AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Will you make me go back to England? Because I won’t go.” Shelene watched as her father walked across the room and quietly left, allowing the two of them to speak freely.
“No.” Roman smiled. “We are together now. We are staying together. I don’t believe there is immediate danger for any of us, but once I start poking around, who knows. It could be that I’ll burst open a beehive. At worst, I will ask you to move to the top of the hill rather than stay here at Las Colinas.”
“What sort of plans are you making? And how can I help?”
“Let me take care of this. You must care for Antonio.”
“This is my home, Roman. My family.”
“For now, we only need to be cautious. Listen to what is happening around us. When Belgrano returns, I will watch him closely. Dewey, Rousseau, Joaquin, Brahim—all of us will work toward the same purpose.”
“I came home because you forced me. I thought I had found peace, even with the prospect of your death. And now this.”
His gaze had always been intense, as if he could see through walls whilst discerning the secret thoughts people tried to hide beneath their expressions, inside their hearts and running free in their minds.
He loosed her hand and bent to press a kiss to her lips. She didn’t resist, but she didn’t respond the way he wanted.
“It may be that we are just two people who must face difficulties head-on.”
“Then why did we think it was a good idea to marry?”
“Because there are no equals in the world for us. There is no one else who can endure the way we can together.”
“I won’t be afraid, Roman. Not of Uncle Francisco. But I am fearful for my son. He can only hurt me through Antonio.”
“You aren’t afraid of what he might do to me?”
“He’s already killed you once. I think you can survive his worst.” She surprised him by pushing to her toes and pressing a kiss to his lips and running her fingers through the hair at the back of his head. “You ought to take a bath. And I think you’ve worn that shirt since the night you returned to Las Colinas.”
“Death is hell on an Englishman’s attire. And it’s not my only shirt; just the only one clean today.”
“There is a talented seamstress in Arco de la Frontera who could assist. I will send her a message, if you like.”
“Your aunt mentioned having a large fiesta to celebrate my return. I must have a proper wardrobe for such an occasion.”
“She has said nothing to me. And why would we have such a frivolous night of enjoyment when we’ve been discussing the potential for such difficulty ahead?”
His brows winged and he lifted one shoulder. “We could have a night of not so frivolous enjoyment instead.”
She turned away from him, ignoring his obvious suggestion. “You know, if we have a party, Uncle Francisco would more than likely be in attendance.”
“Wouldn’t it take a few weeks to arrange such an event? I plan to find out what he is doingnow, not later.”
She stared back at Roman, wishing for what she knew would only bring more heartache. “I am tired, Roman. I think I will take my leave.”
“Good night.” He quietly left the room and she returned to Tono’s cradle. He was fast asleep, exhausted from the travel as she was. Being the matriarch of the family wasn’t the simple task her mother had made it seem.
Strength had to come from somewhere. Shelene left the baby’s room and walked to the small chapel at the side of the main house. When she walked in, she saw her father on the front row, kneeling. “Papa?”
He turned and looked over his shoulder. “Shelene, dear? What is it?”
“Nothing. I was just feeling heavy-hearted.” She knelt next to him but didn’t feel like praying alongside him. “Why are you here?”
“I spent months praying, and begging, that we would live and be rescued. Now that we have and we are safely home, I think I should spend, at the least, the same number of months being thankful. Strange how my prayer to return home has caused you so much grief.”
“Oh, no, Papa. Don’t ever think that.”
“It’s a tangled juxtaposition. Maybe if I hadn’t prayed so hard, Roman would never have left you to find me. And then there is Roman. Did my prayers cause him to leave everything he loves, put his life in jeopardy, just so he could lay this gift of my life at your feet? There’s more, if you want to hear it? Think about your uncle. What if he had been in Argentina and Roman had pursued him, causing a delay in finding us and we had died? And now, your uncle will be the catalyst who draws the of you two together again.”
