her horses, and you could ride for hours and not see a soul. I thought it was about as far from England as you could get.”
“And that’s what you wanted?”
“Oh, no one wants to get away like the English. Unless you’re one of those who don’t want to go anywhere at all. I couldn’t wait to get away. And this,” she said, opening her hand to the view. “You can breathe here.”
“But your family’s still in England?”
“Yes. I couldn’t wait to get away from them either. Still, I suppose it’s a bit hard on them—I mean, they haven’t a clue. Box 1663, Santa Fe. That’s all they know. It can’t possibly mean anything to them. We’re not supposed to make any reference to the place or the work or anything, really.”
“So what do they think you’re doing here?”
“Haven’t the faintest. They know I go riding and they know Daniel’s a scientist, but since that doesn’t make sense, they’ve probably given it up as a puzzle. Of course, Mother’s been puzzled for years. She just rattles around this barn of a house while my father drills the locals in some awful Home Guard practice, and everybody’s happy in their own dotty way. God, it’s lovely to be here.”
“Brothers or sisters?”
“You can read my file, you know. Yes, two sisters. Thoroughly satisfactory. Deb balls, good marriages, dogs—the lot.”
“Which leaves you.”
“Yes. I’m not satisfactory at all.”
“You’re delighted to say.”
She glanced over at him and nodded. “I’m delighted to say.”
“Anything else I should know?”
“Better save something for another day. You can peel me away, like an onion.”
He grinned at her.
“It’s a turn of phrase, dear,” she said. “Nothing more.”
After a few more miles they took a right, up a dirt road that paralleled the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
“How big is this place?”
“Not very. Hannah’s got horses, but it’s not a working ranch. You need thousands of acres for that. She started with just the adobe and then added the studio and the stables when she could put the money together. She’s been here on and off for ten years or so.”
“How did she end up in Hollywood?”
“Well, actually, she ended up here . She started there. She left Germany early, in ‘thirty-four—there was a whole group that went straight from UFA to California. I don’t know how she got here. You could ask her.”
“Is everyone around here foreign?”
“Careful.”
“I didn’t mean you.”
“I know. Sometimes it does seem that way, doesn’t it? Packing us all away here. Odd they should have picked a place that doesn’t look American, though, don’t you think? I mean, you’ve got all these expats thinking America’s like—”
“Spain.”
“No, not Spain,” she said, slowing down. “I’ve been there. It’s nothing like that. Awful place. Of course, there was a war on, which didn’t help.”
“What were you doing there? Driving an ambulance or something?”
“Mostly just sitting around hating the place. Lots of little men strutting about like stout Cortez. You can’t imagine the dreariness of it. Not like here at all.”
“Why Spain?”
“Oh, I don’t know. It was the thing to do, like some finishing school for English girls. The unsatisfactory ones, anyway. All sorts of us went out—you know, fight the good fight against fascism. And take a Spanish lover into the bargain.”
He looked at her, interested. “But not you.”
“I didn’t say that. I just said they weren’t my cup of tea. Maybe it’s the mustaches—too silly.”
“I’m glad I shaved.”
“You’d have made a hit with Hannah. She loves a big mustache. Well”—she giggled—“big everything. Wait till you see Hector.”
“Her husband?”
“Her foreman. Hand. Lover, according to everybody.”
“He’s big?”
“Hm. They should have called him Ajax. I love the way the Mexicans use these classical names. Anyway, he’s strong as an ox—he can
“And that’s what you wanted?”
“Oh, no one wants to get away like the English. Unless you’re one of those who don’t want to go anywhere at all. I couldn’t wait to get away. And this,” she said, opening her hand to the view. “You can breathe here.”
“But your family’s still in England?”
“Yes. I couldn’t wait to get away from them either. Still, I suppose it’s a bit hard on them—I mean, they haven’t a clue. Box 1663, Santa Fe. That’s all they know. It can’t possibly mean anything to them. We’re not supposed to make any reference to the place or the work or anything, really.”
“So what do they think you’re doing here?”
“Haven’t the faintest. They know I go riding and they know Daniel’s a scientist, but since that doesn’t make sense, they’ve probably given it up as a puzzle. Of course, Mother’s been puzzled for years. She just rattles around this barn of a house while my father drills the locals in some awful Home Guard practice, and everybody’s happy in their own dotty way. God, it’s lovely to be here.”
“Brothers or sisters?”
“You can read my file, you know. Yes, two sisters. Thoroughly satisfactory. Deb balls, good marriages, dogs—the lot.”
“Which leaves you.”
“Yes. I’m not satisfactory at all.”
“You’re delighted to say.”
She glanced over at him and nodded. “I’m delighted to say.”
“Anything else I should know?”
“Better save something for another day. You can peel me away, like an onion.”
He grinned at her.
“It’s a turn of phrase, dear,” she said. “Nothing more.”
After a few more miles they took a right, up a dirt road that paralleled the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
“How big is this place?”
“Not very. Hannah’s got horses, but it’s not a working ranch. You need thousands of acres for that. She started with just the adobe and then added the studio and the stables when she could put the money together. She’s been here on and off for ten years or so.”
“How did she end up in Hollywood?”
“Well, actually, she ended up here . She started there. She left Germany early, in ‘thirty-four—there was a whole group that went straight from UFA to California. I don’t know how she got here. You could ask her.”
“Is everyone around here foreign?”
“Careful.”
“I didn’t mean you.”
“I know. Sometimes it does seem that way, doesn’t it? Packing us all away here. Odd they should have picked a place that doesn’t look American, though, don’t you think? I mean, you’ve got all these expats thinking America’s like—”
“Spain.”
“No, not Spain,” she said, slowing down. “I’ve been there. It’s nothing like that. Awful place. Of course, there was a war on, which didn’t help.”
“What were you doing there? Driving an ambulance or something?”
“Mostly just sitting around hating the place. Lots of little men strutting about like stout Cortez. You can’t imagine the dreariness of it. Not like here at all.”
“Why Spain?”
“Oh, I don’t know. It was the thing to do, like some finishing school for English girls. The unsatisfactory ones, anyway. All sorts of us went out—you know, fight the good fight against fascism. And take a Spanish lover into the bargain.”
He looked at her, interested. “But not you.”
“I didn’t say that. I just said they weren’t my cup of tea. Maybe it’s the mustaches—too silly.”
“I’m glad I shaved.”
“You’d have made a hit with Hannah. She loves a big mustache. Well”—she giggled—“big everything. Wait till you see Hector.”
“Her husband?”
“Her foreman. Hand. Lover, according to everybody.”
“He’s big?”
“Hm. They should have called him Ajax. I love the way the Mexicans use these classical names. Anyway, he’s strong as an ox—he can
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