Renaldo

by James McCreath

  our home forever.”

  As the last word passed his lips, Lonfranco hurled the lawyer into the

  general’s empty chair with such force that it toppled over backwards, sending

  Bucharo sprawling head over heels. It was all the newlyweds could do to keep

  from bursting out in laughter as this once-arrogant man sought to maintain

  some semblance of composure while he tried to right himself and collect his

  belongings.

  It was like watching a live performance of slapstick comedy. Bucharo

  strained to avoid Lonfranco’s reach, trying to locate his spectacles, circling the

  desk, dropping papers, and fumbling with the latch on his briefcase. The new

  husband kept taunting him, pretending to lunge in his direction. Finally, the

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  pathetic little man scurried through the doorway without a backward glance.

  Despite all the threats, the De Setas were never bothered by Lopez Bucharo

  again.

  The announcement of the De Seta - San Marco nuptials that appeared

  in the Buenos Aires newspapers within a few days of the wedding sent shock

  waves through Porteño high society. The reactions ranged from compassionate

  empathy for the grieving daughter and sister, to contempt and scurrilous gossip

  about the social climbing Italian immigrant.

  Even the general population was intrigued by the suddenness of the event.

  Had Maria returned from the continent pregnant? Had this been a marriage of

  convenience to avoid Señorita San Marco giving birth to a bastard? Speculation

  was fired not only on the streets and in the drawing rooms of high society, but

  also in the press on a daily basis.

  Reporters camped outside Casa San Marco for any storyline that would

  appease the public appetite for information. Crowds gathered alongside the

  newsmen, anxious for a glimpse of the most famous couple in the city. Servants

  were accosted as they left the walled compound. What was the true story? Was

  Maria pregnant? Was it the truth that the Italian was a peasant, eating only

  with his hands, that he had no refinement whatsoever, and was abusive to his

  new wife and the household staff?

  It was only after invitations to a giant reception in honor of the memory

  of General Figueroa San Marco and his family were sent to every person of

  prominence in the capital, as well as the working press, that the situation

  surrounding the De Setas calmed down to a large degree. The invitation also

  announced the union of the general’s only surviving heir to his former trusted

  executive assistant. The celebration would combine both homage to the fallen

  hero and acceptance of his daughter’s marriage.

  The affair was to be held three weeks hence at the elegant Alvear Palace

  Hotel’s ballroom. Along with President Roca and a host of government officials,

  the top echelons of business and the military were invited to the fête. Failure to

  receive an invitation meant humiliation and a virtual exclusion from the social

  register. The unkind gossip stopped at once, and the event was anticipated with

  great excitement.

  Lonfranco and Maria kept a very low profile in the days leading up to

  the reception. The idea of such a gathering had been Maria’s. She was not

  bothered in the slightest by the gossip surrounding her marriage. Instead, it

  was her intention to use the occasion to cement relationships with potential

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  JAMES McCREATH

  and existing business associates. She thought it an opportune way of showing

  the people that mattered just what her new partnership with Lonfranco had to

  offer them.

  With the help of Orlando Houseman and Lonfranco’s precise notes of the

  general’s business and social dealings, Maria was able to put together a guest

  list of the most influential and highly placed people. Over two hundred couples

  received invitations, and there were only a handful of regrets.

  The evening was a major triumph for the newlyweds. Masses of people

  thronged the streets surrounding the Avlear Palace. Security was extremely

  tight due to the president’s acceptance to attend, but there were to be no

  incidents on this moonlit night.

  The breathtaking crystal chandeliers of the ballroom seemed to

  captivate the guests with their shimmering light. The mood was one of pure

  enchantment.

  The host and hostess made their entrance down the sweeping circular

  stairway that intersected the edge of the huge dance floor. Maria looked

  positively radiant in her new Parisian gown. She had made certain that the fit

  was extra tight around her midsection to dispel any talk about her being in the

  family way.

  Lonfranco was a presence in his formal tails. A red carnation appointed

  his lapel, and he had the appearance of a society rogue with his tall firm frame

  and his handsome good looks. Many a lady swooned at the sight of him as he

  expertly waltzed with his new bride to the traditional first tune of the evening.

  He never felt ill at ease or out of place, despite all the unflattering things that

  had been said of him.

  He and Maria charmed everyone with whom they came in contact, and

  even President Roca was seen dancing with the new bride. The orchestra was

  the most renowned in all of Argentina, and the food the most lavish delicacies

  from three continents.

