"I'd like to know who Goltz sees in Uruguay."
"I'll see what I can find out."
"I won't be back in Buenos Aires before Tuesday at the earliest. You want to meet at The Horse-The Fish-Wednesday night?"
"We better set up a time now," Peter said. "That would save a telephone call. Ten o'clock? If either of us can't make it, say by ten-thirty, we'll try some-thing else."
"Ten's fine with me," Clete said.
"Is a personal question in order?" Peter asked.
"Certainly."
"Dorotea?"
"The idea of having Dorotea sit beside me on the royal thrones-that is what you're asking?" Peter, smiling, nodded. "... was to convey the idea to our loyal subjects and the upper strata of Argentinian society that we have been en-gaged for some time, with the blessing of our parents. That will further explain why we will be married here, quietly, in about two weeks."
"I heard that much from Alicia, who heard it from her mother," Peter said, but it was a question.
"She's pregnant, Peter."
"In that case, congratulations."
"Yes, it was, Peter."
"Yes, it was what?"
"Grossly irresponsible of me."
"I didn't think that."
"Yes, you did."
"Yes, I did," Peter confessed. "And it puts me on a hell of a spot, you un-derstand."
"Alicia wants to get married?"
"Yes."
"I'm in no position to offer anyone any advice."
"Or me," Peter said, and put out his hand. "Good luck, my friend."
Chapter Fifteen
[ONE]
The Reception
Estancia San Pedro y San Pablo
Near Pila, Buenos Aires Province
1645 12 April 1943
Clete was standing with Humberto Duarte, holding a cup of coffee, in a circle of seven men. Each of them, he had come to understand, either managed one Frade enterprise or another or had business dealings with it. They had come from all over Argentina to pay their final respects to el Coronel, and of course to meet the new Patron.
It was something like a one-man reception line, the difference being that those passing through it felt they had either the right or the obligation-he wasn't sure which-to join the half dozen or so standing around el Patron for a cup of coffee and four or five minutes of conversation. As one man joined the group, and a maid offered him a tiny white gold-rimmed coffee cup and saucer, another left the group and placed his coffee cup and saucer on the maid's tray.