Page 49 of Devoted to the Spanish Duke
“Lisandro?”
He clenched his hands into tight fists. The notion that he might had missed knowing her or winning her love threatened to overwhelm him with despair. This woman had always been his destiny.
“I love you. No matter what happens today, you must know that you will hold my heart always.” Lisandro pulled Maria to him and held her tight.
She put her arms around him and nestled her head against his chest. “I love you too. And because of our love, I know we shall succeed.”
They held one another for a time, neither speaking. Lisandro went through the plan in his head, refusing to consider the hundred or so ways it could go wrong. Of what today might cost them.
We will not fail. Today, the good and righteous will win.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Maria managed to hold her nerve steady for the rest of the morning and the short ride to the convent of Saint Casilda. To say that the abbess was surprised to see the Duke of Tolosa and the daughter of the Duke of Villabona on her doorstep would have been an understatement.
“I will ride on to your home and present myself to your father. If things go well, I shall return here later this afternoon. If there is any problem, I will try to send word,” he said.
She wiped away tears, determined not to break down. “Diego will not fail us.”
“I hope so. Our lives may depend on it.”
The response of her brother to Lisandro’s secret missive the previous night would be crucial in this final stage of the rescue. Things were already set in motion, and Maria could only pray that Diego would come to their meeting point well prepared for any trouble.
Lisandro patted the side of his coat. Under it was a loaded pistol; the matching one was strapped to his leg. She had sat on the giant bed in Lisandro’s room and observed him dressing. Apart from the pistols, there were three small knives hidden about his clothing. The only obvious weapon was his ceremonial sword which hung from the belt around his waist. If anyone tried to disarm Lisandro, they were going to be in for the fight of their lives.
She wanted to be there, standing alongside him when he met with her father, but she understood the best place for her was somewhere where she could be protected. If things went according to plan, and the villains who had sought to harm her were unmasked, there would come a time when she could seek justice.
Lisandro walked over to his horse, and Maria followed him. They embraced one last time and he gifted her with a tender kiss.
She stared into his brown eyes, praying that it would not be for the last time. “You come back to me, Lisandro de Aguirre. I am not finished with you.”
“I promise I will. We have a wedding to plan and a life to live together.”
He mounted his horse and turned its head toward the front gate of the convent. With a ‘ya,’ he dug in his heels and the horse quickly rode away.
Maria prayed she would see him again.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Lisandro didn’t look back as he rode out of the gate of the convent. As he’d turned away, he’d caught a glimpse of tears shining in Maria’s eyes and he was determined that if things did go awry, his last memory of her would not be one of sadness.
Today I will claim what is mine, and those who have sought to harm Maria shall pay.
It was a little more than two miles from the village of Irura to Castle Villabona. At a gallop, his horse could travel the winding mountain pass in less than fifteen minutes. But once he reached the main road, Lisandro drew back on the reins and slowed his mount. His gaze searched the snaking track ahead.
Trees dotted the steep hillside to his left, while on the other side of the road, the lush, green grassland fell away until it reached the valley floor. Lisandro knew this mountain path well.
Where are you?
He urged his mount on again. Rounding a bend, he caught sight of a group of men riding toward him. He held his breath.
As they drew near, the hooded man at the head of the group raised his hand. By the time the two parties met one another, they were at a walk.
“The Englishman was spotted in the village this morning, and Perez met with him. He is still playing the innocent, of course, but after your note was received last night, the scales finally fell from my father’s eyes, mine too,” said Diego.
He and Maria had left Bilbao only just in time.
Thank God I saw him outside the cathedral. He must have had spies watching the city gates.
