Tipping her head with a wry smile, Leila nodded. ‘Much better, thank you.’
‘We’re survivors, you and I, Leila. Nothing gets us down for long. We’re like corks that bob up again, and we learn from setbacks, don’t we?’
Leila nodded wryly. ‘Promise you’ll come and see me in Skavanga when the baby’s born.’
‘Try and keep me away. But I’m going to ask something of you in return.’
‘To visit you?’ Leila guessed.
‘Correct.’ The old lady’s gaze was unwavering as she offered Leila her hand to seal the pact.
‘Deal,’ Leila agreed softly.
‘And now I’m going to tell you some things about Rafael that he would never tell you himself. I didn’t tell you before because I’ve always kept my grandson’s confidence, but I can’t sit back and watch Rafael destroy the best thing that’s ever happened to him—that’s you and your baby, in case you’re in any doubt, Leila.’
Deep down, Leila supposed she had always known that this particular old lady never did anything by chance, and the flight to London was the perfect opportunity for them to have a one-to-one.
‘Rafael reminds me of his grandfather so much. Although—’ The dowager made a whimsical gesture with her hands. ‘Rafael has his reasons for being the way he is, while my husband had no excuse.’
‘But you loved him?’
‘I adored him,’ Raffa’s grandmother corrected her. ‘Who wants a weak man? Not me. You were crying because of Rafael when we took off, and not some fear of flying.’
‘I was very sad to leave the island,’ Leila confessed guardedly.
‘And that’s not all,’ the dowager said briskly. ‘I don’t think you’re frightened of anything except your own heart, Leila Skavanga. You’re certainly not frightened of flying, though you’ve got every reason to be after your parents’ accident.’
‘Strangely it’s never affected me that way.’
‘Because the crash was no accident?’ the dowager suggested when Leila hesitated. ‘The press suggested your father was drunk at the controls.’
The dowager’s frankness was refreshing and it tempted Leila to unburden thoughts that had plagued her for years. ‘Or maybe my mother seized control because she’d had enough.’
‘And sent them both plummeting to their deaths.’
‘Being controlled isn’t pretty,’ Leila agreed.
‘But you would never allow yourself to be controlled by anyone. And if I tell you that Rafael’s mother died giving birth to him, then perhaps you can understand his fears for you a little better.’
Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no.
‘I had no idea.’
‘And Rafael wouldn’t want you to know. He wouldn’t want to frighten you, so he would never tell you, which is why I wanted this opportunity to have you to myself. Your safety is driving him crazy, Leila. That’s why Rafael feels he must control every aspect of this baby’s birth.’