The thought of her mother made her cry again. Be bold in all you do. Was she being bold, or was she being stubborn?
It wasn’t always easy to be strong, Leila concluded, even with a baby to consider. There were times when she missed her mother with a huge aching pain, and this was one of those times, but she wasn’t going to throw her mother’s wishes to the four winds. She was going to take them and make them count for something. She would turn the Skavanga Diamond exhibition into a talking point around the world. And she would write Raffa a note before she left, setting him free, and at the same time promising not to cut him out of their baby’s life. It had taken two to make this precious child, but she would bring it up, and she would give birth in Skavanga, without fuss or the ‘best man for the job’ standing over her.
* * *
At last the call connected. By which time he was almost jumping out of his skin with frustration. ‘Grandmother. What the hell are you doing?’
‘Why, Rafael,’ his grandmother tempered, slowing down his heated oratory at a stroke. ‘This must be a serious call for you to give me my Sunday title.’
‘You know it’s serious. How could you do this to me?’
‘How could I do this to you, Rafael?’ There was a pause. ‘Maybe I’m saving you from yourself by taking Leila with me.’
He gave a short dismissive laugh. ‘Destroying me would be closer to the truth. Don’t you know how much it means to me to keep her here so I can supervise the birth?’
‘Don’t you know how much I love you, Rafael?’
He let the silence hang. ‘You know I do,’ he growled at last.
‘Then trust me, Rafael. I do know what I’m doing.’
‘I hope so.’ It was a fight to keep the anger from his voice, but he had always respected his grandmother too much to lose control when he was speaking to her.
‘I know you think you should be doing something more, Rafael, but you can’t control everything.’
‘I can try.’
‘You certainly can’t force Leila to obey you. She has a mind of her own, that one.’
‘There’s no need to sound quite so pleased about it.’
‘If you trap a wild bird, Rafael, it will die.’
‘And if you set it free?’
‘Time will prove me right or wrong,’ his grandmother insisted calmly. ‘Well? Aren’t you going to wish me bon voyage, grandson?’
Gritting his teeth he managed, ‘Safe journey, and a speedy return home, Abuelita.’
* * *
Being on the private jet with Raffa’s grandmother was informal and fun—or it could have been if the aircraft hadn’t been taking Leila away from the man she loved.
‘There’s no shame in a little fear when the plane takes off,’ Raffa’s grandmother said briskly, handing over a wad of tissues.
Leila had no fear of flying. Her only fear was losing Raffa, who had brushed her off so easily.
‘Better now?’ the dowager enquired once they were airborne.