Page 65 of The Royal Governess
Marco and I exchanged a look. “No, there will be no races at Harvard,” I said with confidence. Although I’d visited the campus just outside Boston, I had no idea what happened in their classrooms. But I did hope that it wouldn’t include the problems I’d run into with Lexi. If he were accepted, Gregorio would be there alone. That would concern me. Life on the island was so secluded. So protected. Even their clothing sometimes seemed like costumes, plucked from another era. Maybe that was how Marco protected himself and the family.
Once out in the corridor, Ama shuffled away. Her shoulders hunched, as if weighed down by everything she’d seen tonight.
“The movie might have been a little much for your mother.” I turned to Marco, who simply smiled. “Maybe this was a bad choice for tonight.”
“My mother is very conservative.” His eyes followed her as she marched down the hall. “But she is also very strong.”
Suddenly the corridor lined with historic mementos of Marco’s past closed in on me. I choked. “I need some fresh air.”
Bending his head, Marco studied me with concern. “I will come with you.” He took my elbow. “Gregorio, see that Lexi gets to her room.”
Gregorio turned. “Can we go to the pool for a quick dip?”
“Please, Mom?” Lexi threw in.
Marco and I exchanged a glance.
“They’ll be fine,” I said, not wanting to argue about this. “They’ll watch out for each other. I don’t think it’s safe to swim alone.” Sometimes a mother gets very tired from worrying about her child. Tonight I was at that point.
The two disappeared down the hall. Marco pushed open the door leading to the patio and the fountain. The cool night air rushed to meet me, a breeze lifting my hair. “This feels so good.”
Glancing over, Marco said. “Yes, wonderful.” But his thoughts did not seem to be on the night air. Instead he was looking at my hair. Catching my questioning glance, he smiled and shoved his hands into his pockets.
My disappointment took me by surprise. I’d wanted him to take my hand and that was crazy.
Marco took the lead. “Come. We’ll sit at the fountain.” Together, we crossed the grass and settled on one of the stone benches. I didn’t move away when Marco’s shoulder touched mine. “Sometimes I like to sit here at night.”
As we sat facing the castle, I looked up. My window was clearly visible. “I left a lamp on at the side table.”
“Yes, I know.” He wore a secret smile. Did he sit out here, looking at my window? No, that was wishful thinking on my part.
“It feels so good out here.” Leaning back on my elbows, I drank in the night.
“What would you be doing at home right now?” Marco asked.
“Probably watching a movie or sleeping.”
A soft smile teased his lips. “You must be beautiful when you sleep.”
I sat up with a jerk. “What?” That comment had come out of nowhere.
Even in the darkness there was no mistaking the ruddy color working its way up Marco’s cheeks. His head dropped but he zinged me with a sassy sideways glance. “You cannot blame me from wondering, Christina.”
Christina? What had happened to “Profesora”?
“Wondering about what?”
When Marco smiled, lines radiated from his eyes. “Oh, many things.”
“Like what?” I should have stopped there.
“Like how you look when you sleep.” He turned his attention to the window. “Do you sleep on your tummy like a little girl, or on your side? Or do you lie on your back like a queen?”
“On my side.” Were we going to play twenty questions? “How about you?”
“Oh, I sleep on my stomach. Have since I was a little boy.”
“Wow.” Now it was my turn to blush. Picturing him sleeping on his stomach brought a warm rush.
