Alma places a hand over her heart. “Was my son involved?”
She knows the answer, though I’m sure she hopes I’ll prove her wrong. I won’t lie to her, but I soften the blow. “Cristiano has shown me as much leniency as he can.”
“Lydia will be livid. She will never allow this.”
“Antonio isn’t a boy. His mother doesn’t have control over his decisions. My father and Antonio entered into a betrothal agreement before my father died.”
“Your father?” she asks, skepticism in every syllable.
“My father,” I reply, my tone tinged with disgust.
“That would have never have happened if your mother was alive.”
My mouth curls into a sad little smile. “That’s for sure.”
“How can I help you?” she asks.
My heart clenches at the sincerity of the offer.
“You can pray for me, but please don’t interfere in any way. That will only make matters worse for me. It was not my agreement, and I was appalled when I first learned about it. But I’ve decided to marry Antonio, and to make the best life for myself that I can.” I say the words with as much dignity as I can muster.
“You’ve decided,” she mocks, mostly to herself, knowing full well I never had a choice.
“That’s my decision.” I take her hand. “If you want to do something for me, you could make me some caramels.”
She smiles. “I loved your mother. She had so much spirit. I’m always here for you. Lydia isn’t going to be happy about this. If you change your mind, I can call her. Don’t forget that.”
The punishment for going behind his back to his mother would be enormous. At theveryleast, there would be no wedding trip to Fall River. Lydia won’t be able to stop the wedding, and the risk isn’t worth it to me.
* * *
Victor answersthe door when I get back to the valley. “SenhoraDaniela,” he says, greeting me with a smile.
“Hello, Victor.” As much as I’d like to hide, I look straight into his eyes. “I’m sorry about any trouble I might have caused for you, or the staff.”
He waves me off. “We all do what we need to do in life to survive. Those of us in power need the pushback the most.”
I smile softly at him. He’s not talking about himself. He’s talking about Antonio.
“Is Paula upstairs?” I ask. “I need to apologize to her too.”
“I honored your wishes and gave her a couple days off. It wasn’t the weekend, but she was still very happy. She’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Thank you. I’m going to go upstairs and settle in. I’ll come down for dinner.”
On my way upstairs, I avoid looking out the second-floor window. My hope is to start fresh. To accept my fate, even if I don’t like it.
I open the suite door, and everything looks the same. The phone Antonio had given me is on the desk. I pick it up and take it over to the chair that overlooks the garden, and I call Isabel, bracing myself for the sea of emotions she’s going to unleash.
“Hello,” I say, the guilt from what I put her through hitting me hard.
“Daniela,” she says breathlessly. “What happened?”
“First, I’m fine. My plan to escape was never going to work.”
“I was so worried about you going down to the docks. Young women disappear from there all the time.”
I’m sure Isabel was haunted by her own memories as she thought about my plan. I should have never given her the details.