She walked confidently into the
courtyard. Immediately a uniformed man
met them and politely inquired of their business.
“Please tell the Comandante that Elena Aguilar is here to
see him.”
“Of course, if you will follow
me.” In spite of the worn shawl over her
simple dress and her escort’s less that tailored appearance, the servant was
polite. He led them into the house and
down a short hall to a reception area. “If you will sit here, I’ll tell the Commandante.”
He left them to find their own
chairs, but almost before they could sit down a large white haired Spanish
gentleman strode quickly into the room.
“Elena! It is you!
My dear, I thought you were dead!
Hernando will be overjoyed! He
has advertized for information regarding your whereabouts.” He took both her hands in his and then
released them to embrace her!
Ellen was as happy to see her
husband’s old friend as he was to see her. She turned to extend her hand to
Slade.
“Commandante Ortega-Garcia, I would like to introduce you to the man
who saved my life. This is Mr. Eli
Slade. He found me when I was nearly
dead in the snow and carried me into his house.
He has provided me with a bed in his loft for the past months until he
was able to put his own affairs into such order as to bring me to Santa Fe
“Mr. Slade, this is Commandante Ortega-Garcia, my husband’s padrino, his godfather, and long time friend to me!”
“Mr. Slade,” the Commandante exclaimed. “You have my eternal gratitude! We have searched for Elena.” He stopped.
“Ellen, you would say. She has always
been Elena to me. We didn’t worry during
the summer because Beatriz thought she was secluding herself in mourning. But when we heard nothing of her as winter
began, Senor Gutierrez sent someone to the Ranch to inquire of her and
Margarita, but the buildings were open and emptied of all valuables. The rooms
were full of trash and then we began to worry about our Elena.” He turned to Ellen.
“We found Margarita’s grave.” He turned
back to Ellen and said simply. “I’m sorry.
“But come in come in. Sit down. Tell me what has happened.” He led them from the hall into his office. He offered coffee and with it came some
rolled confections.
As they drank their coffee, Ellen
related the events preceding her escape in the teeth of the first storm of the
season. “I don’t exaggerate when I tell
you that I was near death when my horse took me into Mr. Slade’s yard. I had tied myself to the saddle horn and when
he released me, I would have fallen had he not caught me. I owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude.
“Senor, I’ve come for your help. Someone has been posing as an Aguilar
relative and has informed the bank president that I am deceased. He refused to look at my identification and
practically threw me out of the building.
“And I discovered the Senor Gutierrez
is no longer in the offices above the bank itself. I had hoped he could verify
my identity. I need you to come and tell
this self-important Anglo who I am!”
Ellen spoke as though she had been born and raised as a Spaniard.
Oh ho, mi damita! Never fear. Hernando will be more than happy to provide
you with an identity! He has no love for
the ‘self-important Anglo’ as you call him.
I will send Jorje directly around to let him know his lost dove has
returned!
“Now, more coffee? Can I help you in any other way? I will need to finish up my paper work, but
in about 20 minutes I can meet you at the bank.
And I’m sure Hernando will be there too.
He will enjoy rubbing Ellington’s nose in this!”
Ellen thanked him effusively and started
to leave then stopped. “One more thing,
could you have Jorje or one of your other men go by the hotel and request the
rooms for the Aguilar widow be prepared.
If I go in this state they will refuse to recognize me, too!” Ellen laughed.
“But, mi damita. You are welcomed here, of course. I would be honored to have you here.” Ortega-Garcia said emphatically.
“I thank you, my dear friend. But
we will be coming and going constantly during our short stay here in Santa Fe
“Yes, yes, I understand. You are ever considerate. I will need to bring Beatriz to visit you as
soon as you are able. So keep that in
mind.” He stood and escorted them to the
door.
When they left Ellen was
giggling. “I cannot wait to see
Ellington’s face! I cannot wait!
