II
Stephen and Mary arrived at the Villa del Ciprés, not very long after Christmas. They had spent their Christmas Day aboard ship, and on landing had stayed for a week at Santa Cruz before taking the long, rough drive to Orotava. And as though the fates were being propitious, or unpropitious perhaps—who shall say?—the garden was looking its loveliest, almost melodramatic it looked in the sunset. Mary gazed round her wide-eyed with pleasure; but after a while her eyes must turn, as they always did now, to rest upon Stephen; while Stephen’s uncertain and melancholy eyes must look back with great love in their depths for Mary.
Together they made the tour of the villa, and when this was over Stephen laughed a little; “Not much of anything, is there, Mary?”
“No, but quite enough. Who wants tables and chairs?”
“Well, if you’re contented, I am,” Stephen told her. And indeed, so far as the Villa del Ciprés went, they were both very well contented.
They discovered that the indoor staff would consist of two peasants; a plump, smiling woman called Concha, who adhered to the ancient tradition of the island and tied her head up in a white linen kerchief, and a girl whose black hair was elaborately dressed, and whose cheeks were very obviously powdered—Concha’s niece she was, by name Esmeralda. Esmeralda looked cross, but this may have been because she squinted so badly.
In the garden worked a handsome person called Ramon, together with Pedro, a youth of sixteen. Pedro was lighthearted, precocious and spotty. He hated his simple work in the garden; what he liked was driving his father’s mules for the tourists, according to Ramon. Ramon spoke English passably well; he had picked it up from the numerous tenants and was proud of this fact, so while bringing in the luggage he paused now and then to impart information. It was better to hire mules and donkeys from the father of Pedro—he had very fine mules and donkeys. It was better to take Pedro and none other as your guide, for thus would be saved any little ill-feeling. It was better to let Concha do all the shopping—she was honest and wise as the Blessed Virgin. It was better never to scold Esmeralda, who was sensitive on account of her squint and therefore inclined to be easily wounded. If you wounded the heart of Esmeralda, she walked out of the house and Concha walked with her. The island women were often like this; you upset them and per Dios, your dinner could burn! They would not even wait to attend to your dinner.
“You come home,” smiled Ramon, “and you say, ‘What burns? Is my villa on fire?’ Then you call and you call. No answer … all gone!” And he spread out his hands with a wide and distressingly empty gesture.
Ramon said that it was better to buy flowers from him: “I cut fresh from the garden when you want,” he coaxed gently. He spoke even his broken English with the soft, rather singsong drawl of the local peasants.
“But aren’t they our flowers?” inquired Mary, surprised.
Ramon shook his head: “Yours to see, yours to touch, but not yours to take, only mine to take—I sell them as part of my little payment. But to you I sell very cheap, Señorita, because you resemble the santa noche that makes our gardens smell sweet at night. I will show you our beautiful santa noche.” He was thin as a lath and as brown as a chestnut, and his shirt was quite incredibly dirty; but when he walked he moved like a king on his rough bare feet with their broken toenails. “This evening I make you a present of my flowers; I bring you a very big bunch of tabachero,” he remarked.
“Oh, you mustn’t do that,” protested Mary, getting out her purse.
But Ramon looked offended: “I have said it. I give you the tabachero.”