Bella's Vineyard (6 page)

“Well, maybe
you’re right on that score. Not that he even gets his hands dirty then. I mean
he’s earned his living. He was respected for it as a young man. Not much liked,
I’ll grant you, he’s always been too oily for that. It’s only been in recent
years he’s started acting like he’s some kind of God around the place.”

“What changed
him do you think?”

“This country.
It either makes or breaks a man. Sometimes it makes them then breaks them, when
they realise they’ll never be as big as those mountains over in the distance.”

“A man on the
train said that men go mad out here. I suppose it doesn’t really help if they
were not that stable to begin with.” Bella was thinking of Andrew.

“No, honey,
probably not.”

Over the days
that followed, she tried not to worry about her brother. There was a lot to do
in the vineyard, and she was expected to attend the engagement party, despite
the fact that she was not in the mood to socialise.

Shen, a refined
old gentleman who put Bella in mind of one of the three magi, arrived with his
family and began to teach her all she needed to know about viticulture.

“We are over
fifteen hundred feet above sea level,” he told her. “That is perfect for
wine-making, which is why there are so many vineyards in the Sierra Nevada. Our
main enemies are phylloxera, an insect that feeds on the roots. And fire.
Especially in this hot, dry weather. The plants become brittle, and can quickly
go up in flames. ”

Bella nodded,
but understood very little of what he said.

“Do not worry,
Miss Bella. You will soon learn. You are starting with all the tools you need.
It costs a lot of money to develop a vineyard and can take up to four years
before the grapes are ready to be harvested for wine. Your aunt has left
everything you need, including the cellars and the ready-made vineyards. All
these vines need now is love and attention.”

“How did you
learn all this?” asked Bella. “What I mean is that I usually associate wine
growing with the French.”

“It is the main
profession of my family for many centuries. My father owned a vineyard when we
first came here from China. But things are hard for us now. The Chinese
Exclusion Act has prevented more of us from entering California and those of us
who already live here cannot leave. I have not seen my wife for ten years,
because I dare not leave, and she cannot come here.”

“I’m so sorry,”
said Bella. “I hope you are happy with May’s offer. I don’t want to be another
person who treats you like a second class citizen.”

“You at least
allow us to share the profits. Few Europeans will even allow that. The
vineyards are my life. I enjoyed working for your aunt and I will enjoy working
for you.”

Bella held out
her hand and shook his. “The feeling is mutual. Thank you.”

It was gruelling
work, involving miles of walking and backbreaking pruning of the overgrown
vines, but in many ways it helped her. She was too exhausted at the end of each
day to think much about anything. One thing she did notice, however, was that
Vance Eagleson had not been to visit since that second day. She knew he was
busy with his new post, and that she could not expect his undivided attention.
Still, she missed his calming presence in her life.

It was on the
morning of the engagement party that he visited again. As he walked to the
vines where she was working whilst Hector ran around her feet, his face was
grim.

“What is it?
What’s happened?” she said, shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight. “Is it
Andrew?”

“Yes,” said
Vance, getting down from his horse. “He’s still alive, don’t worry about that.
I’m sorry, Bella, but I had to arrest him last night. He got into a brawl in
the saloon. They say he was cheating at cards. I locked him up for his safety.
I need you to vouch for him, and promise me that he’ll stay here for a while.
If he goes into town he’s gonna get shot.”

Bella sighed.
What else could she do? “Yes, yes, of course. I’ll come down and get him.”

Bella saddled up
a horse for herself and one for Andrew. She had found some tan-coloured
culottes of her aunt’s, finding it much easier to sit astride the horse than
riding sidesaddle. It was how she had seen most of the young ladies of Milton
ride, and gave her a sense of freedom she had never known.

“I’m sorry for
the trouble Andrew has caused,” she said, as she and Vance rode towards Milton.

“He’s lucky he’s
not dead, Bella. Men around here don’t like cheats.”

