Page 17 of The Spanish Daughter (The Lost Daughters #5)

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Rose hadn’t realised that Benjamin’s house was within walking distance, although given she was wearing heels, she wouldn’t have elected to go on foot anyway. She’d taken the Range Rover in the garage, which had felt like stealing when she’d stood in front of it with keys in hand, but logically she knew that the car was hers now, and she’d used Google Maps to navigate the two-minute drive. It had been a while since she’d driven, since she always used public transport at home, but she’d found it was like riding a bicycle, and other than one too-hard press on the brakes, she realised how easy it would be to get used to having her own car.

When Rose got out of the vehicle she ran her palms down her jeans, studying the house and realising it was like a small version of the Santiago estate, built in a Spanish style with off-white plaster and a terracotta roof. She wondered if it had been designed by the same architect, or whether it was just the style of the era. The door swung open while she was studying the house, and Benjamin appeared, wearing jeans and a black T-shirt, his feet bare as he leaned into the frame. She’d become so used to seeing him in his riding gear that it came as a surprise to find him in casual clothing, his hair freshly washed and still damp from the look of it. He was impossible not to admire.

‘I see you found the place easily enough,’ he said.

‘I did,’ she replied, smiling as she met his eyes. ‘You could have told me it was so close though. I wouldn’t have bothered spending so long inputting it into the GPS.’

‘I live a little farther away,’ he said, ‘but this is still home.’

‘You grew up here?’ she asked, as she stepped forward.

Benjamin stood back so she could pass, closing the door behind him. ‘I did. My parents still live here, and my grandparents before that. It’s one of those places that I can’t see us ever parting with.’

The smell of something delicious wafted out from the kitchen, and Rose’s stomach rumbled. ‘Something smells amazing.’

‘Everything my mother cooks is amazing, it’s what brings me home so often. Do you like to cook?’

Rose grimaced. ‘I’m an expert at heating things up,’ she said. ‘My best friend is a fantastic cook, and so was my mother, but for some reason I never quite figured it out.’

Benjamin’s smile faded. ‘ Was ?’

Rose took a deep breath and cleared her throat as tears pricked her eyes. She hadn’t meant to tell him like that, but the words had just slipped out, and now she either had to fumble her way out of what she’d said or lie. And she didn’t want to lie to Benjamin. ‘My mum passed away just before I came here, which has made finding out about our family and travelling here to Argentina so much harder.’

‘When you said the other day that you’d had a tough year?—’

‘You must be Rose,’ came a deep, warm voice, before she and Benjamin could finish their conversation.

Benjamin gave her a sad look that made her wish she hadn’t told him about her mother at that exact moment, but she turned from him and smiled when a man, with skin even more golden than Benjamin’s and a thick head of silver-streaked hair, appeared.

‘I am indeed. And you must be Benjamin’s father.’

‘Please, call me Alvaro,’ he said, taking her hand and then leaning in to kiss her cheek. His palm was warm and his cheek was soft with a close-cropped beard. ‘It’s a pleasure to have you here, Rose.’

‘I’m so grateful to be here for dinner. I was just telling your son that I’m not very accomplished in the kitchen, so a home-cooked meal is most welcome. It smells delicious.’

He gave her a conspiratorial smile and a wink. ‘You’ll find the women in this family take a little longer to accept someone new, but they tend to show their love through their cooking.’

‘Alvaro! Stop cloistering the girl,’ came a much louder female voice. ‘Rose, thank you for joining us tonight. I’m Martina.’

When Rose caught sight of Benjamin’s mother, walking through to them as she took off her apron, she knew that she was going to be the one she had to win over. She guessed that she was in her mid-sixties, her dark hair pulled up into a soft bun at the nape of her neck, wearing a navy and white dress. She was beautiful, and Rose could only guess at how stunning she must have been when she was younger.

‘Thank you so much for having me. I hope it’s not too much trouble.’

