Anna, to be a lady. You must watch her. You musn't ask her to pick up
swill.' He stopped looking at Tess for a moment and slammed his fist
against the table.
'I am hungry, Anna. You will bring me something to eat. And you will
bring something--for the lady.'
Anna didn't like that at all. She began to argue again. This time Chavez
rose and slapped her hard across the face.
Anna stared at him, tears forming in her eyes. But she said no more,
choosing to obey him. Chavez looked at Tess sternly.
'That is how to handle a woman!' he told her firmly.
'That, Chavez, is not even the proper way to handle a dog,' she told
him.
But a second later it was all that she could do not to shrink away from
him as he jumped to his feet and stood over her, his hand raised, ready
to strike. She willed herself not to flinch.
Slowly, his hand fell.
He smiled, then he laughed, and returned to his seat, still looking at
her.
'I would like to keep you here. I would like to see you change your
tune. I would like to see you after your eyes had been blackened and
your body used by every man here. Then you would not be so proud.'
'You could never really touch me, Chavez,' she said softly.
'You can hurt Anna because she loves you. You cannot hurt a woman who
despises you. That is something that you cannot even begin to
understand.'
He looked at her, puzzled, then the door opened again. Anna was back
with a plate of food for Chavez and one for Tess.
Tess didn't want to touch anything in the filthy hovel, but she thought
again that she needed strength if she was going to escape, and she
hadn't had anything but water all day. She accepted the plate Anna
handed her, saying a soft, 'Thank you.' Anna looked at her curiously,
then went to sit in a chair facing Chavez, her head bowed.
Tess chewed the stringy beef she had been handed, and scooped up the
beans with a spoon. She ate quickly but she still had not finished when
Chavez let out a loud belch and wiped his face with the back of his
sleeve. She glanced at him and felt ill. Knowing she could eat no more,
she set her plate on the table.
'You see? She does not eat much, just little, little bites, like a
lady,' Chavez told Anna. He pushed himself back from the table and rose.
Belching again, he growled at Anna to get out of his way.
'I will drink with my comrades!' he said. He went to Tess and gripped
her chin hard.
'I will come back when I have drunk my fill. And I will decide if you
get to learn your lessons from me--or the Apache.' Laughing, he released
her, collected his guns from the table and strode out of the house. When
he was gone, Tess stared at Anna, watching the woman's jealous face.
Suddenly she leaped to her feet.
'Anna, listen to me. You want Chavez. I do not! Help me. Get me out of
here.'
