Perhaps it was just an act, and inside she was suffering, but the woman’s exuberance and self-confidence left Nena feeling a little—not dowdy, exactly—but not quite up to par.
‘Let’s go clothes-shopping this afternoon,’ she said suddenly to her companion. ‘I’d like to buy some of the wonderful suede things they have here—some pants, skirts and things.’
‘Why, of course,’ Elisa said, smiling, brushing her pretty brown hair back from her attractive tanned face. ‘I’ll take you to my favourite boutique right now.’
Nena felt relieved when they exited the restaurant and she was finally free of the prying eyes she’d felt following her.
As the afternoon flew by and they visited various shops and boutiques the uncomfortable, uneasy feeling that had gripped her gradually wore off, and by the time she reached the Alvear, loaded with huge shopping bags, she felt back to her old self again.
Ramon exited the company plane in Cordoba, where his manager was waiting to drive him to the hacienda. But first he had a meeting scheduled with the governor of the province, and a few banking details to be dealt with.
However, by four p.m. he was saddled up and galloping over the pampas, inspecting his cattle, his mind busy with the details that needed to be attended to.
Then finally, as he turned his horse around and began cantering back towards the hacienda, he had time to reflect upon all that had taken place over the past few weeks—how his life had made a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree turn and how strangely happy he felt in this new existence. The only thing that bothered him was his unforgivable behaviour towards Luisa. After all, she must have learned that he was back in town by now, somebody would have made sure to tell her, and she must be wondering why he hadn’t been in touch.
In fact, he rather wondered himself.
Okay, he’d been taken up with showing Nena around, finding the apartment and one thing and another, but still it did not explain his reluctance to face Luisa and have the final conversation he knew he owed her, which would have to take place at some time or another in the near future.
He sighed and slowed to a trot. Perhaps the best thing would be to stop off and see her on his way back to town. That way he wouldn’t be obliged to lie to his wife—wouldn’t have to mix apples and pears. Somehow it was important that the fragile confidence he’d established with Nena endured. The last thing he needed was to have his mistress—ex-mistress, he reminded himself quickly—thrust upon her at any given moment.
Seeing Luisa for the last time and getting the whole thing straightened out, he decided, returning to the stables, was definitely the right way to manage this whole affair.
Satisfied that he’d found the correct solution, Ramon dismounted and walked slowly back to the lovely colonial farmhouse that had been in his family for several generations, since the King of Spain had given his ancestor these tracts of land. He looked forward to bringing Nena here, showing her the place and letting her get her hands wet redecorating. The place certainly needed it. His mother very rarely came to Santa Clara any more, finding the climate too rude, but he had the feeling Nena would enjoy riding in the pampas and sharing this place with him—something he had never done with any other woman before, he mused. This had always been his private enclave. Now, to his utter surprise, he had no qualms about sharing it.
CHAPTER FIVE
‘I KNOW I should have told you,’ Ramon repeated, looking over at Luisa sitting opposite him on an ultra-modern sofa in her exquisitely decorated apartment that he knew so well. ‘I am entirely to blame in this whole affair, Luisa.’
‘So you keep saying,’ Luisa replied, eyeing him askance and wondering, now that they were face to face, if there might not be a way of hanging on to him despite his marriage to the girl she’d seen the other day at Santi’s. Okay, his new wife was young and lovely. But wouldn’t that youth and lack of experience bore him after a little? And, when the novelty wore off, wouldn’t he prefer to take a break in her arms once in a while?
Luisa thought it over warily. She must be careful not to push him. She knew Ramon well enough to recognise that stubborn twitch around his lips, knew that when he was committed to something he went for it full throttle. Still, handled with kid gloves, there was no saying what might happen. She might just be able to revert this situation in her favour. Of course, it would never be quite the same again—but what in life was?
She sighed inwardly. She had strong feelings for Ramon, and was not disposed, she realised suddenly, to just let him disappear out of her life without so much as a by-your-leave. At first she’d been furiously angry, insulted and hurt. Now the hurt remained, but common sense prevailed.
