Billionaire's Defiant Mistress (16 page)

“It's impossible to get information out of Carlos, these days,” sighed Rafaela. “We have to be happy with the occasional meeting.”

“Is Raul not here to greet us?” asked Carlos.

“He had to go and look at a new horse we are getting. Gabriella has gone with him, they should be back soon,” said Rafaela. “We can take tea. Would you like some tea, Sarah?”

“I'd love some tea,” Sarah replied. “Thank you.”

Rafaela left to arrange the tea. Sarah looked around the beautiful room which was stunning in an ancient kind of way, everything in it looked expensive. Silk rugs covered the flag-stone floor, the sofas were made from luxurious, dark velvet and shining wood. Landscape paintings covered the walls and there were exquisite lamps at various points around the room.

Sarah's focus on the room's content was broken by the sound of a door slamming and the appearance of a young girl running into the room. It was Gabriella, with long legs like her mother's, long hair and mud-stained riding clothes.

“Carlos! Carlos!” she screeched, as she rushed up to him and threw her arms round his neck. Carlos put his finger to his lips to shush her as she continued in a stream of Spanish and laughter.

“We must speak English,” he said firmly. “This is my new wife and she doesn't speak any Spanish.”

Gabriella turned towards Sarah. “Hello,” she said shyly and politely.

“
Buenos dias
, Gabriella,” said Sarah.

“You do speak Spanish, Carlos is wrong!” exclaimed Gabriella, excitedly.

Sarah lifted her hand and stretched out her forefinger and thumb so they were close together and parallel. “
Muy poco
.” Sarah smiled. “He is very nearly correct.”

“What's your name?” asked Gabriella.

“Sarah.”

“That's a pretty name,” said the young girl confidently.

“Yes, it means 'the one who captures men',” said Rafaela, returning to the room. She placed the tea tray on the table. “And that is exactly what has happened to Carlos, he has been captured, haven't you Carlos?”

Sarah felt breathless and could feel her cheeks filled with blood as she wondered what Carlos might say to bluff himself out of that one. But he was saved from having to give an answer by Raul, who made his entrance at just the right time.

“Raul,” said Carlos. He rose to his feet ignoring Rafaela's interrogation.

Sarah looked at Raul and saw a face etched with tension, his black hair touched with streaks of silver. He was the same age as Carlos, but he looked a decade older.

“Good to see you, Carlos,” said Raul. “You're looking good
,
and I understand congratulations are in order.”

His eyes washed over Sarah just long enough for her to notice his uncertainty and the edginess to his demeanour.

“And this must be your wife?”

“The name's Sarah. I'm very pleased to meet you,” said Sarah politely.

“Pleased? Honestly?” Raul's eyes and mouth widened. “Then Carlos must be going soft in his old age, he doesn't usually have a kind word to say about me.”

“But Carlos is floating on the cloud of love, the one inhabited by newly-weds,” said Rafaela happily. “Aren't you, Carlos?”

Sarah was beginning to wonder whether she was paranoid or was Rafaela constantly goading Carlos into contradicting her? It was as if she wanted to hear him admit he hadn't married Sarah through choice. Keeping the pregnancy secret had been a necessary strategy rather than cynical, thought Sarah, because it was clear Rafaela would have had a field day if she knew that Carlos had no choice but to marry Sarah.

But Sarah could not understand why Carlos had brought her here. Whilst eating dinner the thought constantly nagged her – causing her to be quiet while she ate the unfamiliar food and took very small sips of the rich red wine. Fortunately, she sat next to Gabriella, who kept her attention with chatter about England and her wish to visit it.

“You can come and visit us, if your parents are agreeable?” her invitation turned into a question as she met Carlos's eyes. “Couldn't she?”

“Of course she can,” Carlos exclaimed. He turned to Gabriella directly. “You are welcome to visit us at any time.” Carlos was impressed with Sarah's instinctive generosity and the fact that she was able to maintain a dignified, civilised air when the atmosphere at the dinner table had been, generally speaking, as sarcastic and cutting as he feared it might be.

