Days of the Dead.pdf - Upgrade Systems

More documents

Recommendations

Info

"You had tea also, didn't you?" Hannibal looked around, and January sat on the lid of the chest. "In a manner of speaking. I just had a rather interesting conversation with Sacripant Guillenormand." "I'm astounded," retorted Consuela. "Unless you find it interesting to hear an exact account of the difficulties in obtaining fresh peas." "And I," said Rose, "have had an even more interesting conversation with young Maria-Paloma Fuentes-Doña Josefa's daughter. It appears that young Miss Valentina has been making clandestine rendezvous with a suitor by the garden wall." "Has she indeed?" remarked Hannibal. "Both she and her corazón were remarkably discreet about it in their letters-unless they wrote in some sort of code. Number of kisses equals the date, that sort of thing." "You know, then?" Rose set down her cup. "I know she has a lover." With an apologetic glance at Consuela, Hannibal repeated to the two women the account of his career as literary Cupid. Consuela rolled her eyes and tapped him sharply with her fan. "Cabeza de burro. You didn't see her setting you up as a decoy, in case the letters were found?" "I'm afraid my mistrust of women is insufficiently acute. Splendide mendax et in omne virgo nobilis aevum. . . ." "If Valentina is such a flirt," put in Rose reasonably, "surely there are other damsels willing to marry the-erinformative Don Rafael ... who took time off from explaining the Texas conflict to Santa Anna last night long enough to tell me that it is not a good idea to be a woman of color living in New Orleans. Particularly if Don Prospero is so taken with the Natividads of this world. Your brother may have stopped him from repudiating his marriage to Doña Melosia on this occasion, but you know there will be others." "I know it," said Consuela grimly, "and Valla knows it-since our father does not hesitate to threaten her with it whenever she crosses his will. As for Don Rafael, Father bought up all the de Bujerio lands when Don Rafael's father went bankrupt in 1827. He permits Don Rafael and his mother-and all his sisters and cousins and aunts-to live in their old town house in the city, but that is not so very different from one of the jacals on the edge of the village." January raised his eyebrows. "And I thought my old master's family was a nest of snakes," he remarked. Consuela sipped her cocoa, made a face, then set the cup aside. Through the open door drifted the shouts of grooms and vaqueros, the musical jangle of harness and the stamping of hooves as another carriage was brought into the court: ". . . sheer, unreasonable willfulness," trumpeted Doña Imelda's voice from the corredor. Skirts rustled and two women passed the window, pacing along the arcade, Doña Josefa in her unwashed black gown like the gorgeously-clothed Doña Imelda's shadow: "I search my daughter's room as a matter of duty to her. ..... "Of course! Why Valla should put up such a fuss ... but there! She has never had the discipline a girl requires. The possession of trinkets is only a temptation to sin. It is good training to be reminded that the soul possesses nothing, not even itself." "You are truly a saint, my dear Josefa."
No wonder Fernando demanded the corner room with locks on its doors, January reflected. "How I envy your daughter, Doña Imelda! Every time I hear of the preparations for her entry into the convent, my heart swells to bursting with longing." "Now, that is only natural." Doña Imelda's voice, blaring as a regimental band, purred with satisfaction. "The Bleeding Heart is the most exclusive convent in town. I've heard the Incarnation is accepting just anyone these days. You will come to the ceremony, won't you?" "If my father will permit." The hate in Josefa s voice was as clear as if she had spat upon his name. "What can one expect from a man who..." Their