Golden Paradise (Vincente 1) Read online

  Salamar watched Valentina come up the path and met her at the door. Raising her finger to her lips, she cautioned her to be quiet. "Your mother is sleeping," she whispered, her face beaming a welcome. "How is your ankle?" Salamar inquired, glancing down at her riding boots, satisfied that since Valentina walked without a limp, she must be fully recovered.

  "I have no pain at all. The Vincentes's doctor was a very cautious man, but he made too much fuss." Valentina smiled and hugged Salamar. "Was mother very worried about me?"

  "Not after Santiago came by and told her what had happened. Doctor Cline convinced her that the Vincente family was very respectable and that you could not be in better hands."

  The night was chilly and Salamar steered Valentina to the hearth and seated her in a chair. Valentina leaned back and closed her eyes while Salamar brought her a bowl of meat and vegetables. They talked in low voices so they would not disturb Valentina's mother in the next room.

  "How is Mother feeling, Salamar? I have been so concerned about her."

  "Some days I think she is growing stronger, then the next day she can become weak and listless again." Salamar shrugged her shoulders and shook her head sadly. "It is not your mother's physical health I am worried about. She has very little will to rise from her sickbed. I take it, from what Santiago told us, that you never reached your father's mine."

  "No, but I shall try again. I promised Mother I would learn the truth about Father, and I will."

  Valentina had not been eating, so Salamar took the spoon from her and raised it to her lips, daring her to refuse the bit she offered her. "All in good time, Valentina. We have a more pressing problem at the moment."

  "Money," Valentina said, understanding Salamar's concern. "We are running out of money."

  "Yes, for medicine."

  "I don't suppose it helped Mother any when she heard I was in an accident."

  "She was upset at first, but Santiago was very convincing when he told her you were all right. As I told you, Doctor Cline helped assure her that you were in good hands. He said the Vincentes were considered California nobility. He told your mother that when the history of California is recorded, the Vincente name will head the list for important families."

  "I found them to be the kindest, most gracious people I have ever known. They made me feel so welcome. They treated me as if I were doing them a favor by staying with them."

  "The Californians are known for their hospitality. It is said that when the first Europeans came to these shores, the Spanish welcomed them with open arms. The Spaniards had been dissatisfied with the corrupt Mexican rule for some time. This is their country, but many of them are willing to give the Americans a chance. They hope for something better for California than what the Mexican government offered."

  Valentina took the last bite of her meat and smiled at Salamar. "I can see you have done your homework. You have only been in this country a short time and already you know the history. I am constantly amazed by your ability to glean knowledge."

  The maid smiled slightly. "I got my thirst for knowledge from you, Valentina. You have made me aware that there are not enough years in one's lifetime to learn all the facts a hungry mind craves." Salamar took the empty bowl from Valentina and stood. "The doctor often brings the newspaper to your mother. Since you have been away, I have been reading it aloud to her; that is how I learned about California."

  Feeling drained, Valentina leaned her head back against the wooden chair. "I don't know what we are going to do, Salamar. As you pointed out, we are running out of money. If it weren't for mother's ill health, we would move to the mine and I would work Father's claim."

  Picking up the kettle of hot water from the hearth, Salamar watched the flickering firelight play across Valentina's face. "I didn't want to tell you this until you had rested, but I fear things are much worse than before. Two days ago your mother bumped against the table, knocking her medicine off and spilling the contents on the floor. I had to buy another bottle from Doctor Cline and it took almost all the money we had left. There is very little money for food, Valentina; when we have eaten what is in the house, there will be no money to buy more. I was reminded today by Mr. Lawton that the rent on this cabin comes due in less than a week."

  Valentina felt as if the walls were closing in on her. "Does Mother suspect that we are running out of

  9"

  money:

  "No. I have kept it from her." She moved across the floor until she stood in front of the table.