“Eli, do you have enough money
for us to get something to eat in the café across from the bank. I’m famished and those cute little sweets
with the coffee only fed my appetite. It didn’t satisfy it.
“I promise, I’m a lady of
means. I can always pay you back.”
“Ha. You can, can you? Perhaps I’ll hold you to
that!” Slade said. “Of course we can eat. And then I’ll have to put the horses away. We
cannot leave them standing in the street after their long trip. Can I trust the
Commandant to take care of you and escort you to the hotel when you are
finished with your Mr. Ellington?
Ellen squeezed his arm as they
walked quickly back across the plaza and down a few doors to a little
café. They were able to go in and have a
hot filling meal before Ellen had to be at the bank.
In slightly less than twenty
minutes they saw the Commandant step down from his small carriage in front of
the bank. Hurriedly, Slade paid their
bill in order to go across the street.
“I wish I could see Ellington’s
face when you walk in accompanied by both Ortega-Garcia and Gutierrez, but I
cannot let the horses stand any longer.”
He escorted Ellen to the Commandant’s side and explained his errand.
“I wish you would take her to the
hotel when her business is finished,” Slade requested. “I will meet her there if your carriage is
not still in front of the bank.”
Ortega-Garcia agreed promptly and
offered Ellen his arm. “This should not
take long. I will stay in the hotel
until you return, Senor. I suspect that
the imposter Aguilar will not be pleased to find himself supplanted.
“Do not worry. She will be safe.” Ortega-Garcia’s eyes twinkled with suspicion
and delight. Mr. Slade, in his opinion, was
a man in love. And his godson’s dainty
widow was much in need of a man by her side.
He watched Slade climb onto the wagon and drive around the corner toward
the livery.
When Ellen entered the bank the
second time, the teller’s face blanched.
He didn’t wait for a request or a command but hurried into the
president’s office.
Mr. Ellington came out with much
less haughtiness than he had the first time he met Ellen.
“Ah, yes, Senora! You are back.” He had no time for further conversation
because Commandante Ortega-Garcia
broke into his smooth speech.
“I have been informed of your
rudeness to my old friend’s widow. She
tells me she offered to bring you several papers verifying her identity and you
refused them on the basis of her supposed death.
“She has also informed me of your
reference to another Senor Aguilar who has a previous claim to the property and
finances of Alejandro Aguilar y Garcia.
I will tell you instantly that Alejandro was the only surviving son of
his father. His only brother died in
childhood. Don Francisco had no
relatives in this country and indeed I am doubtful that there are any cousins
in Spain
“Whoever this is who has presumed
to present evidence of her death and of his own entitlement to the land is an
imposter.
“But we will be able to discuss
that later.
“Now we need to look at the sum
of the Aguilar holdings in trust to this bank and whether Senora Aguilar will
decide to leave them in your hands…Yes, my dear.” Ortega-Garcia deferred to Ellen who had begun
to speak.
“Commandante, if you could send someone to the livery and ask Mr. Slade
for the leather packet stored in my box, we will have my father’s final deposit
receipts and ledger sheets to compare with the bank records as well as several
other documents confirming my identity.
I’m sorry I forgot it.”
“Yes. Excellent idea. Felipe,” he spoke to his man who had
accompanied him, “you heard the senora. You will recognize Mr. Slade at the
livery? Good. Go then. Quickly”
“And you sir. Do you always keep your institution’s foremost
patrons standing in the hallway like beggars.”
Ellington was beginning to
sweat. In fact he was far past
beginning; he was becoming very nervous indeed.
The Aguilar account composed the major cash reserve of his bank. He had a very agreeable working arrangement
with the presumptive “Senor Aguilar” regarding the distribution of funds. In all actuality, Ellington was fully aware
of the Aguilar claimant’s imposture but their agreement was too lucrative to
countermand. And after all he had
presented a few credentials that could be construed to prove his identity
acceptably. Now in the face of a
verified and valid heir, Ellington’s decisions regarding the large sum on
deposit were being called into question.
