The Poet's Wife by Rebecca Stonehill Read Free Book Online

don’t understand.’
    Aurelia kicks at the dogs then leans forwards in her seat. ‘Come now, child. What is there to understand?’
    Suddenly, I feel afraid. Afraid of Aurelia’s powers and afraid of what I have just been told. But what alarms me most is that Joaquín’s mother may want to reclaim him. I jump up from my seat and hurriedly begin preparing the makeshift length of material to re-attach the babies. ‘I really ought to get going. It must be late and I—’
    ‘Sit!’ barks Aurelia.
    I stop what I am doing and sink back onto the stool.
    ‘You have nothing to be afraid of,’ Aurelia says. ‘My daughter does not want the child back any more than you want to give him up. You did a great kindness taking him in, and Mar will be the first to thank you.’ She pulls one of the children onto her lap and absently pats his tousled head with her huge hand. ‘You see how simply we live here. Look at this poor chaboró . We can barely feed these children, let alone any more that come along.’ The child nestles into her frame and begins to play with strands of Aurelia’s long silver hair. ‘My daughter falls in love far too easily. Look at these little ones. They are the result.’ Aurelia’s features soften. ‘But for all that, she’s not a bad girl.’
    ‘How did you know that we took Joaquín in?’
    ‘Joaquín?’ Aurelia grunts. ‘Is that his name? Pues ,how do I know the difference between black and white? How do I know that winter is on its way? Don’t ask silly questions, child.’
    With that, we hear a rustling of leaves from the front of the cave. Turning away from the table, there she is. Mar. Against my will, I gasp. Never in my life have I seen such a striking woman. She is dressed in a simple long skirt and loose blouse, but this cannot detract from her beauty or the pride she exudes. It is not difficult to see what my brother-in-law was attracted to. Her long black hair hangs to her waist in curls and she has a bold green sash wound around her head, framing beautiful dark-lashed eyes that flash boldly. Her face is stern and haughty and as she stands there at the gate, hands on hips, I see that she is looking towards her son. Our son.
    Ever since the extraordinary day that Joaquín arrived at Carmen de las Estrellas, I have thought a great deal about the identity and whereabouts of his mother but did not know how to search for her. I knew that she had given her child up, yet was aware this was an act of desperation and that she had possibly regretted it. On several occasions, I had attempted to contact Miguel without the knowledge of Eduardo, but he remained silent and elusive. At the same time, I found myself growing more and more attached to this mysterious child with his heart-melting smile and dark, intense eyes. I suckled him at my breast and loved him as much as if he were my own. And now, to be confronted with his mother in flesh and blood, and discover that she is the daughter of Aurelia of all people, is almost more than I can comprehend. Surely she shall take one look at Joaquín and wish to reclaim him? The thought of this causes a physical pain to wrench its way through my body and I find myself fighting back tears.
    Mar approaches us. She reaches into my lap and holds Joaquín up at a distance, as though inspecting him. The tiny boy peers solemnly at her, his legs dangling in their cotton trousers.
    ‘Well, buenas tardes .’
    She immediately hands him back to me and smiles, her features softening.
    ‘He looks well. You’ve been taking good care of him.’
    I know at that moment, with all certainty, that Mar does not want Joaquín back. I feel sick with relief and smile at Mar, who then turns and walks into the cave, the small children scampering after her. A chill has crept into the air and, allowing my breathing to return to normal, I turn to look at Isabel as she chases dancing leaves around the yard.
    ‘We really ought to return before it starts getting dark. Gracias