Redemption of a Fallen Woman Page 0,4

she replied.

'You are right, of course.' He smiled wryly. 'But enough about business for now. Tell me something of yourself. For instance, do you reside here with your uncle or are you just visiting?'

Before she could reply, Dona Inez interposed. 'My niece is visiting for a short while only.'

Beneath the irritation caused by that unwarranted interruption, he was conscious of a stab of something much like disappointment. 'What a pity.'

'It is a necessary deprivation for us all,' said Dona Inez, 'since, in a few days' time, she is to enter a convent and commence her novitiate.'

Elena made no reply, although her dark eyes revealed a brief flash of anger, then were swiftly veiled.

Harry was dumbfounded. The very idea that such a lovely young woman should become a nun seemed absurd - more than absurd, a criminal waste. Then he reflected that customs were different here, and that if she had such a vocation she should be entitled to follow it. Besides, it was none of his business.

'In that case,' he replied, 'I wish you well on your chosen path.'

Elena looked up and again he caught that flash of anger in her eyes. However, her face remained otherwise impassive.

'Thank you. That is most kind.'

The smooth tone held an inflection that was much like irony, and in spite of himself his curiosity mounted. He would have liked to pursue it, but not in Dona Inez's company. Unfortunately she showed no sign of moving away. The woman was acting like a strict duena, almost as though she were mounting guard over her niece, though goodness only knew what she thought might happen in a room full of people.

Just then dinner was announced and Don Manuel suggested he might like to take Dona Inez in. Good manners dictated gracious acquiescence. To his chagrin he found himself seated next to the lady at table as well. Elena took her place opposite, beside Don Fernando.

The conversation at table ranged over various topics, all of them innocuous. Everyone was perfectly civil and nothing could have been more refined than their manners, but Harry became aware of something rather different underneath, an undercurrent of tension that he couldn't pin down. He reminded himself again that it was none of his business, that he had come here to obtain proof of Jamie's death. Interference in family politics was no part of his plan.

After the meal, when the ladies had withdrawn, and the gentlemen had settled down to their port and cigars, the conversation turned to other matters. Harry listened politely, though in truth his mind was preoccupied with his quest rather than the current political situation. It was only the mention of Elena's name that drew his attention squarely back to the company.

'...and so, after we have seen her safely admitted to the convent, I must return to my estates,' said Don Fernando. 'There are matters requiring my attention.'

Their host nodded. 'Of course. It was good of you to take the time to come at all.'

'I felt it to be my duty.'

'A duty we all share,' said Don Esteban. 'The restoration of our family honour is dear to us all. A life of reflection and piety will atone for sin.'

Harry's glass paused in mid-air and he shot a quizzical glance at the speaker. Don Manuel intercepted it.

'You are no doubt shocked, my lord, that sin should be mentioned in the same context as my niece.'

'I was surprised,' Harry admitted, wondering what possible sin so lovely a creature could have committed. He could think of a few that men might want to commit with her, but such a thing would be unthinkable for a highborn young woman and one so zealously guarded.

'My niece's story is not one that we would wish to be generally known.' Don Manuel eyed him keenly. 'I am sure we may rely on your discretion.'

'Of course.'

'When Elena was eighteen she was betrothed to a nobleman of high standing, indeed one of the highest in the land. Unfortunately it was during a period in the war when the action intensified. My brother-in-law, her father, was killed by enemy soldiers. His death fired a young girl's imagination with misplaced patriotic zeal and she ran off and joined a guerrilla band.'

Harry regarded him in genuine amazement. Whatever he might have imagined it wasn't that, but then Elena seemed to defy convention in every way.

'War affects people strangely,' he replied, mentally including himself in that category.

Don Manuel nodded. 'Many unfortunate events occur in times of conflict and, goodness knows, our