The Cook of Castamar by Fernando J. Muñez

Author:Fernando J. Muñez
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781803285580
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

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Enrique woke up in an excellent mood and decided to celebrate his return to his estate by having breakfast in bed. He ate two poached eggs, drank a cup of hot chocolate and dealt with his correspondence. It consisted mostly of invitations to social gatherings, dinners and the occasional tedious reading. Only one, a poorly written missive from Hernaldo, merited any attention. Apparently, one of the tradesmen who supplied the duke’s estate had, in exchange for a few reals, informed him that Señorita Castro was confined to bed and receiving the constant care of the doctor and, more surprisingly, the African. Enrique had not even contemplated the possibility that she would end up seducing Don Gabriel, but if she did, then it would be just as good for his plans as the seduction of Don Diego himself.

He dressed and went for a ride along the banks of the Valdeurraca, and then practised his marksmanship, something which he tried to do two or three times a week. He was considered one of the best shots in Madrid. With a duelling pistol, properly loaded and accurately calibrated, he could hit a target at twenty paces without any trouble. And this was precisely the fate that awaited the valiant Don Diego, although not before he had lost his prestige and his honour. The duke had deprived Enrique of his greatest treasure, possibly the only person he had loved in his life, and losing her had turned the marquess into a ruthless man. He well remembered those long summer hours on his estate, when the outcome of the war had still been uncertain, when he would receive his darling Alba with his warmest smile. He had met her at the house of the Duke of Medina Sidonia, and from the very first moment they had been drawn to one another. She had loved to talk about court affairs, and was a born hedonist, a lover of music, poetry and art who was always keen to display her exquisite education. He was enchanted by her elegance and by her attention to every detail. Not a day went by when he didn’t miss her scent of lavender with a touch of mint. How could he forget that smile, those eyes that looked into his very soul?

He tutted while his armourer loaded his pistol, and he checked the wind and considered how it would affect the course of the projectile. Although he was skilled at understanding and anticipating human nature, he had not foreseen how Alba would slip through his fingers like a fresh morning breeze. As he took aim at the target on the chestnut tree, he remembered how naive he had been, and he told himself he should not have been so patient.

One summer afternoon, as was her custom, she had invited him to drink hot chocolate with her, to inform him of the latest social events, which she always knew about long before they appeared in the gazette. She had jokingly alluded to the fact that, whenever he appeared at court, he set all the ladies’ hearts fluttering.

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