Indiscretion (57 page)

‘It's good when the staff stay for generations in a household,' Salvador noted, handing Alexandra some cutlery. ‘They become part of the family, don't they? Agustina is more a friend to my great aunt than an
ama de llaves
, a mere housekeeper. Both her mother and grandmother worked at El Pavón before her. It's the same for Sarita, she's been with us a long time. When she's old and cannot work any more, her daughter María will take her place.'

‘And what about Marujita?' The question was out before she knew it. Alexandra had been burning to ask what had happened to the gypsy girl and hadn't known how to go about it without sounding foolish and jealous; this was her chance. Her voice was
just a little nervous as she concentrated on her plate, fumbling with her knife and fork.

There was a pause while Salvador took another sip from his glass, savouring the champagne. He hadn't missed the faint tremor in her voice and glanced sideways at her. Without a word, he put down his glass and, reaching out, turned her face slowly towards him, lifting her chin upwards. The grey eyes, which had deepened to cobalt blue, dwelled sombrely on hers.

‘
Cariño
, Marujita has gone. I'm afraid things didn't turn out well for her. When she saw I couldn't be manipulated by her or her family, she became reckless.' Salvador looked off into the distance, his arms resting on bent knees.

‘One day I caught her in your grandmother's room trying to steal some jewellery from the cupboard. She'd obviously made a copy of the key. Had she been on her own, I might have let her off with a flea in her ear but she was with one of her brothers, who attacked me when I discovered them. Like most gypsies, he carried a sharp
navaja.
The blade caught me between the ribs and punctured my lung. An ambulance was called and my aunt had no alternative but to hand them over to the
policia
. That was the accident … now you know it all.'

He let out a long sigh. Though his dark blue eyes were fixed on hers steadily, his hand trembled slightly as he smoothed it over his head. ‘I know I hurt you, my love, and I deeply regret that. Maybe I should have been more brutal but I owed my recovery to her, you see, after my previous accident … and she did bear my child. Ruthlessness is not in my nature and back then it seemed the right way to deal with such a delicate situation.' He gazed out into the distance again.

‘She will spend some time in prison now. I'd never have wished that on her. After all, she once gave me back my life. As for her brother, he'll be in there much longer. As we say,
así es la vida
, such is life. I just wish I hadn't been such a fool all along.' Pain was etched on his face as he gazed ahead and Alexandra felt it keenly.

Salvador paused and she stared at him, horrified at the turn his story had taken. Her heart went out to him. ‘Are you completely recovered from your injuries?' she asked.

He smiled ruefully. ‘Yes, only a small scar is left to remind me of my recklessness.'

Disturbing emotions swamped Alexandra, thinking about the woman who had shared his nights and given him a son. ‘Did you love Marujita?' She had to ask the question; she must know, even though the answer would have made no difference.

‘No, I never loved her … not in the way I love you. It was more of an earthy attraction, later tinted with gratitude and remorse because of the child. I never promised her anything. And this was all before I met you. There has been nothing between us since you — though that didn't stop her from trying, I admit. Still, I don't blame you for doubting me or being jealous.'

Alexandra swallowed back the lump constricting her throat, more shocked than she wanted to admit to herself after these new revelations. ‘I wasn't jealous of Marujita,' she retaliated, her green eyes sparkling with indignation that he should say such a thing, and now embarrassed at her previous confession, ‘not really, anyway. I never thought of her as a serious rival, not compared to Doña Isabel, but she always implied there was more between you. I just couldn't understand what was going on. She was insolent and cocky, taunting everybody as though no one and nothing could touch her. Besides, you never really explained the relationship between you, or told me openly that you loved me. You seemed protective towards her, even defying members of your family to keep her by your side. And then you fathered her child. What was I supposed to think?' She was quivering and spoke fast, almost breathless in her agitation.

But Salvador's eyes caressed her face. ‘Alexandra,
cariño
,' he said gravely, in a tone that made her anger melt almost instantaneously. ‘That's now all in the past. I love you, I want you to be my wife so I can spend the rest of my life with you. There'll be no more
separations, no more misunderstandings.' He smiled and dropped a little kiss on the tip of her nose.

