Page 97 of The Seven Sisters

‘I’m sure your presence will speed her recovery.’ Her father stopped beside an impressive silver car and the chauffeur opened the door to the back seat so Bel could climb inside.

‘What do you think?’ asked Antonio as he joined her on the soft grey calf-leather seat. ‘I had it shipped from America. It is a Rolls-Royce, a “Phantom”, and I believe the first one in Rio. I will be proud to take myprincesain it to the cathedral on her wedding day.’

‘It is beautiful,’ said Bel automatically, her thoughts still with her mother.

‘We will take the scenic route along the beach, to remind my daughter of what she has missed,’ Antonio instructed the driver. ‘We have so much to tell each other, it will be hard to know where to begin,’ he said. ‘But business-wise, all is very good here. The price of coffee rises daily, thanks to the demand from America, and I have purchased two further farms. My name has also been put forward as a possible candidate for the Federal Senate,’ he said proudly. ‘Gustavo’s father, Maurício, nominated me. They have just completed a new and marvellous building in Rua Moncorvo Filho, where even the floor and the cornices are decorated with coffee beans. That is the power of our simple bean here in Brazil.’

‘I’m happy for you, Pai,’ Bel replied flatly as they drove through the familiar streets.

‘And I’ve no doubt that yours will be the greatest wedding Rio has ever seen. I have been talking to Gustavo and Maurício about the need to restore their family home, as it will be where you live too once you are married. As you know, it is a gracious old building, but the fabric and interior are ageing. We have agreed, as part of your dowry, that I will finance its restoration, and the renovations have already begun. Myprincesa, by the time it is finished, you will live in a palace!’

‘Thank you, Pai,’ answered Bel with a smile, wanting to convince him, and, more importantly, herself, that she was grateful.

‘We are planning the wedding for after the New Year, just before the Carnival. You and your new home will have three months to prepare yourselves. So you will be kept busy,querida.’

Bel had been half expecting to be marched up the aisle as soon as she’d returned to Rio. So at least a small delay was something, she thought, as they drove past the Copacabana Palace Hotel and she stared out at the roaring grey sea, crashing its white foam onto the sand.

‘When you have recovered from your journey, we will hold a dinner so that you can share all the wonderful new sights and culture you have gleaned from the Old World and impress our friends with your knowledge.’

‘I loved Paris,’ she ventured. ‘It’s such a beautiful city, and Professor Landowski, who is making the outer shell of theCristofigure for Senhor da Silva Costa, had an assistant who made a sculpture of me also.’

‘Well, if it is good, we must contact him. I will buy it and bring it to Brazil,’ commented Antonio.

‘I doubt that it would be for sale,’ she said wistfully.

‘Querida, anything is for sale at the right price,’ Antonio stated flatly. ‘Now, we’re almost home and I’m sure your mother will have risen from her bed to greet you.’

If Antonio had expressed concern at the pale, waif-like appearance of his daughter, it was nothing compared to Bel’s shock when her mother appeared to greet her. Carla, always voluptuous, seemed to have shed half her bodyweight in the eight and a half months since Bel had last seen her.

‘Mãe!’ Bel exclaimed as she ran into her arms and hugged her. ‘What have you done to yourself? You must have been on a diet!’

Carla did her best to smile and Bel saw how huge her brown eyes looked in her gaunt face. ‘I wish to look modish for my daughter’s wedding,’ she joked. ‘Do you not think the weight loss suits me?’

Used to her comfortingly large breasts, which had cushioned Bel on many occasions as a child, Bel looked at Carla and thought her new figure had aged her by years.

‘Yes, Mãe, I think it does,’ she lied.

‘Good, good. Now,’ she said, tucking her arm into her daughter’s as they walked inside, ‘I have so much to tell you, but I’m sure that you wish to rest first.’

Given that Bel had just spent many days aboard ship with little to do but rest, she didn’t feel in the least bit weary. But as her mother winced suddenly, Bel realised it was her need, not her daughter’s, that had prompted the suggestion.

‘Of course, we can both take a nap and then talk later,’ she said, seeing a flash of relief pass across her mother’s face. ‘It’s you who seems weary, Mãe,’ Bel said, as they reached her parents’ bedroom door. ‘Shall I come and help you back to bed?’

‘No,’ Carla replied firmly. ‘Gabriela is already inside and she will attend to me. I will see you later.’ She nodded as she opened the bedroom door and then shut it behind her.

Bel sought out her father immediately and found him in his study. ‘Pai, please tell me, how ill is Mãe?’

Antonio, who had begun wearing glasses since she’d last seen him, looked up from his papers and took them off his nose.

‘Querida, your mother did not want you to worry while you were away, but she had an operation a month ago to remove a growth from her breast. The operation was a success and the surgeons are full of positivity for a complete recovery. The procedure has taken its toll on her, that is all. Once she has recovered her strength, she will be well again.’

‘Pai, she looks dreadful! Please tell me the truth. Don’t hide the extent of her sickness from me.’

‘I swear, Izabela, that I am not hiding anything. Ask her doctors if you don’t believe me. All she needs is rest and good food. Her appetite has been very limited since the operation.’

‘You are sure she will recover?’

‘I am sure.’