voices faded, leaving a stain upon the silence of the room. "Madness has a way of spreading in families," said Rose at length. "I don't mean that the children inherit weak minds, necessarily. But everyone's behavior twists to accommodate the conduct of one member, like beaten horses that shy if a stranger so much as lifts his hand. Things that would be unthinkable elsewhere seem normal. One must either go mad oneself, or flee." Hannibal said softly, "Or both." "Or both," Rose agreed. "In any case, Paloma says that on the night of the wedding-feast she slipped out of her bedroom while her mother was praying, and sat in the shadows of the ladies' courtyard by the gate, listening to Hannibal play. She loves your playing," she added, glancing across at the fiddler. "If nothing else, you've brought the poor child great joy." "I'm glad," replied Hannibal. "I honestly am. But I regret to say that given the choice of being triced up on the stable gate and flogged to death by Fernando, or being hanged for his murder, I'd sooner have sent Paloma joy post-paid from Mexico City." "I cannot," Rose sighed, "find it in me to argue with you. On the evening of the eighth of September, Paloma heard a man whistle on the far side of the wall, and peeked out of her hiding-place in time to see Valla climb the grapevines that cover that wall-they're centuries old and some of the stems are as big around as a man's leg..... "O wall, full often thou hast heard my moans, For parting my fair Pyramus and me, My cherry lips have often kissed thy stones...... Rose picked up Consuela's fan and tapped Hannibal sharply. "According to Paloma, this isn't the only meeting she's witnessed. The most recent one, she says, was ten or twelve days ago: St. Bridget's day, which her mother celebrated with an all-night vigil of prayer because St. Bridget was a widow. I asked Paloma what the tune was that the rider whistles; she said it was this." And Rose whistled-in an unlady-like fashion-a tune known among the Americans as "Pretty Peggy-o." "If it was Valla," argued Consuela, "where was Doña Filomena?" "Tied up in the wine cellar," said Hannibal promptly. "Or locked in the stables. Or with Doña Josefa in the chapel, praying that the lovely Valentina wouldn't accuse her of operating a house of prostitution out
Page 1 and 2: Benjamin January Book 7 Days of the
Page 3 and 4: Mr. Dillard of Tennessee seemed to
Page 5 and 6: But behind him he heard music, the
Page 7 and 8: emember?" "My nightingale, do you h
Page 9 and 10: He was wiping the blood off his ros
Page 11 and 12: have defeated one army and that Gen
Page 13 and 14: the capital by the thousands, so
Page 15 and 16: in the past two weeks, watching the
Page 17 and 18: her pale-blue traveling-dress, simp
Page 19 and 20: marry her daughter to my father whe
Page 21 and 22: It could have been Rose. It could h
Page 23 and 24: ackground of clustering oaks. Wat
Page 25 and 26: "Don't speak ill of golden coins,"
Page 27 and 28: FOUR "My friends, Shakespeare himse
Page 29 and 30: sugar plantation, he knows all abou
Page 31 and 32: ground." "I take it," said Rose, "t
Page 33 and 34: her quietly. "Who sat next to him?"
Page 35 and 36: end when the Spaniards were ejected
Page 37 and 38: The rooms on the east side doubled
Page 39 and 40: January nodded, remembering those g
Page 41 and 42: celery a l'espagnole, and spicy g
Page 43 and 44: saw, along with the somberly-liveri
Page 45 and 46: SIX "I told you the evidence was da
Page 47: Gorgeous in yet another gold-laced
Page 51 and 52: expedition to the pyramids. Circlin
Page 53 and 54: to speak of them. But sometimes aft
Page 55 and 56: among them, thin and scrubby as the
Page 57 and 58: Mictlán tecuhtli, skeletal, crouch
Page 59 and 60: EIGHT Returning to Hacienda Mictlá
Page 61 and 62: January grinned and covered her han
Page 63 and 64: in the United States. Bandits, lép
