For Honor’s Sake (17 page)

Felicia’s piquant features lit up like a beacon as she gazed raptly at Rod. “Oh, señor! You are so good and kind. I love living on the
rancho.
I was so happy when Doña Julie and I—” Abruptly she stopped, her face flushed.

“It’s all right,
niña
,” Rod assured her gently. “I know you loved her. She told me many times how much she cared for you.”

Felicia beamed joyfully. “We were great friends,
señor,
” she admitted shyly, “but she did not love me nearly as much as she loved you.”

“Did she tell you that?” Rod questioned gently.

“There was no need,
señor,
I knew.”

Rod sighed. “You are mistaken,
niña.
I gave Julie little reason to love me. But I thank you for your kind words. Now, enough of this talk. Do you still enjoy riding?”

“
Si,
” replied Felicia, glancing at Rod from beneath feathery black lashes.

“Would you ride with me? I would be pleased to have you join me.”

“
Si
, I would enjoy that,” laughed Felicia, jumping from the rail before Rod could assist her.

That began the first of many pleasurable hours spent with an enchanting child Rod grew increasingly fond of as the days flew by. Normally their rides were necessarily short due to Rod’s responsibilities on the
rancho.
But one fine morning Rod found himself with some extra time on his hands and he and Felicia rode out toward the Santa Lucia Mountains. They rode in comfortable silence for about two hours when Rod suddenly realized tht the child was no longer at his side.

Instantly he spun about and spied Felicia a short distance behind him. She had halted and was staring transfixed into the foothills surrounding them. “What is it,
niña
?” he asked anxiously. “What do you see?” Automatically he reached for the weapon he carried with him at all times.

“This is the place,” whispered Felicia, gazing about with sad eyes. “This is where Doña Julie and Doña Elena were stopped by the
banditos
.”

Rod felt his hackles rise. “How do you know,
niña
”? It could have been anywhere along here. Even Elena could not remember the exact spot.”

“No,
señor,
” Felicia insisted stubbornly. “It was here. I saw it with my own eyes. I was hiding over there.” She pointed confidently to a huge boulder about one-hundred yards away.

Rod was flabbergasted by Felicia’s unexpected disclosure. Until now he had assumed Elena to be the only witness to what really took place that day. “What were you doing so far from the mission,
niña
?” Rod asked skeptically.

“You will not tell
mi tia,
or
Padre
Juan?” Felicia asked fearfully. Solemnly Rod gave his promise. Satisfied, Felicia revealed, “After Doña Elena told
Tia
Teresa I was no longer welcome on the
rancho,
I stayed at the mission with
Padre
Juan.
Tia
said I would be safer there. Although I did not understand, I did as I was told.

“But I missed Doña Julie and our rides together.
Padre
Juan sensed I was unhappy and loaned me a horse so that I might ride again. One day I strayed close to the
hacienda
although I knew I did wrong, and saw Doña Julie and Doña Elena ride out together. I decided to follow them, keeping far enough behind so they would not notice me.”

“And then?” prodded Rod. Though his impatience was great he kept his voice deliberately gentle so as not
to frighten the child.

“And then I saw the
banditos
ride out from the hills. I was frightened. They looked so fierce. I rode behind the boulder where they could not see me and waited for them to leave.” Felicia hesitated, looking wide-eyed at Rod through a curtain of thick black lashes. “Did I do wrong,
señor
? Was I a coward to hide?”

“You did exactly right,
niña,
” Rod concurred gently. “There was nothing you could have done. Those were cruel, conscienceless men. You could have been hurt badly had they discovered you.”

Felicia nodded gravely, vastly relieved by Rod’s assurance. “Tell me everything you saw and heard,
niña.
Did … did Julie go willingly with the
bandito
as Elena would have me believe?”

“Oh, no, Don Rodrigo!” gasped Felicia, horrified. “You must never believe such a thing! Doña Elena was mistaken. Doña Julie was dragged off screaming and kicking but the huge
bandito
with the scar on his face was too strong for her. Though I did not hear their words I saw everything clearly.”