‘We Spanish men don't like to let our wives out of our sight. We suffer an innate feeling of insecurity which makes us possessive and jealous, and I,
mi amor
, am no exception to the rule, as you've experienced.' They both laughed and he drew her into his arms tenderly.

Alexandra turned her head and pulled away slightly. She looked up at him with anxious wide eyes. ‘Salvador, can I ask you another question?' she said sheepishly.

‘Of course,
niña
, go ahead. I want to set the record straight so there'll be no more misunderstandings between us.'

‘Were you engaged to Doña Isabel?'

His strong hand tilted her face towards him. ‘It was a long time ago but I think you already know about that,' he said.

‘No, I don't mean that engagement. I saw a cutting in a magazine, it said that you were to be married.'

Salvador laughed, his finger stroking her cheek lovingly. ‘Ah, Alexandra, Alexandra, mi
dulce inocente amor
, you mustn't believe all you read in these society journals. I know well the photograph you're referring to. It was taken that night in Granada at Don Felipe's reception, just before you and I met in the garden. After that, I went straight back to El Pavón and I haven't seen her since.'

He looked at her earnestly. ‘You must believe me when I tell you that Doña Isabel ceased to mean anything to me a long time ago. I did love her once and it took me months to come to terms with our broken engagement. I didn't intend to fall in love again but then you came along and it seemed I'd been waiting for you all my life. I knew it practically from the time I first laid eyes on you that afternoon in the church, but especially after the masked ball. However, I needed time to sort myself out. I tried to explain this to you but I don't think I did it very well. You were so rebellious,
niña
, so stubborn.' For a few seconds his eyes were intense with emotion as he gazed down at her.

‘Oh Salvador, I love you so much,' Alexandra said, throwing herself back into his arms. ‘My pride got in the way … I thought that you
didn't love me … you never said it openly. To me you seemed to be doing your duty. I'm so sorry, please forgive me.'

‘My only hope is that you understand now why I acted in this way.'

‘I do, I do,' she whispered. ‘Don't ever let me go.'

‘I won't.' He held her tightly as she curled up in his lap. They clung passionately to each other in silence.

After a while, staring down gravely into her eyes, Salvador asked: ‘Do you think that you'll be able to live in Spain for the rest of your life and be happy? How will you deal with our traditions and rules? Your world is different in so many ways.' Concern shadowed his features. ‘You're used to an English way of life, the bright lights of the city, to a much freer code of conduct.'

Alexandra gazed up at him tenderly. ‘I'll be happy if you're with me. I love you more than I can say. The last year taught me in life, one needs to compromise. I thought I'd lost your love forever. Day after day I hoped and prayed you would come for me, and my dream has come true. How could I ever jeopardize that again?'

‘Then there are no misgivings, no doubts?' Salvador ran a finger down her cheek, his eyes darkening with apprehension. ‘You won't pine away as your mother did, thinking of family and friends? You won't long for the snow and the changing of the seasons of England, or see yourself chained to what you've regarded in the past as a “backward and bigoted country”?'

She glanced at him. ‘I won't … at least, I don't think so,' she added in earnest. ‘Still, you will let me travel to England from time to time, won't you?' she smiled. ‘You won't keep me prisoner at El Pavón?'

‘Oh yes,
cariño
, we have big tall dungeons at El Pavón, where we like to incarcerate rebellious young ladies.' Salvador chuckled and then kissed her softly with an intoxicating sweetness, barely touching her lips. ‘We will travel together,' he promised. ‘We'll visit your family and teach our children they have two homes, that they are part of two countries and must adapt to the ways of two societies.'

But Alexandra looked doubtful. ‘What about everybody at El Pavón? Do you think they'll forgive my recklessness, my stay in
Granada? Even for England, that little jaunt was risqué. I failed my grandmother dismally, I know, and I'm sure
Papá
was disappointed in me too. My stepmother already hated me, though I can't say I care what she thinks about me now. I think she hoped you would marry Mercedes. But let's face it, all things considered, I don't seem to fit their idea of a respectable Spanish wife.'