  Valentina held out her hands to the warmth of the fire, feeling the weight of the world pressing upon her. "I will just have to find employment of some kind."

  "That would be the solution, but what are you qualified for?" Salamar asked bluntly.

  "I could teach school." Valentina heard the splash of water as Salamar filled the basin; then she heard the clatter of dishes.

  "There are no children here. This is a gold field town. The miners have not yet sent for their families. Whom would you teach?"

  "I suppose I could become a seamstress."

  "The kind of women who live in San Francisco either work in the saloon or are like Prudence Lawton."

  Valentina shook her head in defeat. "The only thing I am qualified to do is dance. That is the one thing I do well. I fear there is no demand here in San Francisco for a dancer with my qualifications."

  Salamar plunged a bowl into the soapy dishwater. "I already thought of that. I, myself, went to the Crystal Palace Saloon next door and told the owner, Tyree Garth, that I was a dancer. He was not unkind, but he readily pointed out the fact that I am past my prime."

  Valentina stared at the leaping flame, despairing that there was no solution to their plight. "I would rather not, but tomorrow I will talk to Reverend Lawton and see if he will allow us to stay on here until I find employment."

  "He claims to be a man of God, but there is something about him I do not like. Be careful around him."

  Valentina felt the same way. Percival Lawton seemed much more eager to condemn his fellow men than to teach them about the love of God. She dreaded the thought of facing him and asking for charity. She did not want to be under any obligation to the man or his sister. Valentina would have to find employment as soon as possible.

  "How much money do you have, Salamar?"

  "Four dollars."

  "I have five. It will take all we have to buy meat for Mother. The doctor stressed how important it was that she have red meat. I believe for the first time in my life I am frightened, Salamar."

  Salamar sat down near the hearth and poked at the fire with the heavy tongs. As the sparks scattered into the air, a glazed look came into her eyes, the kind of look she always got when she was looking into the future. "Do not fear, Valentina. You will soon know your way . . . tomorrow you will learn what you must do."

  "If you know what will happen, then tell me, Salamar," Valentina pleaded. "Believe me, I could use the assurance of knowing the future at this moment."

  Salamar shook her head. "You will know when the time comes. Tell me this, Valentina. Did you meet the man with dark eyes?"

  "Yes, you foresaw this, didn't you?"

  "Yes."

  "Will he play a part in my life ... or will I never see him again?"

  "I believe at this moment he searches for something on your behalf. Is this not so?"

  "That's true. He said he would try to find my father." Valentina's voice rose excitedly. "Please tell me if—"

  "Ask me no questions, Valentina. It is not good to know too much about the future. Allow things to develop as the Lord intends."

  "Sometimes I feel like I have my back against a wall, Salamar. Would you tell me if you knew my father's fate?"

  "Of course I would tell you that if I knew, but I do not. I do not see everything in the future. The sight is a little, like a door barely cracked to let in light. Your mother seems to believe he is alive, and I trust in her feelings for him."

  Valentina stood up and began to
undress for bed. Her thoughts were of her meeting with Reverend Lawton the next day. Something about him made her feel very uncomfortable. When he touched her, it made her skin crawl. She was so weary that she pushed all unpleasant thoughts out of her mind and fell asleep almost the moment her head rested on the soft pillow.

  Valentina had washed her mother's hair, braided it in one long braid, and tied it with a green ribbon. After giving her mother a dose of medicine, she sat beside her, holding her frail hand.

  "I was glad to find you home when I awoke this morning, Valentina. I feel it is my fault that you put yourself in danger."

  "Nonsense. I was never in any danger." Valentina looked into her mother's soft eyes, seeing a beauty that time could not erase. "You are very lovely, Mother. I can well see why Father fell in love with you."

  Evonne Barrett raised her daughter's hand to her cheek. "I will always want to look beautiful for your father. I must get well so when he returns I won't look so pale."

