Golden Paradise (Vincente 1) (37 page)

Valentina opened the door of her mother's bedroom to discover she was asleep. Placing her finger to her lips, Valentina opened the door wider so Salamar could see her father. Salamar's face brightened, and she came quickly to her feet. Valentina motioned for Salamar to follow her out of the room so her mother and father could be alone for their reunion.

Ward stared for a long time at the face of the woman he loved. Only the thought of seeing her again had given him the courage to survive the long sea voyage. How pale she looked—how fragile. Going down on his knees, he touched her face gently so she would not awaken too suddenly and be startled.

"Evonne, my darling, it's me—wake up."

Her eyes fluttered open. For the longest time, she just lay there, wondering if she were dreaming. Her bottom lip quivered as she reached out her hand and touched warm flesh. "Ward," she whispered. He was real! She was not dreaming. "Oh, Ward," she cried out as he gathered her in his arms.

Valentina sat across the table from Marquis at dinner. Dona Anna, who sat beside her son, was sullen and cast seething glances in Valentina's direction. Don Alonso was the perfect host, laughing and entertaining. Rosalia sat on one side of the grandee and Valentina on the other, while Tyree was placed on the other side of Valentina.

Don Alonso raised his wine glass to Valentina. "We are delighted, my dear, to hear your parents have been reunited. I am sorry they couldn't join us tonight, but I certainly understand their wanting to be alone after being separated for so long." His eyes twinkled. "I am glad you came to dine with us, Valentina. You light up the room, more brightly than the candles."

She flashed him a dazzling smile. "I thank you for the pretty words, Don Alonso. My parents send their regrets. As you know, my mother's health will not permit her to stay up for very long periods at a time."

Don Alonso turned his attention to his daughter-in-law, and Tyree, taking advantage of the opportunity, leaned close to Valentina and spoke in a whisper. "I want to see you alone as soon as possible."

Valentina watched Marquis's eyes move across her face and darken with displeasure. "I cannot."

"Meet me tonight in the courtyard. I must talk to you," he urged.

". . . I'll try."

The remainder of the meal was spent with Don Alonso trying to convince Tyree, as Marquis had done, to give up his wicked ways, settle down, and take a wife. No one seemed to notice that Valentina and Dona Anna added very little to the conversation. Valentina could feel Marquis's mother's displeasure in every heated glance she cast her way. Uncomfortable and feeling out of place, she wished she had made an excuse not to join the family tonight.

After the meal, the men remained at the table with cigars and brandy, while the women went into the living room. Dona Anna picked up her sewing, moved to a corner chair, and pointedly ignored Valentina. Rosalia, trying to make up for her mother's rudeness, asked Valentina to walk with her in the garden.

The night was ablaze with hundreds of stars. Rosalia stared up at the heavens with a wistful look on her face. Sensing she was troubled, Valentina spoke to her. "What is the matter, Rosalia?"

"No one would understand."

"Try me."

"It is just that I . . . am betrothed to Sergio Martinez, and I do not like him. I have told my mother this many times, but she will not listen. She says that it is a woman's duty to marry where her family chooses. She says love is not necessary in a marriage . . . can that be true?"

"The customs of your people are strange to me, Rosalia. I know there are a few arranged marriages in England, but to me it is an outdated custom." Seeing the stricken look on the young girl's face and fearing she had been too critical of the Spanish customs, Valentina hastened to add, "As I say, your ways are new to me."

"Valentina, would you want to spend your life with a man you . . . despised? A hateful man who made you cringe every time he came near you?"

Valentina took Rosalia's hand. Her heart ached for her gentle little sister-in-law. "No, I would not like that. Have you talked to your grandfather about your feelings?"

"I could never do that. Grandfather would be very angry if he thought I did not want to honor my betrothal. Especially after Marquis . . ." Her voice trailed off. "Grandfather can be very stern."

"There must be something you can do."

"I have thought of going into the church and taking my vows, but I do not think I would make a good nun. I love children and have always wanted many of my own."

"I do not know what I can do, Rosalia, but I will think about your problem. If there is any way, I will help you."

"Valentina, there is more I have not told you. You will think I am wicked and evil."

Valentina smiled into the angelic face. "I do not think so, Rosalia. What could you have done that would be considered evil?"

"I"—she ducked her head—"I love someone else."

Valentina raised the young girl's chin and searched her face. "Is this wise?"

