Golden Paradise (Vincente 1) (2 page)

Valentina tried to imagine what it would be like to leave this cold, barren country. It had been her world for so long. The Barretts' roots were deep in this land. Morgan's Folly had been in the Barrett family for generations, for the house and several hundred acres had been deeded to Valentina's family over five hundred years ago.

The present Duke of Warrick lived in the large, formidable castle five miles distant. At one time Morgan's Folly had belonged to the wealthy, powerful Warrick family. A distant ancestor of Valentina's had fought bravely at Lord Morgan Warrick's side during the Crusades. When her ancestor saved Lord Morgan's life, his reward had been the land Valentina's father now held in trust. Many generations of Warricks had tried to redeem the land that had once belonged to their estate, but Valentina's family had always stubbornly held on to it.

Valentina remembered her father telling her how Morgan's Folly had gotten its name. Some two hundred years ago a London newspaper had published an article about the land Morgan Warrick had deeded to the Barrett family. In the article the land had been called Morgan's Folly, and today the house and grounds were still referred to by that name.

While the lonesome-sounding wind howled and groaned, hurling icy particles of sleet against the windowpane, Valentina released all thoughts of generations past, snuggled beneath the warmth of her covers, and fell asleep.

2

Valentina had washed her hair and was sitting beside the fire drying the long tresses when she heard the front door open and saw Salamar enter. Valentina looked at her expectantly, hardly daring to hope she had received a letter from her mother and father as Salamar had predicted.

"Did it come?" she asked in a soft voice. "Did I get a letter?"

Salamar reached into her apron pocket and withdrew a letter, handing it to Valentina. "Did I not tell you it would come today?"

With trembling hands Valentina took the letter. She immediately recognized her mother's delicate handwriting. As she carefully opened the envelope, her eyes sought Salamar's. "I wasn't certain that you were serious yesterday. I thought you might have been trying to cheer me up."

"I never play games with the sight," Salamar replied. "I will only tell what I see."

Valentina excitedly tore open her mother's letter and began to read aloud:

Dearest Valentina,

Your letter caught up with your father and me in San Francisco, California. Both of us were sorely grieved when we learned of your grandmother's death. I know how alone and abandoned you must be feeling. Your father has written a letter to our solicitor in Plymouth, instructing him to advance you the money for a boat trip. I am told by your father that you should employ Merland, the gamekeeper, to board up the house and sell the stock. You are to instruct the village seamstress, Mrs. Grover, to make a wardrobe for you. Spare no expense and use the best materials. You will need clothes for all occasions. Salamar is also to be outfitted as befits her station. You and Salamar will book passage on the Berengaria on the first of March. Your father knows the captain very well. He does not usually take passengers but has assured us that you and Salamar will have every comfort. Your father and I will be waiting for you. It has been so long since I have seen you, my darling. You will be all grown up now. What fun we shall have when you arrive. This is an exciting country, unlike any other you have seen. You will determine this for yourself when you first catch sight of this golden land.

Valentina glanced quickly at Salamar. "How could you have known about the golden land? How could you—"

"Is there more to the letter?" Salamar asked, smiling ever so slightly.

Valentina was dazed by the accuracy of Salamar's prediction. It took her a moment to clear her mind and continue with her mother's letter.

Valentina, your father and I own a half interest in a gold mine where we hope to make a big strike. Gold is so plentiful in this land that many people have been known to scoop it right out of the water. Our partner, Samuel Udell, believes that we will make a strike any day now. Take care, my love. Before too long I will hold you in my arms.

Love, Mother

Valentina's eyes sparkled with happiness. She jumped to her feet and whirled around in a wide circle; then, grabbing Salamar, she danced her around the room. "We are going to be together as a family again, Salamar. Who knows what new adventure awaits us in this California."

Salamar smiled at Valentina and her eyes took on a mysterious glow, reminding Valentina that she might know exactly what awaited them in San Francisco.

The six weeks before Valentina could board the
Berengaria
passed in a busy haze of happiness. The house had to be put in order; the animals had to be sold. Hours were spent with the seamstress, fitting new gowns. At last the day came when the furniture was covered with dustsheets and the trunks were packed with new gowns, bonnets, and shoes.

