Rose reached out to touch the straw edge, smiling as she did so. ‘Every day I look through some more of her things. It’s strange, because I couldn’t bring myself to sort through my own mother’s things after she passed, and yet I feel sad that no one is here to touch Valentina’s clothes and remember her as they do so. I know that makes no sense saying it out loud.’
‘I understand. You want to feel as if you’re paying tribute to her memory, even though you didn’t know her.’
‘And maybe it makes me feel better about not being able to go through my mother’s possessions,’ Rose said with a shrug.
Martina’s smile was warm, and Rose saw the obvious resemblance to Benjamin.
‘You being here is a good thing, Rose. This property is so special, and it needs a custodian like you. Someone who feels the connection to the past, but at the same time has the vision and youth to breathe new life into it. So don’t let anyone make you feel as if you don’t belong.’
‘Even if I feel like a fraud most of the time?’
‘Darling, you’re not a fraud. Valentina Santiago was the kind of woman who had her wits about her at all times. If she left her estate to you? It means she believed that you belonged here, and that’s all that matters.’
‘You truly believe that?’
‘Iknowthat, and so does everyone else who was connected with her. So, no matter how you feel or what you think, you belong here.’
‘I have a feeling your daughter might disagree,’ Rose said with a wry grin, surprised at how at ease she felt talking to Benjamin’s mother.
‘Maya was rude to you at the polo game, and when you arrived at our home, but she’s changed her mind about you. We all have.’ She laughed. ‘None more so than my son, it would seem.’
Rose blushed, but before she could say anything else, someone called out ‘knock, knock’ behind them. When she turned, Benjamin was standing there in his white breeches, a dark blue silk polo top that clung to his broad shoulders and tall black leather boots.
‘Benjamin! Who brought you up? Take those boots off in the house!’
‘Lo siento, Mama,’ he said, apologising and coming forward to kiss first her cheek and then Rose’s. ‘I don’t think the lady of the house minds, though.’
Rose laughed, feeling the familiar warm sensation she always had when Benjamin was near. They might not have known each other for long, but she somehow felt like it had been months, not weeks. ‘She doesn’t, but she also knows better than to disagree with your mother!’
He held out his arms to both of them and Rose found herself grinning across at his mother as she slipped her arm through the crook of his elbow. She hadn’t expected to have this much fun, and she was so pleased she’d decided to extend her stay, even if it was just to see one more polo game and spend another weekend in Benjamin’s company.
‘My team never loses a game here,’ he said, winking as he led both of them out of the front door, letting Rose go slightly ahead so they could all fit through. ‘We have a tradition of winning whenever we play on Santiago soil.’
‘Has anyone ever told you how unattractive overconfidence is?’ she teased.
But before Benjamin could reply, his mother groaned.
‘All the time, Rose, all the time. But he never seems to care.’
The day had passed by in a blur. Rose felt as if she were in a bubble, meeting more people than she could name as they all drank wine and ate delicious food beneath the canopy of the enormous white tent, but the atmosphere was different to the last game she’d attended. Benjamin had been right about it being more relaxed, and it wasn’t that she hadn’t enjoyed the last game; it was just different. If she’d been with friends, if Jessica had been there or if Benjamin had been a spectator rather than a participant, she would have had a lovely day enjoying the Argentine Open. But today, with his mother introducing her around, and the crowd as relaxed as could be, albeit curious about meeting the new Santiago in residence, she couldn’t have been more content. It was almost like being with extended family, and she found that Argentinians were incredibly welcoming.
And watching Benjamin play…well, that was something else entirely. She found herself mesmerised as he galloped up and down the field, transfixed by the sound of the horses’ hooves beating on the hard ground as they raced past. It was so physical and dangerous, but at the same time incredibly hard to turn away from.
‘I thought I should come and say hello.’
A shoulder bumped into Rose’s, and she glanced sideways to see that Benjamin’s sister had come to stand beside her.
‘Your brother is quite something to watch,’ Rose said, turning her attention back to the game.
‘He is. I’ve watched girls fawn over him all his life,’ Maya said. ‘They all want to bed the gorgeous polo player.’
Rose swallowed, wishing she still had a wine glass in her hand and unable to think of a quick reply. ‘I’m not entirely sure what you’re trying to tell me,’ she eventually said, turning to look at Maya.
‘I’m trying to tell you that I’ve never seen my brother be the one to do the chasing,’ Maya said. ‘Which tells me that he might be falling for you, and that is not something I ever saw in his future.’
‘I’m flattered, but honestly?—’
‘That was my very drawn-out way of saying that I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I hope you can forgive me for being rude when we first met, because if my brother likes you, then I like you. I just never saw him settling down, but suddenly that doesn’t seem such a far-fetched idea.’
