Page 20 of The Spanish Daughter (The Lost Daughters #5)

19

PRESENT DAY

Rose was starting to like polo. It wasn’t that she had an affinity with the game itself or even understood it all that well, but she was beginning to see why so many people loved it. Polo had a way of bringing everyone together, and she was so pleased that she’d said yes to hosting the tournament. Benjamin had been right—this was different to attending the Argentine Open. Today was about the local community coming together and enjoying a day under the sun, watching the game.

The field had been meticulously tended to by a groundskeeper, and it appeared to have stripes mowed across it, as perfect as she thought a bowling green might be, and there were white tents erected down one side of the field to provide shade from the midday sun. A catering company had arrived an hour earlier, unpacking countless boxes and setting them up, and although Rose was technically the host, everything was appearing as if by magic. When Benjamin had said he would take care of organising everything, he’d been true to his word. Or perhaps there was a running order every year, painstakingly detailed by Valentina at some stage, that had been adhered to.

Rose had carefully rummaged through Valentina’s wardrobe and found a beautiful wide-brimmed straw hat with a soft-blue ribbon tied around it, and she’d decided to wear it with a simple white dress and flat sandals. She had no idea how dressed up everyone would be, but she figured it would cover all bases, and it showed off her lightly tanned arms. Plus, she felt connected to Valentina in a way, wearing her hat and hosting an afternoon that had obviously once been very special to her.

‘Hello?’

Rose heard someone call from downstairs and turned away from the window, going down to see who it was. She’d left the front door open in case anyone came looking for her, but so far this had been her only visitor.

‘Martina,’ she said, surprised to find Benjamin’s mother standing in the hallway. ‘I wasn’t expecting you.’

She smiled. ‘I thought perhaps we could walk to the field together,’ she said. ‘Since we’re both here to watch my son.’

Martina winked and Rose found herself laughing. His mother was no fool—clearly she knew why Rose had an interest in watching the game, or Benjamin had been right and his family had seen them kiss outside their home the other night, which had given them away.

‘Would you like a drink first?’ Rose asked. ‘I have a bottle of champagne in the fridge.’

‘I’d very much like that,’ she said.

‘Did you spend much time here with my great-grandmother?’

‘I did. Our family were always close to Valentina, and saw a lot of her over the years, but you know, there was always something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. But with you being here and asking questions, it’s made me wonder if there wasn’t something kept secret between our families all this time.’

Rose led the way and went to the fridge, pausing only to set her hat down, as Martina took a seat at the table. From where she sat, Rose knew she’d have a perfect view out to the field, where she expected some of the riders were already warming up.

‘I’ve had a feeling there was a deeper connection, too, if I’m honest, and I’ve found myself asking if Benjamin knows more than he’s telling me,’ Rose said.

‘If there’s something to know, I can assure you that my son doesn’t know it,’ Martina said, taking the glass that Rose passed her. ‘But my husband might, and you’ve made me very interested in discovering what it is.’

They sat together, clinking their glasses gently before both taking a sip.

‘I remember Valentina wearing that hat. I’m sure it will look just as beautiful on you as it did on her.’

Rose reached out to touch the straw edge, smiling as she did so. ‘Every day I look through some more of her things. It’s strange, because I couldn’t bring myself to sort through my own mother’s things after she passed, and yet I feel sad that no one is here to touch Valentina’s clothes and remember her as they do so. I know that makes no sense saying it out loud.’

‘I understand. You want to feel as if you’re paying tribute to her memory, even though you didn’t know her.’

‘And maybe it makes me feel better about not being able to go through my mother’s possessions,’ Rose said with a shrug.

Martina’s smile was warm, and Rose saw the obvious resemblance to Benjamin.

‘You being here is a good thing, Rose. This property is so special, and it needs a custodian like you. Someone who feels the connection to the past, but at the same time has the vision and youth to breathe new life into it. So don’t let anyone make you feel as if you don’t belong.’

‘Even if I feel like a fraud most of the time?’

‘Darling, you’re not a fraud. Valentina Santiago was the kind of woman who had her wits about her at all times. If she left her estate to you? It means she believed that you belonged here, and that’s all that matters.’

‘You truly believe that?’

‘I know that, and so does everyone else who was connected with her. So, no matter how you feel or what you think, you belong here.’

‘I have a feeling your daughter might disagree,’ Rose said with a wry grin, surprised at how at ease she felt talking to Benjamin’s mother.

‘Maya was rude to you at the polo game, and when you arrived at our home, but she’s changed her mind about you. We all have.’ She laughed. ‘None more so than my son, it would seem.’

Rose blushed, but before she could say anything else, someone called out ‘knock, knock’ behind them. When she turned, Benjamin was standing there in his white breeches, a dark blue silk polo top that clung to his broad shoulders and tall black leather boots.

‘Benjamin! Who brought you up? Take those boots off in the house!’

‘ Lo siento, Mama ,’ he said, apologising and coming forward to kiss first her cheek and then Rose’s. ‘I don’t think the lady of the house minds, though.’

Rose laughed, feeling the familiar warm sensation she always had when Benjamin was near. They might not have known each other for long, but she somehow felt like it had been months, not weeks. ‘She doesn’t, but she also knows better than to disagree with your mother!’

He held out his arms to both of them and Rose found herself grinning across at his mother as she slipped her arm through the crook of his elbow. She hadn’t expected to have this much fun, and she was so pleased she’d decided to extend her stay, even if it was just to see one more polo game and spend another weekend in Benjamin’s company.

‘My team never loses a game here,’ he said, winking as he led both of them out of the front door, letting Rose go slightly ahead so they could all fit through. ‘We have a tradition of winning whenever we play on Santiago soil.’

