Читать книгу The Gold Collection - Ким Лоренс, Maggie Cox - Страница 31

‘I’VE decided that we should have a honeymoon.’

Lauren opened her eyes to find Ramon leaning over her, looking disgustingly wide awake despite the fact that they had both had very little sleep the previous night.

‘All right,’ she mumbled, snuggling deeper under the sheet.

‘Where would you like to go?’

She glanced at the clock, and firmly closed her eyes once more. ‘Do we have to decide at seven o’clock in the morning?’

Ramon studied her, noting how the early-morning sunshine slanting through the blinds had turned her hair to pure gold. Her mouth was slightly swollen from his kisses, and recalling the taste of her and the feel of her soft lips parting beneath his he felt unbearably tempted to make love to her again. But she was clearly exhausted after their energetic wedding night, he thought, a feeling of tenderness tempering his hunger. Lauren was his wife now, and they had all the time in the world.

‘We need to make plans so that I can mobilise the staff,’ he told her.

Lauren gave up trying to sleep and rolled onto her back, her heart missing a beat when she met Ramon’s warm sherry-gold gaze. ‘You make it sound like a military operation. Why would the staff need to come on our honeymoon?’

‘I have a villa in Barcelona. I thought we could take Mateo to the beaches there, and there are plenty of designer shops for you in the centre of the city. But there are no permanent staff at the villa, so we will need to take a cook and a butler, and other household staff—and Cathy, of course, for Mateo.’

‘It’s going to be quite a crowded honeymoon, then,’ Lauren murmured, her initial excitement fading a little now that it sounded as though their stay at the villa would be as formal as life at the castle. ‘To be honest, I think Matty is a bit young for the beach—we’ll spend all our time trying to stop him eating the sand. And I really don’t need to do any more shopping,’ she added ruefully.

In the two weeks prior to the wedding Ramon had insisted on taking her shopping in Madrid several times, and her wardrobes were now bursting with couture clothes from all the top design houses.

‘Couldn’t we go somewhere on our own—just you, me and Matty? Do you remember that weekend we spent at a lodge in Scotland?’ She smiled, remembering the trip they had made to the beautiful Scottish Highlands a month or so before she had found out that she was pregnant and their relationship had been blown apart. Ramon had been so relaxed that weekend, and had made love to her so tenderly in front of a blazing log fire that she had found herself falling ever deeper in love with him. ‘It would be nice to go somewhere peaceful,’ she said wistfully.

In the hectic run up to the wedding she had barely spent any time with him, and as the castle had been full of his various relatives they had had no chance to be alone.

Ramon frowned. ‘Scotland will be cold at this time of year. But if it’s mountains you want, I know of a place that is quiet and peaceful, with just the sound of a stream outside the house to disturb us. But it’s not much—just a simple lodge. And there isn’t room for any of the staff.’

‘It sounds perfect,’ Lauren assured him.

She knew many of her friends back in London would love to have an army of staff to take care of the cooking, housework and childcare, but she found the stiff formality of the castle rather stifling, and she didn’t think she would ever get used to the maids bobbing a curtsy every time they saw the new Duquesa.

Ramon dropped a kiss on her mouth. ‘That’s settled, then. I’ll instruct the staff to pack for us, and we’ll leave in a couple of hours.’

‘This is spectacular,’ Lauren said in an awed voice a few hours later, as she climbed out of the four-by-four Ramon had driven from the castle up into the Cantabrian mountains. Below them was a lush green valley, with farmhouses dotted here and there, and orange and almond groves in full bloom. The stream that threaded through the valley was glinting like a silver ribbon in the sunshine. All around the wooden lodge where they were to stay were tall pine trees, and rising up behind them were the higher peaks of the mountains, capped with snow that sparkled pure white against the cornflower-blue sky.

The lodge was as basic as Ramon had said, but perfectly comfortable, with a large sitting room and kitchen, a main bedroom with a bathroom leading off it, and a smaller room where they would set up a travel cot for Matty.

They unpacked the car, and then Ramon took charge of his son while Lauren spread out a rug on the grass and opened the picnic hamper the castle cook had prepared for them.

‘What a heavenly place,’ she murmured, her eyes drawn to the towering mountains. ‘Do you often come up here?’