‘I’m famished!’ she exclaimed, stretching and reaching over to touch his arm. ‘Why don’t we go and have a bite in one of our special haunts, for old times’ sake?’ She smiled at him winningly.
Ramon had little desire to be seen publicly in Luisa’s company, but to refuse the invitation after she’d been such a good sport—had taken the rejection in such a well-spirited manner—would be churlish.
‘Okay,’ he agreed, disguising his reluctance as he rose. ‘I’m afraid I can’t stay too late, though.’
‘Of course not,’ she said in a cajoling tone, while slipping her smooth bronzed arm through his and letting him get a whiff of her perfume. ‘You’re a married man now, and you have obligations after all.’
‘Uh, yes.’ He laughed uncomfortably while Luisa made sure that her thigh rubbed gently against his as they moved towards the hall to slip on their jackets.
‘Let’s go to Santi’s. It should be pretty quiet on a Thursday at lunchtime,’ she proposed, tossing her large leather handbag over her shoulder.
‘Fine. Great idea,’ he replied, all in favour of a place that would not be jampacked with half their friends and acquaintances.
But Luisa’s prognostication proved to be wrong. Santi’s was, in fact, filled with just the kind of people Ramon had hoped to avoid, and it took them a full ten minutes to get from the door to their table, there were so many friends to greet.
‘Hi, Ramon, good to see you back in town. Let’s get together.’
The greetings were endless, and the curious looks and interested murmurs that followed them in no way suppressed.
Luisa smothered a grin of satisfaction. Her plan had worked after all. She pretended to pay no attention to the disturbance they were causing, to the chattering couples all speculating as to what was going on in Ramon’s life. Well, let them. The more the merrier, Luisa decided as she studied her menu.
Ramon sat silently furious, but could do nothing without causing a scene. He could see now what Luisa’s game was, and was thoroughly annoyed with himself for having fallen for it. Well, let the games begin, he decided, calmly ordering his favourite dish. ‘Oh, and don’t forget the chimi churri sauce, will you?’ he said to the waiter, with a grin that belied his inner anger.
He thought of Nena. He’d told her he would be back today but didn’t know what time. Was she back at the hotel waiting for him? he wondered impatiently. God, Luisa could be a bitch when she set her mind to it. And somehow now all her faults glared straight at him. How come, he wondered, carrying on a light-hearted and amusing conversation with her, hadn’t he recognised them clearly before?
‘Oh, he won’t be back until late,’ Elisa assured Nena as they left the boutique where Nena had had to pick up several articles of suede clothing she’d ordered. ‘Let’s have a bite of lunch, and afterwards I can drop you off at the Alvear on my way home.’
‘Okay, sounds good,’ Nena responded with a smile.
She felt good in a new pair of trousers, a smart polo-neck cashmere top, a suede vest bordered with fur, and a very smart pair of Chanel sunglasses that set off her glistening well-trimmed hair, swinging around her shoulders. She had been to Carlos, Elisa’s top-of-the-line hairdresser, and felt more a part of the elegant lifestyle of the women in this sophisticated city. She found it fun and amusing. And, although he
r grandfather was never far from her mind, her propulsion into this entirely different new existence had done wonders to help overcome her initial sadness.
But she missed Ramon.
It was extraordinary to think that only a month or so ago she hadn’t even known the man who had made such a mark upon her being, and without whom she now found it difficult to imagine life.
‘Santi’s, as usual?’ Elisa asked with a grin.
She liked Nena very much, was thrilled that Ramon had finally—through no merit of his own—fallen on someone so perfect for him, and had enthusiastically taken Nena under her wing, introducing her to friends and showing her the ropes. But she knew that of all the places she’d taken the girl, the fashionable and trendy Santi’s was her favourite.
‘If you don’t mind going there again, I’d love to,’ Nena replied, laughing. ‘It’s always such fun. And I love their empanados.’