"No, it is not wise, but I cannot help myself. Felipe is Sergio's younger brother. We have known each other all our lives. We did not mean to love each other. We could not help it—it just happened."

Valentina thought about her love for Marquis, and how she would have felt if she had been forced to marry someone else. "Oh, my dear little sister. My heart aches for you, but I do not know what we can do about this."

"I have no hope," Rosalia cried. "I would rather be dead than marry Sergio."

Valentina took Rosalia by the shoulders. "Do not say that. Give me time to think about your situation. In the meantime, do not see Felipe—if you are discovered it will only make matters worse for you."

Rosalia smiled through her tears. "I feel better after talking to you, Valentina. I just knew you would understand what Felipe and I are going through."

"I have to go see my mother and father now, Rosalia. I want you to know you can talk to me anytime you want to.

"I am so glad my brother married you. I did not like Isabel."

Valentina smiled. "Dry your eyes. I have to go and pay my respects to your mother. You do not want her to know you have been crying."

Rosalia caught Valentina's hand. "Did I not tell you that you would be the one who would help my brother walk. It was a miracle when you came into this family. My grandfather thinks so too."

"I'm glad. Let us go in before your mother comes looking for you."

Valentina waited until she heard Marquis's steady breathing before she slipped out of bed and quietly dressed. Silently she made her way down the balcony stairs and into the garden.

A crescent moon hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the garden. Valentina waited half an hour, feeling perplexed that Tyree did not come. Deciding he had forgotten their meeting and gone to bed, she was startled when he stepped out of the shadows behind her.

Marquis had silently watched Valentina dress, wondering where she could be going at that time of night. Pretending to be asleep, he had heard her walk out on the balcony and descend the stairs into the courtyard. He visualized wild images of her meeting Tyree behind his back, but he pushed them aside. No, Valentina and Tyree would never betray him.

The longer he waited, the more tortured his thoughts became. He could not just lie there, not knowing what was going on. Rising out of bed, he walked out onto the balcony. He could hear voices, but he did not see who was talking. Then, through a haze of agony, he saw Valentina and Tyree standing near the birdcage. Tyree held Valentina's hand, and their voices reached Marquis on the balcony. His eyes burned and his heart ached as he witnessed what he thought was the betrayal of the woman he loved and his best friend.

"I feared you wouldn't come, Valentina," Tyree said, clasping her hand in a firm grip.

"I shouldn't have. This is wrong, Tyree. Marquis would be furious."

"I got the impression today that you haven't told Marquis about our secret. Why, Valentina?" Tyree asked.

"I can't bring myself to tell him, Tyree. He would hate us both if he knew the truth."

"I think he should know," Tyree insisted. "It's only fair."

"Don't ask it of me. Let this be our secret. The only other person who will ever know about the baby is Salamar, and she will never tell."

"I don't understand you, Valentina. Love should heal everything."

Marquis turned away, unable to listen any longer. He had been a fool. He had trusted a woman enough to lay his heart open to her, even though he had known she had loved another man. It was obvious that the man was Tyree. Making his way slowly back to bed, he collapsed in a world of swirling pain and betrayal.

Valentina and Tyree could go straight to hell for all he cared. He no longer had a friend, and he no longer wanted a wife!

In the garden below, Valentina and Tyree had no notion that Marquis had overheard their conversation. Nor did they see him slip quietly back into his room.

"Don't you think Marquis should know that it is his baby you carry, Valentina? He has had me searching for Jordanna. He is tormented."

"I have tried to tell him, but he will not listen. If only I could find the right time. I kept hoping he would grow to love me. Then he would understand why I had to deceive him."

"Grow to love you!" Tyree exclaimed. "Hell, he does love you!"

"No," Valentina said, "he doesn't."

"But—" Tyree protested.

Valentina lifted a silencing hand. "Believe me, Tyree, I know. He doesn't love Jordanna, and he doesn't love me.

Tyree thought it wasn't his place to convince Valentina of Marquis's love, so he would try another tack. "He needs to know about the baby, Valentina."

"Finding out about the baby wouldn't be the big shock for him, Tyree; the thing that would be hard for Marquis to accept would be learning that I am Jordanna. I cannot tell him just yet."

"If that's the way you see it. I think you're making a mistake though." Tyree bent and kissed her cheek. "I won't see you for a time. I'm off early in the morning."

