A Scandalous Midnight in Madrid

‘Yes I do,’ he argued, swinging out of bed and tugging on his jeans. ‘You want to work. You have a career to pursue. No one understands a strong work ethic more than me. I’m suggesting a partnership. Marry me. Live with me. Love me. Let’s make a family together.’

‘Are you serious?’

‘Never more so,’ he said.

‘Is that a proposal?’

‘Sounded like one to me.’ And he had never been more certain about anything in his life.

She was quiet for quite a while, and he knew she was struggling with the fact that she had nothing happy to draw on when it came to the notion of family, while he had enjoyed everything possible to convince him that this was right...that they were right together.

‘Chef Sorollo invited you to take a sabbatical for a very good reason,’ he told Sadie gently. ‘He’s a family man, so he knows when you hold that baby in your arms for the first time you won’t want to rush back to work. But that doesn’t mean the end of your career. You’ll return refreshed with lots of new ideas. Why don’t you write that cookery book you mentioned? You could dedicate it to him. Wouldn’t a good book be a boost in your profession? You can still work, and tailor your responsibilities as a mother around that.’ Far from restricting Sadie’s future, he wanted her to see that in fact her life would be immeasurably improved.

‘It’s called balance, and I know how good you are at organisation, so getting it right should be a breeze for you.’

‘A successful family,’ she murmured. ‘Like your parents.’

‘Like my parents,’ he agreed. ‘You can live wherever you want to, in any one of my houses—on one condition,’ he said, acting stern.

‘Which is?’ she demanded.

‘You turn each one of them into a home. Will you do that for me?’

She stared at him for the longest time, as if she understood how lonely his gilded life had been before the woman with the flame-red hair came along to transform his thinking, and then she said, ‘I will.’

His heart was like a jackhammer in his chest. It was a moment as intense as any at the altar between a bride and groom. It was a pledge for the future, and a promise he knew she wouldn’t break. There was just one more thing he needed to hear her say. ‘Do you trust me, Sadie? Do you trust me enough to do this?’

‘I do,’ she said, staring steadily into his eyes.

* * *

They went out and took that tour around the city. What they’d shared in those few precious moments after almost a week of making love was too tender and special to change gear immediately by leaping back into bed. For now it was enough to wander through the city with their fingers linked, and have Alejandro share his love of Madrid, as Sadie made silent plans to enrich his life. What Alejandro had done for her was unquantifiable, and she wanted nothing more than to make him happy. He’d freed her from doubt and trust issues, which was like being reborn into a new, brighter world. Sharing everything, as he had suggested, was a dream come true, and what she wanted most of all was that Alejandro would have the chance to enjoy his family.

His family. Glancing up, she marvelled at the force of her love, for him, and for their child.

* * *

‘I’ve got something for you,’ he told Sadie, surprising her as they stopped at a pavement café for a cooling glass of water.

‘For me?’ she exclaimed.

‘This might not be the most romantic moment,’ he said, holding a chair for her to sit down, ‘but at least I’ve got your full attention.’

‘You’ve had that for the best part of a week,’ she admitted with a loving grin. ‘What is it?’ she asked as he offered his closed fist.

‘Why don’t you peel my fingers open and see?’

Sadie pulled a comic face as she did so and held up a key. ‘The key to your heart?’ she suggested lightly.

‘The key to my palacio in Madrid,’ he explained.

She looked shocked. ‘I don’t need this.’

‘I know you don’t,’ he said, closing her hand around the key. ‘But I want you to have it so you always feel secure.’

‘It’s too much.’

‘It isn’t enough. It could never be enough,’ he argued. ‘And the palacio is just your first project, by the way.’

‘I love a man who puts conditions on a contract.’

‘Then, you’ve found the right man.

‘So, you really want to marry me?’ she said.

‘Haven’t I already said so? I need someone to sort out those houses of mine.’

‘Then, I suppose I’d better give you a formal reply.’ Her grin was infectious.