  President Roca addressed the throng of revelers briefly to remind them of

  the loss of one of the nation’s great patriots and defenders. He declared that a

  prominent public square in central Buenos Aires would be renamed Plaza San

  Marco, and that he had commissioned a mounted statue of General Figueroa

  San Marco to adorn its center. Tumultuous applause and a course of ‘bravos’

  greeted the conclusion of the President’s speech. There was hardly a dry eye in

  the ballroom.

  Behind the scenes, Maria and Lonfranco would engage in short, productive

  conversations with many of the guests that they had preselected to seek out.

  Kind words and best wishes were greeted with gracious acceptance and

  exchanged for the hope of a more intimate discussion on whatever matter was

  of mutual importance to the two parties.

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  It was like holding a series of business meetings between intervals of a

  sporting event. Interviews were given to the press, the newlyweds danced the

  tango to a cleared dance floor, and a giant wedding cake was wheeled in at

  midnight to an accompaniment of fireworks in the hotel’s garden terrace. When

  all was said and done, the Lonfranco De Setas had attained a place in Porteño

  society that would have them the most sought-after couple of the decade. But

  it was the business contacts they forged that evening that would secure their

  future and make them wealthy beyond their wildest dreams.

  The first piece of business to conduct after the lavish soirée was to obtain

  a personal audience with President Roca to remind him of his promise to the

  general. Since complying with the president’s wishes to return to active military

  duty had cost the general his life, Lonfranco was hopeful that President Roca

  would honor his pledge that the rail lands in the Pampas w
ould be freed for

  development.

  The general, who was a meticulous man and wrote minutes of all his

  meetings both private and professional, had told his executive assistant of the

  president’s offer. As added insurance, Lonfranco took along the general’s diary

  containing his handwritten notes when he and Maria were granted a few brief

  moments with Roca later that week. It was evident from the beginning that the

  president very much wanted the expansion of the Pampas economy.

  “The area must blossom quickly as a means of economic stimulation and

  also to get the population working instead of politicking!” Roca proclaimed.

  Maria, who had been thoroughly briefed by Lonfranco about all the

  general’s business ventures, assured Roca that the De Setas were perfectly

  capable of negotiating and managing the deal with the British Rail interests.

  They reminded the president that Lonfranco, and no one else, had been with the

  general in England when the initial presentation was made to the British Rail

  Overseas board. The Italian had had his hand in every aspect of the negotiations.

  He was familiar with, and known to, the British agents in Buenos Aires that

  would be reporting back to London regarding the viability of the project. Some

  encouragement delivered to the British from the presidential office was certain

  to firm up the deal. The president agreed with that hypothesis.

  Roca was so impressed with the De Setas that he signed a presidential

  decree that week authorizing the expropriation of thousands of acres of land by

  a newly formed state tribunal.

  Working closely with the Minister of the Interior, the appointed head of

  this new tribunal was none other than Lonfranco De Seta. Assisted by a team

  JAMES McCREATH

  of high-ranking civil servants and government officials, Lonfranco set about

  opening the fertile heartland of the Argentine Pampas to the world.

  Once the rail deal was signed, sealed, and delivered by the British Rail

  board, the floodgates were opened for investors, both corporate and individual,

  to flock to the new promised land. Millions of pounds sterling poured into

  every sector of the Argentine economy.

  With its technology and skilled personnel, Great Britain had developed

  and still controlled the gas, water, and telephone systems. The British population

  began to swell in the capital, reaching a very prominent pinnacle of over one

  hundred thousand souls by 1920. English schools, restaurants, social clubs, and

  political societies became very noticeable on the local landscape.

  In the midst of all of this, whenever problems arose, the man most

  often contacted by the British business community to make inroads into the

  Argentine bureaucratic labyrinth was Lonfranco De Seta.

  Directorships on several boards of foreign-owned companies followed

  success after success for the young immigrant. The final hurdle in attaining

  respectability came with the acquisition of his Argentine citizenship papers,

  which had been aided by a few well-placed directives from President Roca.

  Lonfranco was eternally thankful for the chance that he had been given to

  prove himself, and he never forgot the one who had made it all possible.

  Out of both respect and pragmatism, he styled his business persona after

  that of General Figueroa San Marco, always negotiating shrewdly but in good

  faith. His honesty and forthrightness elevated him to a position of trust and

  high standing in the foreign business community. It was said that Lonfranco

  De Seta’s word was his bond, and a gentleman’s handshake often replaced reams

  of legal documents.

  Never far from the center of things was Maria, who was updated nightly

  by her husband on the latest activities. It was much easier for a man to stroll

  the corridors of influence in chauvinistic Argentina than a woman. Thus, it was

  decided that Lonfranco would be the more visible of the two partners.

