by Sara Orwig
While the general frowned, the governor waved his hand. “Sí, por favor.”
As she entered the room, the count was fanning Quita. Lianna’s fingers locked together. She wanted to run from the house, from the hostile people around her. Instead, she tried to keep her voice calm.
“Conde.”
Chocolate-brown eyes rested on her curiously, and she looked at the man who would have been her husband. He was unbelievably handsome, with bright eyes, a black mustache, and thick curly hair, a stature as fit as Josh Raven’s, and a sensual mouth. For a fleeting second Lianna felt a sense of relief that Quita might not have been disappointed with the exchange.
She said swiftly, “This may be a woman’s concern. Let me help.”
He frowned, then stood up as General Farjado introduced them.
“Doña Lita, this is Don Armando, the Conde de Marcheno. This is the marquesa, the wife of Don Cristóbal, Marqués de Aveiro.”
“Ah, I am sorry we meet under these circumstances.”
Quita moaned, and Lianna’s terror rose. “If you will allow me, sir. Will someone please fetch a damp cloth?”
“I’ll summon the maid,” Governor Marcheno said, and left the room. The two men moved away, but Lianna was conscious of General Farjado’s presence, his steady, questioning eyes.
“Condesa?” Lianna patted her hand. “Are you all right?”
Quita’s dark lashes fluttered, her eyes focused, and she gasped.
Lianna talked quietly and steadily. “Ah, I told your husband this might be a womanly matter. I understand these things. Would you like privacy? I’ve sent for a damp cloth. Just lie quietly. Don’t try to talk.” Lianna squeezed Quita’s hand as she made the request, and saw a flickering response in the dark eyes focused solemnly on her.
“Just lie quietly and you’ll feel better. Much better. I’m the Marquesa de Aveiro, Doña Lita.”
“Buenos días,” Quita whispered.
Behind her Lianna heard voices, then the count handed her a damp cloth.
“Lianna, are you all right?”
Quita’s gaze shifted to her husband, and she smiled stiffly. “I’m sorry. I felt faint and had a sudden pain.”
“If you’re all right, I’ll join the men again,” he said, but his unwavering gaze never flickered as he watched his wife closely.
“Sí,” she whispered to him. “You go. I’ll be fine.”
Lianna sponged Quita’s brow as the men left the room. As the door closed quietly behind them, Lianna wondered if General Farjado had actually gone or if he were standing outside the door, listening for a snatch of conversation. She placed her finger on her lips and asked Quita, “Would you feel better if you had fresh air? If we walked in the garden?”
Quita stared at her so long that Lianna became afraid. One word of truth, and she could be imprisoned along with Josh and his men.
Quita ran her hand across her brow, aware that Lianna was waiting for an answer. “Sí,” she answered finally. They crossed the room silently, to open the door and face General Farjado. “Do you feel better, Doña Lianna?”
“Yes,” Quita answered, trying to sound composed. “We go to the courtyard where the air is cooler.”
“Can I be of service?”
“Gracias, no.”
His dark eyes shifted to Lianna. “Doña Lianna and Doña Lita. How similar your names are.”
“Sí,” Lianna answered, and Quita received another shock. Lianna was terrified. Fear plainly showed in her features, and her skin was pale. “If you’ll excuse us, general, Doña Lianna needs to sit down.”
“Of course.” He stepped aside, but as they left, Quita knew he continued to watch them and she had a feeling of dark undercurrents between Lianna Melton and General Farjado.
In the courtyard they sat down near a three-tiered fountain whose splashing water would prevent anyone from overhearing their conversation. Quita looked into frightened blue eyes and felt danger swirling around her like a rising fog.
Listening to the water splash in the fountain with a dim awareness, Quita felt as if someone were slowly closing clawlike fingers around her throat. Fear overrode all else after the first shock of coming upon Lianna face-to-face without warning—the moment Quita had feared and dreaded since Armando had told her they would sail to Chile.
Her thoughts tried to sort themselves out as she realized Lianna was posing as the wife of a marqués, a fact that could mean only one thing: Captain Joshua Raven was a spy for forces opposing Spain!
