The Mountains of Spring (9 page)

Caroline began to feel slightly alarmed.
‘
It sounds rather—well, formal,
’
she ventured hesitantly.
‘
I—I shan
’
t be able to dress, or anything like that.
’

He raised his eyebrows a little, and she had the feeling that he wondered why it should have occurred to her to bother him with such an irritating triviality. But she noticed that he didn
’
t advise her not to worry about it, as an Englishman in such circumstances would almost certainly have done.

‘
My grandmother will arrange something,
’
he said vaguely. He hesitated for a moment longer, then straightened himself, bowed to the Senora, and returned to his own car.

They pulled out again into the mainstream of traffic pouring into the city, and when they came to a halt again twenty minutes later, it was outside a tall, brown Colonial-style house which was evidently the home of the Dominguez family. It was situated in a quiet street, and there was a brooding feeling of old Mexico about it. It intrigued Caroline, and as she stepped out on to the pavement and stood looking up at it she felt that she would have liked to have seen inside. But although the Senora invited both her and Diego to go in and accept a glass of sherry the suggestion was obviously little more than a formality, and in any case it didn
’
t seem, for some reason, to appeal to Diego.

He drove her to his grandmother
’
s house largely in silence, and when they arrived she got the impression that he was rather relieved to find the old lady very much at home—in fact, sitting in the patio. Her delight at seeing Caroline was transparently obvious, and the girl felt both touched and uncomfortable. Did the Senora, she wondered, know about her grandson
’
s treatment of Peter? And if she did
know, what did she really think about it?

With the utmost possible brevity, Diego explained the reasons for Caroline
’
s return to Mexico City, and once or twice, as she listened, Senora Rivel glanced at the English girl rather keenly, as if wondering what she was thinking and feeling. But when the explanations were over she merely smiled, and remarked that Caroline had better not attempt to return to her hotel that night.

‘
You must spend the night here,
’
she insisted.
‘
You must stay here for as long as you like. We will telephone your hotel.
’

Caroline felt uncomfortable. Charming as the old lady was, she had no wish to become too deeply indebted to any connection of Diego Rivel, and in any case there was no particular reason for her to make a prolonged stay in Mexico City. But she was grateful for the invitation to spend this particular night under the Senora
’
s roof and she said so.

‘
It
’
s terribly good of you. But I mustn
’
t put you to too much trouble
...
’

‘
My dear child, it will be a great happiness to have you here—and in that I am being quite honest.
’
At this point Diego, who had been hovering in the background with an air of slight impatience, made his grandmother a small bow, and remarked that he had better be going.

‘
I shall return at half past seven,
’
he told Caroline.
‘
You will be ready by then?
’

‘
Of course she will,
’
the Senora tranquilly assured him on Caroline
’
s behalf.
‘
Go away and leave us. When you come back, Miss Ashley will be waiting for you.
’

He bowed again, and turned away, but just as he
was about to get back into his car Caroline plucked up the courage to say something for herself.

‘
Where are we meeting Peter?
’
she asked. And rather nervously she added:
‘
He doesn
’
t know I
’
m here yet, does he?
’

‘
No,
senorita.
Naturally not.
’
His tone was rather dry.
‘
And I don
’
t yet know where we shall be meeting him. I do not know what arrangements he may have made with the gentleman who is purchasing my horse. That is an important transaction, and must not be interfered with.
’

And before she could say another word he had climbed back into the driving-seat, let in the clutch, and driven smoothly out of the courtyard. The Senora placed a hand beneath Caroline
’
s elbow, and drew her into the house.

‘
Don
’
t be angry,
’
she advised, the suspicion of a smile at the back of her dark eyes.
‘
Diego intends you to meet your brother to-night. He wishes to be kind. But he is also a little ashamed of being kind ... Do you understand me?
’

In the shadowy coolness of the circular entrance hall, Caroline stood still.
‘
Senora,
I am angry. You are being good to me, so I think I ought to tell you that.
’

‘
I know.
’
The old lady shrugged slightly.

