The Flesh and the Devil (58 page)

         
‗Good man, what next?‘ Dona Jerónima interposed,
laughing, before Juana could speak. ‗I cannot insult my chief guest by
preferring you, my dear Bautista. We are honoured beyond expectation, Margarita
– the son of the governor of the province is here! Don Diego Ruiz; he is the
guest of Bishop, and when my invitation arrived his lordship begged him to
accompany him here. Is it not fortunate? He is all eagerness to meet you, my
dear, and I cannot suppose that you will refuse his escort for supper, for he
is young, handsome, as well as being most gentle and liberal – look there!‘

         
Don Bautista‘s face crumpled into a scowl as he followed
the regal wave of his hostess‘s hand. ‗How rich?‘ he demanded in a
belligerent undertone.

         
‗Too rich for you to compete with, if he should
offer,‘ she answered sweetly, and beckoned.

         
Don Diego obeyed the summons with such alacrity that he
might have been waiting for it. A short, well-knit young man with a flashing
smile and an unswept black moustache, he was splendidly, even ostentatiously
clad in brilliant brown braided with gold, topazes flashing on his hands and in
the chain about his neck. To Juana, seeing him with cold clarity, he looked
less young than handsome and too sure of his own charm to be wholly charming.
She extended her fingers to him at Dona Jerónima‘s urging, but did not smile.

         
‗Señorita, your devoted slave! I count myself happy
to be among the first who have seen the Señorita Margarita.‘

         
‗You are too free with my name, señor.‘

         
‗I offend? His mobile eyebrows ascended in what she
thought was excessive surprise at her sharpness. ‗A thousand apologies –
I can only plead my eagerness to be known to you, señorita, and promise
reformation until I have your leave for such freedom.‘ He smiled towards Dona
Jerónima. ‗Have I your leave, señora, to stay awhile and plead for my
pardon? I may be thought an impertinent fellow otherwise, and that is not to be
endured,‘ he added an a deeper note, his eyes returning to Juana‘s face.

         
‗As you will.‘ Dona Jerónima smiled.

         
She was about to move off a little way, drawing an
infuriated Don Bautista with her, when a slight disturbance on the landing
outside drew her attention; her eyes narrowed slightly, and although the smile
remained fixed to her face her voice came from between her teeth.

         
‗The bitch! That driveling old fool must have allowed
her to see the letter, and she has come with him to spite me. She knows I do
not welcome women here until the field narrows, the whore.‘

         
Don Bautista peered, taken aback. ‗What? Who is it?‘

         
‗Iñigo Argote de Molina has brought his wife – or she
has brought him. I thought when I invited him that he was too doddering to se
foot outside his house, but I asked him for form‘s sake. The whole train of
them have come here, too –

         
her brothers, and that clodhopper who carries her lapdog –
you may be sure she has fetched all the hungry mouths she can muster! I suppose
she –‘She broke off, and added in a different voice, ‗Well, well,well!‘

         
‗Jerónima, listen – about young Ruiz - ‘

         
‗Follow me, Bautista, and stop chattering. I must
speak to my good friend Elena – Perhaps I shall forgive her presence here after
all.‘ Dona Jerónima glided forward, determination hardening the muscles round
her mouth, and a path cleared before her to the door.

         
Juana, glancing round, was startled to see her protectress
leave her side, and had half-turned to follow when Don Diego‘s brown fingers
caught her slashed sleeve.

         
‗Surely, señorita, you will not leave me already?
Have I not abased myself enough?‘

         
‗More than enough, señor, but I must go with Dona
Jerónima. I cannot think she intended to leave me alone in your company.‘

         
‗Why not? She had a kind heart and knows I will be
grateful – She and I have had dealings before, and if you are doubtful of me
you have only to speak to her. I know she will commend me.‘ His eyes wandered
over her, openly appraising. ‗Tell me, where did she find you? Did she
conjure you from the air like a spirit, or from the sea, like Aphrodite? Why do
you turn away your head?‘

         
‗I do not find your wit amusing,‘ she retorted icily.