Quita knew little of the politics in Santiago, but she had gleaned enough from Armando to learn there was enough unrest among certain Chilenos that Spanish officers feared an uprising.
She stared at Lianna, torn by the knowledge that Lianna could destroy her marriage to Armando with a few words—yet at the same time aware that Lianna and Captain Raven’s presence meant that Armando’s and Francisco’s lives might be in extreme danger.
“Why are you here?” Quita asked.
“If you’ll keep our identity secret, we’ll be gone soon,” Lianna said, evading the question.
“Your husband must be posing as the Marqués de Aveiro—the only thing he could be doing is spying,” Quita said, studying Lianna, realizing Lianna had changed in subtle ways. She looked like a woman, not a girl. And she was more beautiful than before, but she looked frightened and worried. “And that means he’s a threat to my husband’s existence, to Francisco and all other Spaniards!”
“Quita, you and I have been caught in circumstances we can’t help,” Lianna whispered, leaning closer. “The men in our lives have a destiny, and you and I are part of it whether we like it or not.” Then, as if surprised, she said, “You look so beautiful—you must be happy.”
“I am—and I’ll protect what I’ve found at all costs,” Quita said, thinking what a dilemma they were in. She couldn’t reveal what she knew of Lianna and Josh—yet how could she sit by and watch them destroy something vital to Armando? “Armando thinks I’m Lianna Melton. This is our honeymoon, and we’ll sail from here around the world and home to Spain. He gives me almost anything I desire, and I am carrying his child now.”
“How grand!”
For a moment both women were silent; then Quita said, “I assumed you had returned to England. Did you get my letter?”
“Yes, thank you. Josh wouldn’t let me go. I’m thankful you’re happy,” she went on, “but please don’t betray us. We’ll leave Santiago.”
“I can’t betray you—yet I know you’re a threat to my husband’s life!”
“You don’t want Armando to know your identity.”
“Of course not! He’s a hard man; he would destroy me.”
“As soon as possible, I’ll try to talk Josh into leaving. Give us time!”
“Josh? Are you his mistress?”
“I’m his wife.”
They stared at each other and Quita realized that Lianna was a threat to her own existence and to her child.
Lianna blinked, and Quita wondered if her anger and fear showed clearly in her expression. She looked at her hands knotted tightly in her lap.
“Quita…”
“It’s Lianna!” Quita snapped nervously. If Armando were to overhear Lianna, he would wring the truth from them! “It’s Doña Lianna. I don’t want to hear another name!”
“Lianna, don’t betray us. Don’t have me arrested now or I will reveal everything about you,” Lianna said coldly, yet her blue eyes looked full of terror. “I can prove what you’ve done, and you know your husband will be furious.”
Quita frowned and licked her lips, knowing the only choice at the moment was to agree with Lianna. “Very well. But can I trust you?”
“We’ll have to trust each other. What would we gain except arrest? Keep your silence, and we’ll leave Santiago.”
“You promise, swear that you won’t reveal our secret?” Quita asked.
“I swore secrecy to you once long ago. I’ll keep my promise. Just give us some time.”
“I fe
el ill,” Quita said. Her gaze drifted nervously around the courtyard. “This is a dangerous place, filled with intrigue. We’ll sail from Chile in two weeks, sooner if I can persuade Armando, but until we go, don’t cause trouble. Now I hold more power than you. And I won’t give it up!”
“I understand.” Lianna nodded, wanting to get away as quickly as possible, feeling as if Quita was barely controlling her anger and hatred.
“I must go to my room now,” Quita announced, and stood up.
Relieved that the visit had ended, Lianna stood and gazed into angry eyes. Was Quita determined enough to try to find a way to destroy them? Lianna desperately wanted to get Josh and leave for El Feroz tonight, but could she convince him of the added danger?
“I’m glad you’ve found happiness,” Lianna said, and meant it. How fleeting it would be, she didn’t know. She hurried out, shaking with reaction when she climbed into the carriage.
