Chapter 5
The castle was…incredible! Astra stared as Macie drove their rental car down a two lane road, crossed over a bridge, then dipped down into a valley. The whole time, the castle up on the highest hill remained visible. It was a stunning square structure with conical spires at each corner. The stone was grey, and because of the crenelated walkways surrounding the outer wall, the castle looked like it belonged in a fairyland.
Astra knew that the crenelation was so that soldiers could shoot arrows at the enemy approaching from below, but it still looked magnificent! As Macie drove closer, Astra saw that there was even a drawbridge! An actual freaking drawbridge! What she suspected had been a moat in previous centuries, was now filled with flowers and bushes that bloomed in a profusion of color. The flowers and bushes might have been planted there at some point by an ambitious landscaper, but at the moment, it looked more organic than curated.
“This is amazing!” Macie gasped as she and Astra stared out through the windows, trying to take it all in. “Even the village down the road looks so picturesque.”
Astra had to agree. “I used to dream about living in a place like this,” she admitted with a small laugh. “My mother told me that I could achieve my dreams if I just tried hard enough.”
Macie laughed and turned down the long driveway. “Well, you and I will be living in this particular castle for the next two months!”
Astra touched her stomach, then remembered that Macie didn’t know about her pregnancy. She was now four and a half months pregnant and was grateful for the chilly, spring temperatures, which allowed her to wear big, bulky sweaters. She’d only known about her pregnancy for two weeks and it was still new, still a shock every time she thought about it.
She’d visited an obstetrician last week and was now stocked up on prenatal vitamins and a whole list of dos and don’ts for the next several months. Before that doctor’s visit, Astra hadn’t realized that she wasn’t supposed to sleep on her back, which was fine since she was a side sleeper. Unfortunately, she preferred sleeping on her right side, but she was getting used to sleeping on her left. There was something about how the blood vessels that traveled through one’s body, so she’d started sleeping on her left. Of course, most mornings, she woke up on her right, but she’d learn. Just like she’d figure out all of the other stuff she’d have to learn once the baby arrived.
Gazing at the castle, she wondered if she should have reserved a hotel instead. There were several pregnancy restrictions and it might be easier if she could control her environment.
Mentally, she pushed that thought aside. If she needed to move to a hotel, she’d just tell the castle owner that she needed to work late into the nights and didn’t want to disturb anyone. That was often true, especially when a big event drew closer. There were so many details to finalize at the last minute and Astra wasn’t very good at….
Whatever thought had started to form in her mind vanished as soon as the tall, handsome man stepped out through the iron studded entryway of the castle.
“Who is he?” Macie hissed. “He’s gorgeous!”
Astra’s mouth tried to form words, but nothing came out. She was too stunned to speak! Antonio del Campo stood on the stone pathway, an older woman by his side.
“Antonio!” Astra whispered.
Macie turned, her stunned gaze looking at Astra. “You know him?”
Astra nodded slowly, not sure if she was even breathing.
“Well, he’s hot!”
Jealousy zinged through her and Astra glared at her assistant. “He’s our client,” she told Macie firmly.
Macie laughed, holding up her hands. “I know. Off limits,” she replied. “I get it, but I can look,” she argued. “And I can appreciate a stunningly gorgeous man, right?”
The car came to a stop and Macie turned off the engine and stepped out of the vehicle. Immediately, she rounded the car, extending her hand. “Hello. I’m Macie Meyers. And this…?” she turned, ready to introduce Astra. But Macie’s boss was still sitting in the passenger seat. “That’s Astra Phillips.” Then Macie turned to help with the suitcases, abandoning Astra to deal with the glaring man standing on the sidewalk, looking…magnificent!
Astra took her time gathering up her tote bag. Not that it was difficult. All of her business documents and notes were in her tote. Still, she grabbed her sunglasses out of the tote and slipped them on before stepping out of the car.
Someone, a castle employee perhaps, was pulling their suitcases out of the trunk and Macie was busy offering him some money for a tip. So, Astra didn’t even have her assistant available as a buffer as she straightened and looked up at Antonio.
Obviously, he was just as surprised as she was. That reassured her slightly, but not enough to give her confidence as she stared back at the man who had rocked her world almost five months ago.
“Antonio,” she said in greeting.
He was silent for a long moment, then gestured to the older woman by his side. “This is Eldora, my housekeeper,” he explained.
Astra stepped forward, extending her hand to the dour looking woman. “Ms. Eldora, it’s a pleasure to…”
“It’s Senora Eldora, per favor,” the housekeeper interrupted. But the woman shook Astra’s hand. “I’ll show you to your rooms,” and then the woman turned, walking into the castle without any other greeting or waiting to see if either Macie or Astra were following.