"Why are you leaving so soon?"

"I have a church to build," he said with amused laughter.

"A what?" she asked in surprise, thinking she had heard wrong. "Did I hear you correctly? You are helping build a church?"

His laughter filled the air. "If you think you are shocked, how do you think I feel?"

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

He considered for a moment before shaking his head. "No, you wouldn't believe me if I did."

She laid her head against his shoulder and felt his arms tighten about her. "Tyree, you will always be so dear to me. You came to me at a time in my life when I needed a friend. I don't know what I would have done without you. Now you have even given my father back to me. You will always have your special place in my heart."

He dropped his arms. She would never know that she occupied all his heart. With a stab at being lighthearted, he spoke past the lump in his throat. "You might like to know that the whole town of San Francisco is weeping and wailing over the disappearance of their most famous dancer."

"Let her just disappear, Tyree. She served her purpose."

"Indeed she did, Valentina. Indeed she did."

Later, when Valentina crawled back into bed, she was glad to find Marquis still sleeping. Perhaps Tyree had been right and she should tell him about the baby. It was a hard decision to make. The feelings between the two of them were still too fragile, and she was afraid of doing anything to upset the balance.

Turning toward Marquis, she watched his face. If only he knew how much she loved him. She thought of Rosalia, and how she would not be permitted to marry the man she loved. This was a strange world she had married into. Many of the customs she would never understand, but the child she carried was a Vincente and would live and grow up in this golden, sun-kissed land.

Marquis could hardly bring himself to lie beside Valentina, knowing she had betrayed him with Tyree. He felt sick inside. This was the last night she would ever share his bed. To save his pride, he could not let her know he had seen her and Tyree together.

Pain such as he had never known circled his heart. He hated the fact that loving Valentina had made him a weak, spineless fool. He had mooned after her like a lovesick animal. Tonight he had found out that she was nothing but a cheat and a fake. Valentina would never again get close enough to him to cause him pain, he vowed.

Marquis decided he would wipe Valentina out of his heart so thoroughly that not even her memory would remain.

28

Valentina was awake bright and early. Marquis was still sleeping, so she quietly slipped out of the room and moved down the hallway to see her mother and father.

Marquis waited until Valentina had gone before he opened his eyes. He knew Tyree was leaving early this morning and thought bitterly that Valentina must be sneaking out to bid her lover good-bye. What did it matter? He would guard his heart against Valentina—she would not hurt him again. The one thing about this whole ordeal that made him sick and angry at the same time was the fact that Valentina's child would have the Vincente name.

Knowing her parents had always been early risers, Valentina knocked lightly on their door.

When her father's voice bid her enter, Valentina stepped into the room. To her surprise, both her father and mother were dressed. Her mother rushed to her and hugged her tightly.

"Isn't it wonderful, Valentina? We have your father back with us."

"You always knew he would come back, Mother. You were the one with the faith."

Ward Barrett put his arm around his daughter and his wife. "We Barretts are unbeatable, are we not?"

Valentina laughed happily. "Indeed we are. Let the world try to separate us." She had been looking at her father as she spoke and saw the troubled glance he cast her mother. "What's wrong?" she asked, looking from one to the other. "Has something happened?"

Taking Valentina by the hands, her father led her to the bed and seated her. "Nothing is wrong, honey. It's just that your mother and I have decided to return to England."

"When . . . how ... I don't understand."

"Immediately. We are leaving for San Francisco today."

"But Mother isn't well enough to—"

"I will take care of your mother, Valentina. We have decided we want to go home."

"But why the rush?" She looked at her mother. "Must you go so quickly?"

Ward forced Valentina to look at him. "The reason for the haste is that the
Berengalia
sails for England in three days and we want to be aboard her."

"I . . . will Salamar go with you?" Valentina asked, feeling as if she were being deserted.

"No, my love," her mother said, brushing the tears away. "Salamar already informed us she would never leave you. Of course, we wouldn't want her to. We feel a certain amount of comfort knowing she is with you."

Valentina stood up in a daze. "I have money to give you. You will need it."

Ward Barrett shook his head. "We will never want for money again. Before my partner, Sam Udell, turned on me, we'd made the big strike. Most of the gold is in a bank in San Francisco. Because of the agreement Sam and I drew up, all the money now belongs to me. Now that I know about Sam's character, I am sure he wanted the agreement so he would have been the beneficiary after he had me shipped off."