Before Felipe was able to return
with the leather packet, Hernando Gutierrez came striding into the bank and
straight through to Ellington’s private office without any announcement or
permission. The opportunity to best the haughty
banker was too great to allow waiting another instant. He brought with him a fat leather bound
portfolio.
Ellington had seated his visitors
in chairs facing his ornate desk and then seated himself in stately splendor
behind it. Gutierrez strode up to the
desk and tossed the portfolio down on top of the ledger sheets designed to make
the banker seem important. Then he
turned to greet Ellen as effusively as Ortega-Garcia had earlier.
He turned to Ellington. “Now let us end this idiocy once and for all.” Without invitation he flipped open the
packet of files on the big desk, scattering the banker’s papers in all
directions.
“I have here the last will and
testament of Alejandro Victoro Aguilar y Garcia. He was very anxious that there should be no
question of his wife’s claim to his estate should he die unexpectedly.
“I got the impression he
suspected that might be very possible.
As it stood, his signing of the will with several witnesses preceded his
death by only a few hours. He didn’t see
fit to explain to me the source of his suspicions, but given the events following
in the next several months, it would seem they were well founded.
“And now given the arrival of
this impostor and the involvement of this bank, as they say in English, ‘the
plot thickens” Let us put an immediate
end to this.”
He turned to the desk where he sorted
through the portfolio without any concern for Ellington’s scattered bank
documents.
“Here we have the will of Don
Francisco, leaving all his property and money to his only son Alejandro. There being, as it states clearly here, no
other eligible surviving Aguilar relatives of an age to inherit. As I understand there may be a brother still
living in Spain , but he
apparently had no interest in migrating to “New Spain ,”
as Don Francisco was pleased to call us!”
He laid out the will before Mr.
Ellington knowing full well that the man could not hope to read the legalistic
Spanish. “If you would like for Senor
Ortega-Garcia to translate it for you I’m sure he would do that for the
pertinent passages.” He cast a
questioning eye at the Commandante.
Ortega-Garcia rose to comply but
Ellington quickly intervened. “No, no,
no. That isn’t necessary. I know you are recognized as a man of the
highest ethics.”
Gutierrez did his best to hide
his own gratification at that statement.
“To go on then. Here is the will prepared by Aguilar-Garcia
only hours before his death. As I said
he was very anxious that there be no possibility of any one questioning the
validity of the will so he required that there be four witnesses. He wanted to insure that one would still be
alive to testify that they had all witnessed Alejandro’s hand regardless of
intervening events. Evidently he had
reason to believe any witnesses might disappear and the will be open to
dispute.
“There are three of those men
living today. Mr. Woodrow, the former
president here, was the fourth witness.
He died in a tragic carriage accident shortly after Christmas. But Mr.
Ellington, fortuitously, was visiting family in Espanola and the bank was able
to replace managers without any delay.”
He glanced across the room to
meet Ortega-Garcia’s eyes in a solemn gaze. Then his glance returned to the
paper in his hand.
“So, the will of Alejandro leaves
his entire estate to his wife, Ellen McPherson Aguilar, to do with as she sees
fit.” Here Gutierrez stopped and looked
at Ellen. “And may I say that I would
sincerely hope she will see fit to remain in our community and provide
employment opportunities for our young men.
But we shall see.”
“Are there any more questions,
Senor Ellington?
“No? I should certainly hope
not.”
Ellington nodded in agreement,
already worrying how he would broach this news to his own Aguilar claimant.
“Now,” Ortega-Garcia stood
up. ‘Felipe has returned with the
Senora’s packet. I think we should give
it to her to open for us.
“Hernando, if you would replace
your papers in the folder please.” They
waited a short while as Gutierrez neatly collected and stacked the wills.
Ellen stepped to the desk and
removed the stack of papers from her leather envelope. Working precisely she began laying them out
across the desk, now gleaming and empty since Ellington had hastily bundled his
documents into a drawer.