“I’m sure he
didn’t cheat,” she said, hotly. “Andrew is many things, but he’s honest.”

“Is that why he
stole the last of your money?”

“How did you
know about that?” Bella’s face burned crimson.

“He told me all
about it while he was drunk last night. He’s sorry, but I think that’s more for
being found out than actually taking it.”

“Anyway, that’s
different,” said Bella. “ I mean, stealing from family is not the same as
cheating at cards, is it?”

“Maybe that’s
something for you to decide.” Vance fixed her with his intense gaze. “Your
brother has a sickness, Bella. One that few men can overcome, especially out
here, where there’s not much else to do in the evenings.”

Bella looked up
towards Vance, sitting high and proud in the saddle. She hated that he had such
a low opinion of her brother, feeling that it reflected on her. She also hated
that their easy friendship had become strained by Andrew’s arrest. “I’m sorry
if this has caused you any problems,” she said again.

“I’m just doing
my job,” he said. His voice softened. “And sometimes I have to do things I’d
rather not do. I’m only sorry that you’re having to deal with this alone.”

“I’m not alone.
I’ve got May. She’s been wonderful.”

“Miss Tucker is
a very capable woman. Kind of scary too. But I feel a little happier knowing
she’s with you.”

“She thinks
you’re wonderful,” said Bella. “So I don’t think you have much to be afraid of.
May chooses her friends well, I think.”

Vance brought
his horse nearer and put his hand over Bella’s. They were both wearing gloves,
yet the very pressure of his hand sent a white-hot flame searing through her.
“I am your friend, Bella. I want you to remember that. No matter what might
happen with your brother. No matter how many times I might have to arrest him.
You might forget that, when you’re angry with me, but it won’t change the fact
that whatever happens, I am your friend.”

“Why would I be
angry with you?”

“Because it’ll
be easier than being angry with him. I just want you to know that I understand
where your loyalties lie.”

“I’m sure it
won’t happen again, Vance. Andrew is just lost in a strange land, that’s all.
We all are. Me, you, Andrew, Shen, even May, who was born here. We’re all
outsiders in Milton.”

“That’s true,
but some of us care less than others.”

“Do you really
not care, Vance? Or do you just pretend to survive the silent insults of men
like Bill and Tom?”

“There’s a
saying. Those that matter don’t mind and those that mind don’t matter. I’m not
gonna lose sleep over Griffiths. Besides, I’m not an outsider.” The corners of
his mouth turned up, and he had a wry look in his eyes. “My paternal ancestors
were here long before the Europeans came. This is our land, and no amount of
posturing by Griffiths or men like him is going to alter that.”

“Have you come
to claim it back?” asked Bella with an impish grin.

Vance laughed.
“No. Well, not all of it. Just a little corner for myself.”

“I wish I could
be more like you,” said Bella. “You’re so certain of your place in this world.”

“Not always,” he
said, quietly.  “Do you think I’d be invited to the Peterson’s party if I were
full Cherokee? Or if it had been my father rather than my great-grandfather?
I’m only in this job because I’ve got enough European in me to be palatable to
the good citizens of Milton.”

“I’m sure that’s
not true,” said Bella. 

“I’m pretty sure
it is. My great-grandfather had a much tougher time of it than I do – his
European wife was disowned by her family when she married him – but the bigotry
is still there, under the surface.”

Bella did not
know how to answer that. She was tempted to apologise for every white man
alive. Sadly, she realised that anything she said would sound trite, or perhaps
even patronising, and Vance Eagleson was not a man who would appreciate being
spoken to in such a way. She did not want to add to the insults he endured.

“Your
great-grandmother must have loved your great-grandfather very much,” she said.
“To be willing to give up so much for him.”

“Yes, I believe
she did at first. But then she began to miss her family and the trappings of
their riches. She blamed him for taking her away. She left him when my
grandfather was a boy of ten, and returned to her people. They did all they
could then to make sure my grandfather was brought up in European ways.”

