Chapter 6
Astra stretched her arms and legs, then slowly opened her eyes. The first thing that popped into her mind was that she was starving. The second was that this was the most beautiful room she’d ever seen. The gothic décor and dark woodcarvings were…breathtaking! The canopy bed looked like something out of a history book. The velvet drapes and the soft bed were unlike anything she’d ever experienced.
In her world, beds were more about convenience and comfort rather than beauty. She’d put her bed together all by herself after it was delivered to her apartment in a box. She’d fitted all the pieces together and tightened the connections with those odd, painful hex wrenches that never worked very well.
Admiring the carved posts at each corner of the bed, Astra suspected this bed had been carved by hand in this very room.
There was also an ornately gilded mirror that was hung over a carved dresser with a silver hand mirror, brush, and comb set glimmering in the late evening sunshine. Everything in this room looked like it had been taken from a fairy tale.
Slipping her feet over the side of the bed, she put a hand to her stomach after a particularly loud growl sounded. “I hear ya, little one,” she whispered, more to the tiny baby she was protecting than to her stomach. “I’ll get you some food very soon.” She looked around and stood up, wandering around the room, touching the carved rocking chair with velvet cushions and the carved wardrobe that towered against one wall. There was even a soft rug on what she suspected was a stone floor underneath.
But it was her stomach growling that made her look for the door. “Priorities,” she whispered.
It took another ten minutes to find the stairs. She’d meandered down one hallway, only to come to a dead end. Making her way back, she found the stairs and then she found what could only be defined as a “great room”. At one point in history, this room was probably used as a throne room for the lord of the castle. But now, one end of the space was set up with a set of sofas and a massive coffee table in the center with a fireplace that was so large, a person could literally stand in the center with room to spare overhead.
The only thing out of place in the room was the long feather over the mantle. Wasn’t a sword or a coat of arms supposed to grace the space over the mantle? A feather seemed like an odd choice. Sure there was a reason for the feather, and it was none of her business, Astra focused on the rest of the room.
And Antonio, the man she’d dreamed about, cried about, and longed for over the past several months.
At the moment, he was laughing at something Macie said and Astra couldn’t tamp down on the wave of jealousy she felt at seeing her assistant laugh so easily with the man she’d thought…well, it didn’t matter what she thought anymore. They were business associates now.
“Astra!” Macie called out, causing them to turn in her direction. “Are you feeling better?”
Astra fisted her hands by her sides as she walked towards them. “Yes. Thank you.” She looked up at Antonio. “I appreciate your rescue.”
Antonio tilted his head in acknowledgement. “My pleasure.”
Macie’s eyes moved between the two of them, then she asked, “You rescued Astra?”
He continued to glare at Astra as he explained, “Your boss fell asleep on the garden bench. I helped her find a more appropriate place to sleep.”
“Ah!” Macie replied. An awkward silence followed. Finally, Antonio asked, “What can I get you to drink?”
Astra wished she could enjoy a glass of wine. The alcohol would help her get through this night. But she couldn’t have alcohol for a while because of her pregnancy. So instead, she shook her head. “I’m fine.”
Macie laughed, obviously trying to ease the sudden tension. “Astra stopped drinking a few months ago. She’s on some sort of health kick.”
Astra didn’t pull her gaze from Antonio, who merely lifted a dark eyebrow in question.
“It seemed necessary,” was all she said. There was no way she was going to tell Macie that she was pregnant before she let Antonio know. He had a right to know first.
Yes, she should have warned Macie before now. Her pregnancy would affect Macie as well as herself. But since Astra was still trying to figure out all of those pesky details, she hadn’t said anything to Macie. Yet.
Macie was only her assistant in name. In reality, Macie was more of a partner in the business. Her computer skills were just too valuable. However, Macie refused to accept that title, not wanting the responsibilities that went along with being a partner, but the truth was, she was essential to Astra’s business. Astra’s pregnancy would definitely impact Macie’s life – nearly as much as it would impact Astra’s.
Still, right now, in front of the father of her unborn child, wasn’t the time to mention the imminent disruption to everyone’s lives.
“Well, you are missing out on an outstanding vintage,” Macie announced, toasting her glass towards Antonio.
