Page 2 of The Rogue’s Embrace
The following morning, Maria was seated at a small balcony table in the villa her family had hired. Her home was thirteen miles away —too far to travel in one day for a night of wedding celebrations.
While finishing the last of her breakfast, she gazed lazily out over the Cantabrian Sea. Various fishing boats bobbed up and down on the dark blue waves while gulls cried overhead. It was the perfect coastal picture.
The only thing spoiling the moment was the presence of her brother, Diego, and his continued griping over the events of the previous evening. Maria had long given up staring daggers at him, but still held out some hope that he might take the hint and shut up about the Duke of Tolosa.
"The nerve of that man. He must have known who you were. I should have called him out and demanded satisfaction."
Maria took a long, deep sip of her hot café con leche, she hoped that soon the coffee would be enough to take her mind off her brother's insistent complaining.
Unfortunately, it wasn't.
"You can't fight a duel; the Pope has forbidden them. And it was a wedding celebration, so I hardly think King Ferdinand would have taken kindly to the knowledge that someone might have died on his happy day,"
she replied.
It wasn't as if her brother had ever found himself in the position where he had to use a sword or pistol against a man. The worst adversary Maria hoped he would ever have to deal with was an Iberian wolf or a brown bear.
Her gaze returned to the sea. The tide was slowly working its way out, and several boats were making their way into shore. Maria doubted she would be able to enjoy lazy mornings like this once she was wed to the ambitious Juan Delgado.
She reached for her gold chain, silently chiding herself for having forgotten to put it on this morning. As soon as she was finished breakfast she would go and get it. Maria never went anywhere without her Santiago medallion.
"And speaking of happy days, how are the dowry negotiations going this morning? Father did not seem pleased when I saw him earlier,"
she added.
"Not good. Juan Delgado is a tough negotiator. After everything Papá has offered him, he still asks for more. At the rate things are going, you will be lucky to be a bride before Christmas,"
replied Diego.
What a shame.
She would have to remember to feign disappointment in front of her father if he could not seal the agreement today.
A shadow fell over the two siblings, and Maria glanced up to see her father's trusted advisor, Se?or Perez, standing close by. The gray-haired man smiled and bowed to them. "Don Diego. Do?a Maria. What a beautiful morning. The sun is shining and there is not a cloud in the sky. God is truly smiling down upon us today."
Maria and Diego exchanged a grin. Se?or Perez was always one for waxing lyrically.
Diego rose from his chair and politely bowed to Maria. "I must go and see how things are progressing. Though I don't hold out much hope."
Se?or Perez nodded. "Good luck. They were still haggling over jewelry when I left a few moments ago."
Maria finished the last of her coffee and also rose. Se?or Perez held out his arms to her, offering a hug. "Don't worry. Your father will eventually get things settled. In the meantime, would you like to go for a walk along the beach? One of the villa staff mentioned that the fishermen often have delicious, fresh clams for sale."
She had known this man all her life, considered him as an uncle. Spending a warm summer's morning with him strolling along the sand was a perfect idea. The cool sea breeze would help to clear her mind.
"Let me go and get my necklace and then I shall meet you at the stone steps which lead down to the beach," she said.
"How about we leave now? The fishermen may be gone by the time you return if we delay. And it would be such a pity to miss out on those clams. I promise we won't be gone long,"
he replied.
She nodded. "Alright, let's go. I am sure I can survive for a few minutes without my pendant."
A short while later Maria followed Se?or Perez as he led her onto the golden expanse of Zarautz Beach. She took in a deep breath; the salt air was magnificent. Being this close to the sea always did something to her mood.
Lisandro de Aguirre was right about the lure of the sea.
Not wishing to ponder why her thoughts kept returning to the Duke of Tolosa, Maria took hold of Se?or Perez's arm and grinned up at him. A change in topic was in order.
"I didn't see you at the ball last night," she said.
He screwed up his face. "You know me—I am never one for those sorts of things. All that dancing and making polite talk? No, thank you."
"Oh, come now, tío, I have seen you dance. The ladies are always eager to take a turn of the floor with you,"
replied Maria.
He leaned in close and met her gaze. The pale color of his face and dark circles under his eyes gave her pause. He looked tired. "I took to my bed early last evening. I am not a young man anymore. I need my sleep."
The sound of men crying ‘heave' came on the wind, and Maria turned to see a fishing boat being dragged into shore. Pots, nets, and rope were tossed over the side. Se?or Perez gently nudged her.
"Let's go and see if they have any clams for sale. I would love some tossed in garlic."
Maria lifted her skirts, doing her best to keep them dry. The thought of fresh seafood was a nice distraction to her new concerns about the health of her father's trusted servant.
As they drew closer to the small boat, the fishermen stopped their work and stood with heads bowed. One by one, they slipped off their woolen caps, acknowledging Maria.
"Buenos días, good gentlemen. Did you have a successful fishing trip?"
said Se?or Perez.
The men looked from one to another, then finally, one of them stepped forward and bowed low. "We caught many fish,"
he replied.
Maria released her hand from her friend's arm and moved toward the boat. She was keen to see what was in the fishing pots. "Do you have any clams, or should we ask farther up the beach?"
The man gave a cheery grin, then nodded. "Yes. Yes, we have clams. Come. Come see."
He motioned for her to come closer to the boat, but the water made her hesitate. Wet skirts would surely earn her a scolding from her mother.
"Bring the pots over onto the sand,"
said Se?or Perez. Putting his hand into his jacket pocket, he withdrew a handful of coins. The money quickly had the desired effect, and two large pots were lifted over the side of the boat and carried to where Maria and he stood.
Several more of the fishermen now came ashore, but two remained with the boat. They began to drag it back out into the water.
Maria leaned over the first of the pots. "These look good. They?—"
Strong arms wrapped about her waist. She was jerked violently off her feet.
"What are you doing? Unhand me this instant!"
She kicked and squirmed, fighting for release. But the man who held her only tightened his grip. With her arms pinned hard against her body, she struggled to make any headway against her captor.
"Se?or Perez help me!"
she cried.
Her friend stepped forward his hand raised. "Please no!"
he pleaded.
A large black cudgel quickly silenced him. He collapsed onto the sand, unconscious.
Maria screamed.
The wind swiftly carried her protests away. Then a huge, rough hand came over her mouth, ending any further chance she had to cry for help.
Her abductor was strong, her continued efforts to gain release achieving nothing more than to tire herself. From out of the group of fishermen, another man appeared. She whimpered at the sight of his badly scarred face. From the way he spoke, it was obvious Spanish was not his first language. Maria caught snippets of words which she knew to be English.
In his hands he held a large brown hessian sack. As he lifted it up and placed it over her head, all her hope fled.
"Get her in the bloody boat!"
he bellowed.
Maria fought one last desperate time, lashing out with her feet. Her boot connected with a body, and a cry of pain was her reward.
She didn't get another chance to strike as a sudden sharp jolt of agony tore through her brain. Her world spun sickeningly, and she knew no more.