Ramon carefully spooned some yogurt into Matty’s mouth while the baby was distracted by playing with the car keys. ‘Not as much as I would like. The responsibilities of running the company and the castle estate leave me with little free time, but when I was a boy I came up here most weekends, to hike or to fish in the mountain lakes.’

Lauren nodded. ‘I can understand why. I love it here. And I love picnics. I always seem to eat twice as much when I’m out in the fresh air,’ she said ruefully as she bit into another smoked salmon sandwich. ‘I must admit I prefer meals like this much more than the formal dinners we have at the castle, with the butler and a dozen servants in attendance—even for just the two of us.’

Ramon frowned at her outburst. ‘It has always been the tradition for the Duque and Duquesa to dine in the great hall. Even when my sisters and I were little my parents insisted that we should dress for dinner each evening, and we were expected to sit through five courses and make polite conversation without fidgeting or appearing bored.’

‘Do you mean that you never ate pizza in front of the TV? Or invited a few friends round and slung steaks on the barbecue?’ Lauren said in astonishment.

‘Certainly not. I was brought up always to be aware of my position and to act accordingly.’

She grimaced. ‘No wonder you looked shocked when you caught me eating ice-cream out of the tub at your apartment in London—and when I ordered Chinese takeaway and insisted that we picnicked on the living room floor. What on earth did you think of me?’ she muttered, blushing at the memory.

She doubted Pilar Fernandez would experiment with chopsticks to eat sweet-and-sour chicken balls, and dribble the sauce down her chin. It emphasised yet again that she did not belong in Ramon’s world, Lauren thought dismally.

‘I thought you were fun,’ he told her, smiling when she stared at him in surprise. ‘I’d never met anyone like you before. You liked to do crazy things, like walking in the rain, and cooking bacon sandwiches after we had made love for hours and were starving.’

‘Don’t remind me,’ she groaned.

‘I could relax with you,’ Ramon said quietly.

He hadn’t realised how much he had enjoyed being with her until she had ended their affair and he had returned to Spain soon after, to help care for his dying father.

‘I loved my parents, but my childhood was restrictive,’ he admitted. ‘I was brought up mainly by my governess, and I only saw my father for an hour each evening, when I was summoned to his study so that he could tell me about my ancestors, and the history of the castle, and instruct me on the duties I would one day take on when I became the Duque de Velaquez.’

‘Did you want to be a duque?’ Lauren asked curiously, trying to imagine him as a little boy, perhaps not many years older than Matty, being taught the responsibilities that lay ahead of him.

Ramon hesitated. It had been impressed on him by his father that a duque should be strong and in control of his emotions. From a young age he had understood that he must never cry—even when he had been thrown from his horse and had broken his arm. The lessons of his childhood were deeply ingrained, and he did not find it easy to confide his thoughts and feelings. But Lauren was his wife, and he realised that for their marriage to stand a chance he must now learn to open up a little.

Ramon’s sudden grin reminded Lauren of the relaxed, carefree lover she’d had a passionate affair with eighteen—no, nineteen months ago. ‘Actually, I wanted to be an astronaut,’ he told her, laughing when she gave him a disbelieving look. ‘I had a passion for science—especially physics, which I studied at university. After I completed my Masters degree I was offered the opportunity to study with the American Space Agency.’

Lauren’s eyes widened. ‘Did you take it? Why ever not?’ she demanded when he shook his head.

‘I couldn’t,’ he said with a shrug. ‘I was the only son and heir of the Duque de Velaquez and I always knew that my life was to be at the castle, running the winery and the estate, and heading other Velaquez business interests.’

‘So you sacrificed your dream for duty,’ Lauren said slowly.

Ramon’s strong sense of duty must have been ingrained in him as soon as he had been old enough to understand his family’s noble heritage, she realised. And as the only son he had grown up knowing that he must marry—not necessarily for love. He must choose a woman with a similar noble pedigree to provide the next Velaquez heir.

It was small wonder he had never considered that an affair with his English mistress could ever lead to a deeper relationship. Even if he had begun to care for her, as she had hoped at the time, she understood now that he would not have put what he wanted before his duty to his family—he would never have allowed himself to fall in love with her.

‘So, did you never come up here to the lodge with your father?’ she asked curiously.

‘No. I had various tutors. One of them enjoyed the outdoor life, and used to accompany me. I was educated at the castle because my father feared that I might make unsuitable friendships if I went to school,’ Ramon explained when Lauren gave him a puzzled look. ‘I only ever socialised with young people from a similar social standing to my own. It was only when I went to university that I realised how stifling my upbringing had been,’ he admitted.

