Stand-In Bride's Seduction

She pushed open as many windows as she could, to let the air flow through, and made her way out the back of the cottage where a deep shaded porch looked toward the cliffs. From here, she could hear the sea. Its sound was soothing after the busy day she’d had. On her way through the cottage she’d stopped to pour herself a glass of the Tempranillo wine the vineyard manager had pressed upon her. It was the wine that had stood out the most for her during the tasting session she’d enjoyed and she was anxious to start making notes on the ideas that swam about in her head for raising the vineyard’s profile.

A light sea breeze teased the pages of her notebook as she scrawled her thoughts onto the paper. Eventually, her mind ran dry and she put down her pen, reached for her wine and sat back in the wicker armchair to enjoy the moment. Bit by bit, she could feel herself relax.

The vista from this back porch was amazing. Not too far away, she could see the beautiful castillo where Rey and his brothers had been raised. She’d yet to see inside it but if the exterior was any example, she was sure the interior was a masterpiece of old meets new. Had the governess walked the distance between the small castle and her humble cottage that fateful day that she cast the curse? Rina wondered. Had it been a glorious sunshiny day like this one, filled with light and hope and promise? Or had it been dreary and dismal, the castillo the only golden beacon on what must be a forlorn landscape in the depths of winter?

Thinking about the governess and the legend spurred off another string of ideas and Rina put down her glass and lifted her pen, losing herself in the moment. A sound in the distance stirred her from her activities. With a sense of shock she realized it was her BlackBerry—the ringtone the one she’d allocated to Sara. She’d gotten so absorbed in her day and her ideas that she completely lost track of the whole reason why she was here.

She dashed from the chair and ran inside to the bedroom, shaking her handbag upside down until the phone fell onto the bed. Quickly, she hit the talk button.

“Hello? Sara? Please tell me it’s you.”

Laughter, so like her own, filled her ear.

“Hey, Reeny-bean. How’s it going? Are you keeping everything under control?”

It was so good to hear her voice, but Rina couldn’t stop to think about that. Instead her mind flooded with questions that demanded to be answered.

“When are you coming back?”

Silence greeted her.

“Sara?” she prompted, and was rewarded with the sound of her sister’s sigh.

“It’s difficult, Rina. Things aren’t going quite like I thought they would. I can’t come back yet. Everything’s still up in the air.”

“What’s up in the air?” Rina’s disappointment at her sister’s words, and the sense of helplessness that engendered, pierced her voice. “You have to tell me something. I’m going crazy here. What you’ve asked me to do—it isn’t fair to me and it certainly isn’t fair to Rey.”

“Oh, Rey, he’ll be fine. He’s a player, he knows the score.”

“That’s not the point, Sara. I’m living a lie, for you. I don’t know how much longer I can do this.”

“Please don’t say anything yet. Promise me, Rina? I will owe you forever for this, and I’ll tell you everything as soon as I can. You know me. I don’t want to say something too soon to jinx this and have it all blow up in my face.”

Blow up in Sara’s face? Rina thought, with an exasperated sigh. What about the very real possibility of it blowing up in Rina’s?

“And when do you plan on telling me? I mean it, Sara, I can’t keep this up. I’m terrified I’m going to let something slip, especially now I’m working with him.”

“You’re what?” Sara’s disbelief echoed down the phone line.

“You heard me.” She explained about Rey’s PA and the pressure he was under with his brother still recuperating in hospital, as well. “I offered to help. I had to. You know me.”

Sara whistled, long and low. “Wow, so how am I doing in an office environment?” she asked.

“That’s not funny, and you know it. When are you coming back?”