‘Hush,
mi amor
, you worry too much,' he remonstrated gently, stroking her face with the back of his fingers. ‘For your grandmother, this union is a dream come true. She was devastated when you left, and is waiting impatiently for me to bring you home … as my bride.' His mouth twitched as he tried to hide his amusement. ‘True, your unruly temperament may sometimes interfere with our austere conventions, but Doña María Dolores can see beyond that,' he reassured her.‘On the contrary, your intelligence, energy, intransigence and, most of all, your loyalty, make you the ideal person to manage the difficult task of running the hacienda by my side,' Salvador explained. ‘You're a most amazing woman,
mi amor
, didn't you know that?' He hugged her lovingly against his lean frame. Feeling herself relax, Alexandra smiled up at him.

‘As for your father,
niña
, he's a happy man. Did Esmeralda mention that he married off Mercedes last year, shortly after your departure?'

Alexandra raised an eyebrow. ‘Yes, that was unexpected.'

‘She's already pregnant. So I think that Doña Eugenia will have enough to occupy her, at least for a while. I'm sure she'll leave you in peace. Anyhow, as my wife, you'll be head of the household. That alone will command respect from everyone, even if they don't like it.' Salvador shrugged as though, now sorted, it wasn't worth thinking about.

‘I received a letter from Ramón. I'm glad he's happy in America. I do hope he settles down too and finds as much happiness as Esmeralda.'

Salvador shifted her gently off his lap and poured them both another glass of champagne. ‘That reminds me,' he said, ‘I have quite a few letters for you back at the house that I brought over from the family, as well as one from Doña Inés. They took the opportunity of
using me as their postman to make sure you heard from them.' He handed her a glass of champagne.

‘And I heard from Ramón just before I left. He hasn't married yet, and knowing Ramón, he'll take his time finding the right girl. As for dear Esmeralda, she's living a quiet and happy life with her husband in Madrid, though she came back to stay at El Pavón a few times when I was ill. Enrique is a good man. They're due to have their child any day now too. The
Duquesa
is delighted.'

He paused and sipped his champagne, surveying her with amused indulgence. ‘Have I forgotten anybody, my love?'

‘Yes, how is Agustina?' she asked, remembering the old retainer and the kindness she'd shown her.

‘Oh, she's as sprightly as ever. Good old Agustina, I don't know what we'd do without her. She's always been a tower of strength. We all lean on her and she never falters. She's very fond of you, you know that? She was truly happy when I told her of my intention to ask you to be my wife.' He sipped his champagne and grinned at her over his glass.

‘And are the gypsies still there?'

Salvador laughed. ‘Oh yes, they're still there. They'll always be there. As the gypsies say: “
We are all wanderers on this earth and our souls are fused with the countryside
.”'

Alexandra felt herself inwardly shudder. Still, she pushed any dark thoughts determinedly aside and laid her head on Salvador's shoulder. She wasn't going to let anything mar this blissful day.

‘Any more questions,
mi paloma blanca
?' he asked cheerfully.

‘No,' she said, smiling up at him tenderly. ‘No, I think you've answered them all … at least for today.'

‘I should think so too,' he said, warmth and laughter dancing in his eyes.

Alexandra snuggled back into the security of his arms and he held her close for a long time. Hours passed as they sat there, quiet and contented, savouring the sweetness of their newfound happiness.

Two months later

A
lexandra stood on the terrace of her luxurious
parador
room, overlooking Cádiz. Even as night was falling, the city shone with a subdued, translucent radiance and the breath of the sea filled the air. This was the last night of a one-month honeymoon, during which she and Salvador had stayed most of the time on the French Riviera and which ended here in Spain.

There had been a magical wedding at Grantley Hall and Alexandra had been relieved that her aunt had accepted their union with a sort of philosophical enthusiasm. Geraldine had finally got her wish, to see her niece married, and it appeared that Salvador had succeeded in charming her. ‘There certainly seems to be something about him,' she conceded. ‘I'm truly happy for you, darling,' she had whispered in Alexandra's ear. And although they beamed at each other, the eyes of both women were filled with tears as Alexandra and Salvador climbed into the vintage Rolls-Royce and waved goodbye to the cheering guests amidst a flurry of more confetti and champagne corks.

After the wedding, the happy couple had flown to Nice. From there, they had taken a car and toured the length of the coast from the French-Italian border to St Tropez, currently the Côte d'Azur's most fashionable resort, which Brigitte Bardot, France's number-one star, had helped to put on the map.