‘I’m surprised your father agreed to you going to uni,’ Lauren commented.

‘It took me a long time to persuade him.’ Ramon sighed heavily. ‘And then I gave him good reason to regret his decision by falling madly in love with a topless model and announcing my intention to marry her.’

Lauren gave him a startled glance, feeling a sharp stab of jealousy that Ramon, whose heart was made of granite, could ever have been ‘madly in love’.

‘But I thought it was your duty to marry a woman from the Spanish nobility? What did you father say?’

‘Naturally he was horrified, and tried to dissuade me. But I was eighteen, enjoying my first taste of freedom, and I was hell-bent on making Catalina my bride. That’s when my father took action.’ Ramon’s smile faded as he remembered the pain he had felt when he had learned that he had been betrayed by the woman he had loved.

‘He employed a private investigator, who discovered that Catalina had a lover. The lover was a drug addict, who needed money for his habit, and so Catalina came up with a plan to seduce the wet-behind-the-ears son of a wealthy duque, persuade him to marry her, and then make a mint from the divorce settlement. Armed with these facts, my father dragged me along to the hotel where he knew Catalina and her lover met in secret, and presented me with the two of them naked in bed together.’

‘Ow,’ Lauren murmured sympathetically. ‘That can’t have been a good moment.’

‘There were plenty of others just as bad when the press got hold of the story. My humiliation was very public,’ Ramon said dryly. ‘I felt a fool—and, worse, I knew I had greatly disappointed my father. I soon got over Catalina, once I had seen that she was a mercenary slut, and in a way the whole sordid experience was good for me—because it taught me to be careful who I trusted. The Velaquez fortune is a powerful aphrodisiac for many women,’ he drawled sardonically.

‘Not for me,’ Lauren told him firmly, horrified that he might have thought her to be a gold-digger when she had first met him. ‘I was determined to train for a good career so that I could earn my own money and never be reliant on any man.’

‘Your desire for independence is all very well, but you were wrong to keep my son a secret from me,’ Ramon said harshly. ‘You put what you wanted before the needs of our child.’

Lauren bit her lip. ‘I’ve already explained that I didn’t think you would want our baby when you’d just told me that you intended to marry an aristocratic bride. If I had known that you would love your child, regardless of his mother’s social standing, I would have told you I was pregnant the night we broke up.’

The tense silence that fell between them was broken by Matty, who had grown bored with playing with the car keys and made a grab for the pot of yogurt, chuckling when yogurt flew through the air and landed on Ramon’s shirt.

‘You have to admit he’s got a great aim,’ his father commented as Lauren hastily took the yogurt pot from Matty, before he could spread its contents any further.

She glanced at Ramon, worried that he was annoyed with Matty, but Ramon laughed as he gathered him into his arms and lifted him high in the air, so that the baby squealed with delight.

‘Even if you had told me, I don’t think I would have had any concept of what having a child really meant. Nor would I have known that I could feel such a strength of love for my son,’ he admitted in a low tone. ‘Until I saw Mateo for the first time I had viewed having a child as a duty, to ensure the Velaquez name. I had never imagined what it would be like to be a father, to feel this absolute, overwhelming love for another human being and know that I would gladly give my life for his.’

Lauren swallowed the sudden lump in her throat, startled by the raw emotion in Ramon’s voice. ‘I know what you mean,’ she said huskily. ‘The first time I held him I was swamped by the most intense love for him, and everything else, including my career, suddenly seemed unimportant.’

Her eyes locked with Ramon’s in a moment of shared parental pride for their son. Matty linked them together inextricably, she realised. For the first time since the wedding she felt a sense of calm acceptance that she had done the right thing by marrying Ramon, and that giving up her career was a small sacrifice when it meant that her baby would grow up with both his parents. But hearing Ramon voice his love for Matty made her heart ache with longing that he would love her too.

‘I always respected my father, but it was not until the last months of his life that I realised how much I loved him, and that he loved me,’ Ramon admitted deeply. ‘I was taught that men should be strong and hide their emotions. But my sisters’ husbands are all excellent fathers, who do not believe it is a sign of weakness to show their love for their children. I want to be like them, but it is hard to change the habits that have been ingrained from childhood.’ He hesitated. ‘I need you to help me be a good father, Lauren.’