Astra turned to Macie. “Can you take our luggage to our rooms? I need to speak to our client for a moment.”
Macie’s shocked expression morphed into a knowing smile. “Of course,” she replied, then turned and tugged both suitcases along the stone pathway. They both rolled along behind her so it wasn’t hard.
“Leave the luggage,” Antonio ordered. “I’ll have someone bring them to your rooms in a moment.”
Macie hesitated, then glanced at Astra, who nodded. Macie set both suitcases on the sidewalk and followed the now-absent housekeeper into the castle.
Standing in the cool sunshine, Astra stared up at the man who had forever changed her life.
“How are you, Antonio?”
Antonio couldn’t believe her words. She’d left him high and dry after their one night together, ignored his phone calls then showed up at his home more than four months later looking more beautiful than ever. And all she had to say was, “How are you?”!
Fine! If that’s how she wanted to play this, then so could he!
He offered her a mocking bow. “I’m well. And you?”
Her lips seemed stiff as she smiled politely up at him. “Good. Thank you for asking.”
Was there a tinge of sarcasm in her words? He couldn’t see her soft, grey eyes, so he wasn’t sure. His fingers curled into fists at his sides in an effort to stop himself from pulling her into his arms. He wasn’t sure if he would shake her or kiss her.
Probably both.
However, he no longer had the right to do either.
“It seems that neither of us knew that we were signing a contract with the other.”
She shifted from one foot to the other and he noticed her fingers tighten around the straps of her bag. Was she uncomfortable? Good!
“Macie is my assistant. She handles the computer stuff, including the client-contract negotiations.” She lifted her free hand, pushing her sunglasses higher onto her nose. “Macie and I have been speaking with someone by the name of Helena with your company. She never mentioned your name.”
“Helena is my contracting agent.” He was impatient to get this initial conversation over with. “You look good.”
She was startled by his comment and he watched her soft, full lips open, then close.
“Thank you. So do you.”
Antonio didn’t have time for this. He had a million things to do.
He turned, gesturing for her to enter the castle. “Well, it was good to see you again. I’ll ask Eldora to ensure that you are comfortable. If there’s anything that she can do to make your efforts more effective, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
Unable to be in her company any longer, he turned and started for the stables.
“Antonio!” she called out.
He stopped and turned, wanting to…what? Kiss her popped into his mind. She’d gained a bit of weight and it looked good on her. Damn good! Her cheeks were fuller, rosier and there was a glow to her that he hadn’t noticed before. She looked…beautiful.
“Si?”
She took a step forward and he stiffened. The last thing he wanted was to be close to Astra. She’d rejected him. So why the hell was she looking like he’d just slapped her.
She hesitated again, obviously struggling to figure out what to say. Finally, she said, “We…need to talk.”
Talk? If she’d wanted to talk, she could have spoken to him that morning almost five months ago instead of sneaking out of his suite after the wedding. If she wanted to talk, Astra could have picked up the damn phone when he’d called her!
“We can talk over dinner tonight,” he snapped, then walked away. He was livid. How could she affect him like this after she’d rejected him so completely?
It was just…anger over her rejection. He was acting like a wounded schoolboy and that was untenable!
Instead of heading down to the stables, Antonio entered the castle through a side entrance, then walked into his office and closed the door. Looking through the window, he stared out at the small village, but he didn’t see the houses or the valley. He didn’t see the newly planted fields that had been plowed with the new equipment he’d had delivered to each farmer several months ago. He didn’t see any of it.
He only saw Astra as she stood on the sidewalk, surrounded by lush vegetation, looking lost and forlorn. What the hell was going on with her? Why did she look so…beautiful and lost?
“I don’t care!” he growled and turned around. Sitting down at his desk, he picked up the latest report on one of the companies he was considering investing in. It was a factory in the south of France, but he knew there were problems with the management. The products the workers produced were excellent, but did he want to invest in…?
Had Astra found her room? Did she need to rest? She’d most likely flown overnight, but he knew from experience that it was hard to sleep on commercial flights. He hadn’t been able to see her eyes because of those damn sunglasses, but she was probably exhausted.
Jet lag. She needed to drink plenty of water. Antonio flew all over the world these days, looking into companies in which he might invest. He knew all about the drudgery of jet lag and the best way to overcome that kind of exhaustion was to drink water. Plus, there was the time change. He knew that she lived in Philadelphia. That was a six hour time difference. To her body and mind, it was still the early hours of the morning. Was she sleeping?
He turned and looked out the window again. Astra was no longer there.
