PROLOGUE
THE SANTIAGO FAMILY ESTATE, ARGENTINA, 1939
Valentina lay beneath the ceibo tree, gazing up at the green leaves as she nestled in closer to Felipe, the sunlight barely able to filter through the thick canopy above. Their horses were tethered nearby, happy to rest in the morning sun while their young riders stretched out on the grass at the farthest corner of the sprawling farm.
‘I wish we didn’t have to go back,’ Valentina murmured, turning on her side and staring at Felipe. She propped herself up on one elbow, her long dark hair sliding over her shoulder and brushing his face. ‘I wish we could stay here all day.’
He lifted his hand and skimmed his fingers across the bare skin of her arm, trailing from her shoulder all the way down to her wrist. Felipe didn’t say anything straightaway, instead choosing to lean towards her, catching her lips against his, kissing her so softly she felt she might melt into his arms as they wrapped around her.
‘If your father caught us?—’
Valentina reached down and stroked his hair away from his cocoa-brown eyes. ‘Then why don’t we just tell him? Wouldn’t it be better for him to know?’
Felipe’s eyes widened. ‘Tell him?’
She stole another kiss as one of the horses whinnied, starting to become restless after waiting so long to be ridden back. They’d been out for longer than they should have, which meant they’d probably have to gallop home now so she didn’t get into trouble. Sometimes Valentina dreamed about not returning in secrecy, of telling her family about Felipe and the love she felt for him. After all these years of loving him, she was ready.
‘Yes, I think we should tell him. I think you should ask for his permission,’ she whispered against his cheek.
‘And what if he says no?’ Felipe asked.
‘He won’t, I’m certain of it. All he wants is for me to be happy.’
So long as Felipe didn’t ask her mother’s permission, because she knew that she would rather lock Valentina in her bedroom for the rest of her life than accept that she was in love with a boy like Felipe. Her mother had much grander ambitions for her only daughter, was always talking of the matches she’d like to make for her, tempered only by the fact that her father insisted they wait until Valentina was older, so that she could have a say in whom she married. Deep down, she guessed that her father wanted to keep her at home for as long as possible, and she was only too happy to oblige.
‘We’d best get back,’ Felipe said. ‘Basilio won’t forgive me if he has to send out a search party to look for us. It’ll put an end to us before I even gather the courage to tell him.’
Valentina sighed and let Felipe pull her to her feet, their fingers interlinked, wishing they could have their morning all over again. But as she was smoothing her hands down her blouse to brush away the creases, not wanting anyone to guess that they’d been rolling around on the grass, she heard galloping hooves, and her heart began to race as a lone rider came into view.
No one other than her and Felipe galloped around the farm like that, which meant that something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.
‘Miss Valentina,’ the breathless rider called as he approached. ‘Come quickly!’
Valentina looked helplessly to Felipe, who quickly leapt up and readied the horses for their ride back.
Please don’t be Papa. Let it be anyone but my darling papa.
1
LONDON, 2022
Rose pushed through the glass door and emerged onto the pavement, walking away from the lawyer’s office and wondering if she was dreaming. None of what she’d just heard seemed real and she could only imagine how confused she must have looked in the meeting. She slipped her hand into her pocket to feel for the little box she’d been given, her fingers moving back and forth against the smooth wood.
How is any of this real?
She stood and looked around, tilting her face up slightly to feel the sunshine on her skin—something she hadn’t enjoyed for days, or maybe even weeks. The past few months had merged into a blur for her, and she could scarcely remember what day of the week it was or when she’d last taken a moment to just breathe in the fresh air. Someone knocked into her then, making her stumble, and Rose blinked as she looked around, almost blinded by the sunlight as she remembered where she was. The city street was bustling with people going about their day, and she was nothing short of a hindrance just standing there.
Rose’s phone vibrated in her bag and she quickly reached for it, almost dropping it in her hurry to read the message when she saw it was from her mother’s carer.
All is well here. Your mother is sleeping. Take your time.
She was tempted to hurry home regardless, but she’d barely left the house of late and she still had another two hours before the carer was scheduled to leave. Rose decided to set off on foot and see if she couldn’t find a café, and she’d hardly been walking five minutes before she saw one. She headed straight in, smiling immediately at the inviting smell of coffee and happy to be away from the crowded street. It was heavenly and also exactly what she needed.
‘You look as if you’re in desperate need of caffeine.’
Rose glanced up and saw that the barista was watching her as he reached for a takeaway cup and placed it beneath the machine.
‘Is it that obvious?’ she asked.