‘Has anyone ever told you how unattractive overconfidence is?’ she teased.

But before Benjamin could reply, his mother groaned.

‘All the time, Rose, all the time. But he never seems to care.’

The day had passed by in a blur. Rose felt as if she were in a bubble, meeting more people than she could name as they all drank wine and ate delicious food beneath the canopy of the enormous white tent, but the atmosphere was different to the last game she’d attended. Benjamin had been right about it being more relaxed, and it wasn’t that she hadn’t enjoyed the last game; it was just different. If she’d been with friends, if Jessica had been there or if Benjamin had been a spectator rather than a participant, she would have had a lovely day enjoying the Argentine Open. But today, with his mother introducing her around, and the crowd as relaxed as could be, albeit curious about meeting the new Santiago in residence, she couldn’t have been more content. It was almost like being with extended family, and she found that Argentinians were incredibly welcoming.

And watching Benjamin play…well, that was something else entirely. She found herself mesmerised as he galloped up and down the field, transfixed by the sound of the horses’ hooves beating on the hard ground as they raced past. It was so physical and dangerous, but at the same time incredibly hard to turn away from.

‘I thought I should come and say hello.’

A shoulder bumped into Rose’s, and she glanced sideways to see that Benjamin’s sister had come to stand beside her.

‘Your brother is quite something to watch,’ Rose said, turning her attention back to the game.

‘He is. I’ve watched girls fawn over him all his life,’ Maya said. ‘They all want to bed the gorgeous polo player.’

Rose swallowed, wishing she still had a wine glass in her hand and unable to think of a quick reply. ‘I’m not entirely sure what you’re trying to tell me,’ she eventually said, turning to look at Maya.

‘I’m trying to tell you that I’ve never seen my brother be the one to do the chasing,’ Maya said. ‘Which tells me that he might be falling for you, and that is not something I ever saw in his future.’

‘I’m flattered, but honestly?—’

‘That was my very drawn-out way of saying that I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I hope you can forgive me for being rude when we first met, because if my brother likes you, then I like you. I just never saw him settling down, but suddenly that doesn’t seem such a far-fetched idea.’

Rose smiled, relieved that Maya was being so friendly, even if she was embarrassed by her straight talking. ‘I can most definitely forgive you. Truce?’

Maya smiled, too, and gave her a quick hug. ‘Truce.’

They stood side by side and watched the final chukka, before Maya turned to her, placing a hand on her arm.

‘He loves nothing more than a cold beer after the game, and no one will miss you if you disappear for a bit. You should go to him.’

‘Thanks for the tip.’ Rose watched Maya move away and make small talk with a group of neighbours, before eventually excusing herself and taking two beers from the bar. She slipped from the tent and headed over to where the horses were being unsaddled, seeing Benjamin helping his groom and leading two of his horses over to the water for a drink.

She walked to a nearby tree, leaning against it and taking a sip of beer as she watched Benjamin. There was a quietness about him that she found endearing, a sense of him being comfortable with whom he was, and she was certain it was why the horses were so calm around him. He was kind in the way he handled them, and she watched as he sponged one of their faces, laughing when the horse raised his head and sent water spiralling down on him.

But she didn’t have long to observe him before he turned, almost as if he sensed her watching. He didn’t wave, but he did find someone to take the horses from him, and she found herself staring at him as he crossed the ground with his usual long stride.

‘I see you have beer.’

Rose pushed off from the tree and held one out to him. ‘I heard you like one after the game.’

He grinned and took it from her, taking a long sip, the bottle raised high and making him look as if he was being recorded for an advertisement. Her throat went dry just looking at him.

‘You enjoyed it?’

‘I’ve enjoyed everything about today,’ she said. ‘I’m so pleased we went ahead with it.’

‘So am I. It would have been a shame to break with tradition.’

She hesitated. ‘And it would have been a shame for me not to see how welcoming everyone is. They’re just good people, quick to smile and as friendly as can be. Somehow they made me feel very much at home.’

‘Maybe it would have been a shame not to see you in that pretty dress, too.’

Rose felt her cheeks ignite, and she didn’t have any time to recover before he stepped closer to her and touched her cheek.

‘May I kiss you?’

She swallowed. ‘Yes.’

Benjamin reached down and cupped the back of her head with his palm as she tipped her head back, her hat falling to the ground behind her as he brushed his mouth to hers. The kiss they’d shared outside his parents’ house had been sweet and hopeful, but this kiss was electric—she felt it through every inch of her body.

When he finally pulled away, Rose found herself breathless as he braced himself on the tree behind her head. But she only waited a moment before standing on tiptoe and kissing him again, not caring that he was hot and sweaty as she slipped her arms around his neck, still holding her beer as her lips found his again and again.

‘We need to get back to the party,’ she eventually whispered, her mouth still hovering over his.

‘I’d say by this stage in the afternoon,’ he murmured, ‘no one would even notice if we didn’t return.’

‘Your sister knows where we are. She’s the one who told me to bring you the beer.’

He winked. ‘Well, my sister knows better than to tell on me.’

They both sipped their beer for a moment, and Rose felt a flutter in her stomach that she didn’t ever remember feeling before as she leaned back against the tree. He was waiting for her to reply, to make a decision, and when she reached up to touch his cheek, he responded by sliding an arm around her waist and drawing her closer.

Benjamin’s lips touched her hair and she snuggled tighter against him.

‘You’re sure no one will miss us?’

He laughed, and tightened his hold around her waist, whispering in her ear. ‘Would it matter if they did?’

Rose laughed with him, tipping her head back to the endless blue sky above, the sun beating down on her shoulders as she leaned into the man beside her. Argentina had been good for her soul, and Benjamin was good for her heart.

And for the first time, she truly imagined what it would be like if she stayed.