Although Sebastián considered that the best thing about the viceroyalty was the moments when he could ride freely through the vast countryside with Pablo Ferreira, that was only a small sample of what the new continent had to offer him. He and the Creole had formed a very good friendship, and he was amazed by the adventures his friend had experienced. Despite being very young, Pablo had shown great courage in defending his lands from raids and had even seriously injured a group of savage Indians. He had also made a small fortune smuggling some goods for an English friend and had won the hearts of a dozen beautiful ladies. Without a doubt, Sebastián admired him for his feats.
After the young people's meeting at the church, they talked with the children of the town's most influential people. They owed this to Sofía, who had a good eye for recognizing whom to befriend. If it hadn't been for her, the Pérez Esnaolas might not have been included in the select list of guests who usually attended the gatherings held in the most luxurious mansions.Like Sebastián, the powerful families of the viceroyalty loved gatherings with music, dancing, and people willing to have interesting conversations. Fortunately, Pablo Ferreira also used to attend these gatherings, and that Sunday night he had secretly brought a bottle of excellent spiced wine."I'm sure my grandmother won't notice. I just have to make sure to refill the bottle with cheap wine from a barrel and reseal it," he said, trying to convince himself."Sure," said Sebastián to encourage him, taking a sip of wine directly from the bottle.Perhaps he could have taken any glass from the table where the guests were, but that would have meant having to go back through the room where several couples were dancing. It was better to stay in that secluded spot in the courtyard with Pablo and two beautiful ladies who had managed to slip away from the watchful eyes of the older women.In truth, only Magdalena was an unmarried young woman, as they were also accompanied by Ana, the new wife of Juan Bustamante, the old owner of the mansion they were in. The hostess, who was just fifteen years old, after taking several drinks with them, confessed that her life was a torment."I don't understand how your father could force you to marry such an old and inelegant man," said Magdalena, trying to console her friend.Ana adjusted some blonde strands of hair that threatened to escape her comb and replied, "I had no choice, dear. Although my brothers would have been delighted for me to take my case to court so that my father could disinherit me. It wasn't convenient for me at all. I would have lost everything.""It's so unfair," complained Magdalena."You are absolutely right, beautiful ladies. I would like to quote Father Facundo's words when he said at that meeting that for a marriage to be harmonious and happy, there must be love in the couple. I wonder then: what kind of love can there be when they are practically forced to marry men they do not love? When I get married, I would not only like to choose my wife, but I would also like her to choose to be with me. I want us to love each other with sweet passion, with wild madness..." said Pablo with the wisdom of an expert conqueror of women, pronouncing his last words with his deep brown eyes lost in the blue orbs that were Magdalena's.The heat had not only reached the cheeks of the young woman that the Creole melted with his gaze, but Ana had also begun to fan herself, blushing. She was a beautiful woman, and perhaps if she hadn't been married, Sebastián might have considered courting her."What do you say, newcomer? Do you agree with your friend? Do you think I should have risked losing everything to go against the will of my father and my lord husband?" Ana spoke with a seduction and courage that only alcohol could confer on a lady like her."I think, my lady, that perhaps you made decisions before you knew true love," said Sebastián, approaching the lady."Some believe that love comes with time, with living together. Do you think they are wrong?"The deep blue of Ana's eyes was hypnotic for Sebastián, who, with his reason clouded by such beauty, was about to commit an act of madness and kiss another man's wife in front of Pablo and Magdalena. Although they had been entertained, speaking in low voices, the Creole proved to be a loyal friend by taking Magdalena away from the scene."We'd better go back to the hall and dance a bit before your mother starts wondering about your absence," suggested Pablo, guiding the young woman inside the house.Sebastián and Ana were left alone in the courtyard, sitting on a stone bench and illuminated by the soft light of the full moon. The sky was clear and decorated with countless stars that shone only for them.Perhaps if someone had looked out the window at that precise moment, they could have seen the two young people, seduced by the forbidden, finding in sin an incomparable desire. Sebastián had been with several women throughout his life, but there was something about Ana that clouded his reason and judgment. An affair with the wife of a businessman like Juan Bustamante was more dangerous than playing with fire, but at that moment he felt that she was worth the risk.He was overwhelmed with the desire to give her a quick and passionate kiss, but he decided to return to the gathering before their families began to worry about their absence. It would have been very dangerous to earn the enmity of a powerful family like theirs. Moreover, he didn't want to take advantage of a lady under the influence of alcohol.That night remained engraved in the heart of the Spaniard, who couldn't stop thinking about Ana de Bustamante; that beautiful, impulsive, and seductive young woman who would be present in all his dreams from that moment on. He longed with all his being to feel the warmth of her lips and the softness of her skin for the first time. He vowed to himself that he would do everything in his power to make her his.