“I’m sorry. I
didn’t realise.” Bella had somehow forged a romantic idea of Vance’s
great-grandparents riding off into the sunset together to live happily ever
after on a reservation. It made her sad to think that the love affair did not
survive, after both must have made such a sacrifice to be together. “But she
kept his name.” Ever the idealist, Bella wanted to believe that his great-grandmother
continued to the man she almost gave up everything for.

Vance shook his
head. “That was my father’s doing. He didn’t even know about his grandfather
until he was a young man. He decided that we should be proud of our heritage.
It was a brave thing to do, especially in this country. Luckily he had the
money to cushion him against disapproval.”

“He sounds like
a remarkable man.”

“He is. I
respect him more than any other man alive.” He held up his head proudly, and
Bella fancied she could see his father’s determination in Vance’s profile.

“Will he be
coming to see you? I’d like to meet him.”

Vance’s
expression altered. “No, he isn’t too happy about my choice of career. He
wanted me to go into the family business.”

“Which is?”

“Construction.
My family built quite a lot of Chicago. I was meant to go to college and study
architecture. I did for a while. Then I became interested in the law, and
joined the United States Marshals Service. The rest, as they say, is history.
So was my relationship with my father for a while. He’s mellowed of late,
probably because of my engagement to Gloria, but he still expects me to go back
to the family business one day.”

“How did you
meet? You and Gloria, I mean.”

“We grew up
together. Her father is my father’s business partner. Since we were ten years
old, the families had us set to marry. When she was eighteen she eloped with
someone else, but he died a few years later.”

“That’s nice,
that you’ve been friends since you were children.” Bella wanted to ask him how
he felt about Gloria’s elopement, but feared it was too personal a question. He
spoke of it quite casually, as if it was of no importance to him. “You
obviously love her very much.”

“You mean to
forgive her for running off with another man? We weren’t together then, despite
what the families hoped. It was only last year when I went home for a visit
that we started going steady.”

Bella could not
help notice that he had not responded to her statement about loving Gloria. Or,
she thought, maybe it was her own wishful thinking.

They rode in
silence for a while, and then both started speaking at the same time.

“Is Gloria…?”
“How are you settling…?

“Sorry, you
first,” said Bella.

“No, ladies
first.”

“I just wondered
if she would be coming to join you soon.”

“As a matter of
fact, I wrote her just yesterday and suggested it. It’s not as uncivilized here
as I thought it might be. I reckon I could build us a nice house somewhere near
the town.”

“Wonderful,”
said Bella, feeling it was anything but. “It’s a pity she couldn’t be with you
tonight, for Amelia Peterson’s engagement party.”

“Will you dance
with me instead?”

Bella very
nearly made a comment about being a consolation prize but swallowed it back.
“Yes, of course. It will save me from being a wallflower.”

“I don’t think that’ll
happen.”

Andrew was in a
contrite mood when Bella collected him from the jail. He looked dirty and
unshaven, not quite the gentleman he thought himself to be.

“I’m sorry for
my behaviour last night, Marshal,” he said, holding out his hand to Vance.

“Forget it,”
said Vance. “I just hope I don’t have to offer you the hospitality of the jail
in the future, Mister Tennyson. Will you be at the Petersons’ place tonight?”

Bella hoped
Andrew would not want to go. He was so unstable of late, she feared what might
happen. “Of course. Mrs Peterson asked me when I met her in town. I couldn’t
possibly let my sister go out amongst the wolves of Milton alone. Besides,
Mister Griffiths is going to be there, isn’t he? I met him yesterday. He’s a
good man, with a lot of ideas for rejuvenating Milton. I’ve got some business I
want to discuss with him.” Bella and Vance exchanged concerned glances. She
shuddered when Andrew added, “Mister Griffiths is rather taken with you,
Bella.”