‘Trouble?’ she laughed. ‘Trouble are the two men you’ve just passed in the hallway. You will be no trouble at all, I’m sure of it.’

Rose glanced back over her shoulder at Benjamin, who was following with his father, and although their conversation sounded light, the way he looked at Rose told her that he was worried about her. She only wished she’d held her tongue and told him in private about her mother.

‘Rose, I believe you’ve already met my daughter, Maya.’

She nodded, braving a smile. ‘I have, we met at the polo. It’s lovely to see you again.’

Maya’s smile could have been warmer, but Rose was left feeling grateful that she’d given her a smile at all. Perhaps tonight wasn’t going to be as awkward as she’d thought.

‘Do you drink wine?’ Benjamin’s mother asked.

‘I do.’

‘Alvaro! Wine!’

Rose swapped amused looks with Benjamin as his father jumped to attention and took a bottle of wine from the table.

‘This is a Pinot Noir produced here in Argentina,’ Alvaro said, as he poured his daughter a glass first. ‘It was actually one of your great-grandmother’s favourites, which is why we always kept a bottle on hand.’

Rose lifted it to her lips and paused to inhale before taking a sip. ‘It’s lovely,’ she said. ‘I can see why it was a favourite.’

Benjamin’s mother had her back turned to them as she prepared food, but Rose loved the way their house was designed, with a big wooden table in the kitchen so that they were all able to chat together while she cooked.

‘How are you enjoying the Santiago estate?’ Alvaro asked. ‘Benjamin seems to think you’re very much at home there.’

‘He does, does he?’ she said, glancing over at him and receiving raised eyebrows in response. ‘I have to say that I’m loving spending time here, it’s a beautiful place. I’m just having a hard time thinking of it as my own, I suppose.’

Benjamin’s sister said something in Spanish and received a sharp response from her mother, which turned into a rapid-fire conversation between her and her brother. Rose found herself glancing away, uncomfortable, and decided to rise and offer her assistance.

‘Is there anything I can do to help?’ she asked his mother.

‘Everything is done, and I’m terrible at sharing my kitchen, but you can take this to the table for me.’

‘Well, I’m a terrible cook, so I’m rather grateful you didn’t ask me to do something complicated.’

‘Your mother didn’t teach you to cook?’ Martina asked, sounding surprised.

‘My mother was a fabulous cook, and my grandmother before her. We actually all lived together, just the three of us, and they were both so good at taking care of me that they always shooed me out of the kitchen.’ Her heart broke as she spoke of them, wishing again for just one more moment with the three of them together. ‘I wish I’d learnt from them when I still could.’

‘Ahh, so you had two mothers,’ she said. ‘They fussed over you like I fuss over my Benjamin. You’re a lucky girl.’

Benjamin came to stand behind Rose, placing a warm hand on her shoulder, which earned an enquiring stare from his mother. Rose wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d dropped the spoon she was holding at seeing her son touch their guest, but she appreciated the gesture. She’d always felt that a person showed their true colours when faced with sadness or a difficult situation, and Benjamin had shown her that he cared, which meant a lot. He could easily have stood back and let her tell his mother on her own.

‘Rose’s mother passed away very recently, before she came here,’ Benjamin said, his voice soft as he gently squeezed her shoulder.

‘You’ve lost your mother?’

Rose nodded, wishing they weren’t having this conversation in front of a woman who was so maternal that it reminded her acutely of her own mum. ‘I did. She had a long illness and I lost her only last month, so it’s been a very difficult time.’

‘You didn’t tell me this?’ Martina said, shaking her head at her son. ‘How could you not tell me this about our guest?’

‘Mama, I only just found out tonight,’ he replied, in a tone that made it clear she was not to say anymore on the matter. ‘It’s why I’m telling you now.’

Rose had never been so taken by surprise when Martina put down the spoon she’d been holding and enveloped Rose in the kind of hug that was usually reserved for family or very close friends. She held her tightly, not letting go for a long time as she whispered something in Spanish, before finally standing back and touching her palm to Rose’s cheek.

