Chapter Four

Longing for the Past

Nicolás was dreaming about that smart, petite and absolutely stunning brunette again. She was smiling at him as she whispered something unintelligible in his ear. It took a moment for him to register that the words were French - but he didn't understand – Eva Villanueva wasn't a French woman. The beautiful woman morphed into another familiar face – another brunette. She was pretty too, and just as stubborn and persistent, but there was something about her that wasn't right. She stared at him coldly for a moment and spoke to him in fluent Spanish, she repeated the word 'muerte' over and over like a mantra – it chilled him to the bone. He remembered now that she had died. "Chantal," he whispered.

Someone gently wiped away the perspiration from his forehead and then proceeded to softly remove the strands of hair that hung down in his eyes.

"I am here Nicolás," she whispered softly.

He swallowed and began to open his eyes only to stare into those brown eyes that belonged to his supposedly dead wife. "What-" he began confused as he remembered sitting opposite her, sharing anecdotes only minutes earlier. "-happened?"

"Hush," she said softly. "Don't speak, save your strength."

He frowned, trying to recall what happened but his mind was completely blank. He tilted his head upwards to stare at the faint sunlight that streamed into a small porthole above them and froze as he realized that he was on a ship.

"Are you with me?" Chantal asked worriedly.

"Where have you taken me?" he whispered as he reached up with his hand to touch the tender spot just above his temple. He grimaced as he felt something cold and sticky beneath his fingers.

Chantal looked apologetic as she gently took hold of his wrist and pulled his hand away from the wound. "Don't touch that, Nicolás", she said.

He tried to prop himself up on one elbow but failed miserably as his world tilted and spun wildly. With a groan he sank back onto the floor. "You never wanted to see me again," he deduced bitterly as he snapped his eyes shut. "You've kept a distance ever since."

"Nicolás, please let me explain," she began sadly.

"Why have you brought me here?" he asked accusingly as he finally became aware of his surroundings. "This is Barbara de Braganza."

She didn't reply, just gave him an apologetic look.

"I loved you, I mourned you," he said solemnly. "I always thought of you as a kind and loving woman, obviously I was mistaken."

"Life is not as simple as it once were," she replied cryptically as she gently tucked him in and then glanced at the greasy porthole just below the waterline of the large vessel. "I need you to help me,-"

"How did I get back to the ship?" he whispered as his eyes began to close again.

"Nicolás," Chantal said seriously. "Please stay with me, don't go to sleep."

OOOOOO

It felt strangely pleasant to have Dimas at her side as they walked through the entrance of the large hospital in Rio de Janeiro. At the same time, she didn't want to share her concern and worry for her mother with someone else outside the family, she wasn't ready for that. Then again, she knew that her mother had come to like him during their journey overseas and would probably be happy if she went out with him. Francisca believed that it was wrong for them to mix with people of higher status and argued that it would only lead to heartache but Verónica hated being a servant to others. It wasn't like she had anything against Eva and Carolina, she just wanted to be free and able to do what she wanted with her life. Perhaps that was why she´d tried so hard to make it work with Sebastian until he revealed that he´d lost Dimas´s patent. She could never forgive him for that. The fact that he´d gotten broke while playing poker didn´t trouble her half as much.

"What were you thinking?" Dimas called softly, looking amused, a half-crocked smile creasing his lips.

Verónica instantly came out of her musings and managed a look of innocence and annoyance. "Happy thoughts," she replied enigmatically as they made their way up to the nurse´s station.

"Hello, how may I help you?" the young woman asked kindly as the two of them walked up to the counter.

"I am looking for my mother Francisca de García, she was brough in here yesterday," Verónica said.

"Yes, your mother has been moved to another room. Please follow me," the nurse explained.

Dimas and Verónica shared a curious yet hopeful look. He reached out with his hand to gently take hers into his.

They walked in silence, Verónica steeled herself for what was to come and tried not to keep her hopes up too high. However, the question that had been at the tip of her tongue for several minutes was finally spoken out loud. "How is she?"

The nurse looked at her kindly, almost with pity. "There has been no change I am afraid," she said.

Dimas gently squeezed her hand at that and gave her faint smile. "It hasn´t gotten worse," he encouraged, always looking at things in a positive way.

Despite his smile and encouragement Verónica´s mood plummeted at the news and she pursed her lips into a thin line of displeasure as they entered the room and saw the older woman laying pale and still on the bed. The sickly pallor of her skin mixed with the vivid bruising and the starkly white gauze made her look like a ghost. It was both tragically comical and ironic since it had been Rosa Marín's ghost that had caused her to fall in the first place.

Verónica forced a cheerful smile onto her lips as she sat down next to her mother and took her hand into hers. "Mother," she whispered. "Please don't leave me like this."

