November brought relief from all punishments for Raquel. On the second day, Alberto and Adelaide celebrated their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, bringing some liveliness to the austere house that opened up to receive family and friends for a grand feast. Discussions of business, praise for the regime, and talk of prisoners filled the air, while cigars were smoked and drinks were imbibed. All the while, the cousins laughed about Gonçalo's first illegitimate child. After all, what man hasn't impregnated a woman and forgotten the existence of the child? It may have been Gonçalo's first "bastard child," but certainly not the first in the family.

Meanwhile, Raquel remained silent, speaking only when prompted by her parents. Her cousins chattered about fashion, spoke ill of other women, praised their grandmother Emília's rice pudding, exchanged recipes, and tried to find out if Raquel had a boyfriend, suitor, or fiancé. They praised Sabrina's engagement ring and discussed her upcoming wedding in June, where it was already known that the godmother Manuela would be providing a custom-made dress, with the best fabrics from downtown shops, complete with a veil and white pearls.

"Do you see, Raquel? Sabrina will have a beautiful dress and beautiful jewels. If you want this, find a fiancé. Time is running out, girl, and I still want to see you married!" Aunt Manuela said in the middle of the conversation about the wedding dress.

"Oh, Aunt, I still need to finish my studies. I have time for that later!" Raquel replied.

"Oh, Raquel, why study for years? As soon as you get married and become a mother, you won't accomplish any of that. You'll stay at home taking care of your children. You're delaying and delaying, but you can't run away from your obligations. Think about finding a husband who can support you. You know that thanks to the family's chain of stores, you always have work and easy money. You don't even need to postpone your duty as a woman and delay your life!" Cousin Tita said very assertively, and her words were like a stone in Raquel's heart.

Raquel's eyes filled with tears.

"Excuse me, Cousin Tita, I'm doing what I love most and I want to be a teacher. I'm not delaying anything, quite the opposite!" She tried to swallow her tears.

Adelaide and Sabrina looked at her disapprovingly for saying such a thing. Uncle Horácio, already very happy, approached still smoking his pipe and squeezed Raquel's cheek.

"My dear niece, you're an Espada Gonçalves. Our dishes and chain of stores are a true empire, you don't even need to do much. Look around, what a wonder, champagne, cigars, seafood to eat and cry for more. Have a little glass of fortified wine with your uncle!" The man patted his niece's back and then twirled in the middle of the carpeted room.