‘I just hope that Franco will be able to give us a decent table. If worse comes to worst we can have a glass of champagne or something at the bar while we wait.’
But when they entered the packed restaurant Franco had no hesitation in finding them a small table for two tucked in a corner that had just been vacated, and the girls wound their way among the busy tables. Nena even had a few people to say hello to herself now, and everyone seemed pleased to see her.
It was Elisa who first caught the furtive glances directed upwards, towards the elevated gallery. That and the overly bright smiles. She frowned, her radar immediately picking up the silent messages being sent her way. But it was too late. Nena looked up too soon.
Words could not describe the chill, the utter horror she experienced when she saw them—the woman, Luisa, from the magazine, leaning towards Ramon touching his cheek in a manner denoting complete intimacy and familiarity.
At first Nena could hardly move as indescribable pain seared through her. Then, as though by some miracle of will, she reacted, pulled herself together in the space of a few seconds and went on talking as though nothing untoward had happened. But it seemed hours until they reached the table, where she sat on the edge of the bench, barely able to breathe.
‘What’s the matter, Nena? You look pale,’ Elisa said with a worried frown.
‘I’m fine.’ She sent the other woman a bright, brittle smile and tossed her hair back elegantly, damned if she was going to make a complete idiot of herself.
She’d been a fool to think Ramon would give up his old lifestyle so easily, that just because he spent so much time in her bed he’d forsake his mistress. Stupid and naïve were the correct terms. Why, oh, why hadn’t she followed her initial instinct and kept the marriage as it had been initially conceived? An arrangement. A satisfactory solution to a problem. But, no. She’d allowed herself to be swept off her feet, to fall victim to his immense charm, to his delightful manners, falling prey to his demonstrations of kindness and, let’s face it, to the passion and intimacy he’d taught her and that now formed an integral part of her existence.
Foolish and unprepared. That was what she was. Perhaps it had amused Ramon to teach her a few things, men liked to be the first man in a woman’s life, to show her the ropes, she reflected cynically, determined not to peek up towards the gallery but to maintain her dignity. She’d thought he too was enjoying their being together. Ha! What a stupid illusion. In point of fact where he really enjoyed himself was with the sophisticated Luisa, a woman of the world, one with whom he shared similar interests, friends and a life. All she was, Nena realised suddenly, swallowing back the tears welling inside and determined not to give way, was a fish out of water.
Not now.
She would not, she vowed, could not make a spectacle of herself in public. Whatever it cost, she would hold it together, eat the food that was put before her and carry on a normal, civilised conversation with Elisa as if nothing had happened. She would not, she assured herself, give that woman up there the pleasure of seeing her defeated.
Uneasily, Elisa glanced towards the gallery. She wondered if Nena had seen the couple and hesitated, caught between her desire to warn the girl and her doubt as to whether she’d noticed them. Better not mention it, she decided, in case she hadn’t. But the girl looked so pale, so drawn. And despite her efforts to make conversation and appear at ease Elisa could tell something was wrong.
She must have seen them, Elisa figured, her heart going out to Ramon’s young wife, admiring her dignity and her pride, and the fact that she hadn’t made a scene or rushed from the restaurant in tears. It took guts to face up to something like this, and she was pleased to see that Nena was no lightweight. In fact, she reflected, taking a quick peek at Ramon, apparently engrossed in conversation with Luisa, she sincerely hoped that Nena would give him a run for his money. It would do him no harm at all.
Okay, many men had double lives. The story of the casa grande and the casa pequeña was all too common—it was almost a status thing for a man to keep a beautiful mistress. But somehow Elisa felt this situation was different. There was a streak of determination in Nena that was not to be messed with. And she would not be the least surprised, Elisa reflected, if in the end Nena didn’t win the day.
Ramon rose from the table and moved aside for Luisa to pass ahead of him. Again she made sure her thigh grazed his, then turned back and spoke to him in an intimate manner as they descended the few steps from the gallery to the main part of the restaurant, touching his arm possessively.
