They noticed that Lance was upset at the fact that he thought Scott was courting Jean. The dectuplets didn't want Lance to stress over this, since it their idea. Most of it, anyway. Ma.Xacinta decided to sort things out.

"Don't worry, you see, they weren't from Scott, they were from Pietro. Or, well, from us."she told him.

"Pietro? You?"

"You see, this is what we're doing. We are going to get Scott and Rogue together. But first, we must see that Scott forgets about Jean, we thought about maybe just erasing that, but well, we thought it might be more exciting this way. I don't know if you saw the look of surprise on his face. Well, you didn't, because of those shades, nobody did, but he was surprised."

Lance picked up his glass, and took a sip, thinking. Really, why hadn't he thought of this himself? It was a great plan! Even better than having him tied up and beat! This way, he would suffer twice as much.

"Why didn't I think of that?"

"Well, we didn't think of it either. It was actually the octs' idea. You see, they told Sissy that Rogue likes Scott, and they want her to be happy, so, we decided to make Rogue happy, and Jean and Scott miserable. Scott will simply have to forget about Jean."

"And she will just have a secret admirer?"

"No, no, not just that. You see, this secret admirer is actually Pietro. We already found out, you see, we told Rogue, who told Scott, who wouldn't believe it, and is now in a state of shock about what he just saw."

"Yes, he is. This is just great. Count me in!"

Kitty was talking to Ma.Ximena in the nursery.

"Who could that have been?"

"Well, let me guess. I guess it couldn't have been Sissy. Sissy's too smart."

"I wasn't joking."

"Well, if you're not joking, then I don't really know, but I think we might know the person who send them."

"I thought you said you didn't know."

"I'm not sure, but I have an idea. You see, Gatica, what most people here haven't seen is that Pietro and Jean are courting each other. You see, they don't want anyone to know because they will get in their way. So that's probably why the note said from you know who. Because she knows who."

"Then it's not really from a secret admirer."

"I guess not."

Jesus, Mama Teta, Rebecca and Guillermo were still in the front hall, laughing about what was in the note.

"What an idiot!"Jesus said. "Doesn't he realize that el mundo and la tierra are basically the same thing?"

"It appears he didn't."Mama Teta answered.

Sissy groaned when she heard that.

"Stupid girls."she thought.

"How stupid was it of you to write that note like that."

"We thought it sounded funny, Sissy."

"Well, you should stop trying to be funny!"

"Sissy, it's no the end of the world."

Scott still couldn't believe what he had seen. He decided to ask Pietro exactly what he intended to do. He walked out to the fields, and found him.

"What do you think you're doing? Sending Jean flowers?"

"What? I never send anybody flowers, Summers. And even if I did, it would be none of your business."

"Well, guess what, it is my business."

"I don't see why. I'm free to do whatever I like in my spare time. To court and send flowers to whomever I like, you know. I just have to keep up with my duties, and the patron leaves me alone, to do whatever I please. You are nobody to tell me what I can or cant' do. If you disagree, would you like to go to talk to the patron about it? Surely he will confirm what I just said."

Pietro turned around, mounted his horse, and rode off. He didn't think he could suppress his giggles any longer if he stood there, and that would be fatal. The dectuplets warned him to be careful. That one little mistake could cost them the whole thing. He wasn't going to risk, because getting Scott with Rogue wasn't the only thing he was risking, but his own future. For that reason, he had to be twice as careful, to please them.

Scott was talking to Rogue in the balllroom, since he couldn't go into the nursery. He had been warned several times to stay away from the babies, after what Ma.Eugenia had said about him, and if Francisca caught him, he could most likely consider himself dead, since she would probably beat him to death with her fan, or whatever she could get her hands on.

"So, you were right."Scott was saying to Rogue.

"I was hoping I wasn't right."

"Well, you were. I shouldn't have been so blind. I should've suspected everything. After all, she did date Duncan back in Bayville. I shouldn't be surpised."

"Well, yeah, I guess."

He smiled.

"Maybe there's a bit of truth in what the dectuplets, Chachi, and Ma.Eugenia say about me, after all. You know, that I'm cursed."

"That's just stupid. They'll believe anything. Besides Chachi is crazy. She should locked up."

"And Ma.Eugenia and the dectuplets? They never lie. They're always right."

"Well, the decs were right in the fact that Jean isn't worth anything, and Ma.Eugenia, well, she's...she was probably lying, too."

