Perchance to Marry by Celine Conway Page B

Carvallo. Before an introduction could be made Josef said breezily,
    “ Buenos dias senorita ! You are well this morning?” He gave Marcus a broad wink. “But you are lucky, Marcus. She is fresh as a rose. And I am eternally in her debt for what she has done for me. Even one more day in that nursing home would have sent me mad. Many thanks, senorita .”
    “I did nothing for you, nothing at all,” she stated quickly.
    Marcus slanted a keen glance from one to the other. “Have you two met?”
    She nodded. “Yes, when I toured with Carlos. Senor Carvallo asked me to tell you about his plight, but I didn’t have to. You’d already heard.”
    “Why didn’t you say you’d met Josef?”
    Josef laughed. “He is not so sure of himself as he used to be—this Marcus. It seems that also he is not sure of you, senorita . Yet look at me. In this condition am I attractive to any woman, let alone to one as pretty as you?”
    With a sardonic smile Marcus said, “You’re well aware of your chief attraction at the moment—that bandage is worth more than gold. Keep it, if you want to, but don’t go in to see Dona Inez till you’re decently dressed and the bandage is discarded.”
    “And you promise that we shall have no serious discussions till I am quite recovered?”
    “Yes, but I’ll take Carlos’ word for your condition, not yours.”
    Josef shrugged dejectedly. “You are a hard man, Marcus. One would have thought that being in love would have softened you—that you would have declared yourself willing to forget the past and begin again with me. Senorita, will you not plead with him for me?”
    “Don’t you already have what you wanted?” she asked lightly. “You’re here at Las Vinas, and Marcus has said he’ll postpone discussions—whatever that may mean—till you’re quite fit. What more is there?”
    “With Josef,” said Marcus, “there’s always more. He probably has a new scheme for getting rich quick.”
    “It is an old scheme, and it would not make me rich—only satisfied.”
    “Really?” In spite of Marcus’s cynical presence, Sally was interested. “What is it?”
    “Ceramics,” was the reply. “I wish to start my own small factory on San Palos.”
    “Oh.” She looked uncertainly at Marcus, saw that he was unimpressed. “Would it make much money?”
    “No, but it would take a good deal of staying power,” Marcus commented.
    “What sort of ceramics?” she asked Josef.
    “Tiles, vases, ornaments, even brooches and earrings.”
    “But isn’t the market overloaded with that kind of thing?”
    “Not with my designs,” Josef said, spreading his hands. “Even Marcus will admit I am an original artist in ceramics.”
    “Oh, sure,” said Marcus dismissively. “But you’re no business man. You’d better go in and lie down till Carlos comes. Sally and I are going to take a drive.”
    “Are we?” she said. “Where are we going?”
    “You’ll see. So long, Josef—keep the headgear clean.”
    The younger man gave another pathetic little shrug that belied the twinkle in his eye. “You two have obviously not exchanged rings in the del Moscado tradition, so one may assume you are not officially engaged. If I were not under your roof, Marcus, I would try to charm your Sally away from you!”
    “Why let my hospitality stop you?” said Marcus dryly. “See you later.”
    Sally waved a hand to Josef and descended the curving stone staircase with Marcus. It was a brilliant morning and hardly any of her uncertainties had yet seeped back into her consciousness. She felt free and tenuously happy. Here she was, with a tall, fine-looking man at her side and an atmosphere that promised mild excitement all about her. What more could she want?
    They drove out on to the road, but instead of turning right, towards Naval Town, he took the left and they climbed a long hill from which, looking back, Sally could see the sloping acres of Las Vinas, with the old house roughly central among the