Valentina felt no regret the moment she finally stepped into the buggy that would take her and Salamar to Plymouth, where they would board the
Berengaria
. There was no sadness in her heart as they pulled away from the house in which she had spent the last seven years of her life. She did not even turn back for a last look before they topped a hill and passed out of sight. Valentina's spirits were soaring and joy filled her heart; she could hardly wait to be reunited with her mother and father.

Valentina stood on the deck of the ship, watching the billowing canvas struggling to catch the wind. The
Berengaria
was a sharp, clean vessel supporting three masts. So far the journey had been uneventful. They had been blessed with a fair wind all the way from Plymouth. Now the
Berengaria
was in sight of the dreaded Cape Horn. Valentina remembered reading in books that no sailor—be he a seasoned traveler or a young cabin boy— ever breathed easily until he was safely around the Horn. Valentina stared in awe at the beauty of the magnificent sunset. The sun seemed a big red ball of fire being swallowed up by the sea. Her eyes followed the fleecy clouds that were scattered across the horizon, and she mused that they looked much like the frothy foam that danced on the waves. Raising her face to the heavens, she was unaware that she was being observed.

Captain Nathan Masterson was spellbound as he watched Valentina Barrett with her golden hair flying in the wind. She was bewitching—a lovely creature, small boned, with delicate beauty. Captain Masterson had come to know the beautiful Evonne Barrett, and the daughter had classic beauty, not unlike her mother's.

Valentina's eyes were a crystal blue, with seemingly infinite depths. Since she had come aboard, Nathan Masterson had found himself making excuses just to engage her in conversation. Indeed, it seemed he had thought of little else but her on this run. Since Valentina and her maid were the only females on board, they kept to themselves, spending most of their time below in their cabin.

The crew always went out of their way to be polite to both women. Even though they never dared approach Valentina or speak to her, they worshipped her with their eyes. She seemed unaware that she was stirring the sailors' hearts with admiration and devotion.

On his last voyage to San Francisco, Captain Masterson had met Valentina's mother and father. He had become fast friends with the Barretts after he discovered that Ward Barrett had come from the same part of England as he. The captain had consented to bring Valentina and her maid to them in California. Now, after seeing her, he was glad he had.

Wanting very much to talk to Valentina, Nathan Masterson decided to use the approaching danger of Cape Horn to engage her in conversation.

Valentina turned at the sound of heavy footsteps. Looking up into the rugged face of the captain, she smiled slightly. Captain Masterson was not handsome in the traditional sense; his skin was tanned from long hours in the sun and his blond hair was bleached almost white. There were laugh wrinkles about his sparkling blue eyes and the smile on his lips was genuine. He was of medium height, but, nonetheless, he was a commanding figure in his blue jacket and white trousers. He looked every inch the captain he was.

"I see you are taking advantage of the calmness of the sea, Miss Barrett. I feel it my duty to inform you we are in for heavy weather as we approach the Horn."

A smile curved her lips. "I feel it my duty to inform you, Captain, that I am a seasoned traveler. By the time I had reached by sixth birthday, I had stood beneath the pyramids of Egypt and walked through the ruins at the Colosseum in Rome. While I have never been around the Horn, I have been on board a ship in a typhoon, while on route to the Orient."

"I know all about your travels. Your father told me a great deal about you."

"How long have you been acquainted with my parents, Captain?"

"Ours has not been a lengthy friendship, but a solid one. We found we had much in common. As a matter of fact, your father and my uncle went to school together."

Captain Masterson watched as the dying sunlight played across the beautiful face. He was awed that anyone could look so perfect. Valentina Barrett was every man's dream of what a woman should be. She was gracious, and her manner of speech was cultured with deep, rich tone. She moved with the gracefulness of a swan floating across water.

"It's my guess that your father would have made an excellent explorer had he been born in another time, Miss Barrett. I was astounded at all his tales of adventure—and it isn't easy to astound a sea captain."

