Page 80 of Royal Caleva: Luis

“Tomorrow,” Luis said. “Tonight, I want you to meet the rest of my family.”

At seven in the evening, Luis walked into the Sala de los Enebros, the juniper-wood-paneled sitting room where the family always gathered before dinner. His assembled relatives all turned to fix their gazes on him.

“What is this urgent news you have for us?” Lorenzo asked, his forehead furrowed with concern. “You are not ill?”

“Not at all,” Luis said, touched by Lorenzo’s worry. His brother was not generally demonstrative. “I have good news.”

“Do not keep us in suspense,” Hélène, Lorenzo’s wife, said from where she perched gracefully on a velvet-and-gilt chair, her blond hair gleaming.

Luis swept his gaze around the people in the room, the inner circle of his family. He nodded to Raul, leaning casually against the arm of a sofa, and smiled at Quinn and Gabriel, who sat close beside each other on a green love seat.

“I am happy to announce that our family is about to expand. I have a daughter, a half sister to Raul.” He watched surprise and shock ripple over their faces.

“You have done a DNA test?” Lorenzo asked as the implications sank in. “Of course you have.”

“Yes, there is no doubt that she is mine,” Luis said.

“May we inquire who her mother is?” Hélène asked.

“I will get to that,” Luis said. “But I wish to tell you more about Grace first. Her mother gave birth to her and immediately gave her up for adoption. A young couple from Iowa became her parents. Unfortunately, they divorced soon thereafter, and her mother, Eve Howard, raised her as a single mother, with courage, resourcefulness, and strength. Grace is an impressive young woman because of that upbringing. She is in her last year of veterinary school.”

“That’s why the American vet students came here,” Gabriel exclaimed.

Luis smiled, mentally giving Quinn full marks for her discretion. She had not even told her fiancé about the potential veterinary school. “Precisely.”

“Ah, she is here in Caleva,” Hélène said. “Will we be meeting her this evening?”

“Both Grace and her adoptive mother will be joining us,” Luis said. “But I wished to give you time to absorb the news.”

Gabriel stood and approached Luis, his face alight. “I am very happy for you, Tío. You have always wanted a larger family.” He ignored protocol and laid his hands on Luis’s shoulders to give them an affectionate squeeze. “That’s why you made me feel as though I were Raul’s brother, not a mere cousin.”

“You’re just relieved to get moved down the line of succession, Gabri,” Raul joked.

“Well, yes, that too,” Gabriel said with his brilliant smile.

“Gracias, sobrino mío,” Luis said, matching Gabriel’s grasp of his shoulders. Now that his nephew had found the love of his life, Gabriel had become the emotional lodestone of the family. He did not hesitate to express what others might not. Luis cherished his openness.

“We are all delighted to welcome a new member to the family,” Hélène said smoothly. “Especially a young one to liven us up.”

“Raul, when did you know?” Lorenzo asked. “About your media hermana, your half sister.”

“As soon as Pater first found out about the possibility,” Raul said, avoiding the touchy part of the situation.

Lorenzo turned to Luis. “How long ago was that?”

Now for the ugly part. “The day Raul gave the opening speech for the joint consejos.”

“When you were supposed to give the address,” Lorenzo said. “But why?”

“Because Odette Fontaine blackmailed me into canceling my appearance. She forgot that I had a worthy substitute, who handled the speech superbly.” Luis let his proud gaze rest on his son.

“Odette?” Hélène frowned. “What did she—?” Horror dawned on her elegant face. “Mon Dieu, non! It cannot be! Odette is the mother?”

Luis understood Hélène’s reaction, but anger still flared.

“Odette is Grace’s biological mother, but do not visit the sins of the mother on the child,” Luis admonished with all the authority of his position. “When you meet Grace, you will see that she is nothing like her birth mother.”

“Why didn’t Odette tell you about the child back then?” Hélène asked. “She wanted you to marry her. That would have forced your hand.”

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