Page 65 and 66: He get anyone's attention? Nothing
Page 67 and 68: people," January told Prospero. "
Page 69 and 70: There was no reply, but in January'
Page 71 and 72: "You need to see the Temple of Huit
Page 73 and 74: TEN "Let me guess." Capitán Ylario
Page 75 and 76: stubbornness, fury-the fury of one
Page 77 and 78: his card in to his employer, and
Page 79 and 80: to my own nation, and makes me blus
Page 81 and 82: ELEVEN "My box at the Teatro Princi
Page 83 and 84: e." She tucked a dark, oiled curl b
Page 85 and 86: the remark be taken back, so loud t
Page 87 and 88: TWELVE The following morning Januar
Page 89 and 90: was sure of it. "She thought she ha
Page 91 and 92: older than I, and utterly mortifi
Page 93 and 94: silver reale that January handed hi
Page 95 and 96: THIRTEEN Well aware that no matter
Page 97 and 98: happening, it's only a matter of ti
Page 99 and 100:
And January was aware, looking at t
Page 101 and 102:
of the small holding-pens. "Mierda!
Page 103 and 104:
it's probably best to be safe." "We
Page 105 and 106:
The fortress of Chapultepec, ruinou
Page 107 and 108:
January turned. "Are those pieces y
Page 109 and 110:
memorandum-books from counting the
Page 111 and 112:
took a scalpel from his pocket, unc
Page 113 and 114:
"It was you who pronounced Don Fern
Page 115 and 116:
dreamed about the Virgin that night
Page 117 and 118:
months-personally, I can't say that
Page 119 and 120:
vegetation and canals. "Isn't that
Page 121 and 122:
admit, enabled me to well and truly
Page 123 and 124:
SIXTEEN January attended the opera
Page 125 and 126:
Cristobál smote Bremer down with a
Page 127 and 128:
"What?" "What can you expect of tha
Page 129 and 130:
who are confused or have no frien
Page 131 and 132:
nearly rubbed away but whose black-
Page 133 and 134:
of the church groaned out a sonorou
Page 135 and 136:
as he did so the stones low down in
Page 137 and 138:
conditions in Spain at the time, Me
Page 139:
As he unlaced her, January went on.
Page 142 and 143:
January smiled a little at the mini
Page 144 and 145:
as if he were a martyr to reason
Page 146 and 147:
She frowned, puzzled, then nodded u
Page 148 and 149:
There wasn't a Texian in the room.
Page 150 and 151:
cold. Rose would come in the mornin
Page 152 and 153:
Days of the Dead in New Orleans, wh
Page 154 and 155:
"Last night. Consuela didn't return
Page 156 and 157:
onde non amendue posseamo uscirci,
Page 158 and 159:
TWENTY By the time they reached the
Page 160 and 161:
much as a moment, by taking that mo
Page 162 and 163:
expire in their chairs! CStelettes
Page 164 and 165:
with him-and no hot water in the ca
Page 166 and 167:
Savage, Don Prospero had screamed.
Page 168 and 169:
soot and the floor paved with cut s
Page 170 and 171:
"Hmmn." Rose was tall for a woman,
Page 172 and 173:
take you all night. But for what sh
Page 174 and 175:
T W E N T Y - T W O They concealed
Page 176 and 177:
"Someone did." January stripped the
Page 178 and 179:
Or like the lady from the Big House
Page 180 and 181:
Beyond, the dark trees loomed, and
Page 182 and 183:
"You cannot, and I would like to se
Page 184 and 185:
"Food, and some of my jewels," she
Page 186 and 187:
"And may have been so foolish as to
Page 188 and 189:
exonerate himself.” "Nonsense,"
Page 190 and 191:
as he brushed at his shoulder for t
Page 192 and 193:
stood over Hannibal and turned him
Page 194 and 195:
Only when the body came to rest did
Page 196 and 197:
small lantern tied to one of the sa
Page 198 and 199:
"I suspect," January answered, "bec
Page 200 and 201:
efore he fell asleep?" Rose shook h
Page 202 and 203:
accompanied in the carriage by her
Page 204:
men came here, that what they were
Page 207 and 208:
MEXICO CITY The economic and social
Page 209:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR BARBARA HAMBLY att
show all

Days of the Dead.pdf - Upgrade Systems

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?