Free An Independent Woman by Howard Fast Page B

But few people know what Sylvaner is. Adam has such prejudice against white wine—he keeps tasting and tasting. The wine is delicious, but he feels that it’s humiliating to buy grapes from another grower. But we have to. The business is growing, and our acreage isn’t.”
    T HE WET CHILL OF THE BOTTLING ROOM made Barbara shiver. Adam kissed her and offered a glass of wine. “Taste it,” he said moodily.
    â€œI’m not a good judge of Riesling, Adam.”
    â€œSensible, but taste it anyway.”
    The wine was very good, fragrant, with a delicate flavor, just dry enough to favor the appetite. Barbara nodded.
    â€œAbout tonight and dinner, Adam,” Eloise said firmly, “we must talk.”
    â€œAll right, talk.”
    â€œShall I ask Joe and Sally? It’s not too late.”
    â€œAbsolutely not! May Ling is a big girl—how old? She’s thirty-six, isn’t she?”
    â€œThirty-seven, poor child.”
    â€œWhat do you mean, ‘poor child’? She’s beautiful and old enough to handle anything. None of Sally’s damn business.”
    â€œAdam, Sally’s your sister.”
    â€œI know who Sally is. Let Harry and May Ling have this night to themselves.”
    â€œWhatever you say, sir,” Eloise agreed, and then led Barbara out into the sunlight.
    â€œWhat’s all this mysterious business about Sally, and who is Harry?”
    â€œLook at it,” Eloise whispered. A butterfly whose wings were a splendid assortment of color had alighted on a vine. “Isn’t it marvelous? They are coming back since we stopped spraying and introduced counter-culture. Is there anything so beautiful? And since when do you not know white wine? Every time we have dinner out, you order white wine.”
    â€œI met a remarkable man today who convinced me that small lies are entirely permissible. Who is Harry?”
    â€œFreddie’s lawyer.”
    â€œCome on.”
    â€œThere’s Candido,” Eloise said. “He’s dying to see you. The local Spanish rag devoted a whole page to Barbara Lavette and the thief. You are something in the Valley.”
    Candido was laying down the law to two men who were cultivating. He glanced up from his harangue and broke into a wide smile. “ Señora ,” he said with pleasure, “ buenas tardes, mi alegro de verla! ” Then he and Eloise engaged in an exchange in Spanish that amounted to his plea to be allowed to talk to Barbara for the sake of his wife. His wife lived on gossip.
    â€œMañana, mañana,” Eloise said.
    â€œThey work on Sunday?” Barbara asked as the women moved away.
    â€œOnly at this time of the year. But they have the morning off for church and all day Saturday. It’s Adam’s one bow to his being Jewish.”
    They walked on, moving almost instinctively toward the bower on the hillside.
    â€œSo Harry is Freddie’s lawyer. What has that to do with Sally?”
    â€œHe wants to marry May Ling.” With no response on Barbara’s part, after a few moments Eloise asked, “Did you hear me?”
    â€œYes—of course, but my mind slipped, and I told myself that May Ling is dead, so how could she marry anyone? I’m getting old, I suppose.”
    â€œMay Ling dead? Barbara!”
    â€œNo, no, but for just a moment, the name meant her grandmother. It’s a tangled web, isn’t it? May Ling—May Ling my niece is her namesake. The first May Ling was this wonderful Chinese lady, my dad’s second wife. I don’t think you ever met her, but I knew her very well. She was as delicate and as beautiful as some ancient ivory carving, and my brother Joe is their son. She was killed in the Hawaiian Islands—during Pearl Harbor. I don’t think my dad ever got over it. She was the daughter of my father’s business manager, Feng Wo, who was also an important Chinese scholar who translated the Natural Way of