Marta walked through the halls of the hacienda, her arms full of material. She could barely see over the top of the stack, but she was almost to the guest room. She turned quickly into the alcove and bumped headlong into an unexpected obstacle.
“Felipe! What are you doing?” she exclaimed, annoyed.
“*I’m sorry,*” he signed, “*Can you give this to Anna for me?*” He held out a book to her.
“Yes, of course, put it on top.”
He slid the book under her chin on top of the pile of clothes.
“Now get out of my way. This is awkward to carry!” Marta said, and swept by him into the guest room.
Marta dropped the clothes on to the foot of the bed and placed her hands on her hips.
“Well, here it is.”
Anna crawled over to the mound of blue fabric.
“What, this?” she asked, in halting Spanish.
“What are these? These are the clothes that I brought you. We don’t have time to make you clothes before Tuesday, so I’m giving you my best party dress. Don Alejandro is rather fond of me, and I am sure that he will have another one made for me.”
Anna held up the dress. “Very, pretty.” she said.
“Yes, I like this one, but it is terribly out of fashion. The waist is too low and the skirt is too full. I want the next one with a high waist and straight flowing like this.” she said, using her hands to describe. Anna was a little behind in the Spanish, but she caught the gist.
“Europe, si?” the English girl asked, thinking of the dresses that she had seen on the continent.
“Si, we miss so much being out here in the colonies,” Marta said. “Now I’m almost sure that this dress is going to be a little too big for you in the waist; we’ll have to take it in. we may need to hem it, as well. You’re a little shorter than I. Are you handy with a needle?” she asked.
“Eh, handy?”
“Can you sew?” Marta asked again.
“Si, a little.”
“Only a little? My goodness, what do they teach girls in England?” Marta exclaimed. “Well, I’ll take it in, then, and you can do the hemming. I assume you can hem?”
“Si, but what clothes, under?”
“Oh, undergarments? I brought you some of those, too. Um,” she sorted through the pile of material, pushing the full skirt of the dress out of the way. “Here they are.” She pushed a pile of white clothes over to Anna. Anna sorted out a chemise, pantalets, stockings, petticoat, corset, and a corset-cover—Marta had thought of everything.
Marta laid the clothes on the chair by the window as she gushed on, “I’ve always wanted to be a lady-in-waiting, but with only Dons Alejandro and Diego there were no girls to dress up. Except us servant girls for fiestas. Parties always do give us a reason for flair…”
Anna sat back as Marta talked on. The English girl was overwhelmed by the other girl’s friendliness and generosity. Anna smiled and nodded but felt increasingly weak and sick.
“..and stand on up now, so we can measure—are you okay?” Marta asked.
Anna’s face was ashen.
“I think you should lie down. Should I go get someone? Can I get you anything?”
Anna shook her head and smiled her thanks.
“Well, you rest, and after siesta this afternoon, we’ll measure you and start sewing.”
“Gracias.”
Marta walked towards the door and then turned back to the pile on the chair, “Oh, Felipe told me to give this to you.” She handed a book to the other girl.
Anna took the blue volume and nodded in thanks. Marta smiled and left the room, quietly closing the door behind her.
Anna wriggled down into the soft covers and huge pillows. She held the book up and opened the cover. Persuasion. Anna turned past the title page, and a piece of paper fell out onto her lap.
Anna closed the book and put it down, then reached for the paper. Unfolding it, she saw that it was handwritten in beautiful English script.
Anna,
One cannot imagine the relief I felt when I learned that you would recover. It was as if my heart was given new life.
You are free now. I wonder what you will do with your freedom. So many choices lie before you. I hope that I am one of them.
Please enjoy this book as a first step in your new liberty.
Awaiting your voice,
Felipe
Anna’s heart beat wildly. He loved her! It was true that she liked Felipe and trusted him and considered him her friend, but love? So much had happened! It was truly overwhelming. Her mind continued to race until she fell into a fitful slumber.
Anna remained in her room for the weekend. She and Marta sat for hours and altered the dress and undergarments to fit her. While they worked, Marta prattled on, rarely stopping to catch her breath. Normally, this would have driven Anna to distraction, but she learned so much Spanish by listening that she endured it. In the evenings, Anna lied in bed and read Persuasion, finishing it on Monday night.
Tuesday morning after breakfast, Marta walked into the guest room. Anna had just pulled the shift over her head.
“How do you feel?” Marta asked.
“Stir-crazy. I can’t wait to get out of this room,” Anna answered, as Marta helped her into the corset.
“It’s a beautiful day outside,” said Marta, tying the corset lacing as Anna held onto the bedpost. “You should go sit in the garden. It’s peaceful and quiet.”
“It sounds lovely, but I think I’ve had enough peace and quiet for a long time.”
Anna put on the corset cover and pulled on the petticoat. Marta held up the gown and helped the other girl into it.
“Now don’t get this dirty. It’s all you have and you are to eat dinner tonight with the Dons and Senorita Victoria.” Marta began fastening the back of the dress.
“Dinner? But I’m not…” Anna motioned her hands as she searched for a word.
“Of the same class?” Marta asked.
“Si. Class.”
“Well, I don’t know about all of that, but here, if you are a guest, you eat with the family. If they do hire you, then you will eat with me and the rest of the servants who live here in the hacienda.”
Anna blushed as she thought of one servant in particular. Marta didn’t notice as she fixed the English girl’s hair.