‘I must take my bride to Cádiz — the Bride of the Sea, as we sometimes call it in Spain,' Salvador told her the night before
they left France. They were curled up next to each other on the sofa in their hotel suite, his arm lying across her shoulders, her head resting on the strong expanse of his chest.

‘That's a surprise! I've never been to Cádiz,' she said, her green eyes gazing up at him adoringly. ‘I thought we were going straight back to El Pavón.'

Salvador smiled at her, kissed the tip of her nose and then chuckled. ‘Didn't you know,
querida mio
, that your husband is full of surprises?'

Indeed, Cádiz was the most fabulous surprise and what a bride it turned out to be. Not quite an island, it was a city of dazzling white houses set on a rocky peninsula, jutting out to sea with the sapphire-blue waters wrapped around it. A jewel that towered over the Atlantic, she well deserved her name. Brilliant and sparkling like a diamond in the sunshine, Alexandra found her beauty just as arresting at night, under a velvet sky studded with stars, when the city was reflected in the almost unearthly phosphorescence of the ocean. If she and Salvador were ever lucky enough to conceive a daughter, she reflected, she would like to call her Luz — ‘light' in Spanish — their beautiful tribute to this dazzling city.

The air vibrated with silence. Alexandra was happy, though maybe a little apprehensive as to the future at El Pavón: she would have to get used to an entirely new life with different responsibilities and a whole new set of rules, many of which she was still ignorant, despite the few months she had spent with her family at the hacienda. But she was happy for her prayers had been answered — in the end Salvador had come for her. He loved her deeply, she had no more doubts about that. There may be tribulations in the future but nothing they couldn't overcome together.

She didn't move when he walked on to the terrace and she felt the caress of his hands moving over her back. She guessed he was naked and helpless longing flooded her. Closing her eyes, she let herself float on a lazy sea of desire. Through the fine silk of her dress, her oversensitive skin could feel the heat radiated by her husband's body.

His hands slowly unbuttoned and drew the garment from her shoulders. She could feel his satiny mat of chest hair just touching her back. Instinctively, she leaned into him, enjoying the sensation of his flesh against hers and the hardness of his arousal that told her how much he wanted her. She moaned softly and, in answer, his palms swept upwards to cup her swollen breasts. He lifted them and pressed them together, toying with their rosy peaks until they were hard and taut, and every inch of her was quivering and aching to be quenched.

His head came down to kiss the small vein throbbing beneath the almost translucent skin of her throat and deliberately, slowly, his lips travelled to her sensitive nipples. His mouth was warm, his tongue hard as it flipped over one peak, then the other. The ache in her loins was reaching its peak. She was trembling, whimpering with ecstasy, parting and licking her lips, murmuring his name passionately and twisting her neck round to seek his kiss.

He spun her around in his arms and, with one movement of his hands, peeled off the last piece of clothing that covered the private lower part of her body, his palms lingering caressingly on the firm curves of her bottom. They were both naked now. Lifting her up, he carried her to the oversized cushions that were arranged, Moorish fashion, a few paces away on the marble tiled floor of the terrace, under the starry sky.

Salvador's eyes darkened to deep blue as they slid up and down Alexandra's beautiful body. ‘Such beauty, such perfection,
querida
,' he whispered, his voice thick with desire.

‘And yours,' she murmured, moving her hands forward to touch him, his potent masculinity coaxing a feverish response that coursed through her. She wanted him with an intensity she had no idea she could feel until she had discovered it in his arms. He was beautiful, a body of steel under a bronze skin of velvet and, during the past weeks, she had become addicted to his expert lovemaking.

He drew back. ‘Wait … not yet,
querida
, the night is long,' he said huskily as he lowered himself on to the cushions and slid behind her.
A deep shudder of anticipation reverberated through her and she sucked in her breath as he slipped his strong, warm palms under her, this time cupping her bottom, lifting it and gently pulling it backwards against his groin. Then slowly he placed her top leg over his hip, drawing it slightly back as he did so.

‘Close your eyes and let yourself go' he whispered, his voice hoarse, warm lips brushing her ear. ‘I'm going to please you,
querida
, like never before.'

