The Infamous Miss Rodriguez: A Ciudad Real Novella by Lydia San Andres

Author:Lydia San Andres [San Andres, Lydia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-09-05T18:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Finding someone who would marry her after her betrothal to Alvaro had been announced wouldn’t be easy. Alvaro and his family were generally well-liked and even more respected, but there were surely plenty of men in Ciudad Real who would like nothing more than to steal his fiancee right from under his nose.

The problem, Graciela soon found out, was that none of those men were actually available. For starters, two of them were ineligible for marriage because they had recently wed someone else. Another had just embarked on a journey to Caracas. A fourth candidate had come down with a virulent case of consumption and was being dispatched to the north of the island for a rest cure. Discreet inquiries led Graciela to a fifth option who, when pressed, admitted he had his eye on Sofia Alcantara, an heiress in possession of a large inheritance and an ailing father.

Getting married would grant Graciela access to her dowry. She wasn’t sure how much it would be, but she did know the amount wouldn’t eclipse the promise of Miss Alcantara’s millions.

Graciela left the Gonzalez’s musicale in low spirits. The late afternoon sun had taken on a golden cast, gilding the paving stones beneath her feet as she ignored her aunt’s waiting Packard and turned in the direction of the park, Aguirre at her heels.

He was no longer taking pains to conceal the fact that he was following her. Instead of walking a few paces behind, like a guard or a servant would, he fell into step beside her. This wasn’t a man accustomed to bowing and scraping, like some of her aunt’s other employees. He was as self-possessed as Alvaro himself—and far more handsome. It was a pity she couldn’t marry him.

Or couldn’t she?

Her maid had told her that morning that she’d heard Alvaro had been asking after the foreigner who’d attended the Gonzalez’s dinner party, apparently having recognized Aguirre that day at the gambling hall. It didn’t bode well for Aguirre, especially not if Alvaro figured out that he worked for her aunt. He was sure to ask her to dismiss Aguirre and the poor man would be out on the street, all because he’d tried to help her…

There was a free bench just beyond the park’s wrought iron gates. Graciela claimed it, then waved Aguirre over and gestured for him to sit beside her.

He complied, but not without sending a wary glance her way. Graciela spared a moment to wonder if her face really was that transparent. Surely he couldn’t tell she was working on a scheme as easily as Beatriz could?

“Is there anything you require of me, Miss Rodriguez, aside from my decorative presence by your side?” He said it lightly enough, but she could feel his wariness as he stretched his long legs out in front of him.

Graciela bit her lip, trying to figure out how to best broach the subject. If she’d learned anything that day it was that asking for someone’s hand in marriage was not an easy task.

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