“Erin, this is Francine Lopez,” Dare said with a warm smile that was both surprising and refreshing. It was obvious that he had genuine regard for the woman. “She’s my right hand.”
“Oh, Senor Dare, you are too kind.” The woman smiled back at him then she turned her full attention to Erin. “I am the housekeeper. I have run this house for Senor Dare for the past four years but now that you are here, senora, you will give the orders.”
That brought a smile to Erin’s face. “I don’t think so,” she said with a little laugh.
“Oh, yes.” The housekeeper nodded emphatically. “The woman, she is in charge of the house. The man, he knows nothing about the house, only about making money.”
“Hey,” Dare objected with an exaggerated frown. “Are you saying all these years I thought I was in charge I really wasn’t?”
“That is so, Senor Dare. That is why you have me.”
There was a twinkle in Francine’s eyes that bore testament to the comfort she felt with her employer. Apparently Dare had a pleasant side, one that he reserved for a select few.
“Now come, let me take you upstairs to your suite. You must be tired after your journey." The housekeeper waved her hand and ushered her toward a wide, winding staircase.
Her suite? From the look of the house Erin could just imagine what that looked like. Could she survive more luxury in one day? But she had to admit, she’d loved the sound of the word, not because of the affluence it denoted but because it sounded like she’d be far removed from Dare DeSouza. Of course, he would have a suite of his own.
She glanced back at him and saw that he was still standing there, his gray eyes unreadable as he watched her climb the staircase. She hastened to turn her attention back to Francine and her friendly chatter.
She was now in the lion’s den. And she would best be prepared to face what was to come. She would seek refuge in this suite of hers and there she would rest up and then plot her next course of action. At the top of the list would be strategies to stay out of Dare’s way. Little did he know it but the man, dastardly though he was, still held a place in her heart. And that, more than anything, made him the most dangerous of foes.
***
Erin was grateful to find that the trials of her pregnancy seemed to be behind her. There were no more bouts of morning sickness, no dizzy spells, and her appetite had returned with a vengeance. She’d been on the island five days now and she and Francine had developed an automatic friendship that surprised her.
She learned that Francine Lopez was in her fifties, the mother of three grown sons who had all left the island for jobs in North America. One was an engineer working in Alaska for a major oil company, another was a professor at a community college in New Jersey, and the third had opened a business in Florida, a chain of dollar-concept stores. They all had families of their own and were doing well and Francine could not have been more proud.
Francine did admit, though, that at times she got lonely and wished that even one of them had remained on the island so that she could have her grandchildren around her. Visits to the United States a few times per year were just not enough. She was glad to have gotten this job with Senor DeSouza because she now came to see him almost as her own son. But she had been hinting - subtly, of course, because he was still her employer and it was not her place - that he might want to consider settling down and starting a family. Secretly she'd harbored the dream of seeing the house full of little ones. What a joy that would be. And now, as she’d told Erin, he had finally made the big step and brought home a wife. Now the house would be filled with the laughter of children.
Erin only smiled at Francine words. If only she knew how close she was to her dream. Well, she would know soon enough. A pregnancy was not something you could hide for long.
Today again, Erin was enjoying Francine’s company as she sat at the wrought iron table on the cobbled patio that looked out onto a kidney-shaped pool.
“You used sunscreen today, yes?” The older woman’s face showed a hint of concern. “The sun, it is very strong today and your skin looks delicate. You must protect yourself.”
Erin chuckled. “Si, mama,” she teased and rolled her eyes cheekily. She was having fun with Francine’s over protectiveness. The housekeeper was like a fussy mother hen, always making sure she was comfortable and always admonishing her to take care. Erin could only imagine how this mothering would escalate once she learned her condition.
Francine looked as pleased as a kitty with a saucer of milk when she heard Erin’s reply. Maybe it was some consolation to her that she now had someone to fuss over.
And Erin did not mind one bit. In fact, Francine was now like the mother she no longer had. She remembered when the older lady asked about her family back in Canada.
“I don’t have any,” she replied and her breath caught in her throat. It had been nine years but the memory of the tragedy was still raw and painful.
“No family?" Francine asked, her tone incredulous. “How is that?”
“I am…was an only child. My parents were both killed in a car accident when I was twelve.”
Francine gasped then her face softened in sympathy. “Oh, nina, how terrible.”
“Yes,” Erin said with a sigh. “It was hard. It still is. But you deal with what life gives you. What else can you do?”
“And how did you survive without your parents?”
“Foster care.” She kept her voice neutral, trying to keep the bitterness from her tone. For her, the experiences had not been pleasant.
“I ended up moving from family to family, each one worse than the one before.” She smiled at Francine through misty eyes. “I was relieved when I turned eighteen and could move out and live on my own terms.”
“Ah, nina,” Francine crooned, “life can be very cruel. Gracias a dios, you are here now and you are safe with Senor Dare.”
Erin almost laughed at that. Safe with Dare? She doubted it.
So far he had left her to her own devices which was exactly what she wanted. Apparently there’d been some developments with his business which were keeping him busy. Whatever it was, she hoped it would continue for a long time. She could do without his attention. She’d told him she’d wanted the marriage to be in name only and she meant it.