Page 25 of Modern Romance May 2026 Books 5-8
The hypocrisy of it stung almost as much as the judgement in his eyes.
She squared her shoulders. Then why was she letting him get inside her head? He might be her husband, but she wasn’t some method actress immersing herself in her role. Right now, she was just Dulcie.
Feeling calmer, she pulled open the heavy oak door and stepped through it into—
She sucked in a breath, stunned, speechless.
The vineyard stretched out in every direction. There were no grapes, but the gnarled canes of the vines were covered in tender shoots and delicate, lobed leaves of every possible shade of green from a pale eau de Nil to a deeper, richer emerald.
Transfixed, she walked down the first row, her fingers grazing the soft, veined leaves. They weren’t just green. Some of the younger shoots had a reddish, purplish tinge. She frowned. Up close, she could see some were damaged. They were flecked with brown spots and torn in places.
‘You know, if you keep on disobeying me every time I ask you to do something, this is going to be a very challenging experience for the both of us.’
She spun round, blinking into the sunlight, temporarily blinded. But she didn’t need to see the man’s face to know who had spoken. She would know his voice in the dark. In fact, if Ettore hadn’t spoken at all, and she were blindfolded, she would know it was him because her heart, which had been beating out a slow, steady drum roll of appreciation, was now pounding out of time.
‘It already is.’ Tilting up her chin, instantly bracing for battle, she lifted her hand to block out the sun’s ray and Ettore’s face slid into focus.
‘You were supposed to knock on my door when you woke up. Not climb out of the window.’ His expression was impossible to read but there was a mildness to his voice that defused some of her fire.
‘I thought you were sleeping. And I know we’re supposed to be unhinged with love but people in love can spend some time apart. They don’t have to be joined at the hip.’
His eyes moved over her face like a caress. ‘Where would you like to be joined?’
Her breath snapped tight in her chest, skin flushing hot as she remembered his mouth on hers.
Clearing her throat, she shrugged. ‘I just needed some space.’
‘You want a larger room?’
She sighed. ‘Not that kind of space.’
The sun appeared from behind a cloud, and she took the opportunity to transfer her attention back to the vines.
‘How long ago did you have a hailstorm?’
She sensed his surprise. ‘Three weeks.’
‘You don’t have hail nets.’
He took a step closer, and now she could see that he was shaking his head. ‘The last big hailstorm to hit this region was probably two years ago so it doesn’t make economic sense. But if they keep increasing, then, perhaps, I will have to consider it.’
I, not we. She remembered the moment after lunch when he had said that aristocrats were not immune to wanting to keep up appearances. That it was their lifeblood.Theirs, not mine. But he was an aristocrat too. And wasn’t this a family business? Was it simply a slip of the tongue?
Not that it mattered.
This relationship was transactional for both of them. Their reacquainted status didn’t require her to know or genuinely care about the answers to those questions. Better to focus on something neutral like climate issues.
‘So, you have problems with—’
‘Would you like to—?’
They both spoke at once.
‘You first.’ She smiled stiffly.
‘I was just going to ask if you’d like to take a look around the estate.’
His gaze tracked across the vines to where an ATV was trundling towards them. She felt her heart leap with relief. A tour of the estate would be a welcome distraction.
