The Mountains of Spring (17 page)

Caroline was startled and shocked, and concern for the older woman temporarily drove eve
r
y other thought out of her head.

‘
I didn
’
t know you weren
’
t well.
’
Because she was so startled, she spoke jerkily.

‘
My dear child, I am perfectly well. A little tired, perhaps, but I assure you that my condition is not at all giving cause for alarm, as you say in England. Sit down, as I asked you to do, and tell me about your afternoon.
’
She glanced at a pretty little Swiss clock on her bedside table.
‘
You are really rather early. Was the heat too much for you? Or could it be
...’
The dark eyes twinkled a little.
‘
Could it be that the poor young man was too much for you?
’

Caroline moved closer to the bed, and sank slowly into an antique rocking-chair. Manuela had left the room, closing the door behind her, and it was quiet and cool and peaceful. The small dog came up and sniffed at her ankles, and as she looked down at it the Spanish woman smiled.

‘
You have not met Pepito before? It is a pity, for being English I am sure you like dogs. Pick him up, he won
’
t harm you.
’

Obediently, Caroline bent and lifted the tiny animal, placing him on her lap. He was a chihuahua, silky and fragile, with spindly legs and eno
rm
ous, alarmingly intelligent eyes, and as she held him he started to lick her fingers. She smiled, and carried him up to her shoulder.
‘
I think he
’
s enchanting,
’
she said sincerely.

‘
Yes, so I think.
’
The Senora shifted against her pillows.
‘
And now,
’
she said after a moment,
‘
you will tell me what is troubling you.
’

Caroline looked up quickly, and lowered the dog to her lap again.
‘
You—you know that something is troubling me?
’

‘
It is in your eyes,
chiquita.
If you do not wish to tell me I will say nothing more. But I think that perhaps you would like to tell me
...
yes?
’

The English girl bent her head. Her slim fingers were toying with Pepito
’
s ears.
‘
I must tell you
senora
.’

The expression in the dark eyes grew keener, but there was no change in the smooth tones of the old lady
’
s voice.
‘
You must? Well, that is excellent, for I am an inquisitive old woman, and like to know everything. Tell me then.
’

‘
Your grandson—Senor Rivel—has dismissed my brother.
’
Caroline spoke wearily, and a little bluntly.
‘
That is to say, there was an—an argument. If your grandson hadn
’
t dismissed him he would still have left.
’
Without looking up, she hurried on.
‘
It was over Senorita Dominguez. Peter took her to the races, and—they ran into Senor Rivel. I
’
m afraid he wasn
’
t very pleased.
’

There was silence in the room for about half a minute. The old lady was lying back with her eyes almost closed, and she was so motionless that by the time she spoke again Caroline was actually begin
n
ing to feel a little alarmed. Beneath their heavy white lids, however, her eyes were keen and alert.

‘
How tiresome of Diego,
’
she said at last, turning her head to stare thoughtfully at the girl in the rocking-chair.

Caroline thought this an understatement, and was mildly surprised.
‘
I don
’
t think it was Peter
’
s fault,
’
she said, loyally sticking up for her sole surviving relative, despite the fact that some curious conflicting emotion made her want to bite her tongue out as she spoke.
‘
I don
’
t think he quite understands the—the relationship between Senorita Dominguez and your grandson.
’

‘
Who does?
’
enquired the Senora enigmatically.

Caroline stood up. This leisurely discussion was getting on her nerves.
‘
The point is,
’
she said hurriedly,
‘
that after what has happened I can
’
t possibly go on staying here. I mean
...
you
’
ve been so terribly kind. But this makes everything different, doesn
’
t it?
’

‘
I don
’
t think it does. Sit down again, my child, I dislike looking up at people.
’

Caroline obeyed. She was still hanging on convulsively to Pepito.

‘
Tell me
’
said the Senora,
‘
do you want to go home to England?
’

‘
Why, I
...’
She hesitated.

‘
You know, I don
’
t think you do.
’

Astonished and bewildered, Caroline realized that it was true. The last thing she wanted to do was go home to England.
‘
No,
’
she confessed, as if under hypnosis.
‘
I don
’
t want to go home.
’

‘
Then we must find you something to do with yourself here in Mexico, must we not?
’

‘
But that
’
s impossible. I know I
’
ve got to go home, some time. And now I expect my brother
will want to go too.
’

‘
Let us forget your brother for a moment. You are young, and—
’
She broke off, for there had been a light tap on the door.
‘
Come in
.
’

Manuela appeared, still looking more than a little disapproving, and moving
c
lose to the old lady
’
s side, spoke rapidly in Spanish. Something a little curious flashed across the Senora
’
s face, and she glanced up at Caroline.

‘
My grandson is here.
’

‘
Oh!
’
The girl jumped to her feet, her face flooding with colour.

‘
He wishes, apparently, to see me.
’
The Spanish woman
’
s face was quite inscrutable. After a short pause, she went on:
‘
But I think
...
yes, I really
think
I am not well enough. You will see him instead.
’

‘
I will?
’
Caroline stared at her incredulously.
‘Oh
,
but I couldn
’
t! Really,
senora,
I
’
m very sorry, but I—I
...
’

‘
It would be only for a moment,
’
persuasively.
‘
Just to ask him what he wants!
’

‘No ... no, please!
’
She sounded desperate,
alm
ost
terrified, like a child who has been told to go alone into a pitch-black room. Because she was so upset she didn
’
t even notice that the door had opened again, and when, after a few seconds, she did notice, she actually jumped. She also turned as white as a sheet, and the slim dark-haired man who had been watching her from the doorway took a step forward.