‘I’m sorry for your loss, Rose. There is nothing more painful than losing a mother, so I understand what you’re going through.’

‘Thank you,’ Rose said, as unexpected tears caught in her lashes. ‘She meant everything to me, which is why coming here has felt so special but also so very hard. I feel like staying here has given me a break from my real life, from everything I’ve had to deal with, and I suppose I’m searching for a connection to family now that I don’t have anyone left.’

‘You lost your grandmother, too?’

‘I did. She passed away last year.’

His mother nodded, her hand lingering on Rose’s before retrieving her apron and putting it back on. Benjamin picked up the bowl Rose had been about to take and indicated for her to follow him.

‘Come and sit down,’ he said.

Rose stood at the table, glancing back over at his mother, and then at his sister and father, who were still seated. ‘I know you were all very close to the Santiago family, and if my being here makes you uncomfortable for any reason, I understand. I can go.’

‘Rose, Valentina’s family is our family,’ Martina said, as she carried an enormous dish of food to the table and placed it in the middle. ‘Please, don’t leave. I would very much like to get to know you. We all would.’

Rose looked at each of the faces turned towards her. ‘Are you sure? Because?—’

‘Please, stay,’ Benjamin said, holding out his hand to her and beckoning for her to sit beside him. ‘Or at least don’t go until you’ve tried my mama’s famous paella. We can’t let you leave on an empty stomach.’

She hesitated.

‘Please stay,’ Benjamin said. ‘It would mean a lot to me if you did.’

Rose looked between them all, at the warm, hopeful expressions on their faces, and slowly sat down. Talking about her mother had stirred her emotions, but she could see that opening up had changed the way his family were looking at her, too, especially his sister. It was clear they all wanted her to stay, not just Benjamin.

‘To family,’ Alvaro said, holding up his glass.

Rose held hers in the air before taking a sip and settling in her seat as Martina started to serve them all. The food smelt delicious, and she couldn’t wait to taste it.

‘Rose, Benjamin has told us that you didn’t know that Valentina was your great-grandmother,’ Alvaro said. ‘That must have come as quite a shock.’

‘It did. I received the letter regarding the Santiago estate after my mother passed away. All of the correspondence had been addressed to her, you see, and it was very difficult not having her or my grandmother to talk to about any of it.’

‘So, you think they might have known about it?’ Martina asked.

Rose shook her head. ‘In the beginning, I did wonder whether perhaps my grandmother knew, or at least had some inkling about her adoption, but the more I’ve discovered, the more it appears that all of this was kept a secret. No one in my family knew.’

‘That’s why you never came here to see Valentina?’ Maya asked. ‘You truly never knew about her?’ She paused. ‘Or your inheritance?’

Rose met her gaze. ‘Truly. I’d never heard the Santiago name in my life, and I never knew we had any connection to Argentina. I certainly didn’t know I had any inheritance other than the flat in London that my mum owned.’

‘Tell them about the little box,’ Benjamin said, as everyone began to eat.

Rose took a small forkful, her taste buds exploding. It tasted every bit as good as it smelt.

‘For goodness’ sake, let the girl eat!’ his mother said. ‘She won’t get a chance to eat any paella if we keep asking her questions.’

She laughed. ‘It’s fine, I don’t mind.’ Rose gave them a very short version of how she’d come to be the recipient of the little box with its clues, and how it had made no sense to her until she’d received the letter from the lawyer in Buenos Aires. And when she paused for breath, she saw that they’d all stopped eating.

‘A piece of blue silk?’ Benjamin’s mother said. ‘Felipe’s polo shirt?’ she asked, turning to Benjamin.

‘Perhaps,’ he said. ‘It was the first thing I thought of when I saw it.’

‘Rose, do you have the clues with you?’

‘I do. I have them in my bag.’ She’d had the strangest feeling ever since she’d received them, and she’d rarely left home without them.

