Page 43 of Devoted to the Spanish Duke
“She looks like the daughter of the Duke of Villabona, but that’s impossible.”
“Could it be her?”
“Whatever could it mean?”
Lisandro smiled and kept walking.
It means a wedding, and an end to a long-running and pointless feud.
Lisandro’s mother fussed over Maria just as her own mother would no doubt do, once she returned home. Within an hour of her arrival at Castle Tolosa, Maria had been bathed, her hair had been washed in goat’s milk soap, and she was wearing a new gown.
“It might not be the latest of fashions, but my daughter left it here when she visited from Madrid in the summer. I would like you to have it,” said the dowager duchess, standing behind her and offering up a warm smile.
Maria considered herself in the mirror. The pale gold, and cream gown was exquisite. It laced up at the back in a way she had not seen before. If the gown came from Madrid, there was every chance that such styling would not reach this corner of Spain for at least another season.
“I couldn’t possibly keep it,” she replied.
The duchess placed a gentle hand on Maria’s arm. “I insist.”
The generosity shown to her by the matriarch of the Aguirre family humbled her. These people weren’t the evil enemy, as she had been led to believe. Instead, the similarity between her family and this one was quite striking.
“You spoil me, Doña Elena,” she replied.
“You are a guest in my home. It is only right and proper that I take care of you. Especially after all that my son tells me you have been through.”
She patted Maria’s arm. “I shall leave you for a moment’s peace. The evening meal will be served shortly out on the terrace.”
After Doña Elena had left the room, Maria spent a few minutes alone giving silent thanks to God that she had been saved. Tonight, she would sleep restfully under the roof of the Duke of Tolosa—the man who had risked his life to come to England and bring her safely back to Spain.
With her clothes and hair now perfect, Maria wandered out onto the terrace. The sun had gone down. What appeared to be a thousand tiny torches were dotted around the three walls which enclosed part of the space. The only side of the terrace not walled in showcased a darkened field. Maria could just make out the rows of grape vines in the subdued light.
Her gaze caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. A tall, dark-haired man approached. She swallowed deep at the sight which held her spellbound.
Lisandro.
She had never seen him dressed in such splendor. Even her vague memories of the ball in Zarautz couldn’t compare to the elegance of him tonight. His long hair had been washed and brushed back, held in place with a strip of black velvet.
His pure black evening jacket was perfectly offset with buckskin trousers and a white linen shirt. The gold of his vest serendipitously matched her gown. She stifled a grin, remembering that neither of them believed in coincidences.
I wonder who planned that?
She beamed with joy as Lisandro bowed low. “Doña Maria, you are truly dazzling in that gown.”
“You scrub up well yourself. For a moment there I wasn’t sure it was you,” she replied.
He offered her his arm, and they strolled out to the edge of the stone paving. Maria pointed at the nearby vines. “What sort of grapes do you grow here?”
“Syrah. They are a dark red, quite strong in flavor. It’s an unusual grape for this region, but I have a palate which likes a full-bodied wine. Some of our local Malaga and Sherry is not to my taste,” he replied.
Maria checked behind her, making certain they were alone. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “I’ve been wanting to kiss you since we arrived. I forgot how things would be once we were back in society,” she said.
He chuckled. “And here was me thinking you were interested in the wine. You are a naughty girl. Come here.”
Lisandro pulled her to him and took her mouth in a scorching kiss. His lips moved over hers with comfortable familiarity. She groaned when their tongues met and tangled.
Someone loudly cleared their throat. The kiss came to an abrupt end. An embarrassed Maria turned her face away.
It’s no longer just the two of you. You can’t be careless in front of others.