It was at that precise moment that he saw Nena, seated at a table straight in their passage.
‘Madre de Dios,’ he muttered under his breath.
Luisa walked ahead, smiling at their friends, stopping from time to time, making sure the whole place saw them together. He could throttle her! How had he allowed himself to be sucked into this? Should he talk to Nena or pretend he hadn’t seen her? From all he could see she appeared to be having an animated conversation with his cousin’s wife Elisa.
But there was no way he could avoid direct contact with their table. Allowing Luisa to walk on ahead, heart sinking, he approached the two women, aware that every eye in the restaurant was fixed upon him. He knew the crowd only too well—knew all the restaurant was waiting in titillating suspense to see what he’d do. For a moment he hesitated. Then he made up his mind.
Damn Luisa and her below-the-belt tricks! His wife was more important, he realised suddenly, aching for her, admiring the way she was pretending to be oblivious of the scene when she must have seen him.
‘Hola,’ he said, dropping a hand on Elisa’s shoulder and a kiss on the top of her head. His eyes met Nena’s glittering ones across the table. ‘Nena. I—’
‘Hello, Ramon.’ She sent him a brittle smile that cost her a fortune in will-power. She wished she could get up right there and send a ringing slap onto that bronzed cheek of his. Instead she posed her hands elegantly on the table. ‘What a coincidence that we should find ourselves in the same restaurant. I thought you were returning later in the day.’
‘I was,’ he muttered. ‘When will you be back at the hotel?’ he asked curtly.
‘I have no idea,’ she responded coldly. ‘Oh, look, you’d better run along. Your friend is waiting at the door.’
‘Very well,’ he agreed stiffly. ‘I’ll see you at the Alvear later.’
Nena gave him a nod and a smile for the benefit of the crowd, pretending not to stare. She had never been so humiliated in the entire course of her short existence, and once, she vowed, rage stirring in her as never before, was enough.
‘Bravo, Nena,’ Elisa whispered fervently across the table once Ramon had disappeared. ‘You were simply terrific. I can’t admire you enough for the way you behaved. Luisa must have brought him here to try and prove to people that they are still together.’
‘Well, she was just proving the truth by the looks of it, wasn’t she?’ Nena responded, the neutral tone of her voice belying her boiling inner turmoil. She could kill the man, quite literally strangle him for the pain she was
feeling, the utter humiliation and sheer anguish of seeing him so intimately next to another woman.
And Luisa in particular.
She would tear Luisa’s eyes out too, if she got half a chance, she realised, a sudden new emotion that she recognised as jealousy searing though her like a white-hot arrow.
As they silently returned to the hotel Nena’s mind was on fire. She wondered when Ramon would make his appearance. If he would be there when she walked in, or if he would only come back later. But what did it really matter? She had no intention of staying anyway.
After thanking Elisa for her kindness and saying goodbye, Nena went hurriedly up to the suite and, hand trembling unlocked the door.
There was no sign of Ramon, she realised, relieved, throwing her shopping bags onto the bed and heading straight for the closet, where she dragged out her two large suitcases.
Then turning around she picked up the phone.
‘Ah, concierge? Yes. I’d like you to book me a place on the British Airways flight to London tonight, please. Yes, first class. By the window. Thank you.’
She laid down the receiver and swallowed. She’d been foolish to follow him here, to do his bidding, but it was still not too late to remedy matters.
Determined not to give way to her pent-up rage, Nena folded each item of clothing carefully before inserting it in the case. She would not allow him the satisfaction of seeing her fall apart—would not let him know how deeply he’d affected her feelings, how much the past few days and weeks had come to mean to her. They obviously represented very little to him, so what was the point?
Half an hour later she was packed and ready to leave. She called for a bellboy, still mustering all her control. The tears that had been fighting their way to the fore would just have to wait until she was by herself. Well away from him and this place.
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