‘You better had, because the palacio is my wedding gift to you. Did I mention that I’d like us to get married next month?’

‘So soon?’ Sadie queried with surprise.

‘What?’ he said, acting shocked. ‘Won’t you have time to organise the catering?’

Sadie frowned. ‘I suppose I—’

‘Chef Sorollo has it all in hand,’ he reassured her.

‘Chef Sorollo is in on this?’

He shrugged. ‘You, of all people, should know the best chefs are booked up months in advance.’

‘What about the best wives?’

‘They have to be snapped up. And it might interest you to know that Chef Sorollo has asked me to test the water when it comes to him giving you away.’

‘Really? He’d do that?’ Tears rushed to Sadie’s eyes.

‘Only giving you away temporarily, he told me, as he would like to offer you another position in his kitchens when you return from your sabbatical, that of planning the menus, and supervising the hiring of staff, as well as taking an interest in the new restaurant chain he plans to open...of which you will be an equal partner, of course.’

‘What?’

‘It gives you more time at home with the baby. You can work flexible hours to suit yourself, and it’s a big step up in your career.’

‘You did this,’ she accused, and as she stared at him he realised he’d gone too far. ‘How else could I become a partner?’ she said, tensing as she added, ‘I can’t take your money.’

He shook his head. ‘Billionaires must be allowed to lavish a few indulgences on the woman they love more than anything else in the world.’

‘A few indulgences?’ Sadie exclaimed. ‘A palacio and a share in a business, all in one and the same day?’

‘Fair exchange for a lifetime of love, I’d call it,’ he said.

‘What about the scandal when Don Alejandro, the most eligible bachelor in Spain, the infamous Duque de Alegon, marries Sadie Montgomery, a cook from a small town in England?’

‘Firstly, you’re not just a cook, you’re the most amazing woman, and I don’t care where you’re from, and neither should you, or anyone else, for that matter. I certainly don’t subscribe to the idea that inheriting a title grants me any special privileges or should command instant respect. Respect has to be earned, by dukes the same as anyone else, and from what I can see you’ve earned respect ten times over. And as for any so-called scandal...my father was said to have scandalised society when he married my mother, but that didn’t stop him living happily with the woman he loved. My p

arents proved everyone wrong. Even though my mother left the freedom of the mountains for the restrictions of political and court life in Madrid, she still took my father back to the mountains from time to time. And those who are impressed by my title might be interested to know that I was both conceived and born in a caravan. One thing’s for certain. Our children won’t be raised with narrow boundaries, or groundless preconceptions about other people.’

‘Children?’ Sadie queried.

‘Why not? We’ll bring them up with the broadest possible horizons, so they can benefit from all the variety the world has to offer. I love you, Sadie. I love you with all my heart.’ And he would reassure her every day of her life, if he had to, though something told him Sadie had turned a corner and was starting to trust him as he trusted her.

They’d both changed so much, he reflected as they kissed so tenderly and for so long that they got a round of applause from their fellow diners. He’d been accustomed to doing things his way for so many years, he couldn’t remember a challenge until Sadie came into his life. He’d taken privilege for granted and had barely appreciated the sacrifices his parents had made. His mother, giving up her freedom in the mountains to raise him as the son of a duke, and his father laying the foundations of a successful business that brought prosperity to countless families, and yet still finding time to be at home with his son. What a heritage to pass on to his children. His only wish was to continue that rich tradition of loyalty, support and love, and he was confident that with Sadie at his side the legacy would continue. Between them they would introduce their child to both sides of its heritage, and there was not one iota of doubt in his mind that Sadie would be the most wonderful mother.

‘Thankfully, I’ve come prepared,’ he said as they left the café.

‘What do you mean?’ she asked as he stopped beside one of Madrid’s most beautiful fountains. Dipping down onto one knee, he held up a diamond solitaire that glittered with all the colours of the rainbow. ‘Will you marry me, Sadie Montgomery? Will you make me the happiest man on earth?’