‘There are so many people hoping you’ll fall in love with polo,’ Luis said, leaning in and speaking in a low voice. ‘Without the Santiago sponsorship…’
Rose nodded. She understood what he was trying to tell her. ‘Whether I stay here or not, the only thing that matters to me is preserving whatever legacy Valentina left behind. If thatmeans sponsoring polo, which was clearly dear to her heart, and if there’s enough money to continue to do so, then I have no intention of letting the polo community down. I sense that they loved her very much.’
‘Spoken like a true Santiago,’ he said. ‘Maria! Lola! Come and meet Rose!’
Rose stifled her groan and took another sip of champagne. If only the next chukka would start so she’d have an excuse to run to the front of the tent and watch the game.
‘You look like you’re enjoying yourself.’
Benjamin was holding a towel around his neck, and she found her eyes transfixed on him. His hair was curled and damp with sweat, his top clung to his body, and she had the distinct realisation that she needed to be very, very careful where Benjamin was concerned. He was gorgeous, there was no other way to describe him, and he was also proving impossible to look away from.
She reminded herself to blink and forced her eyes back to his, which only worked to embarrass her as he’d clearly seen the way she was looking at him.
‘I think I’ve had too much champagne.’
‘I never would have guessed,’ he teased, before stepping over the little fence separating the tent from the field and ducking his head low towards her. ‘Would you like to get out of here? I always find the small talk at these things very painful.’
‘Yes,’ she whispered. ‘I kept sipping to avoid talking, and now…’ Rose wobbled and Benjamin caught her arm, which made her giggle.
‘Come with me,’ he said. ‘Once you get out of here, you’ll be fine.’
She clung to his arm and carefully stepped back over the little white picket fence, kicking off her shoes and carrying them in her hand as they walked together, the grass soft beneath her toes. Rose leaned into him, not caring that he was hot and sweaty. She even dropped her head to his shoulder for a moment, hoping it would ease the pounding that was starting in her head and wishing she’d stopped after one glass. Drinking alcohol in the heat wasn’t her smartest idea.
‘Where are you taking me?’ she asked.
‘To where we keep the horses,’ he said. ‘Away from the crowds.’ Benjamin grinned when he glanced down at her. ‘I think you’ll like it.’
She looked up then and saw the horse trucks lined up and the grooms watering and caring for the ponies. It was as far removed as possible from the tented section where she’d been, and it looked like the perfect place to hide from all the people wanting to talk to her.
‘I’d put your shoes on though, if I were you. Unless you don’t mind standing in horse dung.’
Rose didn’t need to be told twice, leaning heavily into him as she balanced on one foot and then the next to slip her feet back into her shoes.
‘You know, you’re nothing like I expected,’ Benjamin said, catching her wrist when she wobbled.
‘What did you expect?’ she asked, leaning closer to him so that his head blocked the sun from her eyes.
Benjamin stared down at her, his eyes flickering to her mouth before meeting hers again. ‘An uptight English woman who’d never think of getting drunk at her first polo match.’
Rose laughed. ‘Well, it turns out that I’ve managed to surprise both of us.’
‘It was all too much over there, huh?’ he asked, when they resumed their stroll again.
‘This year…’ She hesitated, not sure how much to say and feeling a lot more sober all of a sudden. ‘I’ve had a lot of change in my life lately. I’ll tell you about it another day, but I just don’t feel like meeting new people and making small talk right now, and I know everyone was only being friendly and Luis wants me to feel welcome, but?—’
‘But sometimes you just don’t need all the noise. I get that,’ he said. ‘It’s why I spend more time with horses than people, and it’s why I retreat back here so I can just enjoy the peace and have a quiet drink on my own after a game.’
Rose could tell from the tone of his voice that he wasn’t just trying to placate her—there was something about the way he’d spoken that told her he actually did understand how she felt.
‘One of my closest friends died a few years back,’ Benjamin said as they neared a sleek black truck. He opened a compartment on the side and took out two bottles of water, passing her one. ‘After that, I kind of closed myself off. I didn’t even know if I’d play polo anymore, until Valentina visited me one day. And trust me, when a woman in her nineties pays you a visit and says she needs to talk, you answer the door.’
Rose smiled at the thought, imagining a spindly white-haired woman knocking on the door. Whatever she said had clearly worked to get him back in the saddle.
‘Did she help you, or did she order you back?’
‘She helped me. Valentina told me that she understood loss more than anyone, but that I had a choice to make,’ he said, unscrewing the lid on his water and taking a long sip. Rose found her eyes drawn to his throat, somehow finding even the way he swallowed water mesmerising. ‘She said I needed to decide then and there whether I was going to live a full, beautiful life or whether I was going to lose myself to sadness.’
Rose felt a shiver run through her.