Valentina was only half listening to her father. She could not believe they were leaving today. "I hardly got to see you, Father. Must you go today? Neither you nor Mother has had the chance to get to know Marquis."

"I regret that, Valentina, but we have to leave. As a matter of fact, we must leave immediately," her father said, taking out his pocket watch and checking the time.

Valentina felt very much as she had when her parents had left her in England—abandoned. She was now old enough to realize that though they loved her, they loved each other more. They were the kinds of people who should never have had children. Not that they did not love her—they just did not need her. She vowed at that moment that she would be a better parent to her children. She was going to make sure the child she now carried would always feel wanted.

Pushing her unhappiness aside, Valentina smiled. "At least we can have breakfast together before you leave."

"This is a strange house as far as meals are concerned, Ward," Evonne said. "As you have seen, there are two separate parts to the house. This wing is independent of the other, having its own kitchen—only the kitchen in this wing is not yet set up, so the food we eat is prepared in the main kitchen."

Ward glanced at his daughter. "Can you live in this chaos?"

"It won't be so bad once I make the kitchen operational. You see, Father, in the Vincente family, the heir apparent always brings his new bride to these quarters. Don't ask me why. It is just the tradition. You will find the Vincentes are steeped in tradition. Besides, who are you to talk about living in chaos? You and Mother thrive on upheaval."

Valentina sent word by a servant that they would breakfast in the courtyard. When she went to the bedroom to see if Marquis wanted to eat with them, she found the room empty.

She learned from Carlos that Marquis had ridden away and was not expected back until after dark. She wondered why Marquis had not told her his plans. She was disappointed that he was not going to dine with her family. Of course, Marquis had not known her family would be leaving today.

Over breakfast the Barrett family laughed a lot. Ward Barrett told his family of his adventures aboard the
Tradewind
. Don Alonso later joined them and tried in vain to talk Valentina's mother and father into staying on a while longer.

By the time Valentina's mother and father were ready to leave, Valentina had resigned herself to their going. She and Salamar walked with them to the waiting carriage, waving good-bye until they drove out of sight over the hill.

"You seem in a strange mood, Valentina," Salamar observed. "I know you are grieving over your mother and father's hasty departure. They live their lives in haste. You know that."

"It's not that, Salamar. I will miss them, but I know they will be happy together. Mother seemed to have miraculously recovered, and they are off on another adventure." Valentina turned her eyes on her maid. "The only thing that would have made me grieve is if you had gone with them, Salamar."

"Only death will take me from you," Salamar said with feeling. She glanced at the hill where Valentina's mother and father had just disappeared. "I wonder how long they will be content to remain in England."

Valentina laughed. "Father suddenly fancied himself a country squire. I think they will soon be bored with life in Cornwall. England will be too tame for them.'1

Glancing toward the house where her future lay, Valentina wished her parents a happy life. They had each other, and that was all they would ever need.

"Your mother never knew of the sacrifice you made on her behalf, Valentina. She never suspected that you were forced to dance at the Crystal Palace to buy her medicine."

"Thank God she never knew where the money came from. No one but you, me, and Tyree will ever know my secret."

Marquis had ridden to the top of a hill and dismounted, and there he watched his vaqueros rounding up strays in the valley below. The day was hot, and he moved his mount beneath the shade of an oak tree. He knew he should join his men, but he needed time to think about Valentina and Tyree. His heart ached, and there was an emptiness deep inside him.

He heard a rider in the distance and glanced at the far ridge to see Isabel riding toward him. He had not seen her since that day in the barn. Now, as she drew even with him, her eyes stared boldly down at him.

"Will you not help a lady down?" she asked, holding her hands out to him.

Marquis gripped her waist and swung her to the ground. As his eyes assessed her, he found her more appealing than he had when they had been betrothed. Her red riding habit clung to her overripe curves. Her lips, the same red as her gown, were moist and inviting. The look in her eyes promised him anything he wanted.

"What are you doing here, Isabel? You are a long way from home."

"As a matter of fact, I was looking for you. I often visit your mother. She and I have become good friends." Isabel watched his face. "I am told by your mother that all is not well with you and your little wife."

Marquis turned away from her searching eyes. "Has my mother become a gossip lately? I believe it does no one good to listen to foolish tales."