‘
Diego let you go to that dreadful, depressing house, and you found that your brother had gone. And then you discovered that Diego had bought the ranch and that your brother was working for him, and—of course you were angry.
’
She smiled rather ruefully.
‘
I thought it was very wrong of my grandson to let you go to Toluca without telling you what had happened. I liked you—as I still do like you—and
I did not want you to be upset. But
...’
She looked a little helpless.
‘
He thought it was the best way for you to find out. I am sorry. You will forgive me, yes?

‘
But it
’
s not your fault,
senora.
Not at all. I didn
’
t mean—
’

‘
Well, if you will forgive me, I hope you will try to forgive Diego too? I tell you,
’
with an engaging Spanish persuasiveness,
‘
he is trying to be kind!
’

To her confusion, Caroline felt herself blushing.
‘
I—I don
’
t want to be ungrateful
...
’

‘
Then that is excellent! And now, we will find you a nice dress for the evening. My niece, who comes to see me every summer, leaves half her wardrobe here, and she is just your size. We will find you something charming. To-night, I think, you must be beautiful!
’

And she beamed at Caroline as if she had just been presented with a brand new toy.

CHAPTER IV

By the time Diego Rivel returned, punctually at half past seven, to collect Caroline, she was looking and feeling transformed. At the time of her arrival in Mexico City that afternoon she had been feeling hot, dishevelled and exhausted, and she had not been looking forward in the very least to the prospect of dining that evening in the company of her brother
’
s employer and his elegant Mexican lady friends. She couldn
’
t begin to understand, for one thing, why she or Peter should have to have dinner with them. Surely the autocratic Senor Rivel was not in the habit of inviting ranch-hands and their relatives to share entertainments planned for the benefit of his
fiancée
?

But, now that she had had time to
think
things over properly, she realized that Peter
’
s status could not be nearly as humble as his employer, for reasons best known to himself, had allowed her to believe it was. He had been trusted with the handling of a transaction which was, apparently, very important—the sale of a valuable race-horse—and it was beginning to look as if, on the whole, despite his position, Diego had no hesitation in treating him as a social equal.

So as she stepped into the lighted courtyard to meet her escort she was feeling decidedly happier—and, although she didn
’
t realize it, she was also looking quite shatteringly attractive. The Senora
’
s niece, it seemed, possessed an extensive wardrobe, and her taste was excellent. Caroline had been very reluctant, at first, to accept the loan of one of her dresses, but the Senora had insisted that nothing would please Catarina more than to be of use on such an occasion, and the English girl had to admit that she could hardly go out to dinner in Mexico City dressed exactly as she was, in a travel-stained linen suit. She and the old lady went into the matter together, and after due deliberation their choice finally fell on a delectable short white evening dress, with a high waistline and a skirt composed of several layers of floating chiffon. With it she wore a pair of Catarina
’
s fragile silver sandals, and by the time she was finally ready she looked almost ridiculously young and slight and ethereal. The Senora
’
s eyes positively sparkled.

‘
My dear, you are
hermosisima
!’
she exclaimed.
‘
It is perfect. I thought at first it was a pity that Catarina had left no jewellery here, and that my own was too old and heavy for you, but now I see that it could not be better. No adornment at all
...
One should not try to paint the lily, as you say in England.
’

Caro
li
ne
blushed.
‘
You don
’
t think the dress might be too formal?
’
she asked shyly.
‘
We might not be going to the right sort of place for it.
’

‘
You will be
...
with Diego.
’
The old lady looked at her rather anxiously for a moment.
‘
You are not really quite happy about this evening, I know. You would prefer to meet your brother in private
...
especially,
’
with a small shrug,
‘
in view of the circumstances. But no doubt there will be other opportunities, and to-night Diego obviously wishes you both to have dinner with him.
’

‘
The Senora and Senorita Dominguez will be there
too,
’
Caroline couldn
’
t help pointing out.

