Steeling herself, she leveled her shoulders, plastered a smile on her face and turned. “Luca, I didn’t hear you approach.”
“And I didn’t hear you say anything about sneaking off into the night.” His dark brows were drawn together.
“Who said I was sneaking away?”
“I did. And you were.”
The smile was getting harder and harder to maintain. “Really, Luca? Sometimes you imagine too much.”
“Don’t try to brush me off. I know you, Elena. You put on a pretty good show this evening for the other guests, but I can see you aren’t happy.”
“Of course I’m happy. I’m honored that your sister still thinks so highly of our childhood friendship to invite me to such an event.”
“Annabelle likes everyone.” And then, as though he realized how that might sound, he added, “But you meant a lot to her, especially when our mother died.”
Elena had tried her best to be there for both Luca and Annabelle, but he’d pushed her away. It was as if overnight Luca had built a wall around himself and no matter how hard she tried, there’d been no scaling that wall. Eventually she gave up.
“I don’t belong here,” Elena said.
“What? Of course you do.”
She wasn’t going to argue with him. Her gaze strayed to the sweeping steps that led to the garden. “I made an appearance, and now it’s time that I go. Please tell your sister I had a good time.”
Luca crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Tell her yourself.”
The abruptness of his comment caught her off guard. “I...I will.” A written message would be so much easier than a phone conversation where inevitable questions would arise. “I’ll drop her a note tomorrow.”
“This isn’t about you fitting in. It’s about us. Isn’t it?”
She met his unwavering gaze. “Why would you think that?”
“Because I really screwed up in Paris. It was all a big mistake. I wasn’t myself that night. And if you give me a chance to make it up to you, I swear it’ll never happen again.”
The more he tried to explain, the more his pointed words poked at her hope that they’d get past this awkward stage. But now she knew the unvarnished truth. And it was worse than she’d thought.
Having no response for him, she turned to continue walking.
“You can’t just walk away,” he called out.
Why did he have to keep pushing? He wasn’t going to like anything she had to say. It was best to keep moving. She took another step.
“Elena, what is it going to take for you to forgive and forget?”
She turned, catching the frustration written so clearly on his face. “You don’t understand. The past can’t be that easily erased.”
“What are you saying?” He stepped closer to her. “Elena, what is going on?”
Elena pressed her lips together. She’d said far more than she’d intended at this juncture. And now she’d aroused Luca’s suspicion. There was one thing that Luca excelled at and that was ferreting out the truth. If she didn’t get out of here soon, her secret would be out. And this royal scandal—the earl having a baby with a commoner, the daughter of the help—would be the talk of the palace and beyond.
She knew it would happen sooner or later, but she’d been hoping for later, after Annabelle’s moment in the spotlight. After all Annabelle had been through tracking down her mother’s murderer and then being held at gunpoint, her friend deserved this bit of happiness.
“I’m not leaving here until you talk to me,” Luca said. “So out with it.”
“I just meant we can’t pretend that night didn’t happen.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment, as though he were considering the sincerity of her statement. “I understand. But I don’t want to lose our friendship.”
Before she could say a word, the sound of voices and approaching footsteps interrupted. Elena glanced past Luca and spotted Prince Alexandro alongside another of Luca’s cousins. The prince glanced up and surprise flashed in his eyes.
“I’m sorry. We didn’t know anyone was out here,” Prince Alexandro said. “We’ll go.”
“No. Stay. You aren’t interrupting anything,” Elena hastily responded.
The prince’s gaze moved between her and Luca. “You’re sure?”
Luca hesitated and then nodded.
“Good,” the prince said, approaching them. “Luca, we need you to settle a disagreement.”
The men quickly got into a heated discussion about the upcoming European football season. Elena immediately tuned out the conversation. She wasn’t a sports fan unless it was auto racing. There was just something about a hot guy and a fast car. Her mind immediately conjured up Luca in a sleek racecar. The image definitely worked for her. But just as quickly as the image came to her, she dismissed it.
With the men now deep in conversation, Luca had his back to her. She took advantage of the moment to follow through with her original plan to steal away into the night. Trying to act as casual as possible, she quietly strolled down the steps and entered the garden.
When she reached the other side of the garden, she slipped through the gate and entered the open field illuminated only by moonlight. At last, she was free.
With her hand splayed over her midsection, she said, “Don’t worry, little one. We’ll tell your father. The time just has to be right.”
* * *
A late-night phone call was never a good thing.
In Luca’s case, it always meant that his life was about to take a turn for the worse. He doubted tonight would be any different.
“Father?”
“Luca, you answered.” Surprise rang out in his father’s voice.
Was he that bad at accepting calls from his father? Perhaps. He had started to avoid his father’s calls because the man kept hounding him to step up and take his place in the family business—a position Luca didn’t feel comfortable assuming.