         
‗My bad fortune! He laughed and quickly leaned
closer, his dark face intent. ‗Would you rather I spoke seriously to
you?‘

         
‗I had rather you let go my sleeve. Pray you, señor
-‘

         
‗Now, this is something new!‘ Far from seeming
offended, Don Diego regarded her with a mixture of intrigue and appreciation. ‗Usually
I take our kind hostess‘s word with a pinch of salt, but by all the saints, I
am inclined to believe that you are – what you are given out to be.‘

         
Juana retreated a pace. ‗I think you are talking
nonsense.‘ The effort of understanding his cryptic remarks was making her
headache worse, and her smooth brow creased. ‗If you will excuse me,
señor, Dona Jerónima -‘

         
‗Margarita, my dear, is Don Diego amusing you? He is
such a witty creature! Now -‘ Dona Jerónima took Juana‘s hand, turning her
smoothly to face the little group at her elbow – ‗I must introduce you to
my dear friend the Condesa Elena Argote de Molina… her husband the Conde…
Francisco and Agostín de Frontenera, her brothers… Señor Felipe Stanford – is
that how one says it, señor?

         
– who is her friend from England… Señor Sebastian…‘

         
The lightly-amused voice seemed to fade into nothing-ness
as Juana raised her eyes. She felt as though the rest of the world had fallen
away, leaving her suspended in time and space, at the mercy of the elements.
Her heartbeat paused, then recommenced so violently that she felt shaken with
it; then hearing came back, and the blackness ebbed from her eyes.

         
‗… my young friend and very welcome guest, Señorita
Margarita Armendariz.‘

         
Juana sank into a curtsy as Dona Jerónima concluded,
hearing the other woman laugh richly above her head and the answering quaver of
the old man‘s voice. Then, as though compelled, she lifted her head to meet the
ice-green, piercing gaze of her husband.

         
CHAPTER 14

         
‗I am happy to see you, Senorita Armendariz.‘ Tristan
spoke with a faint foreign accent marring his faultless Spanish, and although
the scarred mouth smiled, his eyes were coldly implacable, Juana rose to her
feet at once, her slender body tense.

         
‗From England?‘ She repeated naively. ‗I
thought all Englishmen were the enemies of Spain. Have you come to find out our
country's weaknesses, Senor Stanford?‘

         
The glint in Tristan's eyes acknowledged her artless tone,
but he responded evenly, 'No, rather to see its beauties, tonight I am trebly
fortunate.'

         
The Condesa turned to her hostess with a pretty gesture of
contrition.

         
‗Dearest Jeronima, I knew you would forgive me if I
brought Felipe! He is newly come back — we met but yesterday-and how could I
leave such an old and dear

         
‘

         
friend behind? You must say that I am forgiven.

         
‗My dear Elena,‘ Dona Jeronima purred, eyeing Tristan
from head to heel, 'I can promise you that your
old
 
and
dear friend
 
is very welcome here‘

         
Ignoring the emphasis, the Condesa smiled. 'Then all is
well! It makes me so happy to see you entertaining again. I was afraid that we
had offended you, or that there might be some difficulty....‘ She allowed the
words to trail away delicately.

         
‗Oh no, no difficulty. But one can grow weary of
company that presses itself upon one, can one not?‘

         
The Frontenera brothers were pushing forward to bow over
Juana's fingers in turn, and she smiled and made mechanical responses to their
gallantries without being aware of anything but the fact that Tristan was
watching her unwaveringly. He was dressed as she had never seen him, in the
very height of fashion: a short, close-buttoned doublet and full breeches of
dark, rich green, with matching hose and long-tongued shoes; the thick copper
hair, shining like a casque of polished metal, was thrown into startling
prominence by falling bands of white muslin trimmed with a froth of lace, while
narrow frilled cuffs emphasized the long, elegant hands. With such overpowering
height and colouring his lack of ornament became dramatic; the plainness of a
man who needed nothing to enhance his sheerly masculine, almost animal
attraction. Every other man in the room had faded suddenly into insignificance.

         
His slanting eyes travelled thoughtfully over her, but he
did not take her hand until the others had done; then, as he bowed over her
hand, he said too softly for anyone else to hear, ‗A debt cannot be
cancelled but by mutual consent.‘

         
Juana's lips trembled uncontrollably for an instant. She
thought she must scream at him or burst into tears, but then he straightened
and added with cool audacity, ‗Those colours become you.‘

         
Anger saved her. Her chin lifted, and she turned swiftly to
the gratified Don Diego. ‗Senor, you were speaking of....‘

         
‗Why, of my eagerness to learn the truth about you,
senorita.‘ He moved nearer at once, with a flash of white teeth. ‗It is
impossible that you could have lived in this province without my knowing it
until now, for such beauty must have declared itself to me. Tell me where you
really come from.‘