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.But what if he secretly worshipped the same Aztec gods as they? What if they all did?Awake.I would stay awake.Fight the exhaustion I felt.They wouldn’t harm me, I was sure, but I had to remain vigilant.There couldn’t be too many hours left before dawn, so I didn’t have long to wait.If anyone tried to enter, I would jump up, scream, fight them with all the power I possessed.Awake.I would stay awake.That was my protection.Six‘Good morning.’I surfaced abruptly from a deep sleep.Pachtli was standing over me.‘Here is some tea,’ he said, putting a silver tray down on the bedside table.I sat up, still groggy with sleep.Pachtli switched off the lamp and threw open the curtains.Bright winter sunlight flooded in through the window.‘It is a very pleasant morning,’ he remarked.I kept the bedclothes drawn up to my neck; beneath them I was fully dressed.‘Is Extepan here?’ I asked.‘He arrived an hour ago.’‘Why didn’t you wake me immediately?’‘I explained to him that you were late in sleeping.He said that it was better to leave you for a while.He has been consulting with his generals.’I was quietly angry.I wondered just how much he had told Extepan.‘Where is he now?’‘In the breakfast room, eating.’‘What time is it?’‘Almost ten o’clock.’He made to pour the tea, but I said, ‘Leave it.’As soon as he was gone, I rose and washed in the handbasin next to the bed.Changing into a roll-necked lambswool sweater and thick corduroys, I went downstairs.Two guards were on duty at the breakfast-room door, but they let me through without a word.Extepan sat alone at a table in front of the french windows, his back to me.His rust-coloured uniform had five eagle-heads on the epaulettes.He now held Chimalcoyotl’s former rank of tlacateccatl, ‘he who commands the warriors’.I approached the table and said quietly in Nahuatl: ‘Good morning.’He looked up from his omelette.‘Catherine.’A somewhat grave smile.He rose and embraced me formally.‘How good it is to see you,’ he said in English.‘A civilized face in an uncivilized world.’A place had been laid opposite him.He motioned, and I sat down in it.A display screen stood in an alcove next to the table, showing bar charts and columns of data, all of a military nature.Extepan had a small control panel on his side plate.The old woman entered and put an omelette down in front of me.There was a large plate of sliced ham at the centre of the table, garnished with chopped onions and beetroot.‘I’m pleased you came,’ Extepan said.‘Do you bring good news?’Something told me he already knew of his son’s birth and Precious Cloud’s death.‘You have a healthy baby boy,’ I said.‘He was born ten days ago – no, eleven now.’Extepan smiled.‘And do we know if it was an auspicious day?’‘Apparently so.According to the tonalamatl he’s destined to become a rich man.’His smile became wry, and he nodded.‘That is most encouraging.Even when we profess not to believe in them, good omens are as reassuring as bad ones are troubling.’He speared a piece of ham and put it on his plate.There was grime under his fingernails, split skin on his knuckles.It was hard to look him in the face, to confront his candid eyes.I babbled off the details of Cuauhtemoc’s weight, and of how he had announced his arrival in the world by urinating over a nurse.Extepan continued eating, glancing occasionally at the screen; but I knew his attention was fully engaged on what I was saying.I spoke of Precious Cloud’s labour, and of her wish to have me present during it.I sensed him waiting until I had run dry.I hurried on.‘Precious Cloud was delighted with Cuauhtemoc.But she wasn’t able to sleep after the birth.’I allowed a pause.Finally he filled it.‘And?’‘She became distraught.She fell ill.’He put his fork down.‘Tell me,’ he said.‘Everyone did what they could.She was tranquillized, and she seemed to improve.I took her riding one morning on Adamant.She galloped off unexpectedly, and I lost her.We found her hanging from a tree.’ I swallowed hard.‘Your son is safe and well, but Precious Cloud is dead.’He was silent for a long time.Although his expression did not alter, I knew he felt genuine sorrow.I was also certain he had already received the news.‘I’m terribly sorry,’ I said.‘I took her riding against Yeipanitl’s advice.I feel it’s my fault.’He shook his head, slowly but emphatically.At the same time, his gaze was distant, as if I had faded out of both his sight and consciousness.‘Of course you warned me,’ he said at length.‘I should have taken better care of her.She was never happy in London.’I made to say something, but he silenced me by raising a hand.‘It was my responsibility, and I failed her.’ He sighed.‘I never loved her, you see.But then you knew that, Catherine, didn’t you? My father says the best marriages are arranged on Earth rather than made in heaven, but he married my mother for love as well as diplomacy.Perhaps I would have been a better husband if I had been able to do the same.’He was staring at the monitor as he spoke.After a silence, he said, ‘Who’s looking after my son?’‘He’s with a wet-nurse.He’s very healthy.’‘That’s welcome news, at least.’ He looked forlorn.‘Thank you, Catherine.Thank you for coming all this way to bring the news personally.I attach no blame to anyone but myself.’Unexpectedly, he put his hand on mine across the table.I almost flinched.I had been looking forward to seeing him until last night.Finding the corpse had changed everything.The french windows looked out on a walled garden with fruit trees standing in ranks and an ice-locked ornamental pool.‘Cherry trees,’ Extepan said.