“Are you all right?” Luca asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
“I’m coming to Mirraccino first thing in the morning. We need to talk.”
“Is that code for you want to discuss how I’m wasting my life? If so, you’re wasting your time—”
“I’m serious, Luca. It’s imperative that we talk.” There was a weariness to his father’s voice that he’d never heard before. And it concerned Luca more than he’d expected.
“Can’t you just tell me now?”
“No. We need to do this in person. And don’t tell your sister. She’ll find out soon enough, but for now she deserves to enjoy her engagement.”
“Understood.”
“Good. I’ll see you first thing in the morning. Don’t sleep in.”
“I won’t.”
When they disconnected, sleep was the very last thing on Luca’s mind. His father was far from melodramatic. In fact, after his mother’s murder, his father had been the only calm person—perhaps too calm. At the time, Luca had resented the fact that his father hadn’t fallen to pieces. In that moment, he’d been certain his father didn’t love his mother. Not like he should have loved her.
That was the moment when Luca pulled back from everyone. Convinced that love was just an illusion, he’d refused to become a victim of romance and happily-ever-after. Because when the haze of lust lifted, someone would walk away and someone would get hurt.
And as much as Luca believed his father had not loved his mother, as the years slipped by, his doubts set in. His father never moved on with his life. He never remarried. Luca wasn’t even sure his father dated. If he did, he used the utmost discretion. And the few times that Luca had returned to their home in Halencia, it remained the same. His mother’s belongings were still where she had left them. It was so easy to pretend that she was just out for the day. It made Luca wonde
r if he’d misjudged his father. Had his father loved his mother in his own way?
Sleep was elusive for the rest of the night as Luca stared into the darkness. He knew as sure as the sun would rise that his life was about to change dramatically. It left him restless.
And then there was the matter of Elena.
She’d gotten away from him tonight. He didn’t know what was bothering her, but he intended to find out. It wasn’t like Elena to act so mysteriously.
Tomorrow there was a picnic. He wasn’t sure what else Annabelle had planned for the day, but he was certain it wouldn’t be boring. Nothing about the day would be mundane, because he had every intention of once again escorting Elena to the event. It would give them a chance to finish their prior discussion.
There was something going on with Elena, and he felt driven to find out what had this international fashion model cowering from the cameras. Perhaps it wasn’t any of his business, but the worried look reflected in Elena’s eyes haunted him.
He might not have been around much in the past few years, but he was here now. By helping her, he might be able to assuage some of his guilt over losing control in Paris. If he did, perhaps they could part on good terms.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE NEXT MORNING Luca paced back and forth in the palace library.
It was time he let his father in on his life choices. Luca couldn’t help but wonder what his father would think of the fact that he’d gone back to school and received his degree in business management. He knew he was destined to run the family’s citrus business one day. And he wanted to be prepared. In fact, for the past several years, he’d been working his way up in an investment firm in Milan.
Perhaps he should have told his father all of this sooner. He’d intended to, but it never worked out. Every time they got together, they argued. His mother used to say that they butted heads so much because they were so much alike. Luca had always taken it as an insult. He had never wanted to believe that he was as stubborn and infuriating as his father—
“Luca.” His father’s voice came from behind him.
Being so deep into his thoughts, Luca hadn’t heard his father approach. He turned toward the doorway. “Hello, Father.”
“At last we talk. You really ought to get a new phone so your messages don’t get lost.”
Luca had noticed the messages, but he kept putting them off for one reason or another. “I’ve been busy.”
His father’s dark, bushy brows drew together. “Humph... How can you be busy?”
Luca inwardly groaned. Did his father always have to think so little of him? And then he realized that it was partially his fault. His stubborn pride had kept him from revealing to his father that he’d followed the path his father had wanted him to take in the first place.
Luca cleared his throat. “What did you need to talk about?”
“Is that how you greet your father?”
“It’s not like we’re the mushy type. That’s Annabelle’s area.”
His father broke out in a hearty laugh, surprising Luca. He had absolutely no idea what he’d said that was so amusing.
His father quickly recovered his composure. “Apparently you’ve spent as little time around your sister as you have me. Let me enlighten you so that you are not shocked this week. Your sister has grown up into a strong woman and a bit of a spitfire.”
That would explain the adventure she’d gone on to track down their mother’s murderer. “I’ll definitely keep that in mind.” Still not comfortable in his father’s presence, he said, “Now, what did you want to talk about?”
His father’s formidable presence melted away as his face seemed to age almost instantly and his broad shoulders drooped a bit. The duke closed the library door and headed for the tray of coffee and biscuits that had been left by the staff.
His father busied himself pouring a cup of coffee. “Would you like some?”
“I’m good.” Then as an afterthought, Luca added, “Thanks.”