"I doubt someone like Ma.Eugenia even knows what lying is. She lives by a very strict set of rules that forbid her to lie. If she would ever catch herself doing it, she would run to confess."

"Which she does all the time."

"Yeah."

That evening Chachi arrived with her parents, and her brother, Carlos. She didn't seem to have changed much. She was still her arrogant self. She ran to be hugged by Mama Teta.

"You see, Mama Teta,"she was saying, showing Mama Teta the new ring her father had given her for her birthday. "It's made out of real stones."

"I see."

Chachi left Mama Teta and went toward Kitty.

"I see you haven't changed one bit. You still don't dress properly. Tsk, tsk, if I was you, I'd have died of shame a long, long time ago."

"Well, you're not me"

"And thank God I'm not. I don't know how anyone could ever have married you. You're a disgrace."

"Chachi, can't you leave people alone?"asked Ma.Xamila.

"I was just saying the truth."she said inoccently.

"Well, then don't say the truth."

At the dinner table, Scott wasn't the only one who had to leave. Pietro did, too, as Cachi refused to dine in the company of an overseer. However, Francisca insisted that Pietro be treated with respect, and insisted that Pietro come back to dine with them.

"But, Tia, just look at him, he's filthy! I don't want to dine with him."

"Then he will simply have to sit on the other end of the table, but not in the kitchen."

Chachi was very mad at no having gotten her own way, and refused to eat a bite. Ma.Eugenia was delighted at the way Francisca had spoken to Chachi. It was no more than she deserved. Chachi was very hateful all during dinner.

Pietro was grateful that Francisca had not allowed him to dine in the kitchen. That would be humiliating. However, he was delighted at the fact that Francisca defended him from her own niece. That meant that he definitely had a shot at marrying one of the dectuplets. Then, remembering what they had said, he sat as close as possible to Jean, even though, he was sitting away from everyone. And he kept glancing at her, just as they had instructed them to do.

"I still don't understand that if you have a secret admirer, why you need Pietro, then?"Ma.Eugenia was asking.

"Well, you see, Maru, that was just because that was the plan. Period. Anyways, things seem to be working out great, don't they?"

"I guess so. And by the way, you still haven't told me that secret you were going to tell me when I reconciled with my father. I haven't forgotten you know."

"Neither have we. But not now. We will tell you, let's say sometime tomorrow, would that be good. You will be quite shocked."

"Will I? I'm starting to think you're going to tell me that I'm going to die."

"Well, we're all going to die someday, aren't we? Who knows, maybe someone who has a terminal illness will live many, many years more than someone who doesn't."

"Yes, they might."

"Well, then don't be so impatient. We'll tell you, don't worry."

"I won't."

The next morning, Ma.Xamila was discussing the event of the previous day with Pietro.

"It worked perfectly."

"Of course, it did. You see, Summers even came and asked me what was I pretending, sending her flowers."

"Perfect. Things are going even better than planned. Now, you should talk to her more. We know all her habits, and the places where you can find her at what times. Lance has already given permission, that you could sneak in the house every now and then, when no one's looking. They will let you in, and keep the secret."

"Perfect."

"You need to be go to the fountain that's behind the garden walls at one thirty today."

"I will be there, no mistake."

"We'll figure some way of having Summers notice it. So he'll see what we want him to see. He won't be close enough to hear what you say, so just don't try to make her mad, or anything, just pretend to be having a pleasant time."

"Don't worry, just leave it to me."

Ma.Xamila smiled.

"I'm glad we have someone we can depend on. Mother was right about you."

At one thirty that day, Pietro rode his horse toward the garden walls. As Ma.Xamila told him, Jean was there, reading a book.

"Good afternoon."he said, dismounting. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I come here every day at this time."

"Yes, it is quite a pleasant place, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is."she agreed.

The dectuplets had arranged so that Scott would be looking at precisely that spot at that particular hour. They did this by telling him that Jean had told them they wanted to see him, and he waited by the window. He looked down, and to his surprise saw Jean and Pietro talking calmly. No, not calmly, they appeared to be having a good time.

Meanwhile, the dectuplets were finally telling Ma.Eugenia what they had promised.

"So, what is it?"

"You see, we didn't say anything before, and you better not say anything to anyone, but you know, you have another relative. Your father actually has a half-brother whose alive."