Page 34 of The Rogue’s Embrace

Five years later

Castle Villabona

"Go on."

Maria handed the rope to her son and then pointed toward her father.

Young Esteban de Aguirre Elizondo looked with trepidation at the two goats which were tethered at the end of the lead before trying to offer the rope back to his mother. A ripple of laughter came from the guests standing to one side in the courtyard of Castle Villabona.

"You must do your duty and pay the debt,"

said Lisandro.

Esteban moved forward, one hesitant step after the other. To Maria's relief, the Duke of Villabona rose from his seat and went to greet his grandson. He knelt before the boy.

"What do you have there, Don Esteban?"

asked Antonio.

The boy frowned. "The Duke of Tolosa b . . . bu . . ."

He turned to his father.

Lisandro came over to his son and bent down beside him. "The Duke of Tolosa burdens me with the task of paying our annual debt. These fine goats are to ensure that another year of peace exists between our families."

Esteban handed the rope to the Duke of Villabona, then stepped back and bowed. At least he had that part of the ceremony sorted.

Antonio clapped his hands with glee. "Such a wonderful sight. Two goats, my grandson, and my granddaughter. Oh—and my son-in-law."

A smiling Maria shook her head. The toddler in her arms squirmed and held out her hands to her father.

Lisandro got to his feet and took his fair-haired daughter into his embrace. "He is never going to forgive me, is he?"

After four, nearly five, years of marriage, the Duke of Villabona was still giving Lisandro gentle grief over having the temerity to rescue and then marry his daughter.

"You know secretly, he loves you. How could he not? You sailed all the way to England to save me, then came back and unmasked those who would destroy the Elizondo clan," she said.

If anyone was owed a goat or two, it was Lisandro, but the tradition had now become the perfect excuse for a big annual party. People from the surrounding villages gathered at Castle Villabona to mingle and celebrate as friends. Seeing all the happy faces was worth more than a thousand goats.

Maria lay her head against her husband's shoulder, her hand resting on her pregnant belly. It was always good to visit Castle Villabona, but it was no longer her home. As the Duchess of Tolosa she led a busy life, raising children and supporting her husband.

Spain was going through a painful chapter in its history, and keeping the peace took much of Lisandro and Antonio's time. But it was worth it to build a future for their families and to keep their nation whole.

It seemed forever since that fateful day on the beach at Zarautz. She still woke some nights in a blind panic, but Lisandro was always there to calm her down. To let her know she was safe and loved.

Life with him was a blessing, and Maria would always be devoted to her Spanish duke.

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Thank you for reading! I hope you loved Lisandro and Maria's story and the magical landscape of Spain.