Until the Day Breaks (California Rising Book 1) (16 page)

“You should not treat your sister that way.” Rachel told Isabella once Maria was gone.

“Did you hear what she said? She called Señora Poppycock stupid. Señora Poppycock is not stupid. She is the smartest chicken ever. You’ll see.”

“May I see her now?”

“She is probably out in the kitchen behind the house. Lupe takes care of Señora Poppycock when I’m away.” Isabella skipped out of the house with Rachel trailing after her.

“Lupe is a wonderful cook,” Rachel told Isabella as they walked around the house to the kitchen.

“Lupe likes Señora Poppycock because Señora Poppycock keeps the flies out of the kitchen.”

“How wonderful,” Rachel said.

Isabella gave Rachel a serious look. “Were you in love with the gringo from the east?”

“Steven?”

“Senõr Gains,” Isabella corrected her.

“I have always loved Steven.”

“But now you love Roman.”

“You are too young to concern yourself with love, Isabella.”

“The maids do not think I am too young. They talk about love all the time with me around. I listen all day long and have learned much about love.”

“Do the maids know you are listening when they talk?”

“No,” Isabella admitted. “I like to read books under my bed. I cannot help it if the maids do not know I am there while they clean my room.”

“Isabella,” Rachel said gently, “you should tell the maids you are under the bed so they do not talk in front of you.”

Isabella would not be distracted. “Roman loves you. He loves you more than that gringo with his funny felt hat.”

“Steven is a wonderful man. You will come to love him like everyone else. Just wait and see.”

“He is not nearly as handsome as my brother.”

Rachel tried not to smile.

“This is true and you know it,” Isabella said.

They walked through the backyard, headed for the compact building constructed well behind the hacienda so a fire in the cookhouse would not destroy the home as well.

“Roman is so handsome he steals your breath away, doesn’t he?” Isabella persisted.

“He is the most handsome man I’ve ever met,” Rachel admitted to appease the determined girl.

When Roman stepped out from behind a large magnolia tree in the backyard, crushing out his cigarillo as he did so, Isabella erupted in laughter.

“Rachel has come to meet Señora Poppycock,” she informed Roman once she stopped giggling.

“Lupe has cooked your chicken.” Roman ruffled Isabella’s hair as she passed by.

“That isn’t funny.” Isabella walked faster toward the kitchen.

“Fried chicken, my favorite.” Roman smacked his lips together.

“She will hear you and be frightened,” Isabella said.

“Lupe will not be frightened. She knows I love fried chicken.”

“Señora Poppycock will be frightened,” Isabella said in exasperation. She grabbed Rachel’s hand to drag her past Roman, leaning against the magnolia tree as if he had nothing better to do that afternoon.

When the girls stepped within reach, Roman captured Rachel’s other hand. “I need to speak with my betrothed, Isabella. Go to the kitchen by yourself.”

Isabella tugged Rachel away from him. “Rachel is spending the afternoon with me.”

Roman gently tugged Rachel back. “Let her go, Izzy.”

“You have been with her for two weeks while we were away,” Isabella complained. “I want her to meet Señora Poppycock.”

“Later, she will meet your chicken.” Roman refused to release Rachel’s hand.

“I promise, Isabella, I will meet Señora Poppycock as soon as your brother is finished speaking with me. I will see you in the kitchen.”

“After a while,” said Roman. “Go on. Señora Poppycock hasn’t touched a fly since you’ve been gone. She’s missed you so much.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Roman assured her.

After Isabella bounced away toward the kitchen, Roman turned to Rachel. “The storm washed away all the flies. It’s too cold for them right now. That chicken won’t be happy till warm weather returns the flies.” Roman didn’t release her hand. “Are you feeling strong enough for tonight?”

“I’m not sure what you mean by strong enough.” She tugged her hand from his. He seemed regretful to let her go.

“You’ve been sick. My
familia
will dance all night with the Yankees here.”

“They’ve traveled all day on horseback; certainly, they won’t dance that long.”

“It is the Californio way. With guests, the dancing will go on and on. I will tell Tio and Tia you’ve been sick. That you cannot entertain the guests tonight.”

“Please, Roman, just let your family keep their customs. I will be fine.”