She dabbed her mouth with her napkin and went to get her bag, which she’d left by the front door. When she returned, they all stopped talking, and she took out the little box and placed it on the table, pushing it across to Alvaro.

‘The lawyer told me that Valentina had watched my grandmother from afar,’ she said. ‘But for some reason, she never tried to approach her, deciding instead to leave her fortune to her. And that’s the part I’m struggling to understand.’ She paused. ‘And I came across the name you just said, Felipe, on a photo in Valentina’s wardrobe.’

Benjamin’s father gasped when he saw the figurine. ‘This was made by my grandfather,’ he said. ‘And this was left for your grandmother? By Valentina?’

She nodded. ‘It was.’

The table fell silent then, and Rose was left wondering whether she’d done the right thing in sharing her story or whether she should have stayed silent.

‘Rose, has anyone told you how our families are connected?’ Benjamin’s mother asked. ‘Has Valentina’s lawyer told you anything?’

She looked to Benjamin. ‘I had a feeling that there was more to the connection between your family and the Santiagos than I understood, but no one has explained it to me.’

‘Alvaro, I think it’s time someone told Rose about our families. She deserves to know the truth.’

‘The truth?’ Rose asked.

‘My great-grandfather worked for Basilio Santiago,’ Benjamin’s father said. ‘He’s the reason my family moved here from Spain in the 1930s.’

‘Your family moved here so that he could work for the Santiagos?’

‘They did. He was given an opportunity for a better life, to work for a man he respected and came to call a great friend, but as wonderful as that was for the years they worked together, everything changed when Basilio died.’

‘I’ve seen Basilio in Valentina’s photos, or at least I presumed the man with her was her father.’

‘Valentina was Basilio’s only child, and from the stories that were passed down, he adored her more than anything in the world. She was left everything in his will when he died but, unfortunately, she had to fight for what was hers. As did our family.’

Rose tried to process what she was being told. ‘With everything you know, does it make any sense to you that Valentina would leave clues that pointed to your grandfather in that little box?’

It was Martina who spoke this time. ‘It was no great secret that Valentina was in love with Benjamin’s great-grandfather. They tried to hide it, but it was impossible. Even if they thought that no one knew, everyone did.’

‘They had a romance?’ Rose asked, as she started to realise what Martina was telling her. ‘You don’t think that we’re…’ Rose took a breath, looking at Benjamin and hoping that she was wrong. Her stomach felt as if it was doing somersaults. ‘You don’t think we’re all related, do you?’

Alvaro shook his head. ‘They were in love, but Valentina didn’t marry Felipe, and as far as we’re aware they never had a child. He was an honourable man, and we don’t believe they would have had a child outside of marriage.’

‘Then why leave clues that pointed to him, for her daughter to find?’

Alvaro sighed. ‘I don’t know. Perhaps she wished that he was the father?’

‘Or perhaps,’ Benjamin’s mother said, ‘she simply left the two things that were dearest to her at the time, because she didn’t know what else to leave?’

Later that evening, as Benjamin walked her out to the car, his hands in his jeans pockets, Rose stopped beneath the fairy lights his parents had strung up around the pergola and turned to him. Despite being unsure about dinner, she was glad she’d decided to come.

‘Thank you for a lovely evening,’ she said, sliding her fingers into her pockets for something to do. It also made her less tempted to reach for Benjamin, especially when someone could be watching them from inside.

‘I hope you’ll forgive my family for taking a while to warm up.’

‘There’s nothing to forgive. I actually think it’s nice they’re protective of you, and of my great-grandmother. It sounds as if they truly cared for her, and I’ve left knowing more than I did before about her past.’ It had also been a lovely evening after the bumpy start. ‘I had a really nice evening. I’m pleased I came.’

‘They did care for her, as did I,’ Benjamin said. ‘And nothing makes me happier than knowing you enjoyed your night with us.’

‘I just…’ She breathed out. ‘Were you going to tell me about your great-grandfather?’