Valentina's laughter was musical. "I know what you mean, Captain. My father is, for want of a better word, a wanderer. He and my mother have covered the globe several times over. When I was younger, I traveled with them. Once I reached my twelfth birthday, my Grandmother Barrett insisted that my parents leave me with her so I could be brought up as a well-educated English miss. My father argued that the world would be my classroom, but my grandmother won in the end."

Captured by the sound of Valentina's voice, Captain Masterson leaned against the ship's rail as her story unraveled. "And were you happy to give up the wandering life, Miss Barrett?"

"Never. I detested needlework and was a total disappointment to my grandmother. She liked to say it took years for her to hone me into a proper young lady; even then she wasn't sure she had altogether succeeded."

His eyes twinkled. "Don't you think you are a proper young lady?"

She returned his smile. "I'll leave you to judge, Captain."

His heartbeat quickened as he watched the teasing light in her eyes turn to one of inquiry. "Oh, yes, Miss Barrett, I would say you are very definitely a proper young lady."

The captain shifted his eyes out to sea, fearing he would say too much. Valentina was weaving her way into his heart and he had to keep a clear head. He searched his mind for a safe subject. "Tell me, Miss Barrett, are you not just the merest fraction frightened to have embarked upon such a perilous journey alone?"

"I'm not alone, Captain. Salamar is with me."

"Ah, yes, the maid. I would venture to guess that she came to your family from one of the foreign ports you visited. Perhaps from India."

"You are almost correct, Captain. Salamar was born in Turkey, but when my grandfather found her, she was in Arabia. She is not only my maid, but my closest friend and confidante as well."

"Are you excited about being reunited with your parents in California?"

"Yes." Valentina lowered her eyes. "My grandmother has just recently passed away, making it necessary for me to join them."

"I see. California is a wild place since they discovered gold. There are so few women, I wager you will be the center of attention when you go ashore."

"Tell me what you know about California, Captain. I know very little about that part of the world."

The captain turned his eyes out to sea. "California is a golden dream for some, a nightmare for others. Since gold was discovered in 1848, at Sutter's Mill, people have flocked to her shores from all over the world. To my way of thinking, they are trampling beneath their feet the greatest treasure, if they could but see it. I believe California is the land of milk and honey. All a man would have to do is poke a seed in the ground and it would take root."

"You sound like you love the land. I wonder why you took to sea, Captain."

He laughed down at her. "I took to the sea because my family owned three ships and had three sons. As you see, I had very little choice. I will tell you this, though; if I were a young man starting out, I'd go to California and buy land—not to dig for gold, but to cultivate and watch things grow. The Spanish dons have the right idea."

"There is a great Spanish influence in California, isn't there?"

"Indeed, yes. The land once belonged to Spain, and later Mexico. Many of the Spanish still live there as if they were kings. Some are of high birth. They are of pure blood and speak Castilian Spanish. If this land boasts of having nobility, it is the Spanish grandees."

At that moment a huge wave slammed against the side of the ship, giving warning of things to come. Valentina gazed at the monstrous, blue-black outline in the distance and knew they were in sight of the Horn. Pulling her cape tightly about her, she shivered from the cold and a dread of the unknown.

"You should go below now, Miss Barrett. The closer to the Horn we get, the rougher the sea will become." Captain Masterson was sorry that the conversation had to end. He had been thoroughly enchanted by Miss Valentina Barrett. But duty called. The Horn waited for no man.

Valentina glanced at the rolling, churning sea and felt a flicker of fear. Raising her head to the heavens, she saw that ominous clouds were blackening the sky, completely hiding the sunset. "How long will it take to make the voyage around the Horn, Captain?"

"If luck is with us, we will be around it in little more than a week. It could take longer—one never predicts time when facing the unpredictable Horn. It's bad luck. 'Tis said by sailors of old that if the Horn hears you, your ship will not make it around at all."

Valentina caught the humor in his eyes. She smiled and nodded her head. "If you will excuse me, I will go below." She could sense that Captain Masterson had already turned his attention to the
Berengaria
and the task at hand. Moving away, she made her way back to her cabin, knowing the captain was needed at the helm.