Page 32 of Gabriela and His Grace

It was bad enough that their reunion would be witnessed by Whitfield. Gabby knew she was being unfair to him. The duke had wished her a good morning at the breakfast table and then silently sat through Mass and the ride to her parents’. He’d done nothing to antagonize her, aside from being his handsome, aloof self. Yet those glacial eyes of his missed nothing, and Gabby knew he was aware of her growing discomfort. She wanted to be angry at his presence, but she couldn’t drum up the emotion. Since they had left Altamira, Whitfield had given her as much privacy as their narrow confines allowed, yet he’d still been there, his shadow eclipsing everything in the vicinity. No doubt he was wondering who this timid miss was that had abruptly replaced the fearless Gabriela Luna she had worked hard to be.

Gabby glanced across the carriage at him now, not surprised to meet his gaze. Whitfield held her stare for only a heartbeat, and then he nodded and returned his eyes to the window.

Knowing he was paying attention, however, made Gabby straighten her spine. Her heart might be churning away like a locomotive down the track, but she was not about to lose a grip on her sensibilities. Not for her father, and certainly not for the Duke of Whitfield.

“Is there anything I should know before we arrive?” Gabby asked, relieved that her voice did not shake.

Isabel’s lips pursed, and she looked to Sirius, who sat across from her. “Father has been in one meeting or another as el presidente and the generals strategize how to defeat Maximilian and the remaining monarchists. Mother has said that he leaves early in the morning and returns late at night. The only time I’ve seen him myself is when we visit on Sundays.”

Gabby couldn’t say she was surprised. She’d long thought her father’s work for Presidente Juárez was his true love. Elías Luna had never willingly sacrificed time away from his career for his family, and Gabby would have been shocked if he’d suddenly learned to do so now.

“Who is usually in attendance for lunch on Sundays?” Whitfield asked, and Gabby worked not to jump at the sound of his voice.

“It’s only been family.” Isabel ticked off her fingers. “Our father’s brothers, Tíos Xavier, Diego, and Angel. Our mother’s sister, Tía Susana, and her husband, Tío Ernesto. Fernando Ramírez attended last week with Señora Romero.”

“Really?” A grin stretched Gabby’s lips taut. “I’m surprised Mother was willing to welcome Señora Romero.”

Fernando Ramírez had at one time been engaged to their eldest sister, Ana María, but the engagement was broken when she married Gideon instead. Gabby did not feel sorry for Señor Ramírez—their arrangement had been a political one negotiated by her father. And despite the engagement, Señor Ramírez continued to carry on his longtime affair with Señora Romero. It had been a slight on Ana María, as far as Gabby was concerned, and her opinion of the man had never recovered.

Isabel and Sirius laughed in unison. “She is not terribly fond of the woman,” Isabel said, “but Mother is too well bred to object. Plus, you know she would never contradict Father.”

Now it was Gabby’s turn to laugh. “María Elena Valdés de Luna contradict her husband? No!”

“Some things never change, querida,” Isabel said, a sad look fluttering across her face. “Even when we want them to.”

Mashing her lips together, Gabby glanced away. Señora María Elena adored her children, but she loved her husband more, and Gabby knew better than to expect differently.

Silence settled on the carriage again, and Gabby leaned back on the squab, determined to steal the last moments of peace that she could before her world was tipped upside down. Sucking a great breath of air into her lungs, she inhaled and chanced another look at Whitfield, finding him considering her with a face devoid of expression.

Gabby bristled nevertheless, resentful that the duke was witness to their sorry family dynamics. “We’ve given you plenty to sneer about, haven’t we, Your Grace, with our rather crude peek of the inner workings of the Luna family.”

“Not at all. Family dynamics are often messy. And nonsensical.” Whitfield plucked his spectacles from his face and then extracted a handkerchief from his coat pocket. He held her gaze while he cleaned the lenses. “In truth, I wish my mother was still here for me to complain about. Certainly she would have found plenty of things to criticize me for.”

Oh. Whitfield’s bald honesty took Gabby by surprise, and she struggled with how to respond.

“We are both lucky to escape the imagined censure of our mothers,” Sirius said, his expression a mixture of understanding and amusement.

A smile flashed across the duke’s face. “Indeed. But rest assured, I, too, had a father who seemed to take particular delight in pointing out and mocking my many flaws. Nothing I might encounter while dining with your family will shock me more than what I have experienced at the hands of my own.”

Gabby opened her mouth to respond—with what, she didn’t know—and abruptly closed it with an audible click. Whitfield hadn’t said anything condescending, rude, or even mocking; rather, he had been empathetic. Gracious, even.

“Let us hope that everyone is on their best behavior, and Gabby’s homecoming is met with all the excitement and relief it deserves.” Isabel’s voice was firm, and when she twined her fingers with Gabby’s, she squeezed them tight. “And I am certain our parents will be delighted to meet you, Your Grace.”

“Your father, especially.” Sirius scoffed. “Any connection he can make to further his own ends is met with open arms.”

Gabby snorted. “I bet he was pleased to learn you would be his son-in-law.”

“He would have been more so if I held the title and were not merely the second son,” Sirius said, grinning at his wife across the cab.

While her sister and brother-in-law shared a laugh, Gabby’s stomach dropped when the carriage came to a stop. Suddenly the moment she had been dreading was here, and she wasn’t sure how to act. Or what to say.

“You’ll be fine, querida,” Isabel whispered close to her ear. “You are a grown woman who has earned the respect and admiration of many. You championed causes that would make life better for women. You no longer need to ask for permission to live your life as you want to.”

“Father would have something to say about that,” she replied with a frown.

“Por supuesto. Still, you are my and Sirius’s guest and don’t have to subject yourself to Father’s company any more than you desire.”

Gabby considered her sister’s words as she watched Isabel exit the carriage. When she was the last occupant left in the cab, she stared down at her trembling hands. She was tempted to close the door and ask the driver to take her back to Isabel’s house.