The port of Buenos Aires was teeming with slaves, fishermen, and even Spaniards. The fog crept among the vendors' stalls, carrying a foul stench of fish and humanity. Sebastián couldn't help but wrinkle his nose.
"I wonder if a jester named this city or if the founder lacked a sense of smell," he said, his voice tinged with a certain haughtiness characteristic of him.Diego, his younger brother, let out a laugh at the remark."Silence, children! Someone might hear you," their mother scolded."Nonsense, woman. Are you worried about offending the slaves, or is it the fishermen you seek to impress?" Óscar said, and María Esther chose to remain silent.They had made the longest journey of their lives to celebrate the marriage of Isabel, the eldest of Sebastián's cousins. But it wasn't just for that reason the entire family had crossed the ocean. Óscar had acquired new and fertile lands in Buenos Aires by lending money to a poor devil who couldn't repay it in time. They would have to get the crops running and find someone trustworthy to manage them before returning to Spain. Sebastián hoped that wouldn't be for a long time, at least until the waters calmed in their homeland. It wasn't uncommon for men to have illegitimate children before and even after marriage, but he had impregnated a young woman wealthy enough that her parents would demand he marry her if they found out. Adriana had naively agreed to give him some time to settle his affairs, and, of course, he avoided mentioning that they were across the Atlantic.Two carriages awaited to transport the nine Pérez Esnaolas to one of the Páez family mansions. Sebastián's parents and uncles exchanged a few words with a driver before instructing the young women, Diego, and him to get into one of the vehicles.Amanda hurried to sit next to her older cousin. The young woman wore an elegant green dress that matched her eyes, the same emerald color shared by all the Pérez Esnaolas except for Sofía, who was identical to her mother, Aunt Catalina. María Esther was Óscar's cousin on her father's side, so the marriage hadn't been a significant change for her, as she often said."I assure you I won't miss the port's foul smell or the seasickness I suffered on the ship," Amanda commented as the carriage began to pick up speed."Me neither," Diego admitted, who, sitting between Isabel and Sofía with their enormous dresses, seemed even smaller than he was.María Esther often said that Diego would soon have a growth spurt and be as tall as his father and brother. She had been saying that for three years. At fifteen, her youngest son still looked like a child, while Sebastián, just a year older, was already a man in every sense.Sofía was determined to continue her embroidery despite the elbows she gave poor Diego, who didn't complain because, for some reason, everyone always sought to indulge the little one. She had the beauty of a porcelain doll, and Sebastián wouldn't be surprised if she ended up married to a prince, as she was delicate but had the cunning of women who could get anything they set their minds to.Sebastián spent much of the journey trying to convince the girls that Isabel's fiancé would be hunchbacked and deformed, but despite his efforts, he couldn't fool anyone. The cousins had grown up on neighboring estates and had practically been raised together. The Pérez Esnaola girls knew him too well and rarely fell for his jokes anymore.Beyond the teasing of Isabel, he was surprised by the serenity with which she had accepted the decision made by others about something so important in her life. He couldn't help but think of Adriana; not that he was in love with her or anything, but perhaps abandoning her in that state hadn't been the right decision. He tried to push those thoughts aside because now he was part of the New World, and his past was far behind, though the ghosts in his mind refused to let him forget."My father said yours bought some land and will be the owner of an estate called La Rosa. Is that true, Sebastián?" Amanda asked when the young man gave up bothering Isabel."Buy, buy, let's say no, but he did acquire some land, and we'll be living here for some time.""It's not fair. I not only lose my sister but also my cousins," Sofía complained, pouting exaggeratedly."My company should be enough, little sister," Amanda teased."You know it's not the same without them," replied the golden-haired girl."I know, but unless you convince Father to move us here, we don't have many options," Amanda commented, adjusting her chestnut braid."It wouldn't be a bad idea," Sofía said, resting her head sadly on her blushing younger cousin's shoulder.Sebastián was almost sure the girl enjoyed making the boy uncomfortable with her closeness. If Diego was lucky, they might allow him to marry Sofía, as their parents had done.They arrived at the Páez's porteña mansion before sunset. Their uncle Antonio had informed them they would spend the night there and leave for La Rosa in the morning.Some servants greeted them at the entrance and helped with the luggage. Once everyone was inside the white mansion, the Páez brothers made their appearance. Orphaned of father and mother, they must have been the wealthiest young men in the entire viceroyalty. Both were quite attractive, so Isabel must have felt relieved. They wore their blond hair very short and their beards neatly trimmed. Their deep brown eyes made them look older than they were. They had a lot of presence.The more robust of the two introduced himself as Roberto, and after greeting the Pérez Esnaola gentlemen and their wives cordially, he kissed his betrothed's hand, who had a face as rigid as a marble statue. "It will be a marriage without passion, like most," Sebastián reflected.Sofía couldn't take her eyes off Esteban, who tried to avoid the young girl's gaze. Everyone began exchanging greetings and polite introductions. Such formality bored Sebastián, who only desired a quick dinner and then to rest.