The Daughter of Doctor Moreau(58)

“I said I’d marry you.”

That’s not what she’d asked, but she also wasn’t sure how to explain what she meant. Hers was the water and the black soil and the trees and those birds in flight not because she owned them but because they had each other. But he looked desperately in love in that moment, when he smiled at her, and it was like a second sun warming her.

They perched themselves atop the rocks until they were dry and could slip back into their clothes. She buttoned his shirt and knotted his cravat, thinking from now on she could do this for him each morning and he could tie the laces of her corset. They could do a million wonderful things for each other and there’d be no one to say no to them. They could ensure Yaxaktun was a beautiful, quiet paradise.

The part of her that felt broken and torn that morning seemed to have healed. There were no jagged edges.

She knew she’d be happy forever.

On the walk back, they held hands.





Chapter 18


    Montgomery


He rode fast, and he hoped for a misfortune to strike. Perhaps his horse should lose its shoe and he might be thrown off the mount. But no troubles assailed him, and he reached the gates of Vista Hermosa with nary a scratch.

He wanted fate to intervene so that he might not deliver the missive in his pocket, yet he also felt compelled to complete the task at hand.

The mayordomo made him wait, and Montgomery tapped his foot impatiently. Finally, after what seemed hours, the man stepped into the patio, scratching his head.

“I have a letter that must be delivered to Mr. Hernando Lizalde. You are to send a man immediately,” Montgomery said.

“Well, of course I can send someone tomorrow—”

“Immediately, I said. It’s from the young master.”

He handed the man the letter, and the mayordomo shrugged. “Very well.”

Montgomery took his horse to the stone trough so that it might drink and also filled his flask with water rather than asking the mayordomo for a glass of aguardiente. His return home was considerably slower. He paused more than once under the shade of a tree and contemplated the land around him.

He’d done it. He’d intervened in Carlota’s affairs, perhaps even precipitated a catastrophe, and he did not wish to reckon with the consequences. Should Moreau ever learn of this betrayal, he’d be yelled out of Yaxaktun.

He told himself he did it for her and still felt like a swine.

When he walked into the sitting room it was late in the afternoon. They were all gathered there, looking merry, glasses in hand.

“Mr. Laughton! You’ve made yourself scarce today,” Moreau said.

“Yes, for a minute there we didn’t think you’d be able to join the celebration,” Eduardo said.

“What are we celebrating?”

“I’ve asked for Miss Moreau’s hand in marriage, and she has accepted.”

Eduardo’s smile was a mile wide. At his side, Carlota smiled, too.

“Join us in a toast,” Moreau said, quickly pouring him a glass of wine before Montgomery had a chance to properly react. “To my daughter, a more blessed child was never had. And to her fiancé, may he make her happy.”

They all raised their glasses, although Isidro, sitting on the settee, did it without enthusiasm. He threw Montgomery a questioning look, as if trying to ascertain that he had completed his delivery. Montgomery looked away from the man and held his glass with two fingers, far and away from his mouth.

“I am the happiest of mortals, simply the happiest,” Eduardo said. “I want to have the wedding by summer’s end.”

“That should constitute a short engagement,” Isidro said.

“There is no need to wait. Where should we honeymoon? Mexico City is the logical choice, but I’d rather go farther away.”

“As long as it’s away from this spot, it ought to be fine. The creatures here make me shiver,” Isidro said. As he spoke he spilled a couple of drops of wine on his pristine shirt.

“They are rather dreadful, aren’t they?” Eduardo replied. “But it won’t be our concern once we are living in Mérida.”

“You wish to live in Mérida?” Carlota asked, turning to her future husband.

“Why not? We can’t live here.”

“But Yaxaktun is beautiful.”

“Darling, Yaxaktun is an estate not suitable for the wife of a Lizalde,” Eduardo said playfully, tipping her chin up. “Besides, I’ll want you to meet my friends and accompany me to many functions.”

“I’d like to stay closer to home, to my family.”

“I want you to have the best.”

No, you want to show her off, Montgomery thought. Like a man who has bought himself a valuable painting or a ring. A man at a shop, pointing to a trinket he’d like to buy and asking that it be wrapped for him. He stood next to Carlota with all the assurance of an owner.

“I think Yaxaktun is a nice estate.”

“Carlota, you’ve seen nothing yet.”

“Perhaps. But I’d rather have a say in these matters. After all, we must make a home, together, that is to both our liking,” she said without losing her sweetness, her hand lightly touching her fiancé’s arm. But her voice was firm.

Eduardo arched an eyebrow.