“He’s the loneliest person I know,” Stephani said. “And that includes Raoul. Diego just hides it better.” She perched on the edge of the bed. “It’s difficult when you care about someone and they’re on the opposite side of what propriety allows.”
Rose wondered if she was speaking from personal experience. And Raoul had been married to Ceci . . . did that mean Stephani had a thing for Diego?
“Am I . . . intruding on a friendship, Stephani? Is it all right to ask that?”
Stephani’s face relaxed. “Oh, you’re thinking me and Diego? Not at all.” She laughed lightly. “I just mean I’ve seen it often enough. Propriety makes things difficult. In the end we’re all humans. We all want friends. Connections don’t really take class and status into consideration.”
She patted Rose’s hand. “I should go now. There’s a bottle of aloe gel for your burn. And some water and pills for your headache, if you still have one.”
“Thank you. You’re very kind.”
“I like looking after people. I don’t get a chance very often, now.” She frowned. “Raoul is very stubborn about admitting weakness or accepting help. I’ve been his assistant long enough, I try to anticipate his needs.”
“I think both brothers are stubborn,” Rose said darkly, and Stephani laughed.
“Well, between you, me, and Senora Ortiz, it’s up to us to take care of the family. It’s up to me to keep Raoul on task. You’re in charge of the children, who rave about you, by the way. And Senora Ortiz? She keeps everyone fed and happy.”
Food. The mention of it made Rose’s stomach gurgle. A pastry in the late morning and a small cake at tea was not enough to eat in the run of a day.
“Put lots of aloe on the burn and reapply as often as you can,” Stephani advised. “Hopefully it’ll calm quickly.”
She left then, leaving Rose alone with her aloe and aspirin.
Her stomach growled again and she popped the pills and then chased them down with the cold water. Maybe she could put decent clothes on and sneak down to the kitchen for a snack? Something to hold her over until breakfast? She eyed the aloe. If she applied it now, whatever she put on would get sticky from the gel. She’d go get some food and then come back, put the tank top back on, and then slather on the aloe. The burn was so hot that she could feel the heat coming off her skin.
Getting caught roaming the palace in pajamas wasn’t really an option, so Rose slipped on a pair of loose linen trousers and a featherlight sweater that draped rather than clung to her skin, particularly her arms. With her hair anchored up in a top knot, she headed for her door and the hallways that would lead to the kitchen and comfort.
As she opened the door, she nearly ran into Diego.
CHAPTER TEN
He carried a tray in his hand, and the smell coming from the covered dish was delectable. Her stomach growled but she ignored it.
Stephani had just told her she thought Diego was really lonely. Hadn’t he said something similar, that first night he’d found her by the fountain? It seemed so long ago now, instead of just a matter of weeks.
He’d been angry with her this afternoon. And yet here he was, at her door, bearing what appeared to be a late dinner.
“May I come in?” he said quietly.
“Of course you can.” She stepped aside. She wished she could still be angry at him for what he’d done today, but she couldn’t. Time and a nap had cleared her mind a bit. And while she might not say it out loud, she was very aware that her annoyance was at herself, for feeling such a weakness for him, as well as humiliation for getting herself in an awkward position in the first place.
This was not her world. And yet Diego made sure she was looked after. Protected.
Fed.
“What’s in the dish?” she asked, following him into the suite.
“Oh, Humble Pie, I would imagine,” he said dryly, then smiled at her. “I asked in the kitchen. You didn’t go down for dinner.”
She shook her head. “I think I had some heat stroke. I didn’t feel well, so I took a nap. And Stephani came by with some water and pills for my headache, and aloe for the burn.”
His gaze ran over her arms, cheeks, and chest. “Have you put any on yet?”
“No. And I will, but honest to God, you’ve got to let me at that food. I’m starving. I haven’t eaten all day. Not since a pastry and coffee this morning.”
He whipped off the lid and revealed a steaming bowl of some sort of stew.
She sat at the table and gestured to the chair beside her. “Have a seat. I take it you’re going to join me in the wine?”