The note of uncertainty in his voice tugged on Lauren’s heart. It took a strong man to admit he felt vulnerable, and she loved him even more for his honesty. Without pausing to think what he might make of her actions, she leaned towards him and pressed her mouth to his olive-skinned cheek. ‘You’re already doing brilliantly,’ she told him softly. ‘Parenting is all new to me too, but we can learn together.’

‘That sounds good, querida,’ Ramon murmured, turning his head so that his lips brushed over hers in a gentle kiss that stirred her soul.

There had been an unspoken promise in that kiss, of their unity in doing their best for their child, Lauren mused a little while later, when Matty had fallen asleep and they’d carried him back to the lodge. He did not stir when they laid him in the travel cot, and as they crept from the room and shut the door it suddenly struck her that she and Ramon were alone—and this was their honeymoon.

He must have read her mind, because he swept her up into his arms and strode into the main bedroom, the hungry gleam in his eyes causing her heart-rate to quicken. ‘I think our son’s idea of a siesta is an excellent idea,’ he stated, as he placed her on the bed and began to unbutton his shirt.

‘You’re planning to go to sleep?’ she asked him, her voice emerging as a husky whisper as desire flooded between her thighs.

‘No. I’m planning to spend the next hour making love to you,’ he promised her, feeling a gentle tug on his heart when he looked into her eyes. He smiled at her quiver of delight when he knelt above her and slid his hands beneath her tee shirt to cup her bare breasts in his palms. Her skin felt like satin beneath his fingertips, and with a groan Ramon tugged her shirt over her head and closed his mouth around one taut nipple and then its twin.

He swiftly removed the rest of their clothes, the urgency of his desire for her making him uncharacteristically clumsy. But Lauren did not mind when she heard her cotton skirt rip. Her impatience matched his. She obligingly lifted her hips so that he could tug her knickers down, sighing with pleasure when he caressed her gently with his fingers before moving over her. He made love to her with tenderness as well as passion, each deep stroke taking her higher and higher, until with a cry she reached the pinnacle and fell back down, to be held safe in his arms.

They spent a glorious week in the mountains. Away from the responsibilities of being a duque, and running a multi-million-pound company, Ramon relaxed and became once more the charismatic, witty and amusing lover Lauren had fallen in love with in London almost two years before. It was a chance for them to rediscover the companionship they had once shared, and to focus on being parents to their son.

Lauren privately decided that they should escape the formality of the castle and come to the lodge for a least a few days every month.

The honeymoon had been a turning point in their relationship, she thought some weeks later, as she stepped into the elegant cream silk dress she had chosen to wear to the christening of Ramon’s new nephews. Two weeks after they had married his sister Valentina had given birth to twin boys. The christening service was to be held in the castle’s private chapel and, knowing that Valentina was run off her feet now that she had four children, Lauren had offered to organise the reception.

Ramon emerged from the en suite bathroom, rubbing his hand over his newly shaven jaw. His steps slowed when he saw her, and his sensual smile evoked the familiar ache in her chest. ‘You look beautiful, mi corazón.’

Her heart leapt at the discernible tenderness in his voice. It was not the first time he had called her ‘his heart’, but she must not get her hopes too high that he meant the endearment literally, she reminded herself. And yet in the weeks since their wedding she had felt that they were growing closer—mainly due, it was true, to their intensely passionate sex life. In bed they were dynamite—and they were in bed a lot, she acknowledged with a smile.

Ramon worked long hours, but this gave him the excuse to insist on early nights and lazy Sunday mornings, and of course there were numerous occasions when he took a coffee break that just happened to coincide with Matty’s afternoon nap!

He might not love her, but he made love to her with a dedication that bordered on the obsessive. And, while their relationship was not exactly what she longed for, Lauren told herself that she was content with what she had. Ramon did not do anything lightly, and the dedicated playboy had transformed into an equally dedicated husband and father.

‘I hope I haven’t forgotten anything,’ she murmured, running through a checklist of preparations in her mind. ‘I want the party to be perfect for Valentina.’

‘It will be perfect. I know you, querida,’ Ramon said confidently. ‘I’ve no doubt you have planned things with military precision—just as you organised the other three parties we have hosted since we got married.’

He had been impressed with the enthusiasm with which she had organised the events: two business dinners, and a reception for local dignitaries. Lauren had taken on her role of Duquesa with the same determination with which she approached every aspect of her life—especially motherhood.