Pedro! thought Rod, his heart sinking. “I believe you, Felicia,” he declared, a sudden joy suffusing him. He should have known that Elena could never be relied upon to be truthful where Julie was concerned. There was no love lost between the two women, whereas Felicia had no reason to lie. “Why haven’t you come forward with this information sooner,
niña
?”

“I … I was afraid,” admitted Felicia, hanging her head. “I thought
Tia
and
Tio
might forbid me to ride again if they knew I had disobeyed them and strayed so far away. And … and I feared Doña Elena.”

“Elena? Why would she wish to harm you?”

“I … I don’t know. It is just something I feel in my heart. Perhaps she was afraid I would tell someone that she gave something to the
bandito
who took Doña Julie.”

“What did she give the
bandito
?” asked Rod curiosly.

“I’m not sure,
señor.
But it could have been a purse.”

“Could have been?”

“It was difficult to tell at that distance,” apologized Felicia. Rod’s acute disappointment caused her to add, “I’m sorry,
señor,
but there is nothing more I can tell you except that it looked like a purse, a heavy one.”

“You’ve done well,
niña,
” Rod smiled. “You are very observant and I am grateful to you. I would ask only one more thing of you.” Felicia nodded. “In which direction did the
banditos
take Julie?”

“They rode into the mountains, Don Rodrigo,” pointed Felicia.

For several days after that Rod rode out alone, always to the place where Felicia had last seen Julie. From that point he fanned out in all directions, hoping to come upon Murieta’s hideout. After two agonizing weeks he was forced to again abandon his search. He decided it was time to force the truth from Elena.

That very night he summoned her to his study. “Elena, a few days ago I discovered something that puzzles me about Julie’s abduction,” he contended coolly.

Elena drew her breath in sharply, fear spiking through her innards like a sharp blade. “What did you discover, Rodrigo?” she asked innocently, forcing a calmness she didn’t feel.

“I learned by accident that Felicia followed you and Julie that day. She ran when the
banditos
came riding out of the hills and hid out of fear. But she saw everything clearly.”

“Just what did she think she saw?” Elena asked disparagingly.

“From what she told me I can only assume that you lied to me. Julie was indeed taken against her will. She
did not go willingly.”

“It angers me to think you would rather believe that little
mestiza
than me,” spat Elena, rage overriding every other emotion. “I told you what I saw. Can I help it if that child chose to ignore the obvious? You must know how she worshipped Julie and hated me. It would make her happy to dispute my words and make me out a liar.”

“Felicia said she saw you give a purse to Pedro. Do you want to tell me about it?” His voice caused Elena to shiver as icy fear formed around her heart. Her fertile mind searched frantically for a plausible answer that would somehow satisfy Rodrigo.

“Of course I handed a purse to Pedro,” Elena announced haughtily. “Do you think they would let me go without robbing me of my valuables? Though it was Julie they wanted, they took all my jewelry and the money purse I always carry on my person. I’m surprised you should ask such a stupid question, Rodrigo.”

Rod was stunned. Naturally Murieta’s band of thieves would want Elena’s valuables. He was so busy trying to read deception and betrayal into Elena’s actions that so simple an explanation never entered his mind. Had Felicia also misread Julie’s willingness or unwillingness to accompany Murieta’s men? he wondered bleakly, finding himself right back where he started from.

At length, he said, “I’m sorry, Elena. I have no right to accuse you unjustly or accept Felicia’s word over yours.”

“I’m relieved you’ve come to your senses,
mi caro
,” Elena smiled smugly. “We’ve known each other since we were children. You were once
mi novio
and I still love you. I would never lie to you. One day you will realize we were meant to be together and when you do, I will be waiting.”

“Elena, I know I wronged you, but nothing can be
decided between us until I find Julie. Or ….or learn that she is no longer alive,” added Rod bleakly.

“Do you care so much?” asked Elena wryly.

“I … don’t think I ever gave our marriage a chance. But in the few months we were together I came to care for her a great deal.”

“Caring is not love, Rodrigo,” reminded Elena, refusing to face the fact that Rod loved Julie. “Besides,” she hinted slyly, deciding to do something she had thought about for a long time, “I haven’t wanted to tell you this but there is a good chance that Julie is dead.”

“
Por Dios,
Elena! What makes you say that?”