He wasn’t used to his father being thoughtful. This meeting must be serious. And right now, he was too wired. Adding caffeine to the mix would be a mistake.
After his father fixed his coffee with some sugar and a bit of cream, he turned. He took a long swallow before returning his cup to the saucer. “You need to move home.”
Luca’s body tensed. That was it? No explanation. Nothing but an order. Throwing around his authority was so typical of his father. But he must have forgotten that Luca was no longer a child to be bossed around.
“No.” If his father would talk to him differently, he’d explain to him that he already had a job with responsibilities.
His father’s eyes flared with anger. “You don’t understand. You don’t have a choice. It’s time you stop partying and live up to your responsibilities.”
“And if I don’t?”
“You’ll be cut off from your funds.”
This was where he had his father. “If you hadn’t noticed, I haven’t touched that bank account in years.”
His father’s mouth gaped. A second passed before he regained his composure. “I...I didn’t know. How are you getting by?”
Luca knew that he could continue to keep his father in the dark, but what good would that do? After all, he wanted to prove to his father—and himself—that he had changed. This was a good starting point. “I’m an account manager at an investment firm.”
“You are?” His father leaned back against the table as though for support. The news appeared to have knocked him off balance.
Luca couldn’t deny that he found a bit of satisfaction in being able to surprise his father. “Yes. I went back to school, earned my degree and I’ve been based in Milan ever since. But my work takes me around the globe.”
“I see.”
No I’m proud of you. Or I’m happy for you. His father seemed to absorb the news as though he’d just been told there was rain in the forecast.
“Well, I’d like to say that it’s been great catching up, but we never were good at casual conversation. So if that’s all, I should be going.” Luca turned to the door.
“Wait. You can’t go. Not yet.” His father’s voice took on an ominous tone, causing Luca to turn back. “You need to know...”
When his father’s voice faded away and his gaze centered on the coffee in his cup, Luca became suspicious that there really was a problem. His father never acted coy. Whatever it was had his father acting out of character.
“I need to know what?” Luca asked.
His father’s hand shook just a bit as he turned to place the coffee cup on the table. When he turned his attention back to Luca, his eyes were dark and unreadable. “The family business is failing.”
Failing? The grove of lemon trees had been in his family for five generations. It was a tradition. It was their history.
Luca had to be certain he understood his father. “And this is why you want me to move home?”
His father sighed. “I’m not getting any younger. It’s time I pass the torch to you and step down. But before I do this, I need to know that you’re up to the challenge. Are you ready to settle down and do the work necessary to save our business and our home?”
Sure, he’d been gone for a long time, but in all honesty, he never meant to be gone forever. His home in Halencia was where he planned to settle...eventually. He’d just never thought anything would happen to it. He always imagined it’d be there waiting for him when he was ready to accept his destiny.
But now his father was looking to him for help. What did his father think Luca could do that he hadn’t already done himself? Luca didn’t have any answers, but he did know this was his chance to prove to his family that he was someone they could count on.
After all, they had world-renowned lemons with a delicate taste and lo
w acidity. Surely there had to be a market for them. They’d never had a problem in the past.
It would be so easy to turn his father down and go back to his comfortable life in Milan. After all, he hadn’t created the problem. It wasn’t his responsibility to fix it.
But this was the first time his father had ever turned to him for help. How could Luca walk away from that? He was certain his mother would plead with him to let go of his pride and help his father.
It wouldn’t be easy moving back to Halencia. His father might talk of retirement, but Luca knew his father wouldn’t do it. The business was all his father had left. It was in his blood. So how would Luca work side by side with such a stubborn man?
Before he made up his mind, they needed to get a few things straight.
“Why do you want my help?” Luca asked, needing his father to admit that he needed him.
“I...I just told you.”
“No, you told me the company is in trouble, but you didn’t say why you turned to me.”
His father hesitated. “Fine. I need your help. I can’t do it alone. Is that what you want to hear?”
Luca nodded. “Yes, it is. And there’s one more thing.”
“I’m afraid to ask.”
“Then just listen. If I succeed, you’ll sign over the position of president to me.”
His father’s dark brows gathered and his mouth opened, no doubt to protest.
“You did say that you were planning to step down, didn’t you?” Luca knew as sure as the sun was going to rise tomorrow that unless an agreement was in place, his father would never step down. Once the company was back in the black, his father would no longer have a reason to hand over the reins.
His father sighed as he shrugged his shoulders. “Okay. You’ll be president if you succeed.”
“And you’ll put this all in writing?”
The duke’s shoulders grew rigid as his bushy brows drew together. “My word isn’t enough for you?”
“Let’s just say, this way there will be no room for misunderstandings.”
His father studied him for a moment. “The Luca who left here years ago never would have asked for such a contract.”
Married for His Secret Heir Page 4