As Astra watched, a silent message passed between them. And in the next moment, a lance of jealousy stabbed at her heart. She tried to ignore it, but the sensation was painful.
Without thinking, she moved a hand to cover her stomach, protecting her unborn baby from the sudden pain. “Well, when is dinner? I didn’t mean to sleep all afternoon.”
How those two issues were connected was anyone’s guess. But it seemed like the thing to say.
“Dinner is ready,” the dour-faced housekeeper announced.
For a moment, Astra considered announcing that she wasn’t hungry and that she’d pass on dinner. But her stomach protested the idea and firmly announced to everyone in the room that she was starving.
“Excuse me,” Astra muttered, once again covering her stomach. “I guess I’m just…” she shook her head, not sure what she “just” was.
“Eldora is an excellent cook,” Antonio announced, then gestured to the dining room off to the left of the great room, indicating that Macie and Astra should precede him.
Antonio watched as Macie hesitantly stepped into the dining room first, then he followed Astra, wondering why she was wearing such a large sweater tonight. The spring air was chilly, but not so cold that one would need something that heavy. Besides, it hid her very nice derriere. There were a lot of things that he remembered from four and a half months ago – and her derriere was one of them. He remembered cupping her butt in his hands, thinking that his hands just covered those perfect globes.
There were other parts of her body that he’d enjoyed holding. Hell, he’d loved holding all of her!
Reminding himself that Astra was not going to be a romantic partner, he pulled the starched, linen napkin out from under the utensils and laid it over his lap.
“How was your flight?” he asked, trying to break the silence.
“It was fine,” Astra replied.
“It was better than fine!” Macie laughed. “I was seated next to the most interesting woman. She was a florist that…” And for the next ten minutes, Macie regaled Astra and Antonio about the mundane topic of plants. All of which, Macie seemed to enjoy.
Unfortunately, it bored Astra and Antonio to tears.
When she finally ran out of steam, there was a long silence while Eldora removed the salad plates from the table and set out the soup course.
“I saw you go out for a ride this afternoon,” Astra commented, desperately trying to find a subject to fill the painful silence.
“Yes.”
That was it? Astra watched as Antonio concentrated on the cold, flavorless soup.
“You enjoy riding?”
“Yes,” came the next, abrupt, response.
“That’s good. I tried riding and–”
He didn’t even look up as he interrupted, “I believe we’ve already established that you are a miserable horseback rider.” He glanced at her before looking down at the soup again. “You don’t ride. You bounce. I’m sure neither you, nor the horse, enjoyed the experience.”
Antonino knew that he was being rude, but didn’t care. He wanted to dismiss Eldora, order Macie to get the hell out of the dining room, then pull Astra into his arms. He didn’t care why she had ignored his phone calls anymore. He could smell her soft, feminine scent and it was driving him mad! He wanted to pull her into his arms and spread her out onto the dining room table so that he could explore every part of her body. He wanted to demand to know why she’d rejected him.
And yet, he didn’t care why, as long as he could kiss her again.
Since Astra had made it clear that she wasn’t interested in him in that way, he instead focused on his food, on ensuring that he finished every last drop of the miserable soup. What kind was it? The soup was so bad, he couldn’t even define a flavor.
He would fire Eldora and pension her off, but the chauffer his father had previously employed had explained how much the housekeeper loved her job and that Eldora would be completely lost if she couldn’t clean the castle and cook for him.
He was too damn soft, he thought.
Normally, Eldora was a good cook. Her meals had been delicious, if simple. But tonight, he was actually embarrassed at the miserable fare.
Maybe he could just hire a cook. He could keep Eldora on as the housekeeper. Hell, he could even hire several more cleaning personnel, so that she wouldn’t have to do it all herself. Antonio understood the housekeeper enjoyed her job, but there were rooms that hadn’t been dusted in too long. Eldora was no longer up to the challenge of maintaining the whole castle and he’d have to do something about the situation, especially since he planned on selling the damn place as soon as he could fix the villagers’ morale issues.
However, those plans wouldn’t solve the problem of what to do about Astra.
Turning to look at her for the first time since sitting down to dinner, he finally came up with an appropriate conversational topic. “How about if you tell me a bit about your ideas for bringing the community together?”