‘Do you know Chekhov? I imagine the garden looks pretty when they flower [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.But what if he secretly worshipped the same Aztec gods as they? What if they all did?Awake.I would stay awake.Fight the exhaustion I felt.They wouldn’t harm me, I was sure, but I had to remain vigilant.There couldn’t be too many hours left before dawn, so I didn’t have long to wait.If anyone tried to enter, I would jump up, scream, fight them with all the power I possessed.Awake.I would stay awake.That was my protection.Six‘Good morning.’I surfaced abruptly from a deep sleep.Pachtli was standing over me.‘Here is some tea,’ he said, putting a silver tray down on the bedside table.I sat up, still groggy with sleep.Pachtli switched off the lamp and threw open the curtains.Bright winter sunlight flooded in through the window.‘It is a very pleasant morning,’ he remarked.I kept the bedclothes drawn up to my neck; beneath them I was fully dressed.‘Is Extepan here?’ I asked.‘He arrived an hour ago.’‘Why didn’t you wake me immediately?’‘I explained to him that you were late in sleeping.He said that it was better to leave you for a while.He has been consulting with his generals.’I was quietly angry.I wondered just how much he had told Extepan.‘Where is he now?’‘In the breakfast room, eating.’‘What time is it?’‘Almost ten o’clock.’He made to pour the tea, but I said, ‘Leave it.’As soon as he was gone, I rose and washed in the handbasin next to the bed.Changing into a roll-necked lambswool sweater and thick corduroys, I went downstairs.Two guards were on duty at the breakfast-room door, but they let me through without a word.Extepan sat alone at a table in front of the french windows, his back to me.His rust-coloured uniform had five eagle-heads on the epaulettes.He now held Chimalcoyotl’s former rank of tlacateccatl, ‘he who commands the warriors’.I approached the table and said quietly in Nahuatl: ‘Good morning.’He looked up from his omelette.‘Catherine.’A somewhat grave smile.He rose and embraced me formally.‘How good it is to see you,’ he said in English.‘A civilized face in an uncivilized world.’A place had been laid opposite him.He motioned, and I sat down in it.A display screen stood in an alcove next to the table, showing bar charts and columns of data, all of a military nature.Extepan had a small control panel on his side plate.The old woman entered and put an omelette down in front of me.There was a large plate of sliced ham at the centre of the table, garnished with chopped onions and beetroot.‘I’m pleased you came,’ Extepan said.‘Do you bring good news?’Something told me he already knew of his son’s birth and Precious Cloud’s death.‘You have a healthy baby boy,’ I said.‘He was born ten days ago – no, eleven now.’Extepan smiled.‘And do we know if it was an auspicious day?’‘Apparently so.According to the tonalamatl he’s destined to become a rich man.’His smile became wry, and he nodded.‘That is most encouraging.Even when we profess not to believe in them, good omens are as reassuring as bad ones are troubling.’He speared a piece of ham and put it on his plate.There was grime under his fingernails, split skin on his knuckles.It was hard to look him in the face, to confront his candid eyes.I babbled off the details of Cuauhtemoc’s weight, and of how he had announced his arrival in the world by urinating over a nurse.Extepan continued eating, glancing occasionally at the screen; but I knew his attention was fully engaged on what I was saying.I spoke of Precious Cloud’s labour, and of her wish to have me present during it.I sensed him waiting until I had run dry.I hurried on.‘Precious Cloud was delighted with Cuauhtemoc.But she wasn’t able to sleep after the birth.’I allowed a pause.Finally he filled it.‘And?’‘She became distraught.She fell ill.’He put his fork down.‘Tell me,’ he said.‘Everyone did what they could.She was tranquillized, and she seemed to improve.I took her riding one morning on Adamant.She galloped off unexpectedly, and I lost her.We found her hanging from a tree.’ I swallowed hard.‘Your son is safe and well, but Precious Cloud is dead.’He was silent for a long time.Although his expression did not alter, I knew he felt genuine sorrow.I was also certain he had already received the news.‘I’m terribly sorry,’ I said.‘I took her riding against Yeipanitl’s advice.I feel it’s my fault.’He shook his head, slowly but emphatically.At the same time, his gaze was distant, as if I had faded out of both his sight and consciousness.‘Of course you warned me,’ he said at length.‘I should have taken better care of her.She was never happy in London.’I made to say something, but he silenced me by raising a hand.‘It was my responsibility, and I failed her.’ He sighed.‘I never loved her, you see.But then you knew that, Catherine, didn’t you? My father says the best marriages are arranged on Earth rather than made in heaven, but he married my mother for love as well as diplomacy.Perhaps I would have been a better husband if I had been able to do the same.’He was staring at the monitor as he spoke.After a silence, he said, ‘Who’s looking after my son?’‘He’s with a wet-nurse.He’s very healthy.’‘That’s welcome news, at least.’ He looked forlorn.‘Thank you, Catherine.Thank you for coming all this way to bring the news personally.I attach no blame to anyone but myself.’Unexpectedly, he put his hand on mine across the table.I almost flinched.I had been looking forward to seeing him until last night.Finding the corpse had changed everything.The french windows looked out on a walled garden with fruit trees standing in ranks and an ice-locked ornamental pool.‘Cherry trees,’ Extepan said.‘Do you know Chekhov? I imagine the garden looks pretty when they flower [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]