His mother's brows lifted. "It was not a request. Antoinette Carter will be part of our household and should be made to feel comfortable."
"Of course." His face had stiffened, his voice frightfully formal. Rising lithely, he sent her an imperious glance. "Will that be all?"
"For now, yes."
With a curt nod, he left the room with her staring after him. Sighing softly, Sofia reached for her cooling cup of tea and took a sip. He frustrated her. Nothing she had done or tried to do was making him realize that it was time for him to grow up and settle down. She wanted grandchildren, but most of all, she wanted to see him find someone suitable, fall in love and stay married to just one woman.
So far, his affairs were legendary and troubling. His face was always splashed across the various tabloids. He was reckless. His relationships, if they could be called that, only lasted for several weeks, and then he was off to the next. He was thirty-five years old and still running all over the place. She wanted more for him.
He would sit in on meetings if she threatened him but would sit there looking bored and impatient to leave. She looked around the elegant cream and gold office. It had been her husband's. After he died, she had ruthlessly erased everythingthat reminded her of the man he was. She had loved him. God help her, she had known who he was, what he was doing with all those women, and still she had loved him and had hoped he would come to his senses and stay faithful to her. That had never happened.
She wanted him to fall in love and give her grandchildren. Pushing back from the desk, she made her way over to the window. The stunning view made her smile. Spain was unlike every other country she had ever been to, including her own Ireland. The grounds were immaculate. It was nearing fall, but the colors, the profusion of colors, was dazzling. From where she stood, she could see the wide expanse of land that stretched for miles.
The palace was small compared to other monarchies, but it was well-kept and had a beauty that was legendary. She had made sure of it. When her husband died and she had taken over, she had worked assiduously to restore their flagging resources, coming up with revolutionary ideas that she had once presented to her husband, only to be ignored because it was not her place to make a contribution.
"Do not worry your pretty little head about such things, querida." She could still hear the condescending tone King Eduardo Garcia-Perez had often used with her.
She had proven him and all the stick-in-the-mud members of the board incredibly wrong. In just over two years, she hadturned everything around. Business was flourishing, and their newest venture, a vineyard that was producing some of the best vintages, was taking off. There had been objections there as well, but she had learned to ignore them and go with her instinct.
She was turning to return to her desk when the man on horseback caught her eye. Her son was a superb rider, which was not surprising since he had been riding as soon as he learned to walk. She stood there admiring his erect frame. He was one with his animal, both fluidly clearing hedges with little or no effort. She stood there watching until they disappeared over the rugged terrain.
Sighing softly, she returned to her desk. It was lonely being at the top. She was responsible for so much that there was no time to even relax or think about herself. Picking up the contract, she started reading again and making notes. The young lady who was on her way was going to have a vast amount of work to do.
Sofia considered that she would give her the weekend to get acclimatized. After that, it would be wading in. She had been without an assistant for several weeks now, and the work had piled up.
Picking up the personnel folder, she studied the smiling photo thoughtfully before leafing through the documents. She had quite an impressive resume, and what had drawn her interest was the fact that the woman spoke several languages. Ionie had told her the backstory in confidence. The betrayal of discoveringher fiancé in bed with her best friend was something that had to stab her like a thousand knives. They had something in common, Sofia thought grimly. They would work from there.
