Gentleman in the Shadows by Karen Sommers

Author:Karen Sommers [Sommers, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-03-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

Shayna followed Dimitri back home quietly, lost in her own thoughts. Had Luca been speaking of his feelings for her? Had she interpreted his words the way she wanted to interpret them? She had studied him and was almost sure his hand was the same one she saw emerge from the shadows to grasp a flute of wine at the party. The voice was all wrong, but the tone of his voice and his choice of wording were quite similar to the mystery man.

When she and Dimitri arrived at the turn to the castle, Dimitri stopped and asked, “Shall we continue on to the market, as you intended earlier?” He nodded toward the wide path which led to the big plaza and past the road to her home.

Shayna answered, “I think I would rather take my purchase of grapes home now, Dimitri.” They were the most succulent bunches she had ever seen or tasted.

Luca is perfect. He’s more beautiful than anything I’ve ever seen, she’d thought. Shaking her head slightly to clear away the images of Luca, she urged her horse toward home.

“These thoughts of Luca are not good, Miss. It can only bring heartache.” Dimitri allowed Shayna to pull ahead by a few feet.

Without turning, she asked, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Dimitri. It was nice to see someone from my childhood. There are so few people from those years still here. I’ve only been thinking on all the fun he and I had during those visits.” She scoffed and tried to urge her horse farther ahead, but Dimitri wouldn’t allow it.

“You must ride closer in case of danger, Miss. I should be in front, not you.” Dimitri didn’t spare her a glance as he rode by her.

“Oh, Dimitri, don’t be sour. We came this way not an hour ago. There are no villains hiding in the scrub.”

Dimitri shot her a look over his left arm.

Farther up the road, Shayna risked a question. “Why would it only lead to heartache?”

“Because his father already tried to buy his way into your circle, Miss. The peerage wouldn’t allow him and his family to be settled in their presence, though. They don’t like outsiders, and Giuseppe Bianchi and his relatives will forever be just that, mere laborers, no matter how much money they have.”

Shayna’s heart sank a little. She had to trust love could still rule the day. If there was no wealth, two people could still be happy together. She had to believe it.

She imagined Luca was her mystery man, and when he said he had found the woman he wanted to marry, he really meant her.

Luca was tall, the concealed man had been as well. He lacked the cat-like gracefulness of the cloaked visitor, though, as shown by his dropping the basket and stumbling over nothing but air, which he thought she had not seen. Shayna averted her eyes to keep from embarrassing the man.

Riding through the gate and toward the stables, Shayna couldn’t stop smiling. The world was more at ease, more serene than it had been when she had left out this morning.

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