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‘Ferdinand the seventh built it for his mistress.’
She frowned. ‘Is he the guy with a penchant for marrying his nieces?’
Graciano grinned and bubbles formed in her blood as she was plunged back into the past, when he’d smiled at her so readily. ‘This was not built for a niece, but for a woman he apparently loved very deeply. Perhaps you saw the turret while you were exploring this morning?’
She shook her head. ‘No, I didn’t. Where is it?’
‘I’ll show you later. It’s not important. But it was built as a lookout, so that she could watch for his arrival. He came by boat, of course. He was jealous and guarded her fiercely—he was the only visitor she ever had.’
‘That’s...’ She searched for the right word. ‘Kind of sad.’
He lifted a brow, silently prompting her to continue.
‘As time went on, he visited less and less, but she watched for him always.’
‘What happened to her?’
‘She went mad.’
‘Mad?’
‘Completely crazy, yes.’
‘How awful.’
‘Yes.’ He lifted his shoulders. ‘But interesting.’
She looked around, seeing the place through new eyes now. ‘It’s very grand, for one person.’
‘There was an army of staff as well.’
‘Naturally,’ Alicia agreed with a hint of a smile. ‘Perhaps she found happiness with one of them. A secret affair that history forgot, by virtue of how well they guarded their transgression.’
‘You’d prefer to think she fell out of love than stayed loyal?’
‘To the point of insanity? While he went about his business, marrying woman after woman? Yes, I’d infinitely prefer to think she found some level of happiness independent of him.’
‘Is the idea of loyalty in the face of adversity so hard to imagine?’
‘This isn’t about loyalty,’ she said after a beat. ‘He hid her away here for his pleasure, but only when he saw fit to visit. Meanwhile, she lost her youth, her life and finally her mind. What of his loyalty? His obligations?’
‘She had a choice in the matter, I presume.’
‘That’s presuming a lot,’ she muttered, well aware that agency was a matter of perspective.
‘You think he kept her against her will?’
‘A gilded cage is still a cage.’
‘It’s a leap to suggest she wanted to leave but couldn’t.’
‘Loneliness literally drove her mad. I don’t think it’s that great a leap.’
‘And what would you have done?’
She didn’t hesitate. ‘I’d have swum to shore.’
‘Even if you loved him?’
