respectable people," said Matias. "Nonetheless, your daughter is not, as any of my friends can attest. I don't know which of them is responsible for your unhappy circumstance, but certainly I am not."
Eliza Sommers had completely lost her color. She was as pale as plaster and trembling so hard she seemed about to fall. Tao Chi'en took her firmly by the arm and, supporting her as he would an invalid, led her toward the door. Severo del Valle thought he would die of anguish and shame, as if he were the one responsible for what had happened. He hurried to open the door for them and accompanied them outside, where a hired carriage was waiting. He could not think of anything to say to them. He returned to the salon in time to hear the end of an argument.
"I will not tolerate having bastards of my blood strewn about the landscape!" Paulina screamed.
"Define your loyalties, Mother. Whom are you going to believe, your own son or a pastry shop owner and a Chinaman?" Matias fired back, slamming the door as he left.
That night Severo del Valle confronted Matias. He had enough information to be able to deduce events and he intended to disarm his cousin through tenacious questioning, but that wasn't necessary; Matias immediately told him everything. He felt trapped in an absurd situation for which he was not responsible, he said. Lynn Sommers had pursued him and handed herself to him on a tray. He never really intended to seduce her—the bet had been nothing but bombast. For two months he had been trying to wean her away without destroying her. He was afraid she would do something foolish; she was one of those hysterical young girls capable of throwing herself into the sea for love, he explained. He admitted that Lynn was little more than a child and that she had come to his arms a virgin, her head filled with sugary poems and completely ignorant of the rudiments of sex, but he repeated that he had no obligation to her, and that he had never mentioned the word love to her, much less marriage. Girls like her always brought complications, he added, which was why he avoided them like the plague. He had never imagined that his brief meeting with Lynn would have such consequences. They had been together a handful of times, he said, and he had recommended that afterward she douche with vinegar and mustard; how could he know that she was so astoundingly fertile? In any case, he was willing to pay the expenses of the baby, the money was the least of it, but he did not plan to give the child his name because there was no proof it was his. "I will not marry now, or ever, Severo. Do you know anyone with less vocation for bourgeois life than I?" he concluded.
One week later, Severo del Valle went to the clinic of Tao Chi'en, after having mulled for hours the scabrous mission his cousin had assigned him. The zhong-yi had attended his last patient for the day, and he received Severo alone in the small waiting room of his office on the first floor. He listened impassively to Severo's offer.
"Lynn does not need money, that is why she has parents," he said, reflecting no emotion. "In any case, I appreciate your concern, Mr. del Valle."
"How is Miss Sommers?" asked Severo, humiliated by the other man's dignity.
"My daughter still believes there has been a misunderstanding. She is sure that soon Mr. Rodríguez de Santa Cruz will come to ask her to marry him, and out of love, not duty."
"Mr. Chi'en, I can't tell you what I would give to change these circumstances. The truth is that my cousin is not in good health, he cannot marry. I regret it more than I can say," murmured Severo del Valle.
"We regret it much more. Lynn is merely a diversion for your cousin. To Lynn, he is her life," Tao Chi'en said softly.
"I would like to explain to your daughter, Mr. Chi'en. May I see her, please?"
"I must ask Lynn. At the moment she does not want to see anyone, but I will let you know if she changes her mind," the zhong-yi replied, walking Severo to the
Eliza Sommers had completely lost her color. She was as pale as plaster and trembling so hard she seemed about to fall. Tao Chi'en took her firmly by the arm and, supporting her as he would an invalid, led her toward the door. Severo del Valle thought he would die of anguish and shame, as if he were the one responsible for what had happened. He hurried to open the door for them and accompanied them outside, where a hired carriage was waiting. He could not think of anything to say to them. He returned to the salon in time to hear the end of an argument.
"I will not tolerate having bastards of my blood strewn about the landscape!" Paulina screamed.
"Define your loyalties, Mother. Whom are you going to believe, your own son or a pastry shop owner and a Chinaman?" Matias fired back, slamming the door as he left.
That night Severo del Valle confronted Matias. He had enough information to be able to deduce events and he intended to disarm his cousin through tenacious questioning, but that wasn't necessary; Matias immediately told him everything. He felt trapped in an absurd situation for which he was not responsible, he said. Lynn Sommers had pursued him and handed herself to him on a tray. He never really intended to seduce her—the bet had been nothing but bombast. For two months he had been trying to wean her away without destroying her. He was afraid she would do something foolish; she was one of those hysterical young girls capable of throwing herself into the sea for love, he explained. He admitted that Lynn was little more than a child and that she had come to his arms a virgin, her head filled with sugary poems and completely ignorant of the rudiments of sex, but he repeated that he had no obligation to her, and that he had never mentioned the word love to her, much less marriage. Girls like her always brought complications, he added, which was why he avoided them like the plague. He had never imagined that his brief meeting with Lynn would have such consequences. They had been together a handful of times, he said, and he had recommended that afterward she douche with vinegar and mustard; how could he know that she was so astoundingly fertile? In any case, he was willing to pay the expenses of the baby, the money was the least of it, but he did not plan to give the child his name because there was no proof it was his. "I will not marry now, or ever, Severo. Do you know anyone with less vocation for bourgeois life than I?" he concluded.
One week later, Severo del Valle went to the clinic of Tao Chi'en, after having mulled for hours the scabrous mission his cousin had assigned him. The zhong-yi had attended his last patient for the day, and he received Severo alone in the small waiting room of his office on the first floor. He listened impassively to Severo's offer.
"Lynn does not need money, that is why she has parents," he said, reflecting no emotion. "In any case, I appreciate your concern, Mr. del Valle."
"How is Miss Sommers?" asked Severo, humiliated by the other man's dignity.
"My daughter still believes there has been a misunderstanding. She is sure that soon Mr. Rodríguez de Santa Cruz will come to ask her to marry him, and out of love, not duty."
"Mr. Chi'en, I can't tell you what I would give to change these circumstances. The truth is that my cousin is not in good health, he cannot marry. I regret it more than I can say," murmured Severo del Valle.
"We regret it much more. Lynn is merely a diversion for your cousin. To Lynn, he is her life," Tao Chi'en said softly.
"I would like to explain to your daughter, Mr. Chi'en. May I see her, please?"
"I must ask Lynn. At the moment she does not want to see anyone, but I will let you know if she changes her mind," the zhong-yi replied, walking Severo to the
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