Rafaela had worn a silk cocktail dress which clung to her shapely body like it had been sprayed on. She had begun the evening boasting about her extravagant lifestyle in a way that made Carlos feel embarrassed and she had contradicted pretty much every sentence uttered by her husband. Even when Raul had spoke of his beloved art collection, Rafaela had contributed nothing but negative comments and a sarcastic tone. Carlos had noticed Sarah squeezing her lips together a couple of times and then deliberately turning to Gabriella to engage her in a discussion about horses – helping to drive away the poisonous atmosphere at the dinner table.

And whilst they sat eating it became clear in Carlos's mind that the remnants of his anger towards Raul had disappeared, replaced by fury that Rafaela could treat his old friend so disrespectfully.

After dessert, Carlos rose to his feet and spoke. “Come on, Raul. Show me this collection; I am just dying to see it.”

Raul shrugged his shoulders. “Sure, fill your glass up and I'll give you the full tour.”

Watching the men leave the room, Sarah felt isolated. More so when, despite Gabriella's complaints, she was sent to bed by her mother. Sarah hugged Gabriella and kissed her on both cheeks before once again extending the invitation for her to visit England.

The two women sat in silence as Gabriella's footsteps on the flagstone floors got fainter – and once there was silence Rafaela picked up a wine bottle and turned to Sarah.

“Wine?”

“I will stick with the water, thanks.”

Rafaela poured herself a full glass of wine. “You don't drink wine, Sarah?”

Sarah took a sip from her water, trying to maintain a pleasant smile. “No, not really.”

“I noticed you didn't drink. I've been meaning to ask you a question all evening.” Rafaela lowered her head and looked at Sarah through the top of her eyes. “Are you pregnant?”

Sarah caught her breath as her stomach sank and the beat of her heart increased its pace. She felt like a rabbit caught under the full glare of headlights, knowing she was about to be run over and not knowing which way to run.

“You're asking me if I am pregnant?” she said, trying hard to think of a way to deflect the question. “That's a very personal thing to ask.”

“Maybe it is. But it's not an answer to my question.”

“And it's not a question that I need to answer. Lots of women don't drink alcohol.” Sarah didn't feel that her defence was in any way convincing.

“You're right, Sarah. Lots of women don't drink alcohol. Then again, lots of women don't marry older, rich billionaires either.” Rafaela lifted her wineglass, peering over it to look directly at Sarah with a knowing smile.

Sarah swallowed hard. “There's only a twelve year age difference.”

“You say only? It's a different generation, he could almost be your father,” said Rafaela, mockingly.

“I didn't realise I had come here to be insulted,” said an indignant Sarah.

“It's not my intention to insult you. I am being honest with you, that's what friends are for, honesty. Have you met any of Carlos's friends?” There was a brief silence as Rafaela waited for a response. “No? I can't say I am surprised. You see, Sarah, I am only asking you what all his friends will be thinking.” Sarah remained calm on the outside, but inside she was raging with fury. She felt like a schoolgirl being admonished by her headmistress. Rafaela continued. “You're nothing like I would have expected his wife to be. Nothing at all. Carlos is a cultured and highly educated man, but you... Well, I can see that your youthful freshness would be an appealing distraction for an experienced man – but as your youth fades, then what?”

Sarah gripped her glass tumbler as if she was using it for protection, her blood felt as if it was draining from her body. “Oh please,” she said weakly, trying to sound offended.

“I am just making sure that you are aware of the facts of your situation, Sarah.” She put down her glass and raised her head in a way designed to be intimidating. “You do know that Carlos was in love with me? That he wanted to marry
me
? And that he left Madrid broken-hearted when I chose Raul?”

“Yes, he has told me,” Sarah said quietly.

“Oh, he has, has he?” Rafaela picked up her glass and took a mouthful of wine before placing the glass back on the table. “Ironic isn't it? I now know that I made the wrong choice. The biggest mistake of my life. For the past few years I've been entertaining the idea of finishing my marriage – and giving Carlos the opportunity to reconcile with me. What do you believe he would do if he knew I was there for the taking?”

Sarah was stunned. She didn't know what Carlos would say, but she feared what he might do. What she did know for sure was that she needed to leave, to get out of there before she did or said something that she would regret. She was very tempted to throw her glass of water into Rafaela's insulting face.

But angry and indignant as Sarah was at the unforgivable behaviour of her hostess, she could also recognise through her pained heart that there was much truth in what Rafaela said. Could this be a case of terrible timing? Carlos and Rafaela had both married the wrong people.

