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‘I didn’t grow up here.’
She was instantly alert at his tone, which was tinged with old hurt.
‘I went away to school,’ he revealed.
‘And then you lived with your aunt?’
‘In the holidays, yes,’ he confirmed in the same stilted tone.
‘You didn’t see a lot of your parents.’
She’d struck a nerve, Rosie thought as a muscle flexed in Xavier’s jaw.
‘I bought this house with my first fortune,’ he said.
‘Your first fortune?’ she teased, wanting to reach out to him, and not really knowing how.
‘I won’t deny I’ve been successful.’
‘And why should you? You should be proud of what you’ve achieved.’ Especially after surviving the legacy of bitterness created by his parents’ self-indulgent lifestyle, she wanted to add.
‘And so should you,’ he said, surprising her. ‘In some ways, we’re not so different, you and I.’
She laughed. ‘Just a billion or so apart, and then, of course, there’s your title—’
‘Which doesn’t mean a thing,’ he said. ‘Come on—’ He indicated that she should go ahead of him. ‘It’s time to go inside so I can make the announcement.’
Her heart banged in her chest at the thought, and she had to remind herself that this was her idea. She knew the moment had to come, but just to hear it said in public would make it real. She had dreamed of this moment since she was a little girl, but had never thought it would be like this. Her dreams had been hazy, involving a handsome lover, and Rosie smiling happily and trustingly into the face of the man she would spend the rest of her life with. Instead, she’d got an arrangement; a marriage of convenience, as Xavie
r had called it. No one must guess they were faking their emotions, or they would both become figures of ridicule, and her chance to raise support for the island amongst people who mattered would be dust. That didn’t stop her wishing the fantasy could come true, and Xavier’s announcement would mark the beginning of something wonderful, rather than the beginning of the end.
‘Before we go in,’ he said, drawing her to one side, ‘I want to show you the ring—so there are no surprises,’ he explained.
‘You’ve already surprised me,’ Rose admitted. ‘I didn’t expect a ring.’
Xavier frowned as he asked, ‘Do you think so little of me?’
‘Not at all,’ she admitted frankly. ‘It’s just that I didn’t expect anything beyond an announcement of our engagement.’
‘Of course there must be a ring,’ he said.
‘Of course,’ she agreed, realising that her comment was further proof of her naivety. The assembled guests would expect her to have an engagement ring. This was Don Xavier Del Rio’s fabulously lavish engagement party, after all.
She got another shock, and not a good one, when Xavier flipped the lid on a night-blue velvet box. ‘I can’t accept that,’ she protested, looking at the huge jewel sideways as if it were a snake. To Rosie’s eyes, it seemed to be an unnecessarily large stone.
‘Why?’ he demanded, seeming bemused.
‘Because I don’t need such a valuable diamond.’
‘What did you imagine I would give you?’ Xavier demanded, scrutinising the enormous diamond solitaire as if he were seeing it for the first time. ‘I can’t see anything wrong with this ring.’
‘There’s nothing wrong with it,’ Rosie admitted. ‘It’s absolutely stunning. It’s just not for me.’
Anyone would have been dazzled by the rainbow sparkle thrown off by the magnificent stone. It was a beautiful and obviously priceless gem, but it belonged in a crown, or a sceptre.
And now she had offended him.
‘What do you want?’ he asked, frowning.