‘That he and Valentina were in love when they were children?’

Rose pushed her shoulders up to her ears, her hands sliding even farther into her pockets. ‘Were they children, though? Would she have left clues pointing to him if it was just a girlhood crush? We’re talking about a woman who was old enough to give birth and place her daughter for adoption, so she was hardly a child then.’

Benjamin took a step forward, and before she knew it he’d reached out and brushed some loose hair back from her face. There was something about him that just kept drawing her in, and it wasn’t lost on her that Valentina had clearly felt the same way about his great-grandfather.

‘All I know is that they had a romance that wasn’t meant to be, and that my great-grandmother always believed that her husband was in love with Valentina, even though, as far as I know, they never saw each other. There was no scandal, just two people who once meant something to each other.’

Rose suddenly forgot all about her family mystery as Benjamin moved even closer, his body so close that if she changed the angle she was standing at, they’d be touching.

‘I wish I had more answers for you, Rose, but that’s all I know.’

‘You promise you’re not holding anything else back? That there are no family secrets you’re keeping?’

He dipped his head a little lower. ‘I promise.’

Rose didn’t know if it was the wine they’d been drinking or the balmy night air tinged with the smell of flowers, but she found herself slipping her arms around Benjamin’s neck. She wasn’t sure if he kissed her or if she kissed him, but in the moment, it didn’t matter who started it, because neither of them was making any effort to stop.

Benjamin’s lips were soft against hers, as if they had all the time in the world for long, lazy kisses that might never end. His fingers skimmed her back and hers brushed the nape of his neck, and they stayed like that for so long that she almost forgot she was supposed to be leaving.

‘I feel like a teenager sneaking a kiss on the front porch,’ she whispered, when their kiss finally ended and they gently pressed their foreheads together.

‘Let’s just hope my family aren’t watching from behind the blinds like they did when I was fifteen,’ he whispered back.

They both laughed, and Rose eventually pulled away. ‘Will I see you tomorrow?’

‘You will,’ he replied. ‘I’ll be there bright and early to work the horses, and perhaps after I could stop by for lunch?’

Rose took a step backward. ‘I’m sure I can figure out lunch, even with my limited skills.’ Or more likely she could ask Clara, who was scheduled to come to tidy the house the following day.

She waited a moment, not ready for the night to end but knowing that they couldn’t stretch it out any longer.

‘Well, I guess it’s goodnight then,’ she said.

‘Rose,’ he said, just as she was about to turn away.

Benjamin took her hand, turning her palm over in his. ‘Have you thought any more about the polo match next weekend?’ he asked.

She laughed. ‘Please tell me that’s not why you kissed me.’

‘It was only one of the reasons I kissed you.’

Rose swatted at him but he caught her hand again before she could connect. ‘I thought I’d already said yes.’

‘So, I can send out the invitations tomorrow?’

When he held her fingers up and kissed her knuckles, she knew it was possible that she would agree to anything he asked in that moment.

‘You can.’

Benjamin kept hold of her hand and walked her the rest of the way to the car, opening the door for her and waiting until she started the engine and put the window down. When she did, he leaned in and brushed one last kiss to her lips.

‘You taste like paella,’ she whispered.

‘And you taste like wine,’ he whispered back. ‘Are you sure you should be driving?’

‘I only had one, and I’ll be home in less than a minute.’

‘Until tomorrow, then,’ he said, taking a step back from the vehicle so she could pull away.

‘Until tomorrow.’

And as she drove away, Rose’s cheeks hurt from smiling so hard, and she realised that the last time she’d been so happy had been when she, Jessica and her mum had enjoyed a long weekend away. But unlike every other time she’d thought of her mother, this time her smile didn’t fade. Somehow, here, after the night she’d had, she didn’t want to cry.

For the very first time, Rose only wanted to smile.

Benjamin made her feel as if she was alive again, and although she fully expected to burst into tears the next time she thought about her mum, right now she was okay with being happy. She just hoped the feeling would last.