Page 3 of Devoted to the Spanish Duke
“Don de Aguirre, if you don’t step away from my sister, I will kill you,” said Diego.
Sister? Oh no.
The young woman, her face a study in shock, looked from Diego to Lisandro.
“Lisandro de Aguirre? Duke of Tolosa?” she said.
Lisandro nodded. Before this unexpected interruption, he had been on the verge of making introductions. He pointed at Diego. “He is your brother, so that makes you . . .”
Those brown eyes which had held so much promise only a moment ago were solid granite when she met his gaze. “Maria de Elizondo Garza, daughter of the Duke of Villabona. I see I was gravely mistaken in thinking you were a polite and honorable gentleman wishing to make my acquaintance. How foolish of me.”
Sorry, Mamá. There goes that chance of fulfilling your wish for bebés.
Taking a quick step back, Lisandro gave a curt bow. “My apologies, I should have told you who I was sooner.” He turned on his heel and walked away. The last thing he wanted to do was to cause a scandal. Attempting to seek favor with the unwed daughter of his family’s worst enemy would certainly do that.
But Diego de Elizondo blocked his way back into the gathering. When Lisandro took one step to the side, intending to go around him, the young noble, his face set hard, mirrored his move.
Don’t do anything foolish Lisandro. You were talking to his sister; let him have his moment of indignation.
Diego was a good seven inches shorter than Lisandro, who stood at six-foot-four-inches in height. And while he may have only come up to Lisandro’s shoulder, he clearly made up for his lack of stature in temper. He stepped closer to Lisandro and pushed hard against his chest.
“What the devil were you doing near my sister?” he demanded.
“Nothing. I merely spoke to her. Believe me, if I had known who she was, I would not have done so,” replied Lisandro.
Anger flashed in Diego’s eyes, and he launched himself at Lisandro a second time. Lisandro took a deft step back, which had his attacker staggering as he touched only thin air. Lisandro determinedly held his composure.
Hot-headed fool. Why would you wish to start a fight at a royal wedding celebration?
Other guests began to file out from the palace, milling around the pair. Lisandro shook his head. Of course, people wanted to see a fight. The spectacle would give them plenty to talk about for the rest of the evening.
His gaze took in the quickly coalescing mob. He had seen this all too many times before and was not going to give anyone that sort of satisfaction—especially at his expense.You people couldn’t care less about either of our families. You just want to see blood spilt. Damn the lot of you.
“Diego de Elizondo, I apologize for any offence I may have caused to you, your sister or your family.” Lisandro spied a gap in the crowd and made his way toward it. Thankfully, Diego didn’t attempt to follow.
Lisandro didn’t want to fight anyone. He was more concerned with his bitter disappointment at discovering that the woman who had captured his attention tonight was someone he could never befriend, let alone form a relationship.
The only thing worse than being forced to attend a dull party was having made a fool of himself while trying to win over the daughter of his enemy.
As soon as the Duke of Tolosa had disappeared, Maria and Diego locked gazes.
Here we go.
She gritted her teeth, remaining silent while the other guests wandered back to the party. There was more than one grumble of disappointment about the lack of a brawl.
Her brother was furious. And since Lisandro de Aguirre had not given him the satisfaction of a public row, there was every chance that she would be next in Diego’s line of fire.
He didn’t disappoint.
“Why were you here on the terrace alone?”
“I wanted some fresh air. And to get away from the gossip. I have heard enough whispers of dissent about the king tonight to know that this is a dangerous place,” she replied.
“Yes, there are too many people here being indiscreet with their words. But coming out here without a chaperone was also a foolish thing to do. You cannot be seen speaking to Don de Aguirre. How do you think that will look to Count Delgado?” he asked.
Maria bit back a sharp retort. It seemed that everything she did lately was viewed through the lens of what Count Juan Delgado Grandes would think and the impact her actions might have on her bride price. The sooner the betrothal negotiations between her father and Don Delgado were concluded, the better.
“I didn’t know who he was until you arrived. But before then he was polite, and we engaged in a pleasant conversation. The instant I discovered his identity, I made my position regarding him quite clear,” she replied.