Macie’s features brightened and she looked over at Astra. “I think this is where I head out and let you two talk.” And with that, she picked up her still-full bowl of soup and carried it out of the dining room. Antonio noticed that she didn’t head into the kitchen. He understood. No one would want to share a meal with Eldora. The older woman was dour enough to curdle milk with her angry glares and irritated expressions.
Giving up on the barely edible soup, he set the spoon on the edge of his bowl and turned to Astra, lifting an eyebrow in inquiry.
Astra shifted in her uncomfortably hard chair. “I woke up in a beautiful room earlier today.”
“That was my mother’s room,” he snapped impatiently, leaning back in his chair.
Astra noticed that he glanced down at her bowl of barely touched soup, obviously implying that she should concentrate her efforts on finishing it instead of speaking.
She couldn’t do it. The soup was so bland, it was hard to swallow. Astra hadn’t realized how hard it was to eat something that wasn’t palatable. The soup wasn’t bad, it was just…blah.
“It’s lovely,” she replied, then shifted uncomfortably again. “Why was so much attention put towards comfort for that room, but there aren’t cushions on the dining room chairs?”
He waited until Eldora took the soup course away before answering.
“My father thought that it was good training to sit on the hard wood for several hours. He explained to everyone that came for dinner that children need discipline.” He gestured towards the other chairs in the room. “Some of the chairs are padded.” He paused and waited until Eldora set down the two plates with chicken and white rice in front of him and Astra before he continued. “Macie lucked out and sat in a padded chair. That chair,” he said, pointing his chin towards Astra, “is where I was required to sit each night.”
She shifted again. “That sounds miserable. How long were dinners when you were growing up?”
“Not terribly long,” he replied, cutting into the boiled chicken. He reached out and added some salt and pepper, then grimaced at the crumbling, overcooked chicken.
“That’s a relief.”
“Although, often my father would demand that I remain at the table for an hour or two after the meal was finished.”
Astra stared at him, stunned at the abuse. “He…made you sit in this chair? To what end?”
Antonio shrugged and cut another bite of chicken, then stared at it on the end of his fork. “He said it would build character.”
In the end, he dropped his utensils on to the plate with a clatter and sighed. “I have no idea what is wrong with Eldora’s cooking tonight, but this is awful.” He stood up and looked at Astra. “Let’s go.”
She stood as well, relieved to get away from the miserable chair. “Where are we going?” she asked, hurrying to walk beside him.
“To the pub. We’re going to get something better to eat than overcooked chicken and flavorless soup.”
Astra walked alongside him until they reached a stone stairway. Then she fell behind him as they wound their way down the stairs to…a garage!
“What did this part of the castle used to be?”
He chuckled. “You don’t think my ancestors needed a five car garage before heading out for the crusades?”
She smiled as she slipped into the passenger seat of a powerful sports car. “I doubt it.”
He closed the door, then walked to the other side, slipping into the driver’s seat. He pressed a button and the car purred to life. “This used to be the armory. My grandfather excavated one of the walls and ripped out the stone, adding support beams so we could store vehicles.” He drove out into the dim light of the setting sun and sped down the long drive towards the village.
“What other ways did your father employ to instill character in you?”
He shrugged as he concentrated on the curves in the narrow street. “He was very…creative.”
Astra looked at him, trying to read his expression. But his face was blank. “Tell me,” she whispered and dared to put a hand on his forearm.
Antonio glanced at her, then concentrated on the road. “I was denied dinner on occasion.”
“And?” she prompted, sensing that there was more.
There was a long moment of silence, then he added reluctantly, “He might have locked me in the castle’s dungeon every once in a while.”
Astra stared at the man who had said something so horrific with such a bland tone.
“Might have? Or did?”
Antonio turned right, then right again as he pulled into the parking lot of the local pub. “It’s in the past,” he told her, then shut off the engine.
He slipped out of the vehicle and came around to the other side. By the time he was there, Astra was already out of the passenger seat and stared up at him. “I don’t think it’s completely in the past, Antonio,” she whispered.
He put a hand to the small of her back and led her into the pub. “It’s ancient history. The food here is excellent. My younger brother’s mother used to work here and they still use her recipe for their paella.”
The rustic warmth of the pub immediately charmed her. The castle boasted carved wood walls, stairs, and furniture. But this pub warmed the locals with rough-hewn wood tables, creaky floors, and stools that had probably been around since medieval times. There were modern appliances that looked sparkly and new, but everything else was old-world charm.