Furious with his inability to concentrate, Antonio stood up and walked out of his office. He’d go for a ride. His new stallion needed to be exercised daily or he became unruly. Riding the temperamental beast was the perfect way to get his mind off Astra.
Astra watched as the man and horse raced across the field. They seemed to almost fly, the horse’s hooves barely touching the ground and the man atop the horse was nearly one with the animal. There was an almost tangible concentration as they rode. It was both magnificent and terrifying to watch.
“Is that our client?” Macie asked, stepping up beside Astra on the stone patio that looked out over the village and the hillside.
“Yep,” Astra replied, cradling the cup of herbal tea between her hands.
“He looks…angry.”
Astra nodded her agreement, too moved by the scene. But Macie was right. Why would Antonio be angry with her? He was the one who’d called at bizarre times of the night! He was the one who didn’t call her back after she’d returned his call! How dare he be angry with her!
Granted, he might be angry for some other reason and his fury had nothing to do with her. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that his ire was aimed at her, which rankled. Especially since she had some very important news to give him.
Would she have told Antonio about the baby if she hadn’t shown up on his doorstep?
Astra thought about it for a long moment, but in the end, she had to accept the truth. No, if she hadn’t seen Antonio again, she probably wouldn’t have told him about the baby. She would have continued on with her life and figured out how to raise their child as a single mother. Astra felt as if she’d tried hard enough to contact him after their one night together. He’d made his feelings towards her quite clear and she would never impose herself on someone who didn’t want or need her in his life.
“I’m exhausted,” Macie announced with a heavy sigh. Astra’s assistant turned and looked around. “I think I can find my way back to the room. Are you going to try and take a nap to offset the lack of sleep on the plane?”
Astra considered the possibility of sleep. But she knew that she was too wound up to find any relief in sleep.
“Not yet. I’ll come up in a bit. I think I need to go for a walk and burn off some of this energy,” she admitted. “I’ll be up later.”
“Suit yourself,” Macie replied and turned, heading back into the castle.
Was everything on this building built to larger than normal proportions? Good grief, even the owner of the castle was larger than life, she thought with resentment.
Astra walked along a pebble pathway through a lovely garden. It wasn’t well maintained, but she could see the lines of where the garden should be amid the roses and weeds. Why wasn’t this area maintained? Why was Antonio ignoring some of the prettier aspects of the castle maintenance while keeping other areas pristine?
He was definitely a mystery.
And Astra decided that she was done trying to figure the man out. He was a mystery that needed to be ignored. Just as he’d ignored her!
She stubbed her toe on a random stone, then hobbled over to a bench, rubbing her toes. “Stupid garden!” she muttered.
Looking around, she realized that she had a better view of the stables from here. Just as she was thinking that, Antonio rode back across the hills. He was covered in sweat now, his shirt sticking to his strong body in delicious places. The horse seemed to be much quieter than he’d been earlier. He was still a beautiful animal, but now he was huffing and puffing, although he still pranced as if he was proud of doing something magnificent.
Astra smiled at the horse’s antics. Antonio “parked” the horse near one of the stable fences, then quickly removed the saddle, hanging it over the fence line. A stable hand rushed out with what Astra could only assume were grooming tools. Sure enough, Antonio pulled out a brush and started soothing the horse. She couldn’t hear what Antonio was saying, but she could tell he was speaking to the horse.
It seemed odd that he would ride such a strong, powerful animal, and then speak to the beast in such a soft, caring voice. Was he praising the horse? Was he soothing the animal for some reason?
The tension in her shoulders loosened as she watched the soothing strokes of the brush and Antonio’s hand against the horse’s flanks. Something sparked inside of her and she wondered if she could actually be jealous of the horse.
Impossible, she told herself. The horse was lovely, truly an amazing creature. But Astra refused to believe that she was jealous of a horse being stroked so gently by that man’s hand.
She didn’t like Antonio anymore.
Did she?
The exhaustion that had been held at bay over the past couple of hours was starting to make itself felt. Her eyes drooped and she shifted on the bench. There was a tree right behind her and she leaned her head against the smooth wood. She’d just close her eyes for a moment, then head back inside to find her room. Just a few minutes, she promised.
“You’re a magnificent boy,” Antonio soothed Thor as he stroked the brush down over the stallion’s neck one more time. “Thank you for the ride,” he added as the horse snuffled his shoulder. Smiling, he took the horse’s reins and led him into the stables. “You deserve extra oats after such a ride. Then I’ll let you out so that you can romance the woman of your dreams.”
