I couldn’t believe my luck. I’d pulled an all-nighter fixing a sort of corset to throw off obvious suspicions (I was thanking my inginuity and my, ahem, small size), & now here I was in a scarlet Cabinet uniform, complete with Mandarin collar, standing at ease behind the third most powerful man in the world.
So far no one was the wiser.
“So I see you found an advisor?” one of the Cabinet members inquired after a meeting, eyeing me.
“I did. And I think he’ll be just fine.”
“What is your name, sir?” another asked me. I froze; I forgot to think of a name!
“Lazlo,” I stuttered.
“Really?” The Cabinet raised its eyebrows. “Odd name.”
I shrugged easily. Phew.

“You did quite nicely,” Henry whispered to me after the meeting.
“Why thank you, my Primere,” I replied suavely
“You said you sing tenor,” he said rather suddenly. “Could you maybe teach me?”
“Gladly.” I began to sing a ditty I knew as we passed by a small clump of Cabinet members. I drew quite a few glances.
“What’s up with him?” they asked.