Indiscretion (23 page)

Alexandra, feeling so obviously
de trop
, shifted her gaze from them. Slowly she walked away, attempting to escape also from the alarming emotions that fermented inside her. Unable to stop herself from glancing back, she caught Salvador's parting glance over his shoulder, so quietly intense, her stomach fluttered. Then he was
laughing again as Mercedes babbled on, and so she left the cousins to wander off together arm in arm towards the house.

All through lunch she was thoughtful and scarcely touched her food. Mercedes was bewitchingly feminine with her wide black eyes, dimples at the corners of her rosebud mouth and her impish pointed chin. When she thought no one was looking, she cast a look at Alexandra, clearly wanting to indicate that a point had been scored. Alexandra had no doubt that one look at the girl made most men want to protect her and Salvador was no exception. She couldn't help watching the two of them covertly during the meal. They were relaxed, talking and joking under the doting gaze of Doña Eugenia, who seemed delighted with her daughter's performance. Don Alonso, as usual, was quiet and lost in his own world, not seeming to notice what was going on around him. A sudden pain stabbed Alexandra's chest and her heart sank: could she possibly be jealous of her stepsister? Her whole being recoiled from the idea; it was a ridiculous and uncomfortable one. Mercedes was merely an immature child.

At that moment, Alexandra glanced up and caught Esmeralda's eye. She was sitting opposite, gazing at her inquisitively. Whereas normally she appeared to regard Mercedes' antics, and indeed her whole family, with little interest, now her eyes were unusually alert. Alexandra felt for the first time that her cousin was watching her and had noticed her edginess. Had Esmeralda read the jealousy written on her face? Or worse, had Salvador mentioned what had happened earlier at the summerhouse? Either way, even though she and Esmeralda had made a tentative connection, Alexandra was still too confused to allow anyone to glimpse her vulnerability.

She hastily looked down and pushed the food around on her plate distractedly with her fork. The morning's incident must not be made known to anybody. She felt a fool, regretting the circumstances that had forced her to tell Salvador, since he seemed to have already forgotten her existence and was back to his old mercurial ways. It occurred to her that he might not have believed her after all. Perhaps he thought she'd invented the story to excite his interest. Yet, had he
not confessed that he feared for her safety, begging her to leave the hacienda as soon as possible?

What was he playing at? Her mind was trapped in a maze of questions, and thoughts flew round and round in her head like caged creatures looking for a way out. Every time it seemed she had come a little closer to him, he had acted disconcertingly. He was so unpredictable, indulging in some cat and mouse game, the rules of which were only known to him.

Had Ramón intended to warn her against her cousin when he'd described Salvador's difficult character? She tried to remember what he'd said, but the first evening she had spent in Spain seemed so far away now.

‘Is anything the matter, my dear child?' enquired Doña María Dolores tenderly as her granddaughter was leaving the table. ‘You seem preoccupied today.'

‘It's only a touch of migraine,
Abuela
. I'm just going to lie down. I've probably caught too much sun. It was rather warm today and I didn't wear my hat.'

As Salvador abruptly pushed back his chair and passed by her, his jaw clenched visibly. For a fleeting moment she thought he was going to turn to her and say something, but he had obviously changed his mind and quickly moved on. The
Duquesa
had followed Alexandra's gaze. Her eyes narrowed slightly, like a cat noticing its prey.

‘Salvador,' she called out as the young man reached the doorway, ‘I'd like to speak to you.'

Salvador followed his great-aunt to her apartments. Alexandra went upstairs to her room. There, she remembered that she'd finished her book and needed something new to read. Coming back downstairs, she headed towards the library, across the hall from the
Duquesa
's apartment. She was about to open the door, when a murmur of voices caught her ears.

‘…What is it with you and Alexandra? I can almost feel the tension crackling in the air whenever you're in the same room together.'

At the mention of her name, Alexandra stopped. The door to her grandmother's room wasn't shut properly and through the small gap she could see Salvador sitting in an armchair facing the
Duquesa
. He was studying the tips of his shoes, his long legs stretched out in front of him; his eyes, hidden by his lashes, were impossible to read. Alexandra could detect some of what he was feeling, though, from his pale, set face and the determined fold at the corner of his mouth.

