Subject: Summary #4, part 1 Chapters 19-21
Author: Robin N (166.90.65.242)
Date: 07-22-1999 00:23
Chapter XIX
Monica pays her first visit to the worker’s barracks and is appalled
by the conditions there. The sick lie right next to the well in
windowless shacks. Saul, the local curandero, tells her of his
efforts. Bautista finds her there and immediately takes offense at a
woman interfering in how he does his job. Monica doesn’t back down.
She shows him Renato’s written authorization that allows her to do
whatever she sees fit--even order him. He tells her that, “I will
tell my mistress about this immediately. If she supports the
insanities of her son’s, then he won’t stay an hour longer in Campo
Real!”
Bautista and Renato converge on Sofia in her rooms. She says that if
what Monica says is true, then she’s right to do something about it.
Bautista can’t believe his ears. He feels that she’s insulted him in
front of his men and he offers to quit. Sofia sweet talks him into
staying, “te estimo demasiado para perderte, Bautista.” He’s angry
that Monica wants to have special huts built for the sick, open to
the air, and to have a dozen women pulled from other jobs to care
for the sick too. Sofia tells him to make it happen, “Todo cuanto ha
ordenado Monica se cumplirá al pie de la letra.” Renato is still
unhappy that Bautista is staying, “El mal está mucho más adentro y
más adentro he de llegar para curarlo,” but, since he’s getting
ready for his wedding, he’ll let it go.
Renato finds Monica and tells her that he’s succeeded in convincing
his mother to support her efforts. He tells her, “Gracias a ti, el
paraíso de los D’Autremont no tenido rincones de infierno...” and
impulsively kisses her hands. He’s just being enthusiastic, but to
her... “En los que él fuera para ella el sueño sublime de un amor
ideal.” It’s clear that Renato for her is an idealized love. Aimee
comes upon them and comments, “my fiancee seems to feel true
enthusiasm for my sister the abbess.” Monica pointedly reminds her,
“I’m not a nun, sister. Still not yet...” Renato goes on about how
wonderful Monica is helping his workers. Renato leaves and Aimee
calls him an imbecile. She tells Monica that she’s “bathing in rose
water” (meaning his affection and hand kissing), but Monica tells
her that the water has thorns. She wishes that Aimee were sincere in
her jealousy. Monica consoles her by saying, “Sólo tomo la parte que
tú no quieres: fatigas, desvelos...” “And you get all of his
gratitude too”, is Aimee’s retort. Monica doesn’t let this pass. She
reminds Aimee that she “has all his love... don’t complain.” She
tells Aimee that they have different roads to travel and tells her
to go play with her perfumes and silks.
Juan and the Luzbel crew return to Saint-Pierre. He takes a small
boat to shore.
Chapter XX
Wedding day for Aimee and Renato. The house looks fabulous, and so
does Aimee. Only Monica hasn’t changed. She’s still in her high
necked black gown. Her words to Aimee? “El último detalle, hermana.
Ya no te queda sino ir hasta el altar.”
At the wedding, Sofia and Catalina cry indulgent tears, while Monica
prays, “/Dame fuerzas, Dios mío... dame valor y dame fuerzas!” She
needs all her strength to get through the ordeal.
Juan has landed and finds that Colibri has tagged along against
orders. He wants to see his new mistress. They come to the Molnar
house and all lights are dark. The boy suggests that perhaps they
are all sleeping. Juan responds with, “Perhaps she sleeps... and
dreams of Juan del Diablo. I pity her if she dreams of another!”
Colibri doesn’t understand this. Juan tells him, “when a man loves a
woman, he wants her only for himself and for no other man.” Colibri
asks him to tell him again about how beautiful his new mistress is
and Juan tells him that, “she’s like a flower.” He decides to get
new clothes and a horse then he notices Colibri shivering--it’s
started to rain. He knocks at Aimee’s door, but there’s no answer
and he’s angry and concerned. He’s going to have to find her.
It’s the wedding night. Aimee slips away from the party and Renato
finds her. He tries to kiss her but she slips away. She’s got a
headache, she doesn’t want to deal with the party guests, some of
whom are staying the night. Renato tries to persuade her with
champagne and she drinks to forget.
Colibri sees a servant girl and has found out that Aimee and her
family have gone to the county and that they’ve been there before.
Now that he has something to go with, Juan feels more positive and
tells Colibri that they’ll go find her.
Juan meets Pedro Noel and dressed in his new clothes, stuns the
older man with his resemblance to Francisco. “/Es asombroso!
/Igual... identico!” Identical to whom is Juan’s question. “Nobody,
a ghost...” Juan tells him that he’s had good fortune and he’s going
to change his life--go straight. Noel is really pleased by this
news. He’s struck again by how like he is to his father and offers
to help him. Juan is grateful, but turns down his offer of help. He
tells him that he has the Luzbel hidden of the coast of the Cabo del
Diablo, for safety and he wants to arrange to legally hold the cape,
where he’ll build his home. Juan tells him that he’s planning on
getting married, would it be okay to get papers for him in his
name... Juan del Diablo? Noel doesn’t think a wife would like that
name, but he’ll do it. Noel tells him that Renato would like to see
him and Juan tells him that he has a debt to repay Renato. Noel’s
afraid Renato will be offended. Juan sees the wedding invitation and
the fury begins! How is it that Aimee, his woman is marrying Renato?
He swears, “/Con su vida y su sangre pagará ella tambien!”
Chapter XXI
Aimee is bored and restless. Renato is going out to check on Monica.
She pouts. She copes with the marriage quite well... “El juego de
amor no es dificil para su alma flexible y astuta.”
