'And Luis has been trying to help him?'
'Luis does not forget their past friendship, although he cannot condone what Miguel has done. And now of course he has even more reason to be angry with him.'
'Oh,' Nicola said slowly. 'Pilar.'
'Si--that is why I am here.' Señora Garcia sighed again. 'They arrived at my house last night, demanding that I should help them, but of course I refused. Miguel cannot take the responsibility of a wife, with all that he has to face. I said at once that they must return here, and Pilar became very agitated, and said she would never come back. I questioned her, naturally, but it was
Miguel who finally obtained the truth from her. She admitted everything -her dislike of you, her jealousy, her wish to punish Luis, and the terrible means of revenge that she took. She knew that you suspected her, and decided to lay a trap for you at the ejido. She stole your butterfly and left it in Ramon's room in case anything went wrong with her original plan. She could not guess, of course, that Ramon would break his collarbone, but it was a blessing that he did so, otherwise the repercussions might have been truly dreadful.'
She leaned forward and took Nicola's hand. 'Señora, I ask you to believe that if my brother had known anything of what she intended, he would have prevented it. He has been horrified by her conduct, but even so he does not think she is truly evil, just spoiled and misguided, and eaten with jealousy of anyone more happy than herself.'
Nicola winced inwardly. Did that really apply to her? Did she seem happy to others? Was it possible they didn't feel the inner tension in her?
She said, 'What are you suggesting, señora- that I should just overlook what she did?'
Carlota Garcia grimaced slightly. 'That is hardly possible. And Luis has declared that he will no longer harbour her under his roof-so I have invited her to stay with me. She can help with my correspondence and make herself useful in various ways. It will stop her thinking so much about herself, and later perhaps she can continue her education. This time, her mother's protests will go unheeded, I think.'
Nicola stared down at the butterflies on the coverlet. 'Was Luis-very angry with her?'
Señora Garcia shrugged. 'I would not have wished to face him. I do not know what he said to her, because they spoke in private, but afterwards she wept and wept. One could not see her without pitying her. And as for her mother, I do not think Dona Isabella will ever speak again,' she added with wry amusement. 'She is mortified to her soul by what Pilar has done.'
Nicola could only pity both mother and daughter. She had faced Luis' anger and contempt, and the memory hung over her like a shadow, in no way diminished by the almost austere consideration he had shown her on their return to La Mariposa. Her heart seemed to contract as she remembered it. He had performed the most intimate services for her, yet had displayed no more emotion than if she had been a- a piece of statuary he had been required to look after for a while. And this morning, she had not woken in his arms ...
She became aware that Señora Garcia was staring at her. her face concerned and slightly questioning. She said quickly, 'Perhaps I'd better get dressed, and see what I can do to restore peace.'
'I think it would be better if you remained where you are,' Carlota Garcia smiled faintly, 'There is a truce--of sorts-and Pilar is packing the rest of her things. I will be leaving with her very soon now, and it would be kind of you, Dona Nicola, to permit her to leave without having to confront you in person.' She rose to her feet. 'And now I will go and tell Luis that you are awake.'
With another brief smile, she departed.
Nicola leaned back against her pillows, trying to assimilate everything she had been told. She should have been overjoyed by Carlota Garcia's assurances, but in the light of everything else that had happened, they seemed unimportant. The agony of jealousy she had experienced each time she had thought of them together was fading under the weight of this new uncertainty.
Her teeth worried her lower lip as she watched the door, waiting for it to open.
As he entered, she thought he looked as if he hadn't slept for a week, and an aching tenderness filled her. Last night he had comforted her, now she wanted to do the same for him- to open her arms to him, to offer her body as his pillow. As he came to stand by the bed, she looked up at him, her lips curving tentatively and shyly.
If he had returned her smile, she would have reached for him, but there was no answering warmth in his eyes or on his mouth. When he spoke, his voice was cool and formal.
'Are you well this morning? The doctor is visiting Ramon, and if you wish I can arrange for him to see you.'
Nicola flushed. 'I'm fine- really I am.'
'That is good. If you would like breakfast, Maria will bring you a tray.'
'Thank you.' Oh God, she thought wildly, what's going wrong? He was treating her as if she was a guest, a stranger under his roof, demanding the conventions of politeness.
He said, 'Later-when you have eaten-perhaps you would come to the study. There are things we must discuss.'
She said shyly, 'Can't we talk about them now?' Hold me, her heart cried out to him. Make love to me.
'I would prefer to speak to you in the study. I have people to see-calls to make-certain arrangements to finalise. I am sure you understand.'
'Arrangements about Pilar?'
'Yes.' She saw the muscle in his jaw clench. 'Among others. If you will excuse me.'
He made her a brief bow, and turned away. Nicola watched him go aware of a growing dread inside her.
She forced herself to eat some of the food which Maria brought her, then bathed and dressed with immense care, brushing a silken gloss back into her hair, banishing the pallor from her cheeks with subtly applied blusher, and accentuating the curve of her mouth with lipstick. She put on a simple dark green dress, with a skirt shaped like a bell, and a wide sash belt which drew attention to the slenderness of her waist.
She had planned to pin the silver butterfly into her hair, but remembered too late that it was still lying on the cabin floor where Luis had tossed it. Sudden tears rose in her eyes as she looked at herself in the mirror Why had Pilar used that piece of jewellery out of all that Luis had given her? She had loved it so. But then, of course, that was precisely why it had been used, she thought bitterly. It was as if someone had deliberately destroyed a good luck talisman. And intuition was telling her that she was going to need all the luck she could get.
It took courage to go downstairs. Should she go straight to Luis' study, she wondered, or wait in the salon until he sent for her?
She was standing at the foot of the stairs, torn by indecision, when the loud clamorous peal of the doorbell almost made her jump out of her senses.
Carlos appeared, to answer the door, and Nicola turned towards the salon. If there were to be visitors, then her interview with Luis would have to be postponed, she thought with a kind of relief.
A voice, feminine and familiar, she realised with shaken disbelief, said, 'I wish to see the Señorita Nicola Tarrant. Is she here?'
It was Teresita. As Carlos stepped aside, she walked into the hall followed by Cliff. Nicola moved forward uncertainly, and Teresita ran to her, throwing her arms around her.
'Nicky-oh, Nicky, you are here! I could not believe your letter. Tell me it isn't true. Oh, Nicky-that man- what has he done to you?'
CHAPTER NINE
Nicola returned the embrace, then looked at Carlos, who was looking frankly scandalised. She moistened her lips. 'That will be all, Carlos. Teresita, come into the salon. We can talk there.'
'We are not staying,' Teresita said firmly. 'We are leaving at once, and you are coming with us. This marriage must not happen. I will not allow it. The brute- the tyrant-he will not do this thing!'
Nicola saw Cliff look past her, and his face change as he dropped a warning hand on his wife's shoulder.
'Welcome to my house, Señorita Dominguez,' Luis said silkily. 'Or should I now call you by another name?'
Teresita gave him a defiant glance, and Cliff interposed hastily, 'Don Luis, you must wonder about this intrusion, but the fact is my wife had this letter from Nicky here, and it upset her so much she insisted we come here and get everything sorted out.'
'Usted es muy amable.' Luis' tone was ironic. 'Shall we go into the salon, and I will ask for refreshments to be brought.'
'We do not wish for refreshments,' said Teresita, but she went into the room he indicated. 'We have come for Nicky. She came here to save me, and I will not allow her to sacrifice herself in my place.'