  "You could never be anything but beautiful," Valentina said, glancing at her mother's lovely face, which was unmarred by her illness. "You have what one would call a timeless beauty, Mother. When you are eighty, you will still be very lovely.'1

  Evonne smiled at her daughter. "You are the lovely one, my dearest daughter. You don't know how lovely you are, do you?"

  "I believe I am passingly pretty."

  Evonne laughed for the first time in days. "Stay modest and sweet, my love. It is very becoming in a beautiful woman."

  "What does it feel like to be in love, Mother?" Valentina wanted to know. "You and Father were in love from the first moment you met, were you not?"

  Evonne raised her hand and touched her daughter's cheek. "Yes, the very moment our eyes met. To know love is to feel pain; it is also to know great happiness. It is loving one person so much that his happiness comes before your own."

  "How can one know if she is in love?"

  Evonne's eyes clouded and she took an unsteady breath. "You will know when the real thing comes into your heart. You will be willing to make any sacrifice for that love. There was a time when, as Jordanna the dancer, I was the rage of all Paris. Men stood in line just to have me say hello to them. When I met your father, I turned my back on fame with no regrets. I never missed the excitement of dancing; all I wanted was to be Ward's wife. I believe that is what will happen with you, Valentina. You will be like me and know the man you love the moment you see him."

  Valentina thought of the velvet-eyed Spaniard and knew he had most certainly touched her heart. But was it love? she wondered. If so, it was a love that was doomed to failure because he was soon to marry. Not wanting to think about Marquis, Valentina leaned forward and touched her lips to her mother's flushed cheek. "I am no beauty like you, Mother. I may never know the kind of love that you and Father have shared."

  Evonne took her daughter's chin in her hand and raised her face to the light. "Oh, my dearest daughter, you are fairer than I ever was. You are so beautiful that you will make all the men fall in love with you. If you were dancing in Paris, you would be a sensation, for your talent far exceeds mine. Many gentlemen would offer you the world. But you must be wise and wait for just the right man."

  Valentina laughed delightedly. "So speaks my mother. You look at me through eyes of love. You don't see my imperfections."

  Evonne tugged at Valentina's hair. "Think what you will. All too soon, men will shower you with attention."

  Valentina was thoughtful for a moment. "Are you sure you never miss being Jordanna, the prima ballerina of Paris, Mother?"

  "Not one day of my life. Loving and being loved by your father was all I ever cared about. I know there were times when you felt cut out of our life, Valentina, but I had to go with your father. I will never regret that I spent all my time with him. You will understand this one day."

  "Strangely enough, I never felt cut out of your life. I have always known that you and Father loved me. Of course there were times when I could have died of loneliness, but I believe I took some kind of satisfaction in your love for each other. However, I do not think when I marry that I shall leave my children with anyone."

  Evonne's eyes drifted shut and she murmured, "No, I do not think you ever would. You will make a far better mother than I, for not only are you lovely, but you also have a kind and loving heart. Your nature is such that you don't even realize that you are lovely beyond compare."

  Seeing her mother was tiring, Valentina moved quietly out of the room. Salamar was preparing lunch, and the cooking meat sent out a delicious aroma. Valentina tried not to think about the emptiness in her stomach. She and Salamar would eat only the broth, hiding the fact from her mother that she alone would have meat to eat.

  "I am going to see Mr. Lawton now," Valentina told Salamar. "Pray that he has a kind and understanding heart." Salamar glanced up at Valentina and snorted. They both knew the good reverend had very little heart.

  Reverend Lawton answered the door to Valentina's knock. His shadow fell across her face as he stepped onto the front porch. "I was saying to my sister just this morning that I was expecting a visit from you," he said, dabbing at his face with his handkerchief, a habit of his that was beginning to irritate Valentina.

  "I have come to talk to you about the rent, Mr. Lawton." She could not help compare the way he was watching her to the way a cat watches a mouse.