“These are my marriage lines,
signed by the Padre Navario on the day of our wedding.” She held it out to Gutierrez who confirmed
that it was in deed the marriage verification.
“This sizable packet of papers is
the original land grant to the Aguilar family signed by the King himself.” Again she handed them to Gutierrez who looked
at the last page for a minute in awe.
There was the signature of King Ferdinand II himself dating back to the
1500’s!
“These are the ledger sheets I
removed from the book kept by my father for Don Francisco and Alejandro until
his death last spring. I assume that
Senor Gutierrez can verify the handwriting.”
She again passed the papers to Gutierrez, who nodded and looked at the
final total.
“Finally, this is the receipt for
the transactions made just before my father’s death. This leather envelope and
the receipts were left tossed into the brush at the roadside beside my father’s
body. I assume the bandits were not able
to read and so didn’t realize the value of the papers. Or perhaps my father was able to toss it
there as the bandits attacked
“I would guess that the pretender
Aguilar has wished many times for something so concrete with which to press his
claim.
“I am exceedingly weary of all
the wrangling today. I have just made a journey of two days and spent yesterday
afternoon in a freezing wind that compelled us to take shelter in a rough canyon
windbreak last night. I will leave the
study of these numbers to Senor Gutierrez and Commandant Ortega-Garcia. And, of course,” she paused with a bit of
disdain in her voice, “Mr. Ellington.
“Senor Gutierrez, I am seriously in
need of funds for myself. I have no
clothing of my own and I have cost Mr. Slade a great deal of money for my
care. I also need funds to see to the
refurbishment of the hacienda and the lands around it.”
Although Ellen was a very good
bookkeeper in her own right, she was very tired and expected that there would
be many fewer questions and much less quibbling from Mr. Ellington if the other
two men dealt with the sums and balances.
She sat down in the very comfortable high-backed leather arm chair and
leaned her head against the curve of the head rest. She looked so exhausted that Gutierrez pushed
the bank president to give a quick justification of the totals on deposit.
By this time, Ellington was in
such a panic that he didn’t dare allow a hint of how loosely he had been
administering the Aguilar estate and how much of it had found its way into his
own coffers. He presented the loosely
kept, but actual accounts. Fortunately the numbers coincided fairly well with
those to be found on the ledger sheets. No
mention was made of interest due or other appreciation to the account. Ellington hoped he would be able to keep
those appreciable sums his own secret.
Ellen was overcome at the size of
the balance that was apparently hers to administer. But for the present she only needed enough
for her personal use and to arrange for the repairs of the house and property
at Los Llanos. Later concern could be
given to the livestock and crops. Senor
Gutierrez quickly outlined a letter of authorization for her to draw such funds
or direct their release to her designated representative. As much as Ellington
disliked carrying out his obligation to sign the authorization he was forced to
do so in the presence of two such well recognized individuals.
She asked for the release of funds
with the understanding that she would very likely be returning for an
additional withdrawal for materials when the extent of the damage was known and
to name designated representatives who would carry out the repairs. Ellington would have preferred to tender it
in American paper currency and frankly it would have been much easier to carry,
but Ellen was suspicious of the quality of the new American money as much as
the man’s integrity and refused any but silver or gold coinage in various
denominations. It made several sizable stacks
of coins. Upon consideration, Ellington
provided a small leather bound cash box for the heavy coins.
Ortega-Garcia made his carriage
available to take her to the hotel. He insured that her leather packet was
repacked with all the vital papers and that her heavy money case, compliments
of the bank, was placed on the seat beside her.
“Now let’s get you to your rooms
before your Mr. Slade becomes anxious.”
The Commandante handed her
into the carriage as he would have the loveliest senorita in silks and
lace. He nodded to the driver and they
made their way up through the plaza to the other end where the hotel stood in
its early Spanish splendor of arches and fountains and paved courtyard.
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