Blood in the Valencian Soil (Secrets of Spain) (24 page)

They stopped at the tall wooden door at the first house in the plaza, a narrow but tall building of four stories, and Cayetano banged his fist on it. “César, que es Cayetano Ortega. ¡Abre la maldita puerta! Open the damn door!”

The door swung open, and Luna felt overwhelmed by the heavy smell of cigar smoke. Cayetano, Scarlett and Alejandro all smoked, but that was hideous. The filthy young man gestured for them to come in, and they trailed into the very dark living area, Luna going in last. Even the baby coughed when they went into the cramped space. Smoke wasn’t bad for babies, was it?

“¡Ajá, this must be the lovely Sofía!” César said, his arms out wide for a hug from Luna. “The Beltrán Perez baby has come at last!”

“No, this is my sister, Luna,” Alejandro said, slumped in a chair at the tiny dining table.

“The famous Luna, the lady who holds Cayetano’s heart!” César looked to Cayetano, who scowled back. Now was not the time for sharing stories of drunken nights spent talking about the fantasy girls they couldn’t have.

“I am Luna Beltrán Caño, and I don’t belong to my brother, or that man over there,” she gestured at Cayetano, who stood into the corner of the windowless room. She was sick of being the weakling of the group. No one would speak to Scarlett as if she was merely a companion of a man. She stood alone, and as much as Luna hated the redhead, she wanted Scarlett’s independence.

“¡Ay! This one has the fire in her too, like my
feroz princesa,” he said to Scarlett.

“I’m not your fierce princess, and I still won’t sleep with you,” Scarlett shot back. “We need information.”

“You have money, I have information,” César shrugged, and put his cigar in the ashtray on the table.

“I have m
oney, if you have another cigar.” She fished into her pants pocket. “Is your wife here?”

“She is upstairs, with her dying mother. I wish she would just give up and die, the old witch.” César produced another cigar from a box under the
table, lit it, and handed it to Scarlett who stood with Cayetano. “What do you want to know?”

“Sofía is dead.
” Scarlett blew smoke as she said it. “She died having the baby. It’s a long story, but we needed to get out of Cuenca.”

“And now, we want out of España,” Cayetano added. “We need a ship.”

“No ships in Valencia, not since Franco banned shipping on March 8, you know that,” César shrugged. “It’s why we have no food or anything here. The aid ships can’t dock here. The Mar Negro is stationed off the coast, from Sagunto in the north to El Saler in the south and then south down the coast all the way to Jávea, stopping ships from coming in. The Británico ships, the Sussex and Stanhope, both tried to get into Valencia last week, but the Mar Negro and the Mar Cantábrico, they fight off any ship. They captured a ship that left port in Gandia only a few days ago. They capture cruise ships, hospital ships, freighters, they are strong. The Italian ship, the Melilla, they are close to Valencia port and are under orders to stop all ships from landing. But…”

“We have no time for games, we have women we need to get out the country,” Cayetano said. He
faced the floor, but his dark eyes were firmly fixed on his ‘friend’. César was a slimy bastard who had his finger on every illegal pie in Valencia. If something was available for a price, César knew about it.

“The Stanland, a
Británico aid ship, has just docked. Franco’s high command let her through. But their immunity may be lifted as soon as they dock out, leaving them at the mercy of the Mar Negro or her sister ships. Who knows? There will be no more ships. You heard about Madrid, ¿no?”

“What of Madrid?” Luna asked. Her father was in Madrid and
she hadn’t got word from him.

“We have been on
the road for days,” Cayetano said, “high up in the hills.”

“Madrid was captured yesterday. The war will be declared over in a few days. Valencia will be the last place to fall, tomorrow they reckon.”

“Are troops coming in?” Alejandro asked.

“Most certainly! They’re ready to control us all.”

“We need to get on this Stanland ship,” Cayetano said. “Can you get us on?”

“Everyone in the city wants on the Stanland!” César scoffed. “Every
Republican has run to ports up and down the coast of Valencia. In Gandia, a ship was let out to sea with refugees, but then captured. Every rojo in España is now trapped like a rat. They will round us up and shoot us.”

“What will it take to get on that ship,
César?” Cayetano asked. He leaned off the wall and stood with his arms folded. “Any cost, any job, any lie, you know we can do it. We have helped hundreds of people out of España. Now it’s our turn.”

