La Luna de Miel Chapter Two: Breakfast at Casa Montoya
Best intentions aside, the new señor and señora found that washing, dressing, and getting downstairs ended up taking longer than it might have another day. Perhaps if Mano had not again shooed off the maid, as he had the night before, the couple might not have succumbed to laughter...and other diversions. "Believe it or not, mi esposa, I can help you with this corset," he had insisted. His idea of helping did not match Carmen's, but at last they did dress, They chose somewhat formal attire: Mano, a white shirt with his customary silver studded pants; Carmen, a fitted blue dress with a scooped neckline, cut low yet tasteful, not provocative.
"Señora Montoya?" Mano said, offering his arm at the top of the stairs. Carmen smiled as she took it. "You look beautiful this morning. A pretty blue dress, just the right...length." He was not looking at the hem. I am glad she does not want to look like a nun, he thought, but my Carmen manages to be modest, too. I don't want other men thinking about what only I know.
"Gracias, Señor Montoya. And wipe that grin off your face. They may guess what we have been up to," she said with a chuckle as he raised an eyebrow and nodded in agreement. They descended the stairs and entered the grand dining hall of the Hacienda Montoya, where silver and crystal gleamed, and the Spanish oak sideboard groaned under the weight of platters of food.
"Good morning my nephew and my lovely new niece. I trust you slept well?" Don Domingo de Montoya, the patrón of Rancho Montoya and Mano's uncle, looked up, rising halfway as a sign of politeness, then settling again in his chair.
"Thank you, Tío. The new bed is magnificent and the bed linens..." Manolito trailed off, uncomfortable once he realized what he was discussing at the breakfast table. "What I mean to say is…" he tried again.
"Shhhh, Manolito!" Carmen smiled, placing her hand over his mouth in a playful gesture.
Don Domingo laughed and after a second or two, so did Mano and Carmen. the self conscious laughter of an inside joke. "Permiso," Mano pulled out a chair and invited Carmen to sit, then walked to the sideboard. He filled two gilded china plates with scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes, bacon, and hard rolls. He set the plates down, one in front of Carmen and the other at the place opposite her, since Don Domingo already occupied the head of the massive rectangular table. As he sat, servants rushed to pour hot coffee for them both and they occupied themselves with the business of eating for several minutes.
How hungry I am, thought Mano, observing that he had heaped his plate full, unusual for him. He had done the same for Carmen, he realized. His face felt warm as he thought about the cause of his appetite. Such discomfiture was new to him, even slight embarrassment a feeling to which he was unaccustomed. He caught Carmen looking at him with a sly smile, as if she knew his secret. Which of course, she did.
"Good morning!" a feminine voice rang out.
"Ah, good morning, my beautiful niece," Don Domingo announced, standing as Victoria Cannon glided in, radiant, a swish of rose chiffon, followed by her husband and brother-in-law, both smiling also on this happiest of mornings. Mano stood as well while John pulled out the chair next to Carmen for his own wife, who sat.
"Please, sit down," Victoria smiled at her uncle and brother, then turned to greet Carmen, speaking a few words to her new sister-in-law in a low voice that none of the men could hear. Carmen whispered an answer and both women appeared next to...did they giggle? Mano could not tell. How nice that they get along...I think. Buck loaded his plate as was his custom; John filled his and Victoria's, and the men sat down as servants hurried in with coffee.
"My, Mano, you got yourself a appetite this morning!" Buck exclaimed as he plopped down into the chair beside his friend. "I ain't never seen you…" he broke off, aware of both John and Mano glaring at him. "I mean, ah…" Victoria's eyes widened. Carmen, blushing and trying not to laugh, looked down at her plate. An awkward silence fell but for less than a minute as the women tried to contain themselves but could not. Carmen and Victoria started to giggle again, then burst into laughter as the men joined in. Whew, Buck shook his head. Glad I got outta that one, he, thought relieved. His brow furrowed as he glanced at his brother. Hmmm, Big John's plate's pretty full, too. Buck snickered.
Mano cleared his throat and spoke. "Carmen and I wish to thank you all for giving us a marvelous day yesterday. It was all we could have hoped for."