Juan and Colibri are riding hell bent for leather to the country
where they collide with Monica. She’s tossed into the dust. She’s
shocked to see that it’s Juan and she calls him a savage. She takes
another look and can’t believe her eyes, he’s so marvelously
transformed. “You... you...! But is it you?” He also takes a closer
look at her. “That splendid woman, now dressed in civilian
clothing... he could no longer imagine her in that far off
convent...” He wonders if she’s still a Molnar, or (hope, hope) a
D’Autremont? No, it’s Aimee who’s married. Monica understands his
sudden anger and backs away. He tells her that he can see that she
understands what’s going on... that Aimee shouldn’t have married
another man. He takes off and she detains him, “where are you
going?” He’s off to find Aimee and take her away with him as is his
right. Monica wonders that he thinks she’d go with Juan del Diablo
and he retorts, “Juan del Diablo, yes. That’s me! If my name bothers
you, I’m sorry,” but Renato’s taken away the woman he loves and he’s
going to repay the favor. Monica nearly faints with the intensity of
his gaze. She tells him that he can’t because Renato hasn’t a clue
that Juan has any relationship with Aimee. Aimee has deceived both
of them. Juan’s still furious. Renato has had everything of his
since they were children... he’s not having Aimee too. Monica pleads
for him to think of other people... like her mother... and asks him
(too) if he remembers his own mother. “No, Monica” he tells her
sarcastically. He speaks with bitterness and Monica listens. He
seems very different from the man she’d met earlier--she now admires
him and fears him. She tries another tactic and tells him that Sofia
is ill. That just infuriates Juan more. Monica tells him that Renato
is innocent, but that doesn’t matter to Juan. Monica tells him:
“Lograré llegar a su corazón, lograré hacerle comprender. No es
usted el vejado ni el ofendido...” “...¿Qué mejor venganza que su
desprecio, su gran desprecio? Si ella le engaño, si le mintió, si
fue con usted desleal y embustera, piense que, al menos, tuvo la
suerte de conocerla a tiempo. El mundo es grande, hay en el millones
de mujeres... ¿por qué destrozar su vida por ella, si usted sabe ya
que no vale la pena?”
Some of Monica’s verbal arrows hit home for Juan. He looks at her as
if he sees her for the first time. She’s right. There are lots of
women. He supposes that they’re all cheats like Aimee... though
Monica seems to be very different. Monica interrupts this train of
thought because Renato’s coming. She begs Juan to not say anything
of Aimee, she begs him, for God in heaven’s sake. He tells her that
he doesn’t believe in anything or anybody. Renato rides up and is
surprised to see Juan. He tells him that he’s like an answer from
heaven. Juan remarks that Santa Monica doesn’t believe that he’s
from heaven--they just had a little accident. “Did you call her
Santa Monica?” asks Renato. “Just a little joke,” says Juan.
Renato’s curious how they know each other. “Remember,” says Monica,
“we live near the beach?” Before they leave, Juan whispers to her
that he’s quiet for now, but his vengeance will take another, more
cruel form!
Renato arrives back at the mansion first and Sofia and Aimee are
alarmed (Aimee for the horse) that the horse has come back without
Monica. He tells him of her accident and guess who else was
involved... that old friend of his, Juan del Diablo! Aimee faints
dead away. Juan and Monica arrive in his carriage and see this
scene. Monica takes charge and Juan assures her that he and Colibri
will wait for her.
Sofia is inside with Renato. She’s had a nasty fright too. Just like
Noel, she’s been struck by how much like her dead husband Juan is.
Only his eyes are different, Gina Bertolozi’s Italian eyes,
otherwise he’s the spitting image. She’s furious with him for
looking like Francisco and even more so for having his mother’s
eyes. She lets Renato know that she’s mad too. She calls Juan a
thief and brings up the theft of the coins many years ago. Renato
tells her that it’s not so. Juan interrupts them and hands Renato
some money... to repay those coins and to pay Renato back for the
money he laid out when Juan was falsely accused... down to the last
cent! He takes off and Renato chases after him. “Why do you behave
like this?” he wants to know. “How am I behaving? Because I want to
pay my debts? It isn’t only the well born that can do this. Leave
me,” Juan says. Renato’s confused by this. He tells him that he
feels like Juan is his brother. Juan tells him that he felt like
Renato was a king and he was a dog. Renato tells him he’s changed.
He would, however, like him to become his administrator. Juan’s
surprised. He doesn’t think Sofia would let him do this, but Renato
assures him that he can. He thinks Juan can handle it.. and he can
learn from his example, even if he hasn’t had the love of a mother
and father (ouch!). Renato tells him that Monica is helping him
out--that she’s his only true friend.
“Then why didn’t you marry Monica?” Renato is surprised. He tells
Juan that he never thought of her that way. Once he saw Aimee, there
was nobody else. He’s taken aback by the expression in Juan’s face.
Perhaps he’s in love with a woman? Juan curses all women and Renato
reproaches him. Monica approaches and Renato goes to see Aimee. Juan
tells her, “Don’t look at me like that. I still haven’t said a word,
I still haven’t done anything.” She asks him what he and Renato
talked about and he tells her of the job offer. She begs him not to
take it: look at the effect he had on Aimee. Juan thinks her faint
was opportunistic. Monica believes it was a genuine shock. She
pleads with him to be quiet still and he reponds....
“Basta de ruegos!” corta Juan con aspereza. “No creo que va a seguir
manejánsome con súplicas y lágrimas. No soy un sentimental como
Renato, no soy lo bastante feliz como para querer ser generoso. Al
contrario, soy lo bastante desdichado para odiar hasta la luz del
cielo, hasta el aire que respiro, hasta la tierra que me sostiene...
Y no he renunciado a vengarme!”