“You have left it too late,
while you chased all those pesetas from your Madrid passengers,” César said, and sat back with a smile. Cayetano Ortega always turned up thinking he could have whatever he wanted and this time he wouldn’t get it. He would get a bullet like the rest of his type, if César didn’t help him. This time Cayetano and Alejandro would have to pay more – and let César borrow Scarlett or Luna for a few minutes of pleasure. Perhaps both of them, one at a time. “Maybe you could get Scarlett on board, she is Inglés, ¿no?”

“Close enough,” Scarlett quipped.

“She looks foreign, and she can speak inglés. But the rest of you…. I don’t know. If the ship is captured and you’re found, they will give everyone a bullet, not just the four of you.”

“Then we get Luna, Scarlett and the baby on the ship,” Alejandro said. “Where is it headed?”

“No!” Luna interjected. “We all go. I won’t go without you, Ale.”

“I don’t know where
the ship is bound,” César said. “Maybe Marseille? Where do you want to go?”

Cayetano was staring at Luna, and she knew it. She wouldn’t acknowledge it, instead jiggling the fussing baby in her arms. “Scarlett, you can take the child and we know you will be able
to get your way safely to Londres and then bound for home. But Luna, what to do with you?” he said.

“I’m not going anywhere!” she cried.

“She could come with me,” Scarlett said. “Once we dock in Nueva Zelanda, we demand refugee status. They will hold her in custody, but she will be safe until I can get her cleared and free.”

“I hate you!” Luna cried. Scarlett’s ice-blue eyes were staring right at her, as cold as Luna's tone. “I’m not going anywhere, or giving you the baby!”

“Luna, do as I say!” Alejandro banged his fist on the small table. “Scarlett can save you and the baby. If Cayetano and I die here, then so be it!”

“We need to get down to the port right now,” Cayetano said.
“When does the ship dock out?”

“No idea,” César said. “All
I was interested in was the supplies I could get off it. Soon the black market will thrive with food for the damned.”

“I need some air,” Luna said, and turned away from the group. She pulled the heavy door opened and stepped out in
to the sun.

“Is she safe out there?” Scarlett asked César.

César shrugged. “Safe enough. Though, if she wanted to make a few pesetas, she could probably earn them in the alley around the corner.”

Cayetano sighed, and went after Luna. He didn’t care how much she hated him; he worried for her. He went out into the light, to
find her a few houses down, cooing to the baby. She looked like a woman, not a young impressionable girl. He had no idea how he was going to convince her to get on that ship. It was their one and only hope, especially if Valencia was only a day from falling to the enemy.

“La chispa,” he called, and he saw her roll her eyes. “Luna, preciosa, please come back inside.”

“No,” she said, defiant. “This is a failed attempt, a desperate act. I should have married Ignacio long ago. Now I would be safe with him in Madrid.”

“Safe… saluting fascism, hatred, and oppression.”

“Not much different to here then,” she scoffed.

“Luna, come with me! I will look after you!”

Luna turned and slapped Cayetano hard across the face. “You betrayed me!” she cried through gritted teeth as she held the baby close.

“Jesús, Luna! I love you!  Yes, I slept with Scarlett once, but that’s no betrayal to my love for you. I sleep with everyone! I slept with César’s wife one time. He was in the room, drunk and asleep! I’m sorry! But I never painted myself as an angel. You know who I am, and where I come from.”

“Ale says you come from the Medina’s.”

“No, my Mamá, she was a whore, a mistress to a rich man. She was sold to Sergio Medina through some arrangement when she got pregnant, and they kept me. I’m no one, but if I marry you, I will be someone. All I want is you. I will take the damn baby if you want! Don’t hate Scarlett, she’s strong and smart and capable. She can help us. What she has done, what she has seen, who she has killed…
please, don’t hate her. This isn’t her fault. It’s not anyone’s.”

Tears streamed down Luna’s face. There was no point in
hiding them. “I’m not a kid. I’m not weak. You all treat me like an idiot…”

“No, we love you!” Cayetano said. He placed his hands on her shoulders and she tried to fight him, but he was much too strong. “Luna, now is not the time to be a strong, independent
Republican woman. Now is the time that we group together and save our lives!”