Antonio led Thor into the stables and dumped an extra portion of oats into his bucket, then patted his rear flank affectionately. He told the stable master to let him out into the pasture next to Delilah’s. She was nearly in her estrus, the time when a mare is willing to mate with a stallion and the time when she’s most likely to get pregnant. Delilah had already produced two foals and she seemed to thrive during her pregnancies. As soon as she realized she was pregnant, the beauty pranced around as if she’d done something spectacular.
Which was true. Delilah’s foals were truly magnificent. He’d planned to sell the foals to other breeders, but Delilah didn’t want that. So her whole family was still here in the Del Campo stables. Soon, he’d have to move the two foals off to another area. They were bigger and stronger colts and would need to be isolated so they didn’t accidently hurt the others in the herd. Stallions were often turned to geldings because they became too aggressive. Thankfully, there were ways to mitigate their…
Antonio’s mind stopped thinking about herd maintenance when he spotted Astra sleeping on the bench in the rose garden. She was curled up awkwardly on the wooden bench, her silky, brown hair draped over the edge, nearly touching the pebbled ground. She looked…soft. Seeing her like this, he realized how he could have been fooled into thinking that she was the kind, generous woman he’d assumed she was almost five months ago.
He”d definitely been fooled. Astra had been soft and passionate in his arms, snuggling against him for what had remained of the night. Yes, she’d been exhausted after the wedding. But she’d come alive in his arms, matching his passion with an equal dose of her own. He’d been enthralled by her desire, wanting to make love to her all over again the next day.
But she’d vanished. And after calling her repeatedly in the following weeks, only to have his phone calls returned at times when she had to know he couldn’t answer the calls – such as when he was sound asleep – he’d finally accepted that she was purposely trying to avoid speaking with him.
So, why was she here now? And why was his body trying to convince his brain that they could pick up exactly where they’d left off?
That was impossible, he told his body. She wasn’t the woman he’d thought her to be. She’d wanted just one night with him. No commitments. While Antonio…he wanted forever with Astra. He’d wanted a family and all the joy that his friends were enjoying. He wanted what he’d never experienced as a child.
That wasn’t to be. At least, it wouldn’t happen with Astra. She was a selfish woman who didn’t want a man in her life. She was a career woman, who was more than ready to head off to the next party. Literally, since she organized parties for a living.
Sighing, he rubbed the back of his neck. For a brief moment, he considered waking her and suggesting that she’d be more comfortable in a bed. But that meant touching her. And touching her would only interfere with his need to avoid the bitch.
No, that wasn’t fair. Astra wasn’t a bitch. He thought back to that woman in the village. What was her name? Maria something or other …now she was a truly horrible human being. Every damn time he walked into the village, she seemed to appear out of nowhere. How the hell the woman knew when he was coming, he couldn’t figure out. But as soon as he found the person who was warning Maria that he was around, he was going to…Antonio wasn’t sure what he’d do.
But surely there was some way to find a happy medium between his sire’s evil aggression and being harangued by the woman. He knew that Maria was trying to get him to ask her out on a date, but her efforts were becoming more obvious. And embarrassing.
His eyes sharpened on Astra as she shifted on the bench.
“Maldito sea!” he snarled, striding over to the sleeping woman. She was going to fall and hurt herself! “Are you purposely trying to hurt yourself?” he softly demanded of the sleeping woman.
Still, he bent down and lifted Astra into his arms. “What are you doing?” she demanded, her words slurred from sleep.
“Putting you into a bed,” he replied, his voice gruff. The words sounded more salacious than he’d intended and Antonio looked down to see if she would get angry. Instead, she simply smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder.
“Sounds lovely,” she whispered. A moment later, her breathing was even and he knew that Astra was asleep again.
Shaking his head, Antonio headed into the castle. He had no idea which room his housekeeper had set up for her, but instead of searching out Eldora to ask, he headed up the stairs. It was just easier to put her into a bed and be done with her. The sooner he got her out of his arms, the better.
And that was a damn lie, he thought as he pushed his way into the room next to his own. This had been his mother’s room. Thankfully, Eldora had continued to maintain the room, so it was clean and dusted. There weren’t sheets on the bed, but he set Astra onto the soft mattress, then pulled the cashmere blanket up over her. Her eyes fluttered for a moment, then she fell back into a deep sleep.
Angry that Astra had exhausted herself to this point, he watched her for a long moment. She really was a stunningly beautiful woman. With her eyes closed like this, he could see her long, dark lashes against the pale skin. She was softer, but was there a paleness to her skin that might hint at a health problem? Her lips were white as well. He remembered them being more colored, but that had probably been lipstick.
Still, he turned and walked out of the room, heading into the kitchen to speak with Eldora. Astra needed nutrients, he told himself. She’d worked herself into a state of exhaustion and that wasn’t healthy.