She pressed herself back against the wall and breathed deeply. What was she doing, creeping around like a thief? She could hear her aunt's disapproving voice, saying,
Eavesdroppers never hear any good of themselves
. If she was discovered, the humiliation would be terrible, and her grandmother wouldn't take kindly to such behaviour. And as for Salvador … She shuddered at the thought but an impetuous curiosity kept her rooted to the spot.

Salvador hadn't answered, still absorbed by the tips of his shoes, and though Alexandra couldn't see her grandmother, she guessed that the
Duquesa
's eyes were watching him closely.

‘Salvador,' she said at length in a calm voice, ‘I have not long to live. As the days go by, I can feel death stealing up on me. True, it comes slowly, but the years roll by and I'm not getting any younger.'

Salvador tried to protest, but she must have signalled him not to interrupt her.

‘My dearest wish, as you are well aware, is to see you married to a woman who loves you, who understands you, who will give you the support required by a man of your birth and rank, and help you shoulder the responsibilities and problems associated with that status. If fate has been unkind and unjust towards you for some time, why not give it a chance now? Things may not be as bleak as they look. Alexandra loves you, of this I'm sure. If she's not conscious of it yet, she soon will be. You're not indifferent to her either. I know you well enough and can recognize the signs.'

Salvador was silent.

‘Why do you refuse to look the facts in the face? Do you wish to bring disaster down upon yourself?' persisted the old woman, trying
to break through her nephew's stubborn shell. ‘Why not reach out for this new love? Why not accept it with joy and grasp happiness instead of groping at shadows?'

But Salvador shook his head slowly without looking up. ‘Because it was doomed from the start,' he said in a flat voice, as though to himself. He shifted in his chair, leant his head wearily against the back of the seat and shut his eyes.

Alexandra stood helplessly outside the door, humiliation washing over her, yet unable to tear herself away.

‘I can't understand this determination to condemn a love before it's even been born,' exclaimed Doña María Dolores impatiently. ‘You're both adults, quite capable of taking the situation in hand. Face up to the problems together, if there really are any problems. In my opinion, this business with Marujita has assumed ridiculous proportions. It's up to us now to put an end to this affair, which I will no longer tolerate.'

‘I have a debt towards Marujita, which I must pay off,' Salvador said. He had raised his eyes and was looking at his great-aunt in earnest.

‘We have all paid off that debt,' retorted the dowager. ‘And besides, a debt is paid in kind or in money. What more can you do for her now?'

A bitter laugh escaped from her nephew's lips. ‘Sometimes, dear Aunt, I think you forget the harsh customs of our people. You know none of us can escape them.'

‘I admit the gypsies have violent ways and live by the
navaja
… and this reputation they have for dark practices and uncanny powers has always been feared. But they're also poor, and avaricious too, and therein lies the answer to your Marujita problem.'

Faced with her obstinacy, Salvador seemed thoughtful for a moment. Then his eyes clouded over. He rose to take leave of the dowager.

‘I'll think about what you've said,' he promised as he embraced her. ‘I'm sure we can resolve this problem. Don't you worry about it any more,
Tía
.'

Hearing him heading for the door, Alexandra darted into the library opposite, shutting the door as quietly as she could and pinning herself against it, heart thumping in her chest. Salvador's steps echoed briskly down the corridor. After a few moments she heard another set of footsteps descend the marble staircase and move across the hall, slower and more measured this time. Opening the door slightly, she saw Agustina arrive at the apartments of her mistress. Alexandra had a burning desire to know what they were saying. She heard low voices coming from inside her grandmother's room as she tiptoed back out into the corridor. At first she could not make out what was being said, though the
Duquesa
was clearly pacing up and down the room.

‘… I know him all too well, he'll do just as he pleases. But I must do something to put an end to all these ridiculous dramas.'

