Page 60 of The Hacienda
In a fluid movement, he seized me tightly by the shoulders. My breath caught, startled by the harshness of his touch.
Aren’t you frightened?
“Andrés—” I cast my eyes around the room again.
Don’t you know what he is capable of?
“It’s here,” I breathed. “She’shere.”
That which we had set loose last night. Whoever had frightened Ana Luisa to death and smashed the crucifix. She was in the walls, in the rafters, around us—
“Look me in the eye,” Andrés said forcefully, shaking my shoulders when I did not immediately obey. His grip was so tight it would leave bruises. “Look at me.” His tears had evaporated; his eyes burned feral, and... yes, it frightened me. This passion made him a stranger, commanding,dangerous. “Do not listen to her. Cast her from your mind this instant.”
He has secrets, Beatriz...
“Do you hear it?” I asked, raspy and uneven. “Tell me. Please.”
“Cast it out.” His command had the brassy ring of the priest he was, one who cries for his congregation to repent of their sins, whose condemnation of the Devil fills cathedrals.“Cast it out.”
I shut my eyes.
Beatriz, Beatriz, Beatriz...
I curled my hands into fists and thrust it away with all my might.No, I told it.No. Out.
The voice stopped.
Footsteps rang in the corridor, announcing someone’s approach to the parlor.
My eyes flew open.
Andrés dropped my shoulders and turned to face the door.
Paloma stepped into view. “Ay, Cuervito,” she said, drawing the syllables out as she took in the half-tidied mess of the room, the melted-down candles, the censers, the broken glass. She made the sign of the cross. “You’ve outdone yourself this time,” she added dryly.
“Palomita, you should be resting,” Andrés said. In the blink of an eye, he had transformed. His face and voice were soft with concern, his posture once again full of gentle authority. Everything about his presence exuded calm.
But I was rattled to my core.
“I can’t sit still,” Paloma said. “Give me something to do.”
Andrés walked toward her and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You could rest in my rooms, if you’d prefer. I understand—”
She shoved him away, clearly frustrated. “You’re not listening. Give me something todo,” she said. “I can’t sit alone doing nothing.”
I was desperate to be out of this room. I needed to be away from Andrés. I wanted the safety of being outside, where there were no voices, or at least—
“Will you help me cook?” I said abruptly.
They looked at me in one motion, surprised—as I had been—at the strange pitch of my voice. I cleared my throat. “I... I need to make something.”As we no longer have a cook, I added silently. “I would appreciate some help.”
Paloma raised a brow. “You cook?” she asked dryly.
“I do,” I said. “And I will need to ensure that I have a plan for when my husband returns day after tomorrow.”
Paloma stiffened. “The patrón will be back? Santo cielo, Andrés. You need to clean up.”
My whole body trembled as I crossed the room to Paloma. As I stepped through the doorway, I cast a look at Andrés over my shoulder.