“What for? None of us has
a future.”

“We might! Let’s get the others. We will go to the port right now, and see who we can talk to about getting on board the Stanland. I know you love me, you still wear the diamond.”

“Then take it back,” she spat at him.

“No, I won’t. It’s safe with you. We aren’t going to die.” Cayetano thrust his lips on hers,
and felt her tears against his skin. There was no way that the love they shared could be broken over one stupid incident months ago. When he let her mouth go, she looked more confused than ever. Confused was fine; it was better than mad. “We will go back to the truck, and we get down to the port. We will get out of España. If you still hate me, then so be it. I can live with that as long as you and the baby are both safe.”

22

Madrid, España ~ septiembre de 2009

La chispa,

I hope the ship is offshore before you find this letter. I will find Alejandro, I promise I will. I had no idea he would run after you boarded the ship. I can’t leave him behind, even though I want to be with you. I know you say you hate me, but I swear, wherever you land with Scarlett, I will find you. I will marry you. Please, don’t let Scarlett’s baby end things for you and me. She is happy for me to let her and the child go for good. She longs for her home now. She cannot take any more pain. But you, my preciosa, you and I have so much more to come.

I fear that Alejandro may never overcome his pain of losing Sofía, the same way I would never get over you if I was to lose your love. I know you don’t agree with Alejandro’s decision to give his son to Scarlett. I’m sorry for the pain this causes you, but only time will prove that the child will be better off. One day you and I can have children of our own
.

Por favor, la chispa, keep the ring on your hand. It belongs to a part of a special collection of jewels that was given to my stepfather, Sergio Medina, from
my father, the King. Both the King and my family are in exile in Francia. If you get in trouble, go to Sergio with the ring, and he will help you. I can’t believe you have left España, and I may never see you again. I will do all I can to find you. Please remember I love you. I will always be searching for you.

Cayetano

“Jesucristo en el cielo,”
Cayetano muttered.

“What?” Luna asked him. “Do you know what the letter is talking about?”

“I have no idea!” he exclaimed, and waved the note in her direction. “But I know who Sergio Medina is!”

“Who?”

“Medina, as in my ex-wife, María Medina Cruz.”

“Oh, come on. So what if my grandfather knew a Medina family? There will be thousands of Medina’s in Spain.”

“María was born in France. So was her father, Leandro. Sergio and Pilar Medina had two daughters and a son, and they went to France during the Spanish civil war. Their son, Emilio, was María’s grandfather. Sergio, her great-grandfather, was given a title and money for marrying Pilar Ortega in 1915. Pilar was one of the King’s mistresses. Sergio took on the baby from his friend the King, because the Queen was mad at her husband for having so many illegitimate children.”

“How many were there?”

“Officially four illegitimate children, on top of the five children born to the royal couple. But they say there could be more. Pilar was one such mistress, a young maid who worked at the Palace. She and her baby were shoved out the way for a substantial price paid to Sergio Medina to make it look like it was his baby. It wasn’t a well-kept secret. In fact, the Medina’s are quite proud of their family’s history. They have researched it all.”

“My grandfather, Cayetano Ortega, was the illegitimate baby of the King’s mistress?” Luna said sceptically.

“You may find you can track Cayetano down in the birth records if you look up Cayetano Medina instead. That is why you could never find Cayetano.”

Luna looked at the note. “It sounds too far-fetched.”

“What part? That you and my ex-wife are related? Or that your father and the King are first-cousins?”

“I’m sure many people in Spain can claim the same. There could be a thousand people who could claim some kind of connection to a royal family that has endured as long as Spain’s has.”

“Yeah, but first cousins? That is pretty impressive. Your great-grandfather was a King.”

“And it’s your wife that holds the details to my family, assuming we are correct. María, who I met just this morning and reminded me that you and her are a couple.”

“Ex-wife. Don’t forget the ‘ex’ part of that sentence. I’m sure I can work on María. Her father, Leandro, has been a fan of his family tree his whole life. I’m sure he would love to know the whereabouts of the illegitimate baby and his family.”

Luna half-smiled. “You know, it never occurred to me that there would be anyone else to find. I never wondered who Cayetano’s parents were, or if there were more children. I always assumed that there weren’t.”

