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‘El Duque has left us to attend to his responsibilities in the city,’ the woman explained, confirming Sadie’s worst fears. She’d been deserted again.
And so ends the fairy tale, she thought, biting back tears as she faced the reality of Alejandro’s leaving her. Thanking the woman, she walked away, heading for the shower block. She stood beneath the water for a long time until she was calm again, and knew exactly what she had to do. After towelling down, she dressed and headed for Marissa’s caravan, where she would pack and change into suitable clothes for the journey. She wouldn’t be returning to Madrid with her tail between her legs. This was an opportunity to seize back control of her life and put the past in its proper context.
* * *
Leaving Sadie was the hardest thing he had ever had to do, and he hated himself for having to do it so abruptly. He could only hope she’d read the note he’d left on the bed, and understood that this trip was unavoidable. Protecting Sadie from more hurt was paramount. That, and a growing business crisis in Madrid, meant he had no option but to call for one of his company helicopters to collect him right away. Waking Sadie, who had been sleeping so peacefully, would serve no purpose, other than to worry her.
Would she wait? Would she trust him? Would she trust him enough?
For once in his charmed existence, he couldn’t be sure, but neither could he be in two places at once, and with Sadie’s welfare at the forefront of his mind, as well as the livelihoods of those families who depended on him, he had no choice but to return at once.
Trying to raise Sadie on the phone to make sure she’d got his note proved fruitless. For some reason, she wasn’t picking up. If she’d missed the note, he could only imagine how she was feeling. Placing a call to Marissa, and then to Maria at his house in the mountains as his helicopter soared high above the land, proved equally frustrating. Why was no one answering? Sadie had been through enough without him adding to her distress.
Without the love and guidance of Chef Sorollo, Sadie could have been lost down the cracks like so many other unwanted children.
Alejandro had always been a firm believer in confronting demons before they had chance to gain a hold, but Sadie had been all alone up to the point where she met Chef Sorollo and had chosen to avoid them by throwing herself into work. If she couldn’t come to terms with the fact that her mother didn’t want her, she would never leave the nightmare behind. His mission was to help her to do that, and as soon as he’d dealt with the crisis in Madrid, that was exactly what he would do.
* * *
The mountains had certainly changed everything for her, Sadie thought as she shared a tearful goodbye with Marissa. She had made some wonderful friends, and the clean mountain air had cleared her mind as well as her lungs, making things she’d avoided for far too long seem suddenly like urgent matters to deal with.
Marissa insisted on driving her to the airport in a battered old Jeep that had seen better days.
‘You should ask Alejandro to buy you a new one,’ Sadie joked as the gears ground a noisy complaint.
‘Why should I?’ Marissa patted the steering wheel fondly. ‘This old girl might have caused me some trouble, but she hasn’t got the better of me yet.’
Sadie had one wobbly moment when they drove past Castillo Fuego, but, firming her resolve, she silently thanked Alejandro for giving her the opportunity to learn so much about the wonderful mountain community.
‘As soon as the equipment is delivered, I’ll be back to check everything is working as it should be, and that Maria is happy with her new kitchen,’ she promised.
‘And Alejandro?’ Marissa probed gently.
‘If he’s here I’ll see him, I guess. Ours is a professional relationship,’ she said, frowning as if to convince herself.
Marissa’s mouth firmed, as if she had to stop herself saying something she might regret, and they drove the rest of the way to the airport in silence. That was almost a relief for Sadie. Alejandro’s shock departure hurt too much for her to talk about it. It brought back all those memories of being rejected as a child, and that was something she most certainly wanted to forget.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
HE WAS SEATED at a table in El Gato Feroz, waiting for his bill after a most delicious meal. ‘I would like to compliment the chef,’ he told the waitress, knowing that chef was Sadie, thanks to inside information from Chef Sorollo.
‘I’m sure she’ll be thrilled, Don Alegon,’ the waitress, a woman new to the restaurant, who knew nothing of the history between him and Sadie, told him.
