Chapter Six

Rebuilding an Empire

Pedro Villanueva unfolded the newspaper and grimaced as he stared at a picture of his brother. "Scandalous war criminal from Spain travelling to Brazil with the luxurious cruise liner Barbara de Braganza. We are in shock to learn that Carlos Villanueva, the father of the ship's owner Fernando Fábregas wife, took part in man slaughter during the Second World War."

Pedro shook his head and sighed. The only thing Carlos had been capable of lately seemed to be to bring shame over the entire family and their loved ones. He was not entirely surprised by the revelation in the newspaper considering everything that had happened onboard the ship. A lot of passengers had gotten involved in their family affairs and rumors had spread like a wildflower despite the size of the ocean liner. The fact that Carolina had accused her father of smuggling gold and help the Nazis to kill innocent people during their planned wedding ceremony only served to spread rumors even faster.

He was going to start all over for heaven's sake yet it seemed