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“Is Antonio traveling with them?”
“I don’t know. Belgrano met me at the crossroads to take the nanny and your son. That’s all I know.”
“We have to go, Roman,” Shelene said.
“I beg you to believe me. I had no intention to harm your son. Belgrano is just so enigmatic. Wherever he goes, he imparts his will and there is no stopping him. When he left for Argentina, we were all so happy. And then he returned. Help us, Señor. He mustn’t bother the fine people in the valley any longer.”
“He was actually in Argentina?”
“Oh, sí. When he came back and advised us of Señor Hightower’s death, and so soon after your dear mother, we all mourned. And feared. And then praise be to God, you returned to counter his evil.”
“Wait!” Shelene said, taking a step toward the priest. “You were told my father died before I returned to Las Colinas?” She appealed to Roman. “How could my uncle know that?”
Roman’s brows furrowed. “Perhaps the same way heknewthat I had died. Good Lord. It all started with your father. He made sure your father wouldn’t come back to Las Colinas and he could easily manipulate your mother.” Roman started pacing, the gun once again at his side. “Then he returns to find your mother has passed on. Imagine his glee.”
“Then I return and with news of a husband. The Lion of England, no less,” Shelene said. The picture Roman painted of her uncle showed brilliance in its tactics, fright in its ruthlessness.
“By then, he had started his plans for a rebellion. With a few inquiries, he found out what I was doing in South America. He only had to make sure that I didn’t get off the ship in Cadiz. A simple matter.” Roman laughed. “And then both your father and I walked off the ship instead.” He laughed again. “Do we have it about right, Father? Or do you have something else to add?”
“No, señor.”
“You are leaving something out, Father Etienne. Were you also encouraged by my uncle and Señor Navarro to support this marriage to one of his allies?”
Father lifted one shoulder. “Las Colinas and the valley are a prize few men can resist.”
“I hope you make good use of your thirty pieces of silver,” she said. He at least had the shame to hang his head. “Be sure to make your confession to the Monsignor the next time you are in Seville.”
They left the sacristy without saying a word and walked around to the front of the church. Joaquin was waiting, holding his horse’s reins.
“What are you doing here?” Roman asked.
“Following. I wanted to make sure nothing happened to you.”
“You should have stayed with the others,” Roman said. “I’ve already told you, you aren’t my guard.”
“Did you find Antonio?” Joaquin blinked innocently.
“No, but we know where he is.” Roman unfastened the reins for Shelene’s horse, then lifted her to the saddle. “We need to ride toward the caves.”
“Why? If they see the men from the valley riding toward them, they will ride east.”
“They are already riding east.”
Joaquin lifted his shoulder. “There are only two bridges over the Guadalete. We are already on the north side of the river. We only need to ride a bit farther north then on east to find them.”
“Yes! That’s right, Joaquin. Roman, they won’t go through the marshland of the Bornos. It would be too risky. And if they are trying to get to Seville, going around the Bornos would take them days. They’ll be taking one of the two bridges.”
“But which one?” Roman asked.
“Mount your horse and we will find out,” she said, trying to smile some encouragement. Or maybe to bolster her own flagging courage.
They turned their horses toward the north, winding through a few of the streets before they found the well-worn road out of town.
“It’s too bad we don’t have some of the king’s cavalry regiment to help,” Joaquin said.
“Yes, it may be too late to get their assistance. We’ll have to take him ourselves.”
“I wonder where the regiment by the San Miguel Bridge is going?”