  Maria had her own staff that worked behind the scenes to plot strategy

  and integrate any social niceties into a scenario that might be in need of some

  extra attention. The arrangement worked to perfection, and there was not a

  more influential and respected couple in all of Argentina.

  Domestically, the couple always seemed to find time for romance and

  adventure. They traveled alone to England and the continent extensively,

  combining the business of cultivating new investors and cementing old ties

  with her passion for antique furniture collecting and his for fine horse flesh.

  Maria was also very active in the women’s rights movement that was

  gathering momentum across the European community. Lonfranco gave her his

  blessing in this regard, but he warned her to keep in mind that they were

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  seeking investors from the same male ruling class that she and her fellow

  ‘suffragettes’ were vocally denouncing. The two would joke incessantly about

  who got to wear the pants in the family on any particular day. It was all taken

  in the spirit of growing together as two separate, yet united people. Their life

  and love together was every bit as exciting and stimulating as they ever could

  have asked for, except in one regard.

  By the year 1915, Europe was embroiled in the Great War. Travel to that

  region of the world was far too dangerous, and the De Seta’s business interests

  had expanded to the point where they needed constant attention from the

  principals.

  The most modern rail lines in the world now carried Argentine exports

  to nearby ports. Foreign investment in machinery, factories, and technology

  were at an all-time high. Prosperity abounded. Yet, there was an unmistakable

  absence in the lives of Señor and Señora De Seta.

  Maria had been unable to bear any children in almost ten years of marriage.

  She had been able to get pregnant easily enough, but three miscarriages over

  ten years had left her frustrated and drained of much of her self-esteem as a

  woman. Lonfranco was totally devoted to her and tried to be as compassionate

  as possible. There was talk of adoption, but Maria would have none of it. In the

  fall of 1915, Maria became pregnant for the forth time and managed to carry

  the baby for seven months.

  Late one night she awoke to a wet sensation in her lower midsection. Her

  scream startled Lonfranco. He had leapt out of bed to fetch his pistol and was

  about to run into the hallway to investigate for intruders when her sobs for him

  to return to her registered.

  His heart sank as she held a bloodied hand out to show him. They were

  losing their baby! Immediately the panicked husband dispatched a coachman

  and carriage to fetch the family doctor. In the hour that it took the physician

  to arrive, the profuse bleeding had not subsided. The look on the doctor’s face

  told Lonfranco that not only was the baby’s life in grave danger, but that his

  wife needed emergency medical treatment as well.

  She was taken to Hospital Rivadavia in the family carriage. Although the

  trip took only minutes, Maria was already unconscious by the time the first

  surgeon reached her side.

  Lonfranco was ushered into a waiting area and told
to try to stay calm.

  Doctor Lujan, the family physician, stayed by the distraught husband’s side

  for the next hour until finally, Dr. Mercedes Plata, the head surgeon of the

  hospital, appeared in the room.

  He asked the two men to accompany him, then turned and proceeded to

  walk away. Lonfranco was frantic for information and raced after the doctor,

  physically grabbing his shoulder and spinning him around.

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  JAMES McCREATH

  “What is happening here, doctor? My wife and child, are they alright? I

  must be with Maria! Where is she? Where is she?”

  It was only after the last question had passed his lips that Lonfranco was

  able to focus clearly on the surgeon’s face. The tears that had been welling in

  Mercedes Plata’s eyes were freed to fall slowly down his cheeks by the irate

  husband’s jostling.

  “Please, Señor, kindly step in here.” The men entered a small room

  containing cleaning supplies, obviously not the original intended destination

  of doctor.

  “Señor De Seta, in all my years of medical practice, I have never gotten use

  to conveying the news that I must tell you now. Your wife and unborn child

  have left this world to be with our Savior, Jesus Christ. May God have mercy

  on their souls! I have called for a priest to attend to their last rites. He may be

  of some help to you tonight as well, Señor . . . ”

  The baby had been stillborn. The medical cause of Maria’s death was a

  condition known as ‘placentia previa.’ Lonfranco was told that this was a tearing

  of the mother’s placenta away from the wall of the uterus, causing massive

  hemorrhaging. She basically bled to death internally.

  Lonfranco could not fathom such a thing. He had rarely heard of birthing

  problems among the privileged classes in Buenos Aires. He assumed the finest

  surgeons and medical equipment were only blocks away from Casa San Marco.

  He and Maria had given lavishly and unselfishly to the Rivadavia Hospital’s

  modernization campaign. Society ladies never had trouble giving birth, not

  that he had ever heard of.

  It was left to Dr. Lujan to explain the realities of life to Lonfranco. “There

  are far more problems with conception and birthing that are sanitized and left

  behind private drawing room doors than any member of the male Porteño