Thrilled? He wasn’t so sure about that. He wasn’t even sure Sadie would come out to see him.
But she did.
‘Don Alegon,’ she said politely.
Even dressed in stark chef’s whites, she looked more beautiful to him than any of the elegant society women in the restaurant. ‘That was a wonderful meal. I can’t eat better anywhere in the world than here.’
‘Cut the flannel,’ she murmured discreetly. ‘It isn’t necessary and I don’t appreciate it. Thank you, Don Alegon,’ she added in a louder voice. ‘It’s a great honour for the team to have you eat here.’
‘I’m sure it is,’ he murmured with an ironic smile. ‘I’ll pick you up at midnight,’ he added so only she could hear. ‘Don’t keep me waiting.’ Pushing his chair back, he stood, and strode out of the restaurant without a backward glance. There was no point being soft with a strong woman like Sadie. She’d have no respect if he treated her with kid gloves. They had long passed the point of dancing around each other. The gloves were off. It was time for stark home truths. Either that, or move on, and he had no intention of walking out on Sadie.
* * *
He drove back later that evening in a vehicle that matched his need for speed. Sadie, dressed in jeans and a casual jacket with the collar turned up, walked out of the back door of the restaurant as he pulled up. Walking over, she climbed in. After exchanging the usual civilities, they drove in silence to his house in Madrid. The air in the enclosed cabin of the low-slung muscle machine was full of pent-up tension. He guessed they both had a lot to say.
When they arrived, he showed her into his study and invited her to sit down.
‘I prefer to stand, thank you,’ she told him in a clipped tone.
Unfazed, he queried, ‘Don’t you ever answer your phone?’
‘Yes, but I’m lucky enough to be able to choose who I speak to.’
‘Like my sisters,’ he commented without emotion.
Her jaw seemed to set just that little bit harder, but she made no reply.
‘Do I deduce from your silence that you and my sisters are united in your disapproval of me?’
‘Think what you like,’ she said. ‘You walk out on me without a word? Couldn’t you have woken me before you left? No,’ she said, answering her own question. ‘The mighty Duke isn’t used to answering to anyone. He just makes a decision and walks away, without considering how that might affect anyone else.’
‘Will you give me chance to explain?’ When she said nothing, he told her what had happened. ‘There was a crisis at one of my factories. I take a hands-on approach, and I needed to be there in person to make sure everything was smoothed out to my employees’ satisfaction. I left you a note with m
y explanation.’
‘As for this note you left, I didn’t see anything before I left.’
‘Because you were too angry, and in too much of a hurry to get away?’ he suggested. When she didn’t answer, he assured her, ‘I left that note on the bed where I was certain you would see it. I tried to call you dozens of times, but you obviously didn’t want to speak to me, and neither did my sisters.’
Sadie had felt excluded and forgotten after putting the ultimate trust in him, he guessed from her angry silence. She must think he’d simply taken what he wanted, and then left her. Misunderstandings were deadly, and because of Sadie’s past, even more so.
‘I’m not part of your history,’ he bit out. ‘Let go of what happened all those years ago. Don’t let it crush you.’
‘Don’t allow you to crush me, don’t you mean? Any more instructions?’ she snapped, eyes blazing with doubt and mistrust when he remained silent for a while.
‘Yes,’ he said when she was calmer. ‘Don’t let the past influence your belief in the future. Live in the here and now.’
‘Like you?’ She glanced around. ‘Are you so happy? You’ve told me what a wonderful family home you had, and how your childhood was idyllic, yet all you have achieved is a portfolio of fabulous properties across the world. You don’t have a single place to call home.’
‘My caravan in the mountains is my home,’ he reminded her, adding, ‘Sadie, I wouldn’t hurt you for the world. We both have obstacles to overcome. I know that.’
With a shrug, she shook her head. ‘I still find it rather hard to believe that, with all your resources, you couldn’t get hold of me to explain.’
‘There are some things I prefer to keep private,’ he assured her, ‘and I wanted to see you face-to-face.’
‘Well, you’ve got your wish, so now what?’