“Beunas noches!” the bartender called out, a large man with an over-stuffed belly and ruddy cheeks. “What can I get you, my lord?” he asked in Spanish.
Antonio waved to the man, then gestured to one of the empty tables. There were several locals already eating or drinking and every table had a loaf of bread in the center.
“I’ll have the paella,” she told Antonio. He put in the request for two orders of the rich, rice-based stew, then nodded his gratitude as he accepted the two pints of ale and brought them back to the table.
Astra looked around and realized that several of the locals were watching them curiously. So instead of rejecting the ale, she pretended to take a sip and smiled appreciatively.
Because of the stares directed towards them, Astra decided that this wasn’t a good forum for her to explain her pregnancy. She decided to wait until they were heading back to the castle. Or maybe after they arrived back at the castle. The road was windy and, although the sun was setting later now that spring was upon them, the road was still treacherous. She’d wait until they arrived back at the castle before telling him.
“Would you tell me more about your childhood?” she asked, then smiled when the waitress arrived with two bowls piled high with yellow rice, seafood, sausage, and vegetables. “Oh my, this looks delicious!”
“Why don’t you tell me about your childhood instead?” he suggested, handing her a rolled napkin filled with utensils.
“Because I don’t think that my childhood is as relevant as yours,” she countered, unrolling the napkin. She picked up the fork and stabbed a shrimp.
“My childhood is over,” he replied firmly. “Tell me about your ideas for bringing the villagers together. That’s a far more palatable subject.”
Astra tilted her head slightly and looked at him. He clearly didn’t want to discuss his childhood, even though, she suspected, that it was very relevant to what happened between them several months ago.
Still, perhaps it would be better if she backed off for now. They were talking, which was better than the horrible silence from before.
So she outlined her ideas, her head filling with options and additional ideas. He countered with some of his own suggestions and Astra pulled her phone out, taking notes because he had some great thoughts. Someone put a glass of ice water beside her bowl and Astra gulped down the cold water. At some point, Antonio must have realized she wasn’t going to drink the ale and he switched mugs with her. After a bit, a cup of coffee and a cup of herbal tea were set down beside them. Astra glanced at the chamomile tea, wondering who had thought to bring this to her versus a cup of coffee. But then assumed that the waitress had merely supposed that Astra wouldn’t be able to sleep if she drank coffee this late in the evening.
Antonio didn’t seem to be affected by the coffee and drank two cups while Astra took notes on a notebook someone else had set down on the wood table. It was just more evidence that the others in the pub were listening to their conversation and quietly helping with the overall plan.
By the time she and Antonio ran out of ideas to discuss, there were ten pages of notes between them. “This is completely different from what I’d originally planned.” She nodded, excitement bubbling up inside of her. “But this is great. The ideas are…very different but I think this is going to be fun!”
He sighed, leaning back and draining the last of his coffee. “I want the events to be fun, but I also want them to bring everyone together. During my grandfather’s time, people were much more aware of their neighbors. People gossiped a great deal, but I heard my grandfather talking about how everyone came together when someone had a problem.” He paused and looked around. “We should leave so that Manuel and his wife can close up.”
Astra looked around as well, startled to find they were the only ones still in the pub. Even the chairs were flipped over on top of the tables, so that the owners could sweep and mop. But the owners were already gone. They were literally the only two left in the pub!
“Did Manuel and his wife leave?”
“I think they left the keys on the bar,” he said. “You must be exhausted.”
Astra thought about it for a moment, and nodded. “Yes, but not as bad as I would be normally. The nap I took earlier took the edge off the jet lag, thankfully.”
She stood up and he put a hand on her arm. “That was only to catch up from the lack of sleep on the flight over here from Philadelphia. You need to get extra sleep over the next few days to properly counter the jet lag.”
Astra smiled quietly, warmed by his concern. She traveled all over the world to help her clients. So she was very aware of the various ways to counter jet lag. But it was sweet of him to be concerned. At least he wasn’t ignoring her, she thought. That was progress!
Now she just needed to find a time to tell him about the child they’d created. And Astra knew that she’d have to tell him soon because it was becoming more difficult to conceal her pregnancy.