Isabel closed her emerald-colored eyes and leaned against the ship's railing. The fresh salty breeze swirled her night-colored hair, reminding her that she would soon lose her freedom. Although the truth was that she had never been completely free.

A deep melancholy took hold of her soul, and if she had been like any other young woman her age, she would have allowed herself the luxury of crying. However, Isabel never cried, not even away from her father's severe gaze.

She shook her head. A part of her had always known that the day would come when she would be married off to a member of a powerful family. Even so, she had worked hard to prove to her parents that she was as strong and clever as her cousins Sebastián and Diego. If she had been born a man, she would undoubtedly be the pride of her family. She had even managed the estate and kept the slaves in the fields in line during her father's frequent absences. Unfortunately, all her efforts had been in vain.

When Antonio Pérez Esnaola died, and lacking a male heir to inherit his estate, the management would likely fall to one of Isabel's cousins, almost certainly to Diego, as Sebastián lacked the qualities of a patrón. At sixteen, the older boy had shown no skill beyond making girls in the village sigh and lifting their skirts.

It wasn't fair that Isabel had to be exiled to the colonies of the Crown when it was Sebastián who endangered the family's honor, not her. A lady of her stature did not contradict her father's decisions, but she had suggested that perhaps marrying one of her sisters into the Páez family would be more sensible. Rumor had it that Amanda rode out at night without the company of the maids, and their mother had found some letters from who knows whom sent to little Sofía, who at only fourteen years old already attracted the attention of the men in their congregation.

Of course, her suggestions were not heeded, as she was the eldest of the three and would have to be the first to leave the estate where she had grown up. At nineteen, she could no longer postpone the inevitable. Her words had only managed to provoke her father's anger for criticizing her sisters, and she had been confined to her room to hide the purple mark of shame that contrasted with her pale face.

"I wouldn't be able to sleep either if tomorrow I were to meet my betrothed..." Sofía's dreamy voice pulled Isabel out of her thoughts.

"Sofi, it's late. You should be in bed," she replied, her voice sounding louder than she had intended.Sofía had golden hair and eyes the same bluish-purple shade as their mother's. Jewels and fabrics were her weakness, and she liked to read romance novels in secret. Isabel had once caught her spying on their cousins while they swam in the lake; of course, she hadn't tattled. Though she prided herself on always doing the right thing, the young woman had a certain soft spot for her favorite sister, and her mischiefs didn't harm anyone.

"Roberto Páez, Roberto Páez..." Sofía teased playfully. "What do you think he's like?"

"I heard he's as rich as Father and Uncle Óscar combined," said Isabel, shrugging. 

"That's not what I mean. Do you think he's handsome?" 

"I don't know, Sofía. I don't worry about those things like you do." 

The youngest Pérez Esnaola's face filled with suspicion. 

"I don't believe you. I'd run away from home if Father betrothed me to an old man." 

"Well, I guess fortunately, luck is on my side in that regard. My future husband is only twenty-six, and for five years, he and his younger brother have been landowners in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata." 

"How old is his brother? Is he single?" Sofía asked immediately, tucking one of her curls behind her ear. 

"I think Esteban is twenty. Why the sudden interest?" 

Despite the darkness, the pale moonlight revealed her cheeks had turned a soft pink. 

"Well, if it were up to me, I'd like us to be sister-in-laws because then I could stay with you in the colonies and wouldn't have to return alone to Spain," Sofía explained, her gaze lost in the night's darkness. 

"Don't be silly, Sofía. You won't be alone; it's me they're handing over to another family. You'll stay with our parents for many more years. To be honest, I even doubt they're thinking of marrying Amanda off anytime soon." 

"Fine, but I'll miss you a lot," the little one admitted sadly. 

The sisters returned to their cabin, trying not to make noise so as not to wake Amanda, who had fallen into a deep sleep despite the ship's movements causing her nausea. They had a long day ahead in those distant lands they had only heard stories about, stories that bordered on the fantastic.