Free Deep Purple by Parris Afton Bonds

only just occurred to him that what he intended to say was highly improper. A man might tell his mother or a sister or his wife that her hair was very becoming left unbound, but never a single female; never could such a thing be said to Catherine Howard.
    She made no reply but shut the door behind her and walked with him through the darkened courtyard and zaguan . Out in the compound they found a bench, worn smooth with the years. Sherrod, sitting a little apart from her, talked quietly of his plans for Cristo Rey.
    “ I realize the Stronghold has come a long way from the simple stucco rancho that Law and his mother lived in when we arrived in the territory, but there’s so much more to be accomplished. I want to irrigate Cristo Rey’s desert area and breed a better strain of cow to improve our herds. But that must wait until the Indian problem is settled. And then there’s the house itself—wallpaper, glass windows, things that would make Lucy happy.”
    Catherine saw the flicker of concern darken the thick-lashed eyes. “ Lucy speaks often of how much she misses Virginia.”
    He hunched forward, his hands clasped between his kne es. “Lucy came west with her parents when President Pierce appointed her father territorial attorney for New Mexico. Father and I had gone to Santa Fe because we were having trouble confirming Dona Dominica’s land grant, and I met Lucy at one of the dinners given by the governor.
    “ Naturally, I fell in love with her immediately. But with Tucson five hundred miles from Santa Fe, I despaired of being able to court her. Fortunately, I was able to persuade her to accept my proposal immediately.”
    Sherrod ’s interlocked fingers came up to rub absently against his mustache. Catherine thought he was finished speaking, but after a moment, he continued. “I know that life out here has been difficult for Lucy to adjust to. Even Santa Fe had more cultural activities for her than this—” His hand swept the darkened panorama. “That’s why I'm so relieved my father found someone as educated as you—and so glad you were willing to come out here. You see, Lucy—well, I guess you can tell by now—Lucy’s not happy here at Cristo Rey.”
    “ I gathered that.”
    “ Yes, I’m sure it’s obvious. She needs to get away, but I simply can’t leave right now. I thought next year, when the children go off to boarding school. Perhaps she could spend a year back East with her family.”
    Catherine wanted to tell him it would all work out. But she was not certain it would. She said instead, “Tell me, what was it like growing up with two mothers?”
    Sherrod looked at her and smiled. “ It was marvelous. Can you imagine being spoiled by not one but two mothers?”
    She kne w herself how difficult it was for two women to live in the same household, even when they loved each other dearly. But two wives, competing for the same man ... it was beyond her comprehension. “Surely the two wives must have had problems with the—I suppose you would call it their bounds of authority.”
    “ Not really. Mother is a very organized, practical woman. She dealt with the running of the household. And Dona Dominica was a very maternal woman. She saw to the raising of Law and myself. I came to love her as much as my own mother—and Law as I would my own brother, though I don’t think I’ll ever understand his indifference to Cristo Rey.”
    Catherine opened her mouth to speak, and Sherrod, laughing, held up a hand. “ Don’t ask me whose area of authority my father fell under, because I was too young at the time to give much thought to things like that. And when I was old enough to wonder, Dona Dominica died—from some female disorder.
    “ But enough of the Godwins,” he said. “Tell me something of yourself, Catherine.”
    “ I would like to be able to tell you something exciting.” She smiled, certain that in the shadows he could not see the wryness that curved her lips. “Such as that I’m a