Isabel moved closer to Marquis and ran her hand up his arm. "Are you saying you are happily married?"

His eyes moved to the low cut of her bodice. From his angle he could see the dusky tips of her breasts. "I do not believe my marriage should be a concern of yours or my mother's."

Her laughter was lusty, and she pressed her body close to his. "That is no answer at all." Her lashes swept her cheeks, and her tongue flicked out to moisten her lips. "Do you never wonder how it would have been between us, Marquis?"

He grabbed her by the shoulders and crushed her in his arms. His lips bruised and punished. Striking out at her in his torment, he ground his mouth brutally against hers. Isabel moaned as her hands laced through his hair. This was what she had dreamed of for so long. Her body was burning with desire and need. Her intuition told her that when Marquis made love to her, he would fill the void that no other man had been able to fill.

By midnight Marquis still had not returned to Paraiso del Norte. Valentina was beginning to be concerned. His leg was not healed well enough for him to be on it all day.

As the clock ticked off the minutes, Valentina began to pace the floor. She tried to read a book but found herself jumping up at every noise. She considered asking Don Alonso to send some men to look for Marquis, but she decided against it.

Finally, after one o'clock in the morning, Valentina fell asleep from exhaustion. She did not hear Marquis when he came in. She did not know he limped across the room to stand over her for a long time before he shook her by the shoulder to wake her.

When Valentina opened her eyes sleepily, Marquis was leaning against the bed, unbuttoning his shirt. Jumping up, Valentina tried to help him, but he shoved her away. It took her a moment to realize he had been drinking.

"I was worried about you, Marquis. You shouldn't have been on your leg all day."

He tossed his shirt aside. "Why should you care?" he asked in a harsh voice.

She reached out her hand to him. "I don't understand what you are saying. Of course I care. How could you doubt it? You know that—"

"Spare me your demonstration of wifely devotion, Valentina. I am neither impressed, nor am I interested."

Her face whitened, and she looked at him carefully. "You have been drinking, Marquis. Is that why you are—

"Damned right I have been drinking. I had to get drunk before I could bring myself to come home and face you.

Her heart skipped a beat. "I don't know what you mean. Did you think I would be upset because you had been gone all day? I was just worried that—"

He held up his hand, silencing her. "You have not asked me where I have been." He staggered forward and fell on the bed. Valentina rushed to help him, but he shoved her away again. Pulling himself up on the pillow, he looked at her through narrowed eyelashes. "I have been with a real woman," he said, slurring his words. "Isabel knows how to make a man feel like a king. You make a man feel like a beggar."

Valentina stepped back a pace, looking as if Marquis had struck her. This was not the Marquis she knew. Surely it was the liquor talking. "Are you ill?" she asked with concern. "Does your leg hurt?"

"You are not listening to me, Valentina. I said I have been with a real woman."

"I heard you, Marquis. I just don't believe you."

He laughed sarcastically. "Do you think that you are so much woman that you can keep me tied to you? Do you know how I feel when I make love to you, knowing you are carrying another man's bastard? I feel sick inside."

Valentina gasped with disbelief. "Tyree urged me to tell you the truth, but until now I didn't think it was a wise decision. Perhaps it's time I told you everything."

The eyes that burned into her seemed to glow with hatred. "I do not want to hear anything you have to say about your baby or my friend Tyree. I just want you out of my sight, and out of my life."

"Marquis, please listen to me. I realize I have made a mistake in not telling you about the baby—I know that now. I didn't realize how you felt. You seemed—"

"I seemed like your puppet," he interrupted. "You had me in a daze, but I can see clearly now. I see you for what you are. I know all about you, Valentina."

Her hand went to her throat, thinking Marquis was implying he knew she was Jordanna. "You couldn't know unless you overheard—"

"Overheard you and Tyree in the garden," he finished for her. "You did not know I overheard your meeting with your lover, did you?"

"Marquis, Tyree isn't my lover; he never has been. If you overheard us, you know that."

"I do not want you in my life any longer, Valentina. I do not want to have to look at you while your belly swells with the child. You are welcome to stay on at Paraiso del Norte, but not where I can see you. I despise the sight of you.

Valentina backed toward the door, wanting nothing more than to flee from the room. She felt like a wounded animal, needing to crawl off to lick her wounds.

"Marquis, are you saying you want our marriage to end?" she asked, holding on to the last straw blowing in the wind.