Wind of Destiny by Christopher Nicole

Author:Christopher Nicole [Nicole, Christopher]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Endeavour Media
Published: 2016-04-20T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Santiago — 1895-96

It was three months later.

‘Colonel Lumbrera is coming, senora,’ Salvador said, early one morning.

Toni hurried on to the verandah, gazed at the policemen. A large force of policemen, at least forty, she estimated, separating as they reached the front of the drive, where Lumbrera was exchanging words with Torres, half of them making for the village, the rest following the colonel up the hill. She felt breathless. He was coming for her at last, to take her to see Christina? After three months! She could not imagine what she was going to find, but she knew it would be better than the sleepless nights she had endured, insomnia induced at least as much by the deadening knowledge that not even Joe had been able to do anything about the situation as by fear for her sister-in-law.

But she was determined to remain defiant. ‘Well, Colonel,’ she said, as he reached the steps. ‘I had begun to fear you had forgotten us on Obrigar.’

To her surprise, he did not dismount, as he had always done before. ‘Ha ha,’ he remarked. ‘I could never forget you, senora. Now, you have fifteen minutes to assemble your domestics and prepare to leave this place.’

‘My domestics?’ Toni was mystified. ‘I am quite ready to leave now.’

‘To leave it, and not return,’ Lumbrera told her. ‘You, and Dona Carlotta, and all your women.’

‘Dona Carlotta? My women?’ Toni looked at Salvador in consternation.

‘You!’ Lumbrera pointed at the butler. ‘Assemble your men. You are going to Daiquiri.’

‘I am too old for military service,’ Salvador protested.

‘You are going to repair the roads. You and all these other scum.’

Toni looked at the village. The police, assisted by the soldiers, were turning out the houses down there as well, amidst screams and wails. ‘We are being sent from the plantation?’ she asked.

‘Exactly, senora.’

‘But … to where?’

‘We have special quarters prepared for all you ladies who have husbands in the hills,’ Lumbrera grinned. ‘You will enjoy it there. You will be very cosy.’

Still Toni stared at him, unable to understand.

‘Fifteen minutes,’ Lumbrera repeated.

‘But … Senora Diaz cannot be moved.’

‘Get her up,’ Lumbrera recommended. ‘She is just lazy.’

‘She will die,’ Toni snapped. ‘She is very ill. If … if she has to be moved, you will have to let us use the carriage.’

‘Bah,’ Lumbrera said. ‘She will walk, like everyone else.’

‘Walk?’ Now she really couldn’t believe her ears. ‘Walk where?’

‘To Daiquiri.’

‘You wish Dona Carlotta, and myself, to walk from Obrigar to Daiquiri? That is twelve miles.’

‘Are you pretending that you do not have legs under that skirt, senora? I am sure you do.’

Toni gazed at Captain Torres, who had just ridden up. Never had she seen the captain so distressed. ‘I am sorry, senora,’ he said.

She looked past him at the men who had followed him, and carrying obvious torches, just waiting to be ignited.

‘What are you going to do?’ she asked, her heart giving a sudden great lurch.

Torres glanced at Lumbrera. ‘I am under orders to set fire to your house,’ he said.

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