  Valentina instinctively drew back when he picked up her hand, turned it over, and studied it intently. "You haven't done much hard work in your life, have you, Miss Barrett? I would say you have been spoiled."

  "I haven't worked as a field hand, but I have done my share of housework. I was not. brought up much differently from most English girls."

  "You haven't labored very hard; you have a maid to do that for you. I'm sure that isn't the case with most of your English misses. It certainly isn't the case in this country."

  "I suppose there is some truth in that," she answered, not knowing what point he was trying to make. She could not afford to offend the man if she were going to ask him to allow her more time to pay the rent.

  "Idle hands are the devil's playthings, you know, Miss Barrett."

  "I have heard that saying. My grandmother was always fond of saying 'busy hands are happy hands.' I believe I prefer her expression." Valentina knew she was saying anything that popped into her head, trying to avoid the subject that was foremost in her mind.

  "So you have been taught about the sins of idleness." Percival Lawton smiled wholeheartedly. "Come into the house, Miss Barrett. There is something I have been wanting to speak to you about."

  Valentina reluctantly walked into the small parlor with its dark, gloomy furnishings. There was no cheerful color in the room. Decorated in drab browns, it was stiff, formal, and uncomfortable. She had a feeling that nothing would grow in this darkened room. She felt the oppression, the lack of air.

  "Won't you have a seat, Miss Barrett. My sister is away or she would offer you tea."

  Valentina stood near the door. "I shouldn't come in if your sister isn't at home," she said nervously.

  "Nonsense. I am a man of God. It is perfectly acceptable for you to be alone with me. It is much more proper than your wandering around the country with that native, Santiago."

  Valentina knew it would not be wise to argue the point. Her grandmother had once remarked to her that those who ask favors are not in a bargaining position. Valentina now understood what her grandmother had meant. Deciding the best way to proceed was to get right to the point, Valentina took a deep breath and dropped down on the stiff horsehair sofa.

  "I know the rent on the cabin is due at the end of the week. I was wondering if you would mind waiting a few days until 1 can find employment."

  Reverend Lawton seated himself beside Valentina, sliding so close that his leg pressed against hers. "You should have thought about looking for work instead of traipsing off to look for your father. With your mother's illness, you have a big responsibility."
/>   "I realize that. I intend to find a job as soon as possible."

  Glancing at her through watery eyes, Percival Lawton spoke. "The road to glory is paved with good intentions. What would I do in my business if I asked poor sinners to wait a bit." Valentina noticed that the reverend was staring at the neck of her gown and she shivered with disgust. His mouth was saying one thing, but his eyes were speaking another language. They were leering eyes—lecherous eyes.

  "Will you give me a week to get the money?" she asked, resisting the urge to move away from him.

  He was quiet for a moment, as if he were pondering the idea. "I tell you what I will do," he said at last, reaching out his hand and capturing Valentina's. "I have been looking for a wife. I believe, with my sister's training, you could be a proper helpmate for a man of God."

  Valentina almost choked on her surprise. She had expected anything but this. "I hardly know you, sir. Besides, I cannot marry anyone at this time, Mr. Lawton. My mother is my responsibility. She needs me." She fought down the nausea that assailed her at the thought of being this man's wife.

  "If . . . you become my wife, your mother will become my responsibility," he said meaningfully. "I wouldn't object if she were to live in the cabin out back, rent free, if we were married. I wouldn't even object to that foreign-looking maid of yours staying with her."

  Valentina stood up on shaky legs. "I do not believe you and I are suited to one another, sir. You would need a wife who would be subservient to your will. I am told that I am too strong-minded for my own good. I am opinionated and not at all meek. You would tire of me quickly."

  Percival stood up and, to Valentina's disgust, ran his hand down the front of her gown before cupping her firm young breasts. She jumped back and gave him a look of horror, but he forestalled what she was about to say. "I am a man with strong needs. Just because I carry God's cross doesn't mean that I'm not a man with feelings like everyone else."