“So you want to dance with him?”

“No. I want you and your family to enjoy your guests.”

“He loves you.” Roman recaptured her hand in his, holding it tightly.

Rachel held his gaze. “Yes, Steven loves me.”

He pulled her close. “Do you still love him?”

“You do not understand this kind of love.” She leaned away.

He pulled her back, and his lips crashed down on hers without warning. He kissed her passionately. Possessively. Yearningly. Until she yielded to his desire. Until she forgot about everything but Roman’s lips on hers. Until she melted against him with a soft moan and a wildly spinning head.

It was then that he ended the kiss. “I understand,” he said, his eyes bright with emotion. “It is you who does not understand love,
pequeña
.” With that, he left her standing there alone under the magnolia tree.

The music of guitars and violins filled the
sala.
The Indians played their instruments with gusto. Tio Pedro and Tia Josefa soon took to the dance floor, following the tradition of the oldest generation beginning the
baile
. They performed the stately
contradanza
while everyone sat on benches watching. All other furniture had been removed from the room. To Roman, all this was as much a part of his life as breathing. He usually enjoyed the fandangos, especially the beautiful Spanish folk dances and the dancing games that would come later in the evening, but tonight all he could think about was Rachel and Steven.

The two sat together for dinner. They interacted with such ease and affection Roman could hardly swallow his roast beef and beans. Steven had led everyone in a prayer before eating. Even now, that prayer rang in Roman’s ears. Such a grateful, humble man was Steven, even though he’d lost his
novia
after sailing across an ocean to find her. He and Rachel talked quietly about her grandparents and the goings-on back home. Roman overheard them discussing the death of Steven’s mother, and Rachel put her hand on his arm to comfort him.

Roman couldn’t take watching them any longer and turned his attention to Maria and the ship captain. Never had he seen his sister so animated, so beguiling, so beautiful. Maria hung on Captain Mason’s every word. Drinking in his tales of trading in the Orient and sailing seas all over the world. She laughed and drank wine with the Americano, encouraging him to taste the spicy peppers and refilling his wine glass again and again. It was all Roman could do not to leap across the table and knock all the gringo’s perfect white teeth out so he could no longer smile at Maria. Now there would be dancing. He didn’t know how long he could stomach the Yankees in his home.

After Tio and Tia had performed a series of dances to entertain their guests, Roman’s sweat-drenched uncle came to him and said he and Maria should begin the waltzes. Isabella had glued herself to Rachel’s side. His little sister had done a fine job of keeping Steven from Rachel since dinner. Roman noted neither Steven nor Rachel drank any wine, so he had merely sipped from his glass during the meal. He’d never liked wine much anyway. His father’s drinking was enough to last him a lifetime. Roman only drank on rare occasions to drown his feelings, like the day he’d signed the betrothal papers.

Now he escorted his sister in a waltz around the floor as he’d done so many times before. He and Maria could dance in their sleep together. For years, the padres had forbid waltzing in California due to the intimacy of the dance, but Roman could not remember those days. That was before his time. After he and Maria performed a series of waltzes, Tio, a glass of brandy in hand, came forward and told Roman and Maria to find other partners and get everyone out on the floor.

Maria didn’t waste any time pulling Captain Mason to his feet.

Roman walked over to Rachel. “May I have the pleasure of your company for the next waltz?”

She wore a beautiful lavender gown that revealed her smooth, creamy neck and shoulders. Her hair was arranged in a manner that tempted him to touch the curls beside her blushing cheeks. “I have never danced with a man,” she admitted.

Isabella sat beside her, tapping her small slippered foot to the music. “You must dance with him,” Isabella commanded. “Everyone dances in California.”

Rachel playfully tweaked Isabella’s ear as she stood up to accompany Roman.

Tia Josefa had coaxed Steven out onto the floor. With Rachel leaving her, Isabella jumped up and pulled one of the young sailors out onto the dance floor too. Servant girls quickly invited the remaining sailors to dance. It wasn’t long before the whole room swirled with dancers.