But Ramon was aware that although she was devoted to Mateo she was sometimes bored with life at the castle. Most women would be happy to spend their time shopping with an unlimited credit card and visiting beauty parlours, but he had realised long ago that his wife was not most women, he thought wryly.

As he walked over to her he took a slim velvet box from his pocket. ‘For you—because when I saw them they reminded me of the creaminess of your skin,’ he murmured, pushing her hair over her shoulder so that he could fasten the string of pearls around her slender throat.

The necklace was exquisite, each pearl separated from the next by a tiny sparkling diamond which caught the light when Lauren turned her head. ‘It’s lovely, but you shouldn’t keep buying me things,’ she protested.

‘Ah, but today is a special day,’ he said, feeling the tremor that ran through her when he brushed his lips up her neck and lingered on the sensitive spot behind her ear. ‘Today is the six-week anniversary of our wedding day. Did you think I had forgotten?’ he queried softly, knowing that she was remembering that disastrous night in London, when she had wanted to celebrate the six-month anniversary of their affair.

‘You said you didn’t set great store by anniversaries,’ she reminded him.

He smiled. ‘But that was then, and this is now. Things have changed. I have changed, querida. And I think six weeks of marriage is worth celebrating, don’t you?’

Her reply was lost beneath the hungry pressure of his mouth, and a long time later Lauren had to re-apply her lipstick before they hurried down to the great hall to greet the guests.

Later that afternoon the one hundred or so guests trooped back from the chapel to the castle after a beautiful christening service, to toast the birth of Valentina’s newborn sons—Sancho and Tadeo.

They were adorable, Lauren mused. She had forgotten how tiny new babies were. Matty looked huge in comparison, and now that he was walking he just loved being part of the gang, getting up to mischief with his older cousins. His first birthday a few weeks ago had been a day of mixed emotions for both her and Ramon. She had shown him photos of Matty, some taken when he was a few hours old. But now, as she watched Ramon cradling one of his new nephews, she knew he was thinking of all the precious time he had missed in his own son’s life.

Juanita had also been observing her brother, and now she strolled over to Lauren and Ramon. ‘You’re going to have to hurry up and have another baby, Lauren, if you want to catch us up,’ she said cheerfully. ‘Alissa has three, I have two, and now Valentina has four. It’s definitely your turn next.’

There had been a lull in conversation among the guests assembled in the drawing room, and Juanita’s words drew several curious glances in Lauren’s direction. Conscious of Ramon’s sudden intent scrutiny, she forced a smile. ‘Mateo is only just over a year old, and for now I’m happy to enjoy him,’ she said lightly.

The awkward moment passed, but the conversation with Juanita stuck in Lauren’s mind for the rest of the afternoon. It would be nice to give Matty a little brother or sister, she acknowledged, and she knew, although they had not discussed the subject, that Ramon wanted more children. She sighed and wandered over to the window, watching Valentina pushing an enormous pram around the garden.

Why wasn’t motherhood enough for her, as it was for Ramon’s sisters? she asked herself dismally. She adored Matty, and loved being with him, but sometimes she was ashamed to admit that she longed to use her brain—and she missed her job. Perhaps when Matty was older she would be able to return to her career, she told herself. She did not want to work full-time; she loved being with her son too much to want to be away from him for any length of time. But one day she hoped to work part-time hours and regain a little of her independence.

Ramon had disappeared to take a phone call. It occurred to Lauren that he had been gone for ages, and she guessed the call was related to Velaquez Conglomerates. She hoped he would not have to rush off to the company’s headquarters in Madrid, as he sometimes did, but even while she was wondering what was keeping him from the party he walked back into the drawing room and strode over to her, a forbidding expression on his face.

‘Why didn’t you just come out with it and tell Juanita that you are not planning on having any more children because your career is more important to you?’ he demanded coldly.

One glance at his dark face warned Lauren that he was furious, but because of the presence of their guests he was fighting to control his temper.

‘For that matter, why didn’t you tell me that you’re going to be working in London for one week a month—or is the welfare of our son so unimportant to you that you didn’t bother to mention it?’

‘Of course Matty is important to me,’ she said sharply. ‘He is the most important person in my life.’ She frowned. ‘How did you know…?’

