Page 32 of Midnight Rider

Bernadette started to extend a hand, but that stiff little woman never moved an inch. She inclined her head. She said nothing. Her eyes spoke for her.

Eduardo’s hand touched Bernadette’s lightly where it fell at her side. “My grandmother has only arrived from Spain and she is very tired,” he said firmly. “Besides,” he added shrewdly, “her English is not very good.”

The old lady gave him a glare that would have felled a lesser man. She sat erect. “My English is perfect,” she said in a voice that was only slightly accented. “I do not like the language, but I can use it!”

“As we see,” Eduardo replied. He stared at his grandmother until she shifted restlessly.

“You are to marry my grandson, Señorita Barron,” the old woman said tightly. “You are not Spanish.”

“My ancestry is Irish,” the younger woman agreed.

“My son broke with tradition and married an American girl,” thecondessasaid with blatant disapproval. “A butterfly with no morals and no sense of family or tradition. And you see the result!” She waved around her at the grand, but obviously worn, furniture and draperies. “She was a profligate. She spent my son’s money and drove him to despair.... She broke his heart.”

Bernadette felt immediately on the defensive. She clasped her hands together tightly at her waist and lifted her chin. “I am neither immoral nor heartless,” she informed the old woman. “I intend to be a good wife.”

One white eyebrow lifted. “Do you?” she asked mockingly.

Eduardo started to speak when a door opened and a beautiful young woman in a yellow silk dress swept into the room. She had startling black hair and eyes in a face like an angel’s.

“Eduardo! How lovely to see you again!”

She came forward in a cloud of heavy perfume, smiling—and ignoring the other two women present. The young woman rose onto tiptoe and kissed Eduardo full on the mouth, shocking Bernadette.

“Lupe!” thecondessaexclaimed, outraged.

“Oh, do not be so stuffy,TíaDolores!” Lupe chided. She clasped Eduardo’s arm tightly against her breasts. “I have not seen him for two years.”

“Lupe de Rias, this is my betrothed, Bernadette Barron,” Eduardo introduced the newcomer to Bernadette, his manner even stiffer and more formal than it had been.

“How nice to meet you,señorita,” Lupe said, but her eyes weren’t smiling. She went forward to offer a languid hand to Bernadette, smothering her in thick perfume and bringing on a violent coughing spasm.

Eduardo yelled for his servant and demanded coffee be brought quickly. He moved Bernadette away from the others and into a deep chair, kneeling beside her and clasping her hands tightly in his own.

“Breathe gently, Bernadette,” he said calmly. “Gently. It’s all right.”

“What is wrong with her?” thecondessademanded imperiously.

“She is an asthmatic,” Eduardo said through his teeth, because he hadn’t mentioned this affliction to his grandmother.

“Asthmatic!” The old woman got to her feet and walked to Eduardo’s side. “What are you thinking? She cannot give you children!”

Eduardo looked scandalized. “You must surely be tired from your long journey. Why do you not let Lupe take you upstairs now? You need your rest.”

Thecondessaglared at him. “I am not tired. Look at her! She cannot even breathe! What sort of mistress will she make for the Rancho Escondido?”

“Will you please go to your room?” Eduardo asked, and this time there was a clear threat underneath the polite tone.

Unintimidated, the old woman folded her hands and looked down her nose at him. “Very well. I shall rest for an hour. But then you and I must talk.”

“Shall I stay, Eduardo?” Lupe asked. “Perhaps I could do something.”

“Lupe, it is your perfume that has brought on the problem,” Eduardo said gently. “I know it was not intentional, but it will only make this worse if you do not leave right away.”

Lupe wasn’t offended at all. She smiled. “Certainly. I would not want to worsen Bernadette’s condition. Poor little thing,” she added, all condolences. “What a shame, too, that she is so frail. Still, you will take care of her, yes? And the servants will help. Perhaps a good nurse as well, to watch over her when your duties demand your time?”

“Yes, yes, that might be a good idea, Lupe. Now, if you please?”

Lupe looked triumphant. “I shall help you find the right nurse for her. It will be my pleasure! But do you think we should go ahead with the wedding plans now? It might be prudent to wait a few months—”

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