“Manuel,” she replied hesitantly.

“Manuel?” The
vaquero?
What the hell does he have to do with this?”

“Manuel is Pedro’s cousin. Of course he doesn’t have anything to do with that vile Pedro or his activities, but on occasion the two visit relatives at the same time. Pedro told Manuel that Murieta abducted Julie in retaliation for Maria. When he tired of her, he handed her over to his men. According to Manuel she didn’t survive the ordeal.”

Rod’s face turned deathly white and if he hadn’t been sitting he would have been unable to support his rubbery legs.
Dios,
no! The thought of his Julie mauled and cruelly raped by a band of cutthroats was too horrible to be borne. “No!” he shouted aloud, his composure shattered by the picture of her torn and abused body lying beneath those of countless men. “I’ll kill them! I swear I will avenge her if they have killed her. One by one I will hunt them down and snuff out their lives!”

Rod’s outburst was so emotional that Elena immediately regretted her lie, fearing she had done more damage than good. When Rod stormed out of the room to confront Manuel, Elena was hard on his heels. But as
fate would have it, Manuel was nowhere to be found. When earlier Elena made casual mention of what she planned to do, the
vaqueros
became so fearful of Rodrigo’s wrath that he packed his gear and stealthily departed the
rancho
in the dead of the night.

Thoroughly demoralized by her lie as well as by Manuel’s abrupt disappearance, Elena deemed Rod ripe for another attempt at seduction. Faced with the possibility of Julie’s death, depressed, it seemed only natural that Elena should take advantage of his restlessness, his spells of nervous aggitation, the long sleepless nights spent walking the floor.

For days Elena watched Rod carefully, thinking that soon he would be driven to either take one of the attractive servant girls or visit a
puta
in the village. Aware of his strict code about using any of the servants in such a manner, although many of them would not be adverse to bedding the handsome don, Elena suspected that before long he would seek out one of the village
putas
. She knew him to be virile with strong sexual urges. But evidently she did not know Rod as well as she thought she did. Seeking gratification with another woman was the farthest thing from Rod’s mind.

Late one night she heard Rod’s footsteps pass her door on the way out. Instantly she was out of bed and out of the room. “Rodrigo!” she cried, immediately halting his stealthy progress. “Where are you going so late at night?”

“I owe you no explanation, Elena,” Rod answered crisply, turning to resume his steps.

“Rodrigo, wait!” Taking a calculated risk, Elena whipped her filmy nightgown over her head and flung it at her feet. Rod’s muffled groan lent her courage.

“Why go to a
puta
when I can do much more for you,
mi amor?”
she purred huskily, undulating her hips in a seductive manner.

The door to Elena’s room was thrown wide and her
nude body was clearly outlined in the light from her lamp, every luscious detail etched into Rod’s brain. Dusky-tipped breasts slightly swollen from desire rose up sharply to tease his senses. But the sight of full curving hips, gently rounded stomach, and a mound of ebony curls lower on her abdomen did not affect Rod like Elena had hoped. The sight of her nubile body filled him with disgust. Contrary to what Elena thought, Rod was not on his way to find a woman. He was going to the study to get a bottle in order to drink himself into a stupor. Of late, sleep would come only after rendering himself senseless.

“I don’t need a
puta,
Elena,” Rod snarled, shoving her aside. “And I certainly don’t need you! Get out of my sight, you sicken me!”

“I didn’t sicken you once,” Elena retorted hotly. “You had no qualms about taking my virginity.”

“That was a mistake, Elena, and you know it! You tricked me. I thought you were Julie.”

“Well, that one time made me pregnant!” Elena blurted out heatedly. “You had no difficulty planting your seed in my belly!”

Rod froze, all color drained from his face. “You lie!” he spat, glowering.

Elena smiled smugly, gloating over her cleverness. He would never need to know that Manuel had fathered her child. “Do you doubt me?” Elena asked reproachfully. “Believe me,
mi amor.
A woman knows these things. Put your hand on my breast.” She grasped Rod’s hand and placed it on her swollen breast. “Feel the nipple.” His fingers began a slow exploration of the engorged nipple and his expression told her he was convinced.