Page 104 of The Seven Sisters
32
Paty do Alferes, Brazil, November 1928
In the two weeks that Bel had been up in the mountains at thefazenda,she had watched her mother’s strength begin to return. Whether it was the clean mountain air, the beauty and serenity of the setting, or Fabiana’s nursing, Bel didn’t know. But Carla had put on a little weight and was able to find the energy to take short walks around the glorious gardens unsupported.
Everything they ate was grown either on the farm itself, or sourced from the surrounding district: meat from their cattle, cheese and milk from the goats on the lower land, and vegetables and fruit from the local farms. The region was famous for the production of tomatoes and Fabiana swore by their healing qualities, chopping, mincing and sieving them into all manner of foodstuffs.
And Bel began to feel that she too was healing. Waking up every morning, donning her bathing costume and taking a refreshing dip in the lake before sitting down to a breakfast of the delicious pound cake Fabiana made was therapeutic. There was a waterfall on their land, where the fresh water fell in a cascade from the mountains above. Bel would often sit under it, staring out at the mountains, feeling the icy-cold ripples massage her back.
During the day, if her mother was resting, she would lie on the cool veranda and read, preferring books on philosophy and the art of being at peace with oneself, rather than the romantic stories she’d once favoured when she was younger. She understood now that they were fiction, and that in real life love did not always have a happy ending.
Most afternoons, she would saddle Loty and ride up the rough tracks and across the slopes, coming to rest on a hilltop, where horse and rider would pause and take a moment to enjoy the marvellous view.
Evenings were spent playing cards with her mother and Bel would retire to her room peaceful and sleepy. Before she closed her eyes, she’d say her prayers, asking God to restore her mother to good health, to grant her father success in his business dealings and to ensure that Laurent – so far away from her physically, yet still nurtured in her heart – found happiness in the future.
It was the only gift she could give him. And she tried to offer it freely and without remorse.
It didn’t help that she’d often find Loen and Bruno out together for an evening stroll, completely wrapped up in each other. She once saw them sneaking a surreptitious kiss by the lake and her heart had burned with envy.
Up here, Bel thought one night as she lay in her bed yet again remembering Laurent’s touch, life outside thefazendafelt far removed. It was the same feeling she’d experienced in Paris, when her marriage to Gustavo and the life she would live in Rio had seemed distant, as the maze of alleyways that made up Montparnasse – where she so often imagined Laurent walking – did now . . .
*
When they had been at thefazendafor three weeks, Antonio arrived to spend the weekend with them. Immediately, the atmosphere changed, as Fabiana went into a frenzy of cleaning and had her husband clip the already immaculate grass and polish the perpetually gleaming copper ornaments that hung on the wall in the dining room.
‘How is she?’ Antonio asked when he arrived mid-afternoon while Carla was taking a rest.
‘She’s much improved, Pai. I think in another few weeks, she will be strong enough to return to Rio. Fabiana is taking such good care of her.’
‘Well, I will see for myself when she wakes. But Izabela, it is almost December,’ said Antonio. ‘Your marriage takes place at the end of January, and there is still much to do. If, as you say, your mother is recovering under the care of Fabiana, then I feel that you must leave her here and return to Rio with me.’
‘But Pai, I’m sure Mãe would prefer her daughter near to her.’
‘And I’m sure your mother would understand that the bride needs to be in Rio to organise her wedding,’ countered Antonio. ‘Not to mention showing your face to your fiancé. I think Gustavo has been extremely patient under the circumstances. He must feel his intended runs away from him at any given opportunity. And I know his parents are becoming most anxious about the arrangements. As am I. So, you will return to Rio with me and that’s my final word on the matter.’
As her father left the room to see his wife, Bel knew she was beaten.
*
‘Mãe,’ she said as she kissed Carla goodbye two days later, ‘please, if you need me, know that I am happy to return. Fabiana will use the telephone in the village to let me know how you are.’
‘Don’t worry about me,piccolina,’ Carla said as she stroked her daughter’s cheek tenderly. ‘I promise I am on the road to recovery. Send my apologies to Senhora Aires Cabral, and tell her I hope to be back in Rio very shortly. Come, give your mother a hug.’
Bel did so and Carla stood at the front door, waving her husband and daughter goodbye. Antonio blew his wife a kiss and the car inched along the stony drive.
‘I am very relieved that she is on the mend,’ he said suddenly. ‘Because I really don’t know what I would do without her.’
Bel was surprised to see a rare look of vulnerability in her father’s eyes. For much of the time, it seemed to her that Antonio barely noticed his wife.
*
The following month was filled with endless trips to A Casa das Orquídeas to meet with Luiza and finalise the details for the wedding. Even though Bel was determined not to let the woman rile her, her patronising, arrogant manner had her biting her tongue on many occasions.
Initially, she’d made suggestions for her preferred hymns, the design of her bridesmaids’ dresses to complement her own magnificent gown, and a possible menu for the wedding breakfast. But every time she did so, Luiza would find a reason why Bel’s ideas were inappropriate. Eventually, seeing it was by far the least painful course of action, she’d simply agreed to everything Luiza suggested.
Gustavo, who sometimes joined them in the drawing room during their meetings, would give her hand a squeeze as she left. ‘Thank you for being so good with my mother. I understand she can be domineering.’
Bel would arrive home exhausted, with a headache from the stress of having to comply with everything Luiza said and wondering how on earth she would control herself when she was actually living under the same roof.
