Bride of Fortune by Shirl Henke

title and signature blurred before his eyes. He crumpled it, balling it up tightly as his mind raced. A child . His own flesh and blood, his niece, and Luce had never even mentioned her or her mother! Of course, knowing how Luce felt about women, he probably did not deem a cast-off serving wench and her illegitimate brat worthy of remembering. Luce was his father's son all right.
           At the time the baby and her mother were being packed off to Hermosillo, arrangements for the betrothal between Mercedes Sebastián and Lucero Alvarado were being finalized. Don Anselmo had decided to get rid of the embarrassment of his son's bastard, but why would he bother when he let Luce cavort with Innocencia so openly, in front of his bride? Grimly Nicholas realized the old man simply had not been able to control Luce, else he would never have allowed his only son and heir to ride off to war before performing his conjugal duty.
           Father Salvador coughed delicately, breaking into his ruminations. “Er, what are you going to do, patrón ? Your lady mother would be greatly upset if this child were to arrive in such a public manner.”
           “The child is her own granddaughter,” Fortune said coldly.
           “The child is the get of a sinful young woman you flaunted in front of God and your family,” Father Salvador said in confusion. “When she confessed her fall to me, you wanted no more part of her than did your father. Surely that has not changed. I will go to Hermosillo and take her to—”
           “No!” Nicholas interrupted furiously, then clamped a rein on his temper and continued calmly, “You will do nothing. I was planning to ride into the city myself on business. I will see to my daughter.”
           The look of incredulity on the priest's face indicated how out of character such a statement was for a man like Lucero Alvarado. Did he suspect that Nicholas was an impostor? He had known Luce since his half brother was a boy, although Luce had made it clear that he had always heartily detested the priest and stayed as far away from him as possible. Don Anselmo had even brought in tutors for his son so his wife's confessor did not have to soil his holy soul by teaching a son of Satan like Luce.
           No, the sour old priest disliked him, but that only aided Nicholas’ masquerade for Father Salvador expected the patrón to behave scandalously. He gave the priest an insolent grin and sauntered past him as if he had not a care on earth.
           While he prepared for dinner, however, Nicholas felt anything but carefree. What would he do about the complication of females in his life? If he brought Rosario home, not only would it infuriate Doña Sofia, it would also humiliate Mercedes. She had already inadvertently betrayed how shamed and inadequate her husband's affair with Innocencia had made her feel. Bringing the physical proof of his philandering to raise as his own child would no doubt build a wall between them he could never breach.
           And he did want to breach the defenses of this proud and lonely woman who had become his wife. His wife . When had he begun thinking of her as his instead of Luce's? From the moment you laid eyes on her and smelled her lavender scent and knew he was mistaken about her passion, that's when.
           Damn. What could he do about Rosario? Follow Father Salvador and the Mother Superior's suggestion and salve his conscience by sending her to Durango with a sack full of coins? That was certainly an easier way to handle matters than claiming her as his own at this late date. Yet the idea sat sour on his gut, eating at him like a canker. He knew all too well what it felt like to be shipped off, to live with people who wanted you no more than had those who already deserted you.
           “She's my blood. I can't leave her with strangers,” he muttered grimly, wondering how disastrously his decision would affect