and Mother stare at Oceania, probably wondering where she might possibly be from. Luckily, Father doesn’t ask