“Yeah, yeah I do.”
My little girl sounded so lost. The reckless sophomore who would try anything once was gone. In her place was this vulnerable teen. I squeezed her hand. “But I’m here.”
She slipped her hand away. “I know that, Mom. Sometimes you’re my mother. Other times, you’re my teacher.” Lexi made a face that told me what she thought of that.
“I know you didn’t want this, Lexi.” How I wished I hadn’t even started this conversation. “But I think this summer might be good for you in the end.”
“Why do parents always think they know what’s best for us.”
“Because we’ve been there. Believe it or not, I was fourteen once. The feelings are the same.” But the temptations are not. Time changed everything. No way could I ever have envisioned the kind of situations Lexi now faced. “Teenage years can be very confusing.”
Nothing from my daughter.
“Maybe we should go up now.” I stood up and turned toward the castle. Could anyone see us down here? My eyes swept the building that extended forever, with lots of windows staring down at us.
“Think I’ll stay here for a while.”
Was Lexi waiting for someone? Sometimes it was so hard. She’d been penned up for a couple weeks now. Although I wanted to trust her, she’d given me reason to question her. “Thirty minutes, Lexi. I’m going to read for a while. Knock on my door when you get in.”
13
After that first disastrous day riding in the woods, things got better. Tesoro and I seem to have struck a truce. Rudolfo and I continued riding in the fields and woods. How I wished my friends could see me. Okay, I was proud of myself. I loved riding in the early morning hours when the sun was peeking over the horizon. And I was learning. How often had I told my students that school taught you how to learn? Riding was all about learning.
How pleased I was when Rudolfo finally taught me how to saddle Tesoro. How to place the blanket exactly right. I was so careful cinching the girth so it didn’t pinch her but was tight enough so it wouldn’t slide off, taking me with it. Slipping the bit into Tesoro’s mouth had taken some courage on my part. Although she was spritely and lean, the mare had huge teeth––or so they seemed to me. But the day Rudolfo guided me through the positioning of the bit, Tesoro accepted me sweetly. What an accomplishment.
Our rides were great fun, although Rudolfo took pretty much the same route every time. When I’d asked Lexi where she went with Gregorio, she became vague––the way she acted when she didn’t want me to know what she was doing. So I didn’t pry. Giving her some space became my goal. Our relationship was changing. We were developing trust. I didn’t want to spoil that.
The classes were going well. Mary Carmichael had emailed me with information about how to find a testing center in Italy. She’d also sent links to sites that had preparation tips for the tests Gregorio should take.
Everything was fine, or so I told myself as preparations continued for the ball.
Summer had come stealing across the fields, the lavender so beautiful that it made my heart hurt. Staff worked in the gardens almost every day, snipping and pruning. Ama was a rose fanatic, or so Gregorio told me. The flower beds around the castle held more than twenty varieties. The scent of roses sweetened the air when I walked out in the evening. Everything here looked so vibrant, as if it were plucked from a movie. I should feel peaceful, content with all this beauty. But I didn’t. For some unknown reason, I felt constantly on alert, always in a confused state.
Was all that Marco’s fault?
Was he my problem?
* * *
Early one morningas I came out from the tack room, saddle in my arms, I ran smack into Marco. His Majesty was dressed in those form fitting breeches and boots with one of his linen shirts. No way was I curtsying. The weight of all that hand-tooled leather could land me flat on my face. Rudolfo was nowhere in sight. Marco was holding Tesoro’s reins, murmuring to her as she nuzzled his pocket.
“Your Majesty.” At least I was starting to get his title right.
In the early morning light, his eyes were soft as suede. And he looked a bit embarrassed. “Do you mind if I join you this morning?”
Ride with him? Heck no. With one heave, I positioned the saddle on Tesoro’s blanketed back. “Why, of course, Your Majesty.”
But I sounded as if he’d offered me my choice of poisons. He gave a short laugh. Had I offended him? “Profesora. If you would prefer to ride alone, or with Rudolfo, of course that is fine. I was about to go out and thought we might ride together.”
“No problem. Sure.” I couldn’t even look at him. This was a man who would drive any woman crazy. But I could not think of him that way.
I sucked in a breath. The rich scent of hay and horse almost gagged me. Had he deliberately started syncing his riding time with my own? I didn’t want to insult Marco by refusing to join him, although riding with the King and Diablo would not be a relaxed start to my morning.
He stood waiting and his uncertainty made him seem so vulnerable.
“Really. I’d love to have you join me.” Somehow I injected the words with enthusiasm.
Within minutes, he’d saddled Diablo and we were off. Tesoro didn’t seem to mind cantering out with the larger stallion. Of course we fell back behind them.