“I will call Sofía tomorrow. She can check Cayetano Medina at work on Monday. No wonder the church records in Cuenca brought up nothing; Cayetano wasn’t from there. He must have found his way there from Madrid when he was young.”

“Why turn your back on a powerful family?” Luna said. “It could have saved his life during the war.
He could have left the country early on.”

“More mysteries,
preciosa. There are still so many. It raises many for my family, too.”

“Like how it seems that Cayetano and Luna were getting married and she left Spain.”

“As far as I know, that never happened. When Sofía and I went to South America, like I told you about, Papá said it was the first time anyone in our family had travelled aboard.”

“So, what the hell is he writing about here? He is sending Scarlett and Luna away. Scarlett seemed to be pregnant in the note. Maybe that was what broke them up.”

“I see,” Cayetano said. “Maybe my grandmother was engaged to your grandfather, but he cheated on her with Scarlett.”

“My grandfather is illegitimate, and a jerk. Wow,” Luna said matter-of-factly.

“Shit happens, we know that for sure.” Cayetano leaned over and read the note again, as Luna held it gently in her fingers. It had been written in haste with a blunt pencil, and hard to read. “Oh no,” he muttered. 

“What? Are you looking at the part where it says that Alejandro and Sofía had a baby, but Scarlett had the baby with her on the ship?”

“Yeah, it’s weird.”

“It says ‘Alejandro won’t get over his pain’. Did Sofía die?”

“Maybe… no death record for Sofía… no birth record for the baby…”

“Add that to the mystery list.”

“What… what if ‘the baby’ is… your father?”

“What?” Luna squinted. “No, Scarlett had a baby with Cayetano. It says right here that she was pregnant. Scarlett never hid the fac
t that my father was born to Cayetano, as shameful as it was during those times.”

“Was she telling the truth? I
mean, your father’s name was Alexander…. Alejandro…. Alexander…”

“Yes! Alex
was born in New Zealand. Records say so.”

“Scarlett
was a nurse. She would have access to be able to make fake records.”

“It’s New Zealand, not the fucking wild west. The records are accurate. Besides, if she had arrived in New Zealand with a baby, they would have recorded that.”

“You have checked the shipping records of when Scarlett came home?”

“Well, no,” Luna admitted. “I never thought it as relevant. I knew she came home in 1939 and Dad was born soon after in a small local hospital…”

“Sounds suspicious.”

“No, I refuse to believe that Scarlett isn’t my grandmother,” Luna said. “And frankly, I’m offended you suggest otherwise!”

“Sorry, that wasn’t my intention, Luna. I promise.”

“Already my grandfather is the son of a whore,” she muttered. “I guess you need to be careful what you wish for. Of course, we could be totally wrong. You know, my mother, Thelma, her family was completely normal and well-adjusted. None of this crazy shit.”

“I hope that Scarlett and Cayetano are your grandparents! Imagine if your father was Alejandro and Sofía’s baby! That would make us distant cousins. I really don’t want to find that I have been having sex with my cousin for the last two months,” Cayetano chuckled.

“That is exactly what you’ve been doing,” came a deep voice.

Cayetano and Luna both looked up, with expressions like naughty teenagers. Paco Beltrán stood in the doorway to the room, with a face far more angry than the storm outside. Luna needed no introduction, it was like looking at Cayetano, 30 years into the future.

“Papá,” Cayetano said as he stumbled to his feet, his leg sore from sitting on the floor. He hop
ped on one foot for a moment to try and feel more comfortable. “What are you doing here?”

“You’ve done it, haven’t you?” Paco said, and approached the
pair. “You stole from me, and you have gone against everything I have ever told you.”

“Papá, no.” Cayetano put a hand out and pulled Luna to her feet. He could see she looked nervous. She had i
nadvertently walked into the ongoing battle between father and son. “This is Luna. I needed your chest to help her.”

“The girl you scooped up off the street?” Paco shot back. “The
mujer who has caused so much trouble these last few months? Have you any idea of the damage you have done to my son?” he said to Luna.

“She hasn’t done anything, Papá…”

“Your bloody leg, and then all the questions you have fired at me! Your mother told me that you have been sniffing around my family home in Cuenca…”

“You mean the building still belongs to us?” Cayetano chose to ignore the rest, he
wouldn’t dignify the accusations with an answer.