“There now. Let me see.” Marta said, stepping back and placing her hands on her hips. “Yes, I think that will do very well.”
“Mucho gracias, Marta.”
“De nada. Now off you go!” Marta shooed the other girl out of the room.
Anna walked aimlessly down the hallway, wondering where she should go. She found her way to the conservatory and fingered the keys of the pianoforte. She walked through the solarium and admired the plants. Eventually, she walked into the library. The myriad books made her eyes shine.
She perused shelf after shelf. She now understood most of the titles, though a few of the words she still did not recognize. Don Quixote. She’d heard of that one. It was suppose to be rather funny. Anna pulled it gently from the shelf.
Felipe walked quickly towards the library to retrieve a text on Newtonian physics. He turned the corner and stopped, entranced.
Anna stood by the bookcase and flipped through the pages of a book. He recognized it, Don Quixote; he’d read it many times.
Felipe watched her slender fingers run over the pages. His eyes moved to her face. Anna’s cheeks were pink and her eyes sparkled. He recognized the sky blue gown as Marta’s. Marta never looked like that, though, he thought. The girl’s hair was pulled away from her face and fell down her back to her waist. Her figure was exquisite, if a little thin, and the gown draped beautifully to the floor; only the toe of her left foot peeked out from under the edge of the skirt.
Oblivious to her audience, Anna closed the book and placed it back on the shelf. She stepped back and peered up at the top shelf. A red volume caught her eye and she reached for it. On her tiptoes, her fingers barely brushed the binding.
Felipe crossed the room. He placed a steadying hand in the small of her back and retrieved the book. Anna turned quickly to find herself face to face with the young man.
Anna blushed deeply and took a step back. With a small, crooked smile, Felipe handed the book to her.
“Gracias,” she said, taking the book.
“*Did you find my note?*” Felipe asked.
“Yes, your English is very good.” she commented.
He answered, “*And your Spanish is rapidly improving. Were you looking for something in particular?*”
“No. Something to pass the time.”
“*Is there anything you would like to do? See the garden or--*”
“No.” she interrupted and then stopped short. “Yes, there is something I would like to do.”
“*What is it?*”
“Take me to Matthew.”
Felipe helped Anna into the wagon and then climbed up next to her. He took the reigns and clicked his tongue at the horses. They trotted at a leisurely pace towards the pueblo.
The young man felt frustrated at his inability to communicate while driving the horses. Anna, however, was relieved at the silence, following the chatter-filled weekend with Marta. They rode in silence for a few miles.
“Stop here a minute, please.” Anna asked.
Felipe stopped the wagon, jumped down, and went to help her to the ground.
“Thank you.” she said and then walked toward the meadow by the road. The field was strewn with brightly colored desert wildflowers. Anna began picking flowers, as Felipe watched from the road. The wind played with her hair as she carefully chose those flowers to her liking.
Walking back to the wagon, she smiled sadly as Felipe helped her up to the seat. Taking the reigns again, he drove the rest of the way into town.
The graveyard at the mission church was quiet, shaded, and semi-secluded. For this, Anna was grateful. She did not want the entire pueblo to see her mourn. Felipe led her down a winding path through the graves. They walked past a mound of freshly turned dirt. Anna stopped to glance at the stone: Roberto Martinez. The young man pressed his palm gently into her back and she continued to walk towards another new grave.
The grave was in a corner of the yard and bore no marker. Felipe stopped discretely at the end of the path as Anna went forward to the grave. Slowly she knelt beside it and carefully began to place the flowers, one by one, on the mound.
Memories welled up within her, and with them came the tears. She cried silently as she finished placing the flowers, then leaned back on her heels, covered her face with her hands and wept. Felipe watched Anna cry, but as the sobs began to wrack her body, he walked to her side, knelt down, and pulled her to him.
In time, her crying stopped and she pulled back away from him slightly. Felipe reached into his pocket and pulled out a white linen handkerchief. He tenderly wiped her face and then gave it to Anna for her to blow her nose.
When she was finished, he looked at her questioningly. She nodded in answer to his unspoken question, and they walked back to the wagon.
As they rode back to the hacienda, Felipe could bear the silence no longer and let the horses take the lead. He asked, “*Where are you going to go from here?*”
“I don’t know. I don’t really have anywhere to go.”
“*Do you want to go back to England?*”
“I can’t go back. I’m no longer a citizen, remember?”
“*Why? I don’t understand*.”
Anna looked at the floorboards of the wagon and shifted her feet. “It’s complicated.”
“*I have time.*”
“Stop here.” Anna said, “I’d like to get more flowers, please.”
Felipe halted the horses and again helped Anna down. This time he walked with her, following a few steps behind. They walked in silence, and every so often Anna would stoop to pick a blue or purple flower.
A few minutes later they were in the middle of the field. Anna stopped, but did not pick a flower nor turn around.
“Why do you hide your hearing?” she asked.
Felipe stopped dead in his tracks, the blood drained from his face. Anna turned back to him, looking to see his reaction—if any. It was possible that she had reached the wrong conclusion, but the look on his face told her that she was right.
Felipe’s mind raced. He did not know what to do or say.
“Why?” she repeated.
He finally just looked at the ground and shook his head.
“We all have our secrets.” Anna said, and turned back to her flowers.
As she reached for a purple one, she heard a sound that made her blood run cold.