The conversation was halted with the sound of convivial chatter as the men returned. Carlos had a masked expression on his face which gave nothing away – but Raul looked happier, as if he had been unburdened by a great weight on his shoulders.

Carlos glanced across the room at Sarah and instinctively knew all was not well. “Are you okay, Sarah?”

She was able to mask her true feelings with confidence but took the opportunity to get the hell out of there. “I'm fine, though a little tired. I think it's time to get back, if that's all right with you.”

“You must stay!” said Rafaela brightly. “We have lots of space.”

“Thank you for your kindness, Rafaela. But we have a car waiting outside.” Not wanting Rafaela to respond, Carlos turned quickly to Raul. “You know I meant it, come to Manchester whenever you want. Anytime.”

“Thank you, Carlos,” replied Raul nodding. “I will.”

The suspicion in Rafaela's eyes was obvious to Sarah as they said their goodbyes. Carlos remained quiet as they sat in the car heading back to their hotel in the centre of Madrid.

“That was a revealing visit,” declared Carlos, breaking his silence.

“What do you mean?” answered Sarah, noticing the look of concern on his face.

He pulled a vibrating phone from his jacket pocket and glanced at the screen. “One moment, I will have to answer this.”

Sarah bit her lip, irritated at how rude Carlos could be. But she realised it must have been a strange evening for him and that she was there to support and understand him. She remained quiet until the call was finished, then she cleared her throat. “Gabriella is a lovely young girl.”

“Yes, isn't she? The only good thing in the marriage.” He turned towards her, scanning her face thoughtfully. “How was Rafaela?”

“She guessed I was pregnant.”

Carlos's eyes looked down at her belly. “That's not such a big deal, we won't be able to hide the secret for very long anyway. Did she treat you properly apart from that?”

Sarah thought about what she should say. She wanted to tell him word-for-word about Rafaela's bitchiness but thought better of it. What if Rafaela was right in everything she said? Maybe she was holding Carlos back from what he truly wanted? If she were to begin posing questions to Carlos, he might give her answers she didn't want to hear.

“She treated me OK, I suppose.” She shrugged her shoulders before continuing. “I don't think we'll ever be best friends. How was Raul? He looks so much older than you, are you sure you're the same age?”

How was Raul? Thought Carlos. He reflected on the discussion they'd had and the demons exorcised by Raul during their conversation in his art room. As his mind looked back over the previous few hours his mouth tightened with ironic pleasure.

“Raul is not too happy with his marriage,” he said slowly and deliberately. He glanced out of the window noticing some of the places they had played together as young boys, where they had been happy and carefree together before a woman had come between them.

“Their marriage is shaky,” he declared. “They have had problems for a while now. I told him that it would affect Gabriella if he didn't do something about it, and it would be better to break up than to continuously bicker in front of their daughter.”

“I see. That explains the atmosphere over dinner.” She spoke in a way that disguised the conversation she'd had with Rafaela. But she realised with some fear, that he knew Rafaela may be free and single again soon. Was he aware of what Rafaela had declared to her? – that there was an opportunity for him to make his move and make her his own at last. And was Carlos regretting his marriage because it made the timing all wrong? His pregnant mistress now being the only obstacle to his happiness. “It's a shame.”

“It is.” But he heard the distance in her voice and turned to look at her more closely. “You're shivering, Sarah,” he said concerned. “Do you feel cold?”

But it wasn't the temperature that made her tremble, it was the fear of what could happen to her and her child in the future. She couldn't be more different to Rafaela, and Rafaela was the woman that he had loved. Had he been looking at the two of them tonight, side-by-side, and compared them? Rafaela, sophisticated, sleek and darkly mysterious – and Sarah, pale, young and a foreigner who would struggle to compete on any level. “It's a bit cold.”

He took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, turning the heating control button upwards for the rear compartment of the limousine.

The car was soon pulling up outside their hotel and they made their way back to the penthouse suite on the top floor. Standing in the elevator, Sarah noticed in the reflection of the mirror, how Carlos's gaze washed up and down her body and she asked herself if he was thinking about Rafaela. But then he put his hand round her waist and pulled her in close to his strong frame.