OOOOOO

Alvaro Rojas drummed his fingers at the tabletop as he was seated in a sturdy wooden chair in what could be best described as a small interrogation room. He'd been waiting for hours by now for that so-called lawyer Pedro had hired for him. He huffed in exasperation and was about to ask if he could be let out as the door suddenly opened to reveal a man in his early fifties with a goatee and jet-black thick hair that was elegantly combed. He was dressed in a fancy dark tailored suit and carried a folder in his hand. With curt nod at the doctor the man went up to the table and sat down opposite him.

"My apologies for keeping you waiting Doctor Rojas," he said sincerely. "My name is Pablo Espan. I work as a senior lawyer in Rio de Janeiro."

The doctor smirked. "Alvaro Rojas," he presented himself. "But you obviously already know that," he added sarcastically.

"You've presented me with an intriguing case, doctor. Then again, had you not I would not have been available in such a short notice," he deadpanned. "My expertise is wasted on straight-forward cases."

Rojas managed to refrain from making a snarky comeback and settled for a light grimace. If he had been in a position to do so, the doctor would have walked straight out of the room instead of listening to the ludicrous words from the man opposite him.

"Doctor Rojas, the charges brought against you are serious but after having gone through all the material I feel very hopeful and optimistic about your case," Pablo Espan said.

Alvaro nodded, tightlipped at the news, not daring to be too hopeful.

"It turns out that you're in luck," the lawyer continued as he opened the folder and began to flip through the pages. "According to this Carlos Villanueva was a troublemaker, a greedy man who sold several innocent soles to the German military for money. He and his accomplice tried to frame you and his brother for the crimes he committed. Furthermore, he jeopardized several lives on an ocean liner while taking hostages. The way I see it you did the community a service when you pulled that trigger."

"But I,-" the doctor began in light protest, not quite grasping what the lawyer had said.

Pablo leaned forward and leveled his eyes with the nervous looking man. "Listen to me, given the situation you were placed in there is a very strong possibility that the charges against you will be dropped all together."

Alvaro slumped in his chair, his shoulders sagging in relief at the words.

"I must caution you though," the lawyer added seriously. "There are other matters to take into consideration. You did set fire to a cabin on that ocean liner and a woman almost got killed because of it. That is attempted arson which is not something the court will take lightly. The fact that you later tried to poison another woman doesn't sit well either. However, since no charges have been brought against you by those young women the Brazilian police cannot hold you here against your will."

Rojas straightened in his chair. "Does that mean, I am free to walk out of here?" he asked hopefully.

"Since the crimes of Carlos Villanueva needs to be handled by a European court. I do recommend that you make yourself available by travelling back to Spain in the nearest future, the sooner the better. The way I see it though you have no crimes to pay for. I recommend that you continue to do your work and save live instead of taking them," the lawyer suggested.

"Thank you." Alvaro managed as he let out a relieved breath. "Where can I make travel arrangements?"

"I realize it might not sit well with you Doctor Rojas but the ship you arrived with yesterday is about to leave port within a day or so. Since you know the owner and had an employment there, I suggest you make your way to the harbor as soon as possible."

Rojas shrugged and shook his head. "I am not so sure that Mr. Fábregas is interested in ferrying me across the ocean," he replied sarcastically.

OOOOOO

Carolina sat down next to Eva in a large sofa while they waited for the publisher to come and get them from the waiting area. She shrugged excitedly and smiled as she looked at her little sister. "I can't believe you're finally getting it published," she said jovially.

Eva couldn't help but to smile at the excitement in her sister's voice. "I try to keep my expectations low, that way I won't be disappointed," she reasoned.

"Eva," Carolina protested. "He returned your letter and telegraphed you that he was interested in what you've written. Why would he do that unless he didn't mean it?"

She took a deep breath. "Maybe you're right," she replied in a somewhat upbeat voice.

"And you?" he asked curiously. "Your sister is marrying and you're off to Brazil, I know that, but what awaits you there?"

She looked at him, with a cunning smirk. His question had been very polite and smooth yet she had a feeling he wasn't asking just for the sake of small talk. She decided to play along. "There's a man," she deadpanned.

Nicolás looked both surprised, troubled and dejected at the same time as he averted his gaze from her face to stare at the ocean instead. "I see," he shrugged and let out a soft sigh. "I knew you couldn't be single."

She couldn't help herself as she broke into a teasing grin, finding the whole thing rather amusing. She walked away from the railing, unable to keep that grin off of her face. "It's not what you think."

That got his attention and he swiveled around to stand opposite her, a frown on his face.

"The man I want to meet is a book publisher," she let on. "I am a writer and he's interested in something I have written."

Nicolás face lit up as his eyes sparkled in the evening light and a genuine smile creased his lips. "Well, this conversation is getting more and more interesting," he said softly.

"Eva?" Carolina called kindly. "Are you listening to me?"

She turned to look at her sister and realized she had a smile on her face.

"Happy memories?" Carolina teased.

"Second chances," Eva whispered.

OOOOOO

To be continued