Rachel finally accepted the hand Roman held out to her as he put his other hand on her waist. “Just follow me.” He cinched her up close. “Are you ready?” Pleasure he’d never felt before with another dancer poured through him as he swept Rachel around the room, gracefully propelling their twirling bodies past the others. Sailors stumbled along. Servant girls laughed, doing their best to teach the Americanos how to dance.

Roman only had eyes for Rachel, hardly noticing the other dancers. She followed his lead, hesitantly at first, but after several turns around the room, she began to dance with him as if they’d always been paired together. She looked as happy as he felt leading her through the intricate steps. It took a while for him to notice Captain Mason sweeping Maria around the room too. Obviously, the ship captain knew how to waltz. In the Yankee’s arms, Maria glowed with beauty. Isabella appeared far too grown-up as well in the gangly arms of a youthful blond sailor.

Roman tried to hold on to the pleasure he’d first felt holding Rachel in his arms, but watching Maria and Isabella in the arms of the Americanos quickly quelled his contentment. And soon he grew angry. Americanos had no business in California. His sisters seemed to have lost their senses in the Yankees’ arms. What would come next? Yankee beds for his sisters?

He led Rachel back to her seat and took command of the
baile,
ordering the musicians to begin the games. He separated the men from the women and got everyone back to the benches so his sisters were no longer in the arms of the men. He then coaxed Tio and Tia into performing the game El Borrego
,
where a man and a woman pretended a mock battle with a butting ram. The couple sang along with the musicians. During the chorus, Tio shook a red kerchief side to side while Tia swept her skirts back and forth in a teasing manner, resembling a bullfight.

Again and again, his aunt and uncle pretended to butt one another’s kerchief and skirts in a comical way throughout the song. The Americanos laughed, especially the sailors who had consumed too much wine at dinner and now appeared to be getting drunk on Tio’s brandy. Several sailors fell off the benches, they laughed so hard.

After Tio and Tia’s entertainment, Maria took to the floor by herself, performing a series of graceful dance moves before approaching Captain Mason. The dashing Yankee sat on a bench beside Steven, watching Maria like a schoolboy. She executed a variety of pirouettes and other enchanting steps in front of the captain. He seemed charmed but confused as to what he should do.

Isabella raced over and placed Captain Mason’s hat upon his head, whispering instructions. Maria danced a little longer for his pleasure before stealing his hat and rushing away with it.

Isabella took her turn on the floor while Roman made sure Captain Mason did not linger with Maria when the ship captain redeemed his hat with money given as a gift to Maria in return for the hat. Usually, a mere peso paid for a hat, but Roman could tell by the startled look on Maria’s face that Captain Mason had placed far more than a peso in her hand. Money was hard to come by in California. This was so like the Yankees to have coins in their pocket when Californios did not.

Isabella chose the youngest sailor, the blond boy, to dance for. He too must have paid far too much money because Isabella squealed in delight when the boy redeemed his hat from her.

Roman ended the hat game and moved on to the popular pin waltz, hoping to keep his sisters away from the gringos.

Of course, Isabella and Maria chose all the Americanos as well as several of the servant girls and even Rachel to participate in this game. Those playing the game with his sisters seated themselves in a circle in the middle of the dance floor.

Roman stood back against the wall, keeping watch. He was in no mood to take part in the festivities now. Fury burned through him over his sisters’ silly behavior with the gringos. Maria designated herself “it” in the game and went to another room as Isabella hid the pin on Steven’s person. The musicians took note of where the pin was placed on the young minister. In his shoe. Steven was a good sport about it, even teasing Isabella, which seemed to win him Isabella’s favor.

Maria then came back into the room and began waltzing around the circle as Isabella hurried to her place between Rachel and the blond sailor she appeared so taken with.

While dancing, Maria began feeling her body from head to toe—this was part of the game. The musicians were to change their tempo when she placed her hand on her body where the pin was on Steven’s body. Maria went from person to person, moving on when the musicians played music that did not change.

Maria danced for a very long time in front of Captain Mason and appeared quite disappointed, giving Isabella a sharp look when the music did not rise to the occasion.

Isabella grinned, and Maria finally moved on, granting Isabella a small kick in the shin as she passed by. Isabella kicked her back, flaring Maria’s skirts to reveal expensive black stockings. The sailors roared with laughter. Roman could barely harness his rising temper.