‘
Those two! Yes, I know.
’
A curiously wry smile.
‘
He asked me to go too, but it is not the kind of entertainment I enjoy.
’
Unexpectedly she put out a hand, and her small be-ringed fingers touched Caroline
’
s.
‘
Don
’
t be nervous,
chiquita.
You look so charming, and there is nothing to be afraid of. Diego will look after you
...
and I am sure you will have a chance to talk quietly to your brother.
’

But no sooner was Caroline established beside Diego, in the front seat of his car, than she discovered that the likelihood of her getting an opportunity in the course of the evening to have a quiet word with Peter had dwindled still further. Her escort had stared at her very fixedly as she greeted him and got into the car, but he had said nothing but
‘
good evening
’,
and although she was fairly certain that he didn
’
t disapprove of her appearance it seemed clear that he had no intention of paying her a compliment. He appeared to be in a thoughtful and rather abstracted mood, and after he had closed the door upon her and climbed back behind the steering-wheel he sat for several seconds in silence. Then he turned the key in the ignition, and as the engine began to throb they crept gently under the archway and out into the street.

‘
We are to meet your brother at the Casa d
’
Espana,
’
he told her.
‘
It is a night-club.
’
With the merest hint of a smile he added:
‘
A very respectable night-club, I assure you. Your brother will not be alone—the gentleman who has bought my horse will be with him. We shall all have dinner together.
’

‘
But
...’
Caroline turned her head to look at
him. She was angry and astonished.
‘
Is that necessary? Surely any business they had to discuss must have been settled by now? Was it—was it Peter
’
s idea to bring him?
’

‘
Senorita,
you forget that your brother has a job to do. He and this gentleman had arranged to have dinner together. The deal has been concluded, certainly, but I decline to allow a man to be treated with discourtesy simply because he has written out a cheque in my favour and I have little more to gain from him.
’

Caroline was silent.
‘
I
’
m sorry,
’
she said stiffly, after a moment.
‘
I know we are all your guests, and—and I shouldn
’
t argue with your arrangements. But I have come a long way to see Peter.
’

‘
And very soon you will see him,
senorita
,’
he assured her coolly.

Amid dense, swirling early evening traffic they swung round a
corner
into the Paseo de la Reforma, and ahead of them, etched against the fading blue of the sky, Caroline saw the tall, slender shape of the Column of Independence. It reminded her vaguely of Nelson
’
s famous column in Trafalgar Square, but instead of the familiar figure of a one-armed admiral its summit was dominated by a huge gilded angel, who had the appearance of having been placed where he was for the purpose of keeping a benevolent eye upon the city. At this particular moment, the angel
’
s outspread wings were just catching the last rays of the sinking sun, and they gleamed like burnished gold above the tired green of the trees that lined the square. As she caught sight of it, Caroline uttered a little exclamation of pleasure, and Diego glanced sideways enquiringly.

‘
What is it that interests you,
senorita
?
’

‘
That statue
...
It
’
s so beautiful
!’

‘
Statue?
’
He looked around.
‘
What statue?
’

‘
I mean the angel at the top of the column. It
’
s
catching the last of the sunlight. It looks almost real.
’

He smiled.
‘
A sentimental fancy,
senorita.
There are those who would say that neither the column nor the angel is in particularly good taste. They have not the advantage of being old. They were erected at the beginning of the century, and for that reason are
not much respected. If they had been placed where they are either much earlier or much later they would probably be considered worthy of attention.
’

They swept around the foot of the column, and Caroline gazed upwards.
‘
It doesn
’
t matter when it was put there. I think that angel is wonderful.
’

Diego glanced at her.
‘
I like it myself,
’
he confessed.
‘
So let us place on record the fact that on one point at least we are in agreement.
’

The Casa d
’
Espana, which they reached after a drive of about twenty minutes, turned out to be an old and very exclusive establishment with a clientele largely drawn from the foreign embassies and the rich upper strata of Mexican society. As its name implied, its character was very much more Spanish than Mexican, and, Caroline was told, it was famous for its displays of traditional Spanish dancing.

They were the first of their party to arrive, and at Diego
’
s suggestion they waited for the others in the softly-lit, thickly carpeted foyer. Caroline, coming to the conclusion after a minute or two that her companion was in anything but a talkative mood, picked up a copy of a Spanish fashion magazine and perched herself on the arm of a massive embroidered armchair which would have looked much more at home in the audience-chamber of the Escorial Palace., Diego lit himself a cigarette, and stared frowningly at the floor.