chuckled. “Another Candelaria tradition from Peru, but one that our local boys have been eager to adopt. New vehicles are also brought to the church for blessing today.”
“That big blue Ram is very impressive—not to mention the driver,” said Lizzy, as she met the eye of the handsome youth behind the wheel. He gave a flourishing bow in their direction as he crept by, and could be seen to glance several times in the rear-view mirror as he proceeded down the street.
The older gentleman looked proudly after the departing truck. “So you have an eye for my son, George,” he said with a smile. “I’ll let him know that he’s earned the notice of the prettiest newcomer to arrive in Lambtown in many years! May I tell him the name of the young lady gracious enough to look kindly on him?”
Lizzy blushed, but John stepped in. “Sir, it’s very nice to make your acquaintance. My name is John Bennet, and this is my sister Elizabeth. Our whole family is here for a while, on family business.”
The gentleman exclaimed, “Are you Evelyn Bennet’s family, then? She was well known here, and is greatly missed. It’s doubly my pleasure to meet you in that case. My name is Frank Carrillo, and I hope we can get better acquainted. Will you be attending the Red and White Ball?”
Lizzy responded with alacrity that she had never heard of it, but any event with ball in the name was certain to be popular with her family.
By this time the bystanders were moving into the streets to follow the procession to evening Mass. Mr. Carrillo, with apologies, said he needed to be going with them; the Bennets, in turn, made their excuses as they needed to return to their family before they were missed.
As they were turning to go, Lizzy observed that the young man across the way in the group of rich-looking Anglos was still eyeing John. “I think you should wave at him,” she said mischievously. “Clearly you’ve provided more entertainment for him this evening than the parade did!”
John laughed and begged her to be serious; but as they made their way back to the motel, he could not help commenting on the young man’s seeming goodwill, his evident good manners, his appearance in general.
“I give you permission to like him, John; such a paragon of every imagined virtue indeed cries out for admiration. And it’s important to take care that we admire those who admire us already: it makes for a pleasing symmetry in our social relations.”
“Perhaps you’ll be so kind as to let us ride in the flatbed when you go cruising with your Latin George in his Ram pickup,” retorted John. “If you’re as successful in making a conquest of the son as you were with the father, I expect it won’t be long before we’re all riding out together.”
In the exchange of such nonsense they made their way back to the motel and shepherded their family off to dinner. Their tardiness was readily excused, at least on the part of their mother and Kitty, by the news they brought of a ball in the offing. Both elder siblings were happy enough that the ensuing speculation about what that event might entail led the conversation away from any mention of interesting young men.
Chapter Five
The morning brought Lizzy’s appointment with Melvin Perry, her aunt’s attorney, and she was dismayed to learn that most of her family was bent on accompanying her. Lydon and Jenny weren’t awake yet, but Kitty was eager to discover what entertainments the town had to offer, Mary needed to locate the nearest evangelical church before Sunday, her father wanted advice on locating rental properties, and her mother cherished hopes of persuading the attorney to overturn Evelyn Bennet’s will forthwith. Lizzy was aware that in agreeing to see her immediately on her arrival Mr. Perry was putting himself out, and she cringed at the first impression of her that would be conveyed by a mass descent of the Bennet clan upon his offices. But not being one to dwell overmuch on circumstances she lacked the power to alter, she accepted the entourage with good grace. John, sizing up the situation, came along to help without being asked.
Mr. Perry was plainly surprised by the crowd that filled his small waiting room, but, as his secretary was not just then present to manage for him, took control as best he might by pretending that it was simply a brief social encounter, an opportunity for everyone to be introduced before his true business with Lizzy began. He did his best to absorb all the names and field all the questions that soon were being thrown his way: the evangelical church was on the highway, about five miles distant, the Episcopalian one a block away from the center of town. There were no movie theaters or shopping malls in the neighborhood, nor would any local buses take Kitty to them; both involved a drive to Lompoc, near Vandenberg Air Force Base, or to Santa Barbara. The local real estate agents did not do much rental business, though they could inquire at the office of Morris Collins, a Realtor who had recently been appointed the mayor of Lambtown. But there was another possibility: he himself had a client who owned a newly built house she was not yet ready to occupy, and he would ask whether she might be willing to rent it out for a time.
For Mrs. Bennet, such subjects were interesting enough, but insufficient to distract her from her chief preoccupation. She interrupted with “It’s a sad business about this will. How did Evelyn come to make such a peculiar arrangement? And what are you doing to fix it?”
Even Mr. Perry’s suavity was no proof against this sudden attack, and he turned to Elizabeth in some perplexity.
“Mama, you know that Aunt Evelyn had every right to arrange her estate as she thought best,” Lizzy said in minatory tones.
“You would think so, of course, since it’s all to your benefit! But I have other children to look out for, and I can’t allow one to run off with what belongs by right to everyone.”
Lizzy cast an agonized glance at her father, but he was enjoying himself too much to heed her appeal.
“Ma’am, I can assure you that every provision in your sister-in-law’s Will is legitimate,” said Mr. Perry. “Her assets were free of any encumbrance and her mind was clear, so she was at liberty to dispose of her estate how she wished.”
Mrs. Bennet was inclined to dispute this view, but John stepped in with the suggestion that the purpose of today’s meeting was simply for Lizzy to discover what her responsibilities were, and perhaps Mama would like to see something more of Lambtown now? If they found a local newspaper, they might learn more about the ball they’d heard about.
Mr. Perry seized on this new idea with evident relief. “You mean the Red and White Ball? It’s one of the biggest social events of the year in the valley! It’s put on by the Hispanic Heritage Club to benefit their charitable programs. My secretary is one of the organizers, and I’m sure she’d want me to give you invitations.” He rummaged in her desk and came out with the cards, then led Mrs. Bennet to the exit by the expedient of holding them out in her direction while retreating to the door. “It was a pleasure to meet all of you, and I hope to see you again at the ball.” John herded his parents and younger sisters out, and Mr. Perry closed the door on them at last.
Once they were settled in his sanctum, Lizzy repressed the impulse to apologize for her family, and turned directly to the business at hand. She assured him that she was fully prepared to execute her aunt’s wishes as they had been described to her, though many aspects of the task were unfamiliar, and some mysterious. “I don’t really understand the requirement of complete secrecy,” she said. “From what I recall of my visits with my aunt, she had many friends who enjoyed reading and books; why would it be necessary to conceal her plan to turn her home into a public library for Lambtown?”
“When you have been here for a while, her concerns may become clearer to you, along with