At home, her fright increased when she learned that Josh had left town, and worse, she remembered she had promised to go on a carriage ride in the afternoon with General Farjado. She gazed at Fletcher’s impassive features and said rapidly, “I need to see Don Cristóbal. Do you know when he returns?”
“No, Doña Lita. I’ll find out for you.”
“Please, it’s urgent.”
She went to her room, to pace the floor. She had to warn Josh that Quita’s actions were unpredictable. She looked down the empty street and wished he would return home. And she regretted her acceptance of General Farjado’s invitation for the afternoon. She would have to appear as carefree as possible, because she knew his curiosity had been stirred this morning.
After his arrival, Lianna caught up a filmy fichu and adjusted it in the neck of her rose silk dress, then went to the salon. The moment she entered the room, General Farjado’s black eyes appraised her. He bowed low over her hand, boldly allowing his kiss to linger.
“How lovely you look. You should always have your hair down.” The general rocked on his heels. “I thought you might enjoy an outing. There are Indian ruins nearby that we can visit.”
Lianna started to refuse. Before she could, he added, “Unless you are still too upset from the incident this morning.”
The words carried a threat. He watched her intently, and Lianna answered casually, “I’d enjoy an outing. After all, it was the condesa who had the difficult morning.”
“Of course. But you, too, looked pale for a time.”
“She surprised me. Would you like for someone to greet you, to have her take one look at you, and faint?”
He smiled. “No. I wouldn’t like it at all.” His voice was full of curiosity. “And I would wonder greatly what had caused it.”
“You’ll have to discuss that with Doña Lianna. I’ll have the maid fetch my shawl.”
In the carriage, General Farjado leaned back to look at her. “We’ll see Inca ruins, an ancient civilization of Indian heretics, savages who were conquered by the first Spanish to arrive.”
“Perhaps these people would have fared better without the influence of Spain.”
“Dangerous talk.”
She shrugged. “I know nothing about politics. That I leave to my husband. Did the Spanish fleet bring any materials, silk or satin?”
He settled in the seat and smiled. “Ah, you would like a new dress!”
“Of course—or is that also dangerous to discuss?”
He laughed. “Hardly. Nothing is dangerous today. It’s a beautiful summer day and I’m with a lovely woman.”
“Gracias.” And while she smiled and talked, she wondered where Josh was. She felt as if a net were drawing closer around them. Could they escape Chile without harm?
When the carriage halted, the general helped her step down onto a dusty lane beside the low, rolling foothills of the Andes.
“This way,” he directed, taking her arm, while his driver remained behind with the carriage. They climbed through high grass up a steep incline dotted by alerce trees. On a level area they walked through crumbling stone ruins, granite partitions for rooms long overgrown by vines and wildflowers. Lianna remembered Madryn’s proud manner and wondered if the maid was descended from the people who had once lived in these ruins. People who had lost everything to the conquistadores.
They finally halted in the shade of a tree. The only sound was the sigh of the wind across the hill. Lianna touched the bright blossom of a red fuchsia that twined through a tree. “You wonder what the people were like who lived here. What they did and how they felt.”
“I can tell you what I think and feel,” he said huskily. “Lita, you’re a beautiful, desirable woman.” He reached for her and Lianna rested her hands on his arms.
“Sir—”
“You cannot give me a good reason to stop.” His black eyes burned as he said, “That husband of yours has all but abandoned you. I find you infinitely more fascinating than an estate or a deck of cards.” He lifted her hand and turned it to kiss her wrist, then raised his head to pin her with his gaze. “Admit it. You’re bored to death in that house.”
“You’re an astute man. How I wish this conversation had transpired before the fleet sailed from Valparaiso.”
His brows arched questioningly. “What do you mean? The fleet is still in the harbor.”
“It hasn’t sailed?” Her heart began to pound. Josh had hidden the fact of the fleet’s presence from her!
“No.” He reached out to caress her shoulder. “But I won’t escort you to Valparaiso nor allow you to go.”
“Why?”
“I regret with all my heart that I must deny you anything, but why should I send you away? That’s the last thing I want.” His voice hardened. “Also, you’re married to a marqués who is immensely wealthy and holds great power. What you’re asking could cost me everything.” General Farjado slipped his arms around her waist, drawing her to him. “But I will help you forget your loneliness.”