‘You've spoken your mind,' replied Agustina. ‘Leave him for now, he's already too unhappy and you'll accomplish nothing.'

‘Wise and faithful Agustina,' sighed the dowager, sadly. ‘You're always right. What would I have done without your advice through all these long years? Since tragedy struck my dear Salvador, I've learned to dread what the next day has in store but you're always so reassuring, always telling me that better days will come.'

‘Don't worry, have confidence. The rainbow isn't far,' insisted the old servant.

‘You've been promising me rainbows for so long.'

‘Remember the road is long and His Grace has already travelled a long way back to us.'

‘Still, how many steps are there to climb?' answered the
Duquesa
in a quiet voice, as though to herself.

Alexandra suddenly heard a noise from the corridor and scurried quietly up the staircase back to her room, afraid she might finally be caught eavesdropping and feeling guilty at what she had already done.

Upstairs, it was Alexandra's turn to pace her room. Once the humiliation she'd felt at overhearing the discussion had ebbed, she
was besieged by questions. They span around her head like a tornado; there was so much to think about. She was taken aback that the
Duquesa
thought she was in love with Salvador. What had she said or done to make her grandmother believe such a thing? Was this what she was feeling? Was she so transparent? Moreover, did she dare to think Doña María Delores was right and Salvador loved
her
? Yet Agustina's cards had seen a threat from Marujita who had apparently ‘bewitched' Salvador. There was an unpleasant tug at Alexandra's heart at the thought of the two of them together. Agustina had urged Alexandra to fight for him but what was he afraid of? Bringing down the revenge of the gypsies? Whatever the truth, the situation was making Salvador truly wretched.

In the meantime, Alexandra decided that it was time she took matters into her own hands. To do so, she needed to get to the bottom of who'd tried to shoot her with an arrow.

* * *

Alexandra walked briskly towards the stables on the lookout for Pablo. Confronting the young lad would hopefully remove any doubts she had about his involvement in this morning's episode. Common sense said that he had not shot the arrow. He may be a liar, as Lopez had said, perhaps even a petty thief, but she had difficulty in believing he would deliberately want to harm her. After all, she'd rescued him from Fernando Lopez's hands, and the boy had seemed grateful. However, he had clearly been near the summerhouse when the arrow had been shot, and even if he'd not actually seen the person who was to blame, at least he must have a good idea who it might be.

She reached the stables and walked round them. No one was about. Further along, she found the old gardener, Miguel, lying stretched out against the trunk of a tree, a red-and-white checked handkerchief covering his face. He was dozing peacefully, oblivious to the cloud of flies buzzing around him.

Alexandra hesitated, debating whether or not to disturb him. Siesta time was certainly over.

‘Miguel,' she cried out. ‘Miguel, wake up!'

The man started, removed the handkerchief from his face and blinked in the light. Recognizing Alexandra, he leapt to his feet, apologizing profusely. ‘
Buenas tardes, señorita
,' he mumbled, embarrassed that she should have found him asleep. ‘It was hot and I lay down for a while … uh … what can I do for you?'

She came straight to the point. ‘Where's Pablo?'

Miguel had a vacant look. ‘
Pablo
?' he enquired, as though hearing the name for the first time.

Alexandra sighed impatiently. ‘Yes,
Pablo
. Pablo, the stable boy.'

‘Oh,
sí
,
sí
, Pablo,' he said after some hesitation, and with the expression of someone who'd just seen the light. ‘Pablo Gomez,
yo sé
, I know, uh … I've not seen him since this morning. Uh … no, no,
lo siento
, since yesterday evening,' he corrected, wringing his hands. ‘Ah,
señorita
, the lad's a good-for-nothing. He's lazy, a liar, a thief and …' Leaving his sentence hanging in the air, he shook his head disapprovingly, and walked off a shade too quickly towards the stables. Alexandra went after him. Determined to find Pablo, her instinct told her Miguel knew the whereabouts of the young gypsy. She followed the old gardener into the stables.

‘Where do you think I can find him?' she persisted.

He had started to shift some hay and gave her a sideways glance.