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“Both of you, stop,” Luis said. “Gabriel, sit. How is your wound?”
Gabriel took the shirt from Quinn’s motionless hands and shrugged into it with a wince. “All stitched up but a little sore. Dr. Alvarez says it will heal fine.”
“Muy bien!” The king rubbed one hand over his face in a gesture of weariness. “I am sorry to ask an injured man to leave his room, but security insists I stay in here. May I have a moment in private with Quinn? Your parents are just outside in the lounge. You can reassure them once again that you are well.”
Shit! Quinn threw a pleading glance at Gabriel, but he was already headed for the door.
After it closed, Luis took the chair where Hélène had been sitting. “I thank you again for your bravery. What you did…to save Raul and Gabriel…” The king closed his eyes for a moment, and his face twisted with anguish before he continued. “It was extraordinary. Beyond extraordinary.”
The damned tears welled in her eyes again, and she blinked rapidly. She decided to go with her truth. “I care deeply about all of you. I couldn’t bear to see any of you hurt. Or worse.”
The king’s expression smoothed back into its usual regal composure. “You demonstrated exceptional resourcefulness and heroism.” He leaned forward. “I also wish to offer you a heartfelt apology.”
Astonishment made Quinn open her mouth, but no sound came out.
“I know Odette better than anyone else,” Luis said. “The reason I ended our relationship all those years ago was because I sensed something off-balance about her, even then. Once again, Gabriel bore the brunt of my sins. I should have believed you when you and Mikel brought your case to me. I am profoundly sorry.”
“I…uh…” What were you supposed to say when a king apologized to you? “No apology is necessary. I didn’t have solid evidence, just a strong intuition.” That sounded ungracious, so she added, “But thank you, Su Majestad.”
A flicker of amusement crossed Luis’s face. “You are an unusual young woman.”
Was that a good thing?
Luis’s tone softened with his next words. “I believe that you care for Gabriel. More than care, in fact. I have seen how you look at each other.”
Quinn needed to work on her poker face. She nodded.
“It would be understandable if you did not wish to take on the media attention a relationship with Gabriel would entail.” The king sighed. “He is very much in the public eye and will be more so when his fame as a musician grows. In addition, he will be prominent as the founder and leader of the cultural festival. He is accustomed to being scrutinized and may not understand how intense the pressure can be for an outsider.”
The king paused to scan her face. Quinn tried not to give away her bewilderment about where this was leading.
“However,” Luis continued, “if you love Gabriel as much as it appears you do, we will support your relationship with every resource available. And our resources are considerable.”
Wait, was Luis giving his blessing to her relationship with Gabriel?
“Now I speak to you not as the king, but as the uncle who loves Gabriel like a son.” Luis’s posture eased, and his voice lost its formal cadence. “Once I would not have thought you were a good match, but now I have seen who you are. You are as strong and extraordinary as he is. You offer him a perspective he has needed. I hope you will love him as he deserves and that he does the same for you.” Luis held up one hand with a wry smile, his blue eyes warm. “However, this is not a royal command. You and Gabriel have to find your own way in matters of the heart. If you cannot do so, you will receive no criticism from me.”
Once again, Quinn searched for the right response. “I…uh…appreciate the compliments you have paid me, but there’s more to my history than you know.”
Luis shook his head. “I believe I know all your story. Mikel is thorough. But it is for you to decide.” He stood, and the king was back, wrapped in his air of unshakable authority. “I have to speak with the media about the events at Finca de Bruma. Buenas noches, señorita.”
Quinn’s curtsy wobbled a bit as she struggled to wrap her mind around the king’s revelations. “Buenas noches, Su Majestad.”
Luis gave her that amused look that her attempts to conform with royal protocol always evoked. As he walked to the door, it was opened by the same large man who had announced his entrance.
The door swung closed, and Quinn slumped into the chair, trying to absorb the king’s message.
And to decide how she felt about it.
As the phalanx of bodyguards who waited outside the room engulfed the king, Gabriel stood from the chair beside his mother and bowed.
Luis stopped before him. “You are a fortunate man.” He took in the pair of hovering parents. “Hélène and Lorenzo, perhaps you would come with me. We have much to talk about.”
Gabriel threw his uncle a look of gratitude before he bid farewell to his mother and father.
The king swept onward with the duke and duchess in tow, creating a wave of bobbing heads as hospital staff members in the corridor bowed and curtsied.
Relieved and grateful to his uncle, Gabriel was about to go back into the room where Quinn was when he spotted Raul coming down the hallway.
