“You’re beautiful as always.” He paused a long moment. “I’m sorry. I wish I’d never looked for your wedding data.”
She knotted the ends of the shawl to keep it loosely draped around her shoulders. “I should have searched for it myself, so you needn’t apologize. Please don’t say anything to the others at your table. I don’t need anyone laughing at me.”
He stopped and knelt beside her. “I won’t say a word, but no one would laugh at you. Alejandro’s the one who’s at fault.”
“Keep it to yourself,” she emphasized. “The tabloids would make fun of me forever if they learned how easily I’d been tricked.”
He stood. “You’d been in an accident. It’s no wonder you weren’t thinking clearly.”
“True, but I am now.”
They reached the table last again, and the group was talking about the storm and how safe they’d felt on board the Siren. Ana didn’t feel safe. Her dinner tasted as delicious as the other meals, but she felt full after a few bites. The wheat rolls were good slathered in butter, and she finished one.
Linda peered across the table at Ana’s plate. “Aren’t you feeling well? You’ve barely touched your dinner.”
The captain passed Linda a bowl of olives. “These are especially good. We pick them up in Corfu on each cruise. I’m fond of Spanish olives, of course, but these are wonderful too. Are you all fond of Greek food?”
Ana was relieved he’d spared her from Linda’s unwelcome observation on her appetite. She turned the gold band on her finger and blinked away tears. Alejandro had also been so thoughtful and kind. Clearly she’d placed far too much faith in him, and it carried a terribly painful price.
Alejandro flew into Corfu in the afternoon of the day the Siren docked. He’d left messages on Ana’s voice mail so she’d know he was coming, but none of her things remained in their cabin. He called on the ship’s phone to locate the captain and met him on deck.
He was afraid he already knew the answer. “Where’s my wife?”
“Miss Santillan flew home to Barcelona this morning. Had I known you were coming, I would have done what I could to delay her.”
“She knew I’d meet her here. It’s not your responsibility to keep track of her.”
The captain nodded slightly. “Still, I would have done my best. I’m sorry you two were unable to enjoy the cruise you’d planned.”
Alejandro lowered his voice. “I’m not one of your vacationing passengers, and you needn’t pretend with me. I’ll take my things with me this time. If you have a chance to book the cabin for the return voyage to Barcelona, do so.”
“I will. There’s one thing you ought to know. Ana didn’t take off her ring, so it must mean something to her.”
Alejandro doubted it. He searched their cabin for a note, but Ana hadn’t bothered to write one. The flowers he’d sent were still fresh. He was angry enough to eat them, but he couldn’t blame Ana for avoiding him. She’d complained people only saw the illusion she created without ever really knowing her. He’d created his own wonderful mirage, but maybe he’d made the same mistake as everyone else, and dreamed of a future that couldn’t exist. He wanted their baby. It frightened him to think maybe she wouldn’t.
Chapter Sixteen
Ana left the Mediterranean Siren on a pair of crutches from the sick bay, and once home in Barcelona, Henry carried her luggage from the elevator to her door. “Thank you. It’s so good to be home.”
“It’s always good to see you, Miss Santillan.”
She’d called Fatima from El Prat airport, and her housekeeper opened the door for them. The kittens came bounding up, nearly grown now. “Thank you for taking care of Romeo and Juliet and my condo. I’m flying to France this afternoon, so will you help me unpack and pack again? Henry, please take my luggage to my bedroom. Thank you.”
Fatima waited until the guard had gone downstairs to his post to speak. “Wait just a minute,” she cautioned. “Let me take a look at you. I’m glad to see you can get around on your own, but you certainly aren’t at your best. I’ll fix you a cup of peppermint tea, and you’ll have time for a bowl of my vegetable soup, won’t you? I’ve a new batch in the freezer.”
“Yes, of course. I’ve missed you and your delicious soups.” She sat down at the dining table and dropped her crutches to the floor. There was a stack of mail waiting for her, and she laid the bills aside to pay before she left.
Fatima thawed the block of soup in the microwave and transferred it to a pot to heat thoroughly. She brought Ana the cup of tea. “I didn’t expect to see you home so soon. Didn’t you like Greece?”
Ana’s hands shook as she raised the cup to her lips. “I didn’t see much of Corfu before I left. I might as well tell you the whole wretched story.” She’d played it over and over in her mind as she’d flown home, and supplied the facts without embroidering the pathetic tale. When she finished, Fatima stared at her wide-eyed.
“He seemed so concerned about you when he came here, but he said nothing about marrying you. I’m shocked he’d take advantage of you. What could he have been thinking?”
“That he’d get away with it. I’ll never speak to him again. I’m horribly embarrassed to have been so naïve. I watch the people I meet on jobs so carefully, but he fooled me completely. Please don’t even whisper what happened to your family, or anyone else.”
“You know I’m discreet, but if you’d planned to marry Alejandro last Sunday, he must have been, how shall I say it, adequate as a husband.”
Ana took another sip of tea and nearly choked. “Believe me, he’s more than adequate, but he lied every time he opened his mouth, and I believed him. I’ve called my mother. I don’t know how long I’ll stay with her, but if Alejandro comes here looking for me, please tell him I’ve gone to Brazil for a bathing-suit shoot and won’t be home before Christmas.”