“What the hell do you mean?”
Maria stared at the old woman, trying to hide her fury. She knew that the other villagers loved to gossip and Maria didn’t want them to whisper anything bad about her to her future husband. So she lowered her voice and tried to smile. “Explain yourself!” she demanded, but softening her tone. It was an effort to be more polite, but Maria mentally patted herself for her control. Then she gritted her teeth as she waited.
“A woman arrived earlier today. She’s a guest of the castle.” Eldora huffed, shaking her head. “She fell asleep in the garden, so the master put her into the mistress’ suite.” The housekeeper crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the younger woman. “What are you going to do about this development?”
Maria stood up and paced the small patch of grass. At one point, the village park had been a beautiful place to sit and read. But that had been decades ago, long before Maria had been born. She’d seen pictures, of course. But years of neglect had left the park with only thin patches of grass surrounded by weeds and brown patches of mud and gravel. Now, it was mostly a place for teenagers to hang out and drink after the sun went down. The streetlights surrounding the park had long ago been shattered or the bulbs burned out and never replaced.
However, at the moment, the sun was still shining, which meant that the teens and other criminal elements residing in the village hadn’t bothered to come to the park. So it was a relatively safe place for Maria and Eldora to talk.
“You have to get rid of her!” Maria snapped.
Eldora let out a harsh bark of laughter. “How am I supposed to accomplish that? The man you want to marry hired her.” The older woman shook her head. “You should have gotten close enough to him by now to know what he’s up to. If anyone should get rid of her, it would be you.”
Maria bit the end of her thumb, wishing she could nibble on her fingernail. It was a nasty habit, which was why she’d taught herself not to do it anymore. Plus, she’d just come back from Madrid where she’d gotten a manicure and pedicure. Her nails looked lovely at the moment. The pink shade she’d chosen this time wasn’t too brash, like the red she’d chosen last time. Red wasn’t a good color for a bride, she’d determined. Pink was softer and more “innocent”. Since brides were “innocent”, she almost scoffed at that lie, Maria wanted to do everything possible to come across as innocent. Everything Maria did these days was to prove to Antonio that she would be his perfect bride.
Maria flipped her hair and sighed heavily, as if she were impatient. “I’ll just go up to the castle and explain that Antonio needs to get rid of the bitch.” She paused, tilting her head slightly. “You said that this woman is a party planner?” When Eldora nodded grimly, Maria shrugged dismissively. “I can organize parties for the villagers myself. If he wants to throw a party, then it should be me, since I know the residents here better than anyone.” She grinned and spun around, enjoying the way her silk skirts swished against her legs. Soon, she would only wear silk clothing! As soon as she convinced Antonio to marry her, she’d fly out to Paris and demand that all of the most sought after designers drape her in the most luxurious silks!
Eldora stood up, self-consciously smoothing her drab cotton skirt over her legs, hiding her jealousy of the younger woman’s clothing. “Well, if that’s your plan, then hurry up about it. I don’t like the American woman.” She tilted her head, staring up at the castle. “There’s something about her that makes me nervous. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but she’s trouble.” She turned her head, eyeing Maria. “I’ll help you get rid of the woman if you promise to hire more help at the castle.” She grunted and grabbed her faux leather purse. “I’m sick of cleaning the entire place by myself.” Eldora slung her purse over her shoulder. “The marquesso had an entire staff for me to delegate the chores to. But when he was arrested, the son let go of everyone.”
Maria flipped her hair over her shoulder, unconcerned about household chores. “As soon as I marry Antonio, I’ll hire back every person who used to help you at the castle. I will need servants because life is going to be wonderful!”
Eldora snorted. “You won’t get those lazy slogs back. The people Antonio laid off were sent away with a pension. They’re living the good life. I was the only one not offered a pension! It really pisses me off that I’m left to do all the work while the others are lazing about, fishing and traveling.”
Maria’s eyes narrowed at the shrew’s angry tone. “Then I’ll hire others.”
Eldora shrugged. “Whatever. As long as we have an agreement, then I’ll help you.” She started to turn away, but then swung back. “But if you go back on your word, I’ll make sure you regret it.”
Maria rolled her eyes. “Just leave it to me,” she promised, then sashayed away.
Eldora watched the vain woman for a moment, then sighed. “Better the devil you know,” she muttered, then headed back to her car. She was tired. Exhausted, actually. The old man might have been a bastard, but at least Ricardo had hired enough staff to clean the freaking castle. The son…he was a freaking billionaire many times over, if the news articles were correct. So there was no reason why she should be cleaning everything herself. Plus cooking and whatever else needed to be done around the castle.