“I don’t give a shit about those old buildings in Cuenca,” Paco fired back. “You have betrayed me.”

“I’m sorry,” Luna said. She wasn’t afraid of the angry man, but she really hoped he would shut up. The kids were asleep not far away.

“My mother was very important to me,” Paco said to her. “All I have is a chest of her things, and it’s been violated.”

“But, Papá, there are photos and letters about Cayetano Ortega! That’s Luna’s grandfather. He and Luna’s grandmother, Scarlett…”

“Luna? Luna Montgomery?” Paco interrupted his son. “You’re Scarlett’s daughter… granddaughter? Of course, just look at you. You have the eyes.”

“My grandmother died before I was born,” Luna said tentatively. “I have never seen a photo of her.”

Paco leaned forward, and grabbed another small box
from inside the chest. He ripped it open, and photos fell from his hands. He grabbed one and thrust it at her. “Look, that’s Scarlett,” he said. It was almost some kind of accusation. “It’s like looking in a mirror.”

Cayetano and Luna held the photo. The picture was black and white, but her hair practically glowed in the picture. It must have been fire-red. Her eyes were eerie in the black and white
photo, they looked almost translucent; that was where Luna’s ice-blue eyes came from, just like her father before her. “Oh my God,” Luna muttered. She was the spitting image of Scarlett Montgomery. Now she was real; she was not just a story, but a woman who ran to Spain for her ideals and went home a troubled single mother.

“That woman, that scheming redhead, destroyed my mother’s life,” Paco said. “Mamá was in love with a man and Scarlett stole him from her.”

Cayetano and Luna shared a look. “She told you that?” Cayetano asked.

“Sí,”
Paco replied. His tone was so bitter, so angry at a person he never knew. “Cayetano Ortega was going to marry my mother. She loved him so such. She cried every night in her bed. He abandoned her. He took her to Valencia, to protect her when the war ended, and instead he left her in the port, and disappeared. Scarlett turned and went home, and my mother had nothing.”

“So, Cayetano was never your uncle, like you told Mamá.”

“No, Alejandro was my uncle. Another loser.”

“He had a baby? Scarlett took his baby?”

“She tried.”

“Where is the baby now, Papá?”

“The baby died very young, my mother told me. So no, Luna, your father is not the baby of Alejandro and his wife.”

“No, she is part of María’s family. Cayetano is the illegitimate baby of Pilar and the King. Did you know that all this time? You knew María’s family always looked for him.”

“Yes, I knew,” Paco sighed. “I didn’t want to tell anyone. I didn’t want anyone to know that my mother was in love with a bastardo like him.”

“So, you lied the whole time I was married to María?” Cayetano fired back.

“I never should have let you marry into the Medina’s. It’s wrong. Dirty. Like this Luna is!”

“Hey!” Luna spoke up. “I realise this is very ugly, but you can’t be rude to me, no matter how much Scarlett hurt your mother.”

“Rude? Like you have been? Going through my private things?” Paco said right in her face.

“Damn it, Papá, it’s
also my family here. It’s Luna’s family in this box. She doesn’t know them. You hold the answers to everyone’s lives in your chest and you are in the wrong!” Cayetano yelled.

“You don’t want to know the truth!” Paco said. “I should never have let you marry María, and now, with this girl, now I have no
choice but to tell you the truth.”

“What, Papá?” Cayetano asked, his arms now folded over his chest. This was all too overly-dramatic and ridiculous. “What happened?”

“My mother went to Valencia when the war ended,” Paco said, his voice now steady. “Instead of helping her, Cayetano and Alejandro abandoned her there. Scarlett got on a British ship and left her trail of destruction behind. My mother had nowhere to go. She managed to find a phone she could use, and she only knew one number, the house of Ignacio Reyes, where her father was. She rang him, and he was able to tell her where to go to see a friend of his. They arranged to get her to Madrid. Spain was undergoing huge change, and Ignacio was the only one who would help her. These people who claimed to be friends and family, and a lover…. no one cared. Her father, Juan Pablo, was murdered before Luna arrived in Madrid. He got flushed out by troops and killed, to be made an example of what the new government and regime was capable of doing.”