"Yes, it was," Carmen echoed her husband. "And Tío and Victoria, we especially thank you. We are most grateful."
"What else for my nephew and, now, my new niece?" Domingo replied while Victoria beamed.
"Mano, what y'all gonna…" Buck's question was interrupted and the merriment ended as the men rose again. In marched the Doña Dolores, her husband, Hector, behind. We are shore doin' a lotta poppin' up an' down, Buck thought, but even he stood, yanking his napkin from under his chin. Hector pulled out the chair opposite Don Domingo, and Carmen's mother settled herself at the foot of the grand table, much as any queen would assume her throne. All nodded and expressed their greetings to the newcomers.
"Buenos dias, Señor y Señora Santos," Don Domingo said. "I trust my servants have attended to your needs?"
"Sí, gracias," Hector replied with an affable smile. The Doña Dolores nodded. A vampire queen, Mano thought. A fantasma. A demon. He no longer felt hungry and he was thankful that Big John sat at the Doña's right rather than he, Manolo Montoya, the new son-in-law.
Mano offered his in-laws a polite, perfunctory smile. Carmen grinned. "Good morning Mamá, Hector."
"I trust you slept well, daughter?" the Doña asked, tilting her head back and squinting at Mano through fleshy eyelids. Carmen said nothing, but her face reddened.
"The Vargas family, will they dine this morning?" Domingo asked, though he knew the answer already.
"Not with us," Hector said. "The children have already been fed. The governess saw to that, with the assistance of your cook. They ate in the kitchen, I believe. The servants took something to Carlos and Maria in their room. They will not be joining us for breakfast."
Good, thought Victoria, inhaling a deep breath. I never ever wish to see those people again. Mano watched his sister's face and read her thoughts, as only he could do. Victoria, rising to my defense once more, he shook his head and smiled. John focused on his eggs, bacon, and roll, while Buck ate with his usual gusto. The servants rushed in, directed by the chief servant Pepe, bringing coffee and also preparing plates of food which they carried to the Santoses from the sideboard. Hector smiled and nodded his thanks. The Doña Dolores gave a curt nod as well.
All fell to eating, except Mano, who now picked at his food.
"What are your plans, Señor Santos?" John Cannon asked, breaking the silence.
"As we have told Carmen," Hector replied, "we go to Hermosillo today. Gracias, again, Don Domingo, for the use of your carriages and men. I will arrange for my agent to open up my property there so that the Vargases may see their new home and plan accordingly."
"Then we take the stage to Mexico City," the Doña Dolores chimed in, her voice calm, just a bit shrill. "Hector has booked two coaches, necessary with the children and such."
"Oh, and how long will you be in Hermosillo?" Mano asked, pretending nonchalance. He had no intention of taking Carmen there until they were gone.
"Until Tuesday. The stages are booked for Tuesday," Hector answered. "We had intended to stay at Rancho Montoya till then, but circumstances what they are, it is best we settle business in Hermosillo and then proceed to Mexico City. Dolores and I eventually will return to Veracruz."
Ah, Mano thought, then Carmen and I will stay with Tío till Tuesday or even the day after, just to be safe. He made a mental note to ask one of the Montoya drivers to reserve a suite for them at the Hotel Nacional and to book tickets to the theatre and opera, all with the greatest discretion. Jorge usually drove guests to the stage in Hermosillo. Jorge will do this for me, Mano knew. He smiled a tight-lipped smile.
"It is just as well you avoid Veracruz for the rest of the spring, is it not?" Domingo asked. "The malaria, the yellow fever...are they not worse in this season along the coast?"
"Sí, but one stays inside," Hector answered.
"I am not afraid of yellow fever or malaria," announced the Doña Dolores. Of course not, Mano thought. I believe those diseases should be afraid of you. Ay yi yi.
VKS & MJRod claim the creation of Carmen Navarro, although we took her first name from a David Dortort script proposal. We also are the creators of the Vargas clan , Rancho Navarro and its people including Delgado, and all of the characters in and around Hermosillo. We would have nothing to create were it not for our favorite western, "The High Chaparral," to which we pay tribute.