“No,” she answered, her mind still on Josh.
“Don’t be foolish! Why shouldn’t you have happiness?” He leaned forward to kiss her cheek. “He does as he wants. He has a Creole mistress—”
Her attention was snatched up violently. “It’s a lie!”
“Would you like to meet Luisa Otero?” he asked cynically.
Lianna sucked in her breath swiftly. “No!” Josh had deceived her about the fleet. He had admitted kissing another. Now the general calmly announced Josh had a mistress. Captain Raven had forced a union on her that would end bitterly. He risked her life daily. All her grievances rose like a cloud of dust caught in a swirling wind, but the news of a mistress hurt like a knife wound. She asked, “What would happen to a person found untrue to Spain?”
Imperceptibly General Farjado straightened and his eyes narrowed. “Such a person would most likely be exiled.” The sunlight dappled his swarthy skin. He asked softly, “Is Don Cristóbal disloyal?”
Lianna looked into his black eyes. The acceptance of the fact that Josh had a Creole mistress stung more than she cared to admit, but never would she cause Josh to go to prison or be harmed. As she stared at the general, she realized all she wanted to do was to erase the burning memory of Josh’s kisses, to stop the aching need she felt for him.
General Farjado was a handsome, worldly man. She tilted her head to regard him from beneath thick lashes. His lips were fuller than Josh’s. If his kisses could stir her as much as Josh’s, then it was not just Josh Raven that held special magic for her. General Farjado’s eyes narrowed as she stared at him.
“My husband is a loyal subject,” she whispered.
His arms tightened around her and he leaned down to kiss her. With desperation Lianna wrapped her slender arms around his neck. He crushed the breath from her lungs and leaned back against a tree to fit her to his length while he kissed her.
She felt nothing except revulsion. His hand pulled free her fichu, caressing her throat, moving to the neck of her dress. Lianna pushed forcefully; her breath came in gasps. �
��I’ve made a mistake!” she gasped.
“No, Lita, come here,” he murmured as he tightened his arm around her.
She struggled, her heart pounding. “No! Give me time to think!”
“You want this; your body trembles for caresses…” He held her in an iron grip; his mouth stopped her protests as he kissed her savagely. Desperation mushroomed in Lianna and she struggled, finally breaking free, only to be yanked back into his embrace. Anger already raged within her because of the news about a mistress; now it deepened over the general’s brutal use of force, and without pausing to think, Lianna slapped him.
The sound of her palm on his cheek was loud in the silent countryside. His eyes narrowed and his lips thinned.
Suddenly her rage vanished as she realized she had made an enemy. “Perdón! I lost my head. I’m sorry.” She retrieved the fallen fichu.
“You wanted me to kiss you,” he said angrily. “I saw it in your eyes.”
“I was carried away by the moment.”
“You’ll regret the slap.” His tone was harsh as he said, “Someday you’ll be mine.”
“I’m wed to another. I forgot myself momentarily. It won’t happen again.”
She rushed down the hill, ignoring the weeds catching and snagging the billowing skirt of her dress. She was frightened of what he might make of her question about loyalty to Spain. If General Farjado and those in power were as evil as Josh had said, she didn’t want to give him any weapon to use against Josh. Suddenly she came to her senses and slowed. She turned to look over her shoulder.
General Farjado walked toward her, his black eyes fiery. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears, but not from fright. There was no question that she was deeply, irrevocably in love with Josh! Only his kisses could inflame her.
In the carriage she was silent while General Farjado watched her, a brooding look on his features. She tried to talk to him, but his answers were clipped.
As soon as they reached her house, she touched his arm. “Thank you…”
He took her hand tightly in his grasp, crushing her fingers until she gasped. “Sir!”
“Doña Lita, I do not like being slapped.”
She felt a knot of fear form in the pit of her stomach. Desperately she kept her voice light and took a chance. “General, perhaps it was myself that I was angry with.” She leaned forward to brush his lips lightly.