‘That you have been offered a job with a law firm in England?’ Ramon finished for her. ‘My mother asked to see the photo album of Mateo when he was first born, and I did not think you would mind if I took it out of your bedside drawer. But when I picked up the album I accidentally picked up this letter that was hidden beneath it.’

Lauren stared down at the letter he had thrust into her hand, and acknowledged that there was little point in denying its contents. ‘I can explain—’ she began, but Ramon cut her off.

‘I’m sure you can,’ he said sardonically. ‘But it is Mateo who will want an explanation when he is a little older—as to why you have chosen to leave him for a week or more every month.’

‘I have no intention of abandoning him,’ she said tightly. ‘And can I point out that you were away on business for three days last week, and you didn’t worry too much about leaving Matty.’

‘That’s different,’ he snapped. ‘I am CEO of Velaquez Conglomerates, and sometimes business trips are unavoidable. But there is absolutely no need for you to work. You cannot deny that I give you everything you could possibly want or need.’

It was debatable whether she needed the numerous pieces of stunning jewellery Ramon had given her since their marriage, or the designer handbags and the wardrobe full of more beautiful clothes than she was ever likely to wear, Lauren thought heavily. She could not fault his generosity. But the fact he believed that material things mattered to her proved that he did not know her at all.

‘I appreciate that it is not necessary for me to work,’ she said quietly, ‘but is it really so wrong to want to do the job I spent years training for? To wish for a little independence that will give me a sense of self-worth?’

‘You and your damned independence,’ Ramon growled impatiently. He did not understand what she wanted. He showered her with gifts in an attempt to make her happy, but hearing her bang on about wanting her independence felt like a slap in the face. ‘Your place is here at the castle, as Mateo’s mother and my wife. I will not allow you to leave our son for days at a time just so that you can follow some selfish whim.’

‘You won’t allow? Am I your prisoner, then, Ramon?’ Lauren gave a bitter laugh, the happiness she had felt earlier in the day when he had given her the pearl necklace draining away.

A couple of guests had wandered into the drawing room, clearly intrigued by the sound of raised voices from their hosts.

‘This is not a suitable time for private discussion,’ Ramon ground out tensely—apparently forgetting that he had initiated the discussion, Lauren thought darkly.

‘I think you should know—’ she began, but he swung round and strode away before she could continue, leaving her staring angrily after him.

‘Oh, dear! Do I sense trouble in paradise?’

Lauren stiffened at the sarcastic comment, and turned to see Pilar Fernandez step out from an alcove by the window. It was plain from her satisfied expression that the Spanish woman had overheard her spat with Ramon, but good manners prevented Lauren from accusing Pilar of eavesdropping.

‘Everything is fine,’ she lied, and knew from the arch of Pilar’s perfectly shaped eyebrows that the beautiful model did not believe her.

There was no escaping the fact that Pilar was absolutely stunning, she thought dismally as she made a lightning inspection of the other woman’s scarlet silk dress, which fitted her fabulous figure like a second skin. She already knew the Fernandez family had been close friends of the Velaquez family for several generations, and Pilar had been at school with Valentina. Ramon had explained this when Lauren had questioned why Pilar had been included on the guest list for the christening party. Her father, Cortez, had suffered a stroke six months ago, and since then had become a recluse who never left the Fernandez home, Casa Madalena.

And so Pilar had attended the party alone—and had spent most of the day flirting with Ramon, Lauren brooded, recalling the sharp knives of jealousy that had stabbed her insides when she had watched the two of them laughing and chatting together.

‘The trouble is that you do not understand a man like Ramon,’ Pilar drawled.

Lauren’s hold on her temper was close to snapping point. ‘And I suppose you do?’ she said tightly.

‘Of course. We are from a similar social background. I am aware that Ramon takes his responsibilities as Duque seriously, and he requires a wife who is suited to the role of Duquesa.’

‘Are you suggesting that you would make Ramon a better wife?’ Lauren demanded, deciding that bluntness was the only way to deal with Pilar’s sly insinuations.

The Spanish woman shrugged. ‘Only Ramon can decide that.’ She inspected her long, perfectly manicured fingernails and said obliquely, ‘Do you know where he spends every Friday afternoon?’

‘He drives out to inspect the vineyards with his estate manager.’ Lauren frowned at the curious question. ‘Why do you ask?’

‘No reason.’ Pilar’s smile was reminiscent of a smug Cheshire cat’s, but she sashayed gracefully back across the room before Lauren could ask her what she meant.