Alexandra's senses were spinning, excitement running through her whole body; she was tingling almost unbearably, longing for his touch. The extent of his need was pressing hard against her. Her senses leapt in response to his ardent words as he breathed them feverishly against her temple, telling her how beautiful she was and how he hungered after each and every part of her; how he loved the scent and the taste of her. His breath was on her cheek, and then his mouth, tongue and teeth went to work on her earlobe, down to her neck, then her shoulder. While one hand had found her breasts, the fingers of the other delved, erotically and possessively, into the secret part of her that she had jealously kept private before Salvador.

He parted her swollen lips, massaging them gently but not going any further.

‘I am pleasing you,
querida
, yes? It feels good, so good … but you want more … you're aching for me to touch you there, in the middle … yes, I can feel you trembling, wanting me to stroke you there … you are so swollen you cannot bear the torture any more. But for the moment I'm making you wait … the reward, you'll see, will be so much greater.'

Her pupils dilated, Alexandra was breathing heavily and moaning her need and her pleasure while Salvador continued to whisper to her, his sensual fingers stroking her delicately and, from time to time, applying the firm touch he knew she craved, responding intuitively to each of her moans but always avoiding that place where she wanted him most.

‘Salvador, please, please …' she cried out.

‘Yes, yes, just a little longer,
querida
.' He sighed softly against her ear. ‘Yes, I can see you're ready for me now,' he murmured as he found the core of her and she cried out his name again and again, pleading with him, urging him on, every cell charged up by the high voltage of heat he was feeding her.

‘Yes,
querida
, you want it harder and faster,' his caressing voice continued to whisper intently in her ear. ‘Yes, spread your legs a little wider like that … you're so warm and moist now, I can feel how much you want me. I'm hard, very hard, and soon I will fill you and you will know and feel inside you my desire.'

His palms slid underneath her and moulded themselves to the feminine curves of her hips, drawing her closer still, hugging her tightly in his strong arms and then, with one deep, intimate thrust, he joined her only too willing body.

She let out a cry at his plunging penetration. His thrusts were agonizingly slow and deep and she gasped with pleasure at every invasive shift of his hard masculinity, causing him to groan loudly and only intensifying his desire to please her. Now they were both on fire, devoured by the flames of their passion that had snapped out of control, raging through them, wild and mindless, into an ecstatic inferno. She forced her spine against him, wanting to be even closer, curving herself against his strong body to feel him even deeper inside her. He relished his exploration of her warm, moist centre, her blind surrender fuelling the blaze erupting fiercely between them.

They were now hovering on the edge of a deep precipice, a sea of liquid heat cascading through them, utterly possessed by a drug they both craved. Their synchronized movements grew faster and wilder. Soon they were waltzing on the crest of a wave of love, revelling in an ocean of tortuous pleasure they never wanted to end. He made her climax again and again, taking her every time to greater heights, while he held on, controlling the rush of his own need, wanting to satiate her before he gave in to his own impulse.

And then there was no more thought. As she cried out her pleasure for the umpteenth time that evening, he tensed, blood drumming in
his veins, a fierce tremor seizing him, and he went to meet her, finally allowing himself to feel the rapture he had been holding in check. Their flesh pulsed and shivered wildly as though they were totally possessed in a world of their own. Time and space had changed out of all recognition as surge upon surge of voluptuous pleasure washed through their bodies, and they clung desperately to the final sweet note of their lovemaking until, finally spent, they lay back happy with the feeling of completeness that they had never known existed.

Propped up on his elbow, Salvador stared down at his wife. Alexandra's face rioted with colour as she recognized the desire reflected in those dark blue irises and felt the same desire within. His eyes gleamed with sensual promise and she felt her wanton flesh pulse again in response, yearning for his possession. ‘Salvador,' she murmured against his mouth as his head came down to claim her lips, ‘Salvador, we've just … we can't!'

‘Of course we can, my passionate love … my wife, my wild, insatiable lover,
mi amor apasionado … mi esposa, mi amante salvaje
,' he whispered, his words disintegrating to a stifled chuckle as Alexandra's hungry and impatient mouth silenced him with a kiss.

The starlit skies shone upon their intertwined bodies. The moon beamed as it glided majestically across the horizon, filled with a promise of wonderful tomorrows borne of their love for each other; a love that had surmounted so many obstacles to emerge as solid and steadfast as the Sierras and, like those stoical giants, it would last forever.