‘
Let me suggest that you sit down,
senorita.
It would be unfortunate if you were to faint again!
’

CHAPTER VIII

Before she had had time to think of anything to say, he had moved swiftly over to the bed, and possessed himself of his grandmother
’
s hand.

‘
Madame
...
’
He murmured something in Spanish, apparently an enquiry after the old lady
’
s health, and received a short reply and a rather quizzical look, after which he turned to Caroline.

‘
I would like to speak with you
senorita
.’

‘
With
me?
’
she repeated faintly.

‘
If you please. It is urgent.
’

‘
I thought,
’
said his grandmother without rancour,
‘
that you had come to see me, Diego.
’

He smiled down at her with the extraordinary softness which he seemed to reserve exclusively for her and Isabel Dominguez, and squeezed her thin white fingers.

‘
I did. I came to ask your help. But now it occurs to me that perhaps Miss Ashley will be able to help me too.
’

Caroline could only stare at him, far too staggered to give voice to her indignation. After what had happened this afternoon, did he really expect
her
to give him any sort of assistance? The same point seemed to have occurred to the Senora, for she glanced at the English girl a little wryly, and ventured to suggest to her grandson that it might be a good idea if he found out whether Miss Ashley would be prepared to help him.

‘
Of course,
’
she added in the same tranquil tones, I imagine it will depend a great deal on what kind of help you require.
’

‘
No doubt.
’
He turned to look at Caroline, and as he did so she saw every trace of warmth desert
hi
s face, leaving it as bleak and hard as chiselled marble.
‘
I will make it clear, therefore, that it is not precisely for myself that I require the help. It is for Senorita Dominguez.
’

Caroline
’
s eyes grew wider. Her attention had
been caught.

‘
After the unfortunate incident of this afternoon
’
—he spoke as if the words hurt him—
‘
your brother,
I believe, took her home. She was, understandably, upset. Later she became hysterical, and when her mother summoned her doctor she refused to see him. The Senora thought it best to telephone me.
’
He paused, as if he found it necessary to muster all his strength before proceeding with such a painful series of revelations.
‘
I went to the house,
’
he continued with evident difficulty,
‘
but she refused to see me.
’
His grandmother gave vent to a small sound which bore a curious resemblance to a smothered chuckle. Her face, however, was as grave and thoughtful as the face of a statue.

‘
The Senora Dominguez,
’
continued Diego stiffly,
‘
is very much distressed. It is several years since Isabel last had such an attack. Her health has greatly improved. But for this unfortunate encounter
...’
He broke off, belatedly remembering to whom he was speaking.

Caroline
’
s neck and cheeks turned pink. She decided she had never felt quite so angry in the entire course of her life.

‘
If
Miss
Dominguez is upset,
’
she said,
‘
it isn
’
t Peter
’
s fault. That scene at the race-track was—was terrible. Perhaps she shouldn
’
t have been there, but you had no right to humiliate her like that.
’
Catching the look in Diego
’
s eyes, she knew that she had hurt him, and although she felt extraordinarily miserable herself she wanted quite passionately to plunge the knife in further.
‘
It was cruel
,’
she told him.
‘
It was brutal. I
’
ve never seen anything quite so brutal. You might have driven her to do anything ... She might—she might have gone home and killed herself!
’

There was silence. Now, the look in his eyes made her lower her own in a kind of horror. At last he spoke.

‘You a
re a strangely ungentle young woman. Miss Ashley.
’

Caroline clasped her hands in front of her in a nervous gesture.
‘
I
’
m sorry,
’
she said. She looked at the elderly woman in the bed.
‘
I
’
m sor
r
y
,’
she said again.

The Senora smiled slightly, and shrugged her shoulders.
‘
My dear, don
’
t apologize to me! After all, you were there!
’

Her grandson looked down at her without the smallest hint of resentment.
‘
Madame,
’
he said,
‘
forgive me. We will talk somewhere else.
’

‘
No, my child, you will not. I find this most amusing. Besides, we have to decide what is to be done with this foolish Isabel. You have a favour to ask of Miss Ashley, yes?
’

His face plainly revealed the repugnance with which such a state of affairs filled him, but he agreed that his grandmother was right. Once again his hard black eyes stared straight at Caroline.

‘
Isabel likes you,
senorita
.’
The words still seemed to be dragged out of him.
‘
And you are the sister of Peter Ashley. It may be that because of that she will listen to you.
’
It was clear that this last remark cost him something, and Caroline looked at him in astonishment. Was he really conceding that her brother had acquired such importance for the woman he was planning to marry?

‘
You mean that you want me to go and see her?
’
she asked, her amazement sounding in her voice.

‘
Yes. I realize, of course,
’
rather drily,
‘
that you are at the moment filled with the most violent resentment where I am concerned, but I do not make the request for myself. The child, you understand, has few women friends, and her mother
...
’
He shrugged.
‘
Her mother has little influence.
’

Oddly enough, most of the resentment seemed to have gone out of Caroline. She simply felt rather flat.

‘
Won
’
t Senora Dominguez think it rather strange?
’
she suggested evenly.

It was Diego
’
s turn to look surprised.
‘
Not,
’
he assured her with subtle arrogance,
‘
if you go with me.
’

‘
Very well,
’
she said quietly,
‘I’ll
go. If you really think I can do any good.
’

She saw the look in his eyes change, but she couldn
’
t place any interpretation on it.
‘
Thank you,
’
he said.

From the bed, the Senora Rivel smiled at her warmly.
‘
How kind you are, my dear.
’

Caroline felt suddenly embarrassed.
‘
When do you want me to
go?’
she asked.