He trailed off so I finished for him. “Is for the help?” I chuckled, breaking the ice.
“It’s for guests or live-in help,” he said on a chuckle.
“That means me,” I said with a broad smile.
“That sounds bad.”
“It is what it is. I’m not family.”
His head bobbed a few times. “It doesn’t matter. Family’s not here anymore. Dad’s up at the estate with the best twenty-four-hour care money can buy. My brothers are staying in the city.”
“And you? No place in the city?” I asked, hoping to read his thoughts by holding his gaze.
He glanced away. “I did. I do. For now, I’m here. There is more room here for my fiancée.”
I might have won an Emmy for the surprise that covered my face. “Fiancée? You don’t sound happy about that.”
“Let’s just say we all make sacrifices.”
He had no fucking clue what a prize Natalie was. Though I now believed he wasn’t an asshole. I also didn’t think he deserved her. “Will I be watching her as well?”
“Honestly, I don’t know what her father has in store.”
I was eager for more information and probably took my questioning too far. “Overbearing father. That’s the worst. Sounds like you’ve got problems before the wedding.”
His head snapped up and he opened his mouth. He didn’t answer my question. “Why don’t I show you around and the security room?”
Damn. Now it was a waiting game. I had no idea what date the wedding was set for. There hadn’t been any leak of it. I could be here for days or weeks before I saw her. Good thing I had patience.
Seven
Natalie
Biding my time wasn’t easy, especially when Valentina was a total bitch at first. She hated me on sight. While I understood I was a living reminder that her husband had cheated on her and probably still did, it wasn’t exactly my fault for being born.
Over the next few weeks, during her occasional visits, I had been planting little seeds in her mind, hoping they would grow. I’d say things like, I can’t believe you let him treat you that way. At first, she pushed back and told me to mind my business.
Today, all my hard work paid off.
She came in with a tray of dishes and silverware. She set it down on the small round table.
“Set the table properly,” she ordered.
“I don’t understand why this is necessary. If he’s rich, we’ll have maids to do this.”
“Yes, but they think people like us aren’t cultured.”
I wasn’t often referred to as an outsider, but when it happened it was a jolt. “Us?” I asked.
“Yes. For me, not being American born is frowned on. They think we are barbarians, you know, uneducated and uncultured. It doesn’t matter that my husband has more money than the lot of them. They look down their noses on us like we’re trash.”
Though I got her reasoning. I was pretty sure they looked at my father like trash because he was a glorified drug dealer no matter how many legitimate businesses he owned.
“You come from a prominent family in Spain, right?”
“No, Portugal. My family is descended from royalty.”
I couldn’t prove her statement was true or if she was playing up her ancestry. “And father doesn’t see your worth?” I tossed in.
She bit out, “No. He does not.” Her accent came out stronger than I’d heard it before. “He thinks because the Americans don’t recognize royalty, I’m worthless.”
Though I felt bad for her, the truth was, Portugal didn’t have a current monarchy and hadn’t for a very long time. The research I’d done on the monarchy when I was curious about my father and his wife showed that the last king didn’t have any children and there weren’t other living descendants. Bringing this up didn’t seem wise, so I kept further questions about that to myself.
“He’s a fool. I shouldn’t be surprised. He treats me like a prized filly and my mother as someone he could conquer when he had you, one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen.”
That last part wasn’t a lie.
“He thinks he was my only option for a husband. He’s wrong. There were many others interested. One I thought I could love.” There was a dreaminess to her voice.
“I wonder where he is now?” I asked. She flushed and I had her. “Has he contacted you?”
“He’s reached out, not that I’ve responded. It doesn’t matter anyway. He’s back home.”
I leaned in conspiratorially. “If a guy can make you blush after all these years, he must be worth it. If I were you, I’d make an excuse to go home and see if there’s anything there.”
She giggled. “I couldn’t.”
“Why not? If father can have an affair, you’ve earned a hall pass.”
She frowned. “What’s a hall pass?”
“That’s a free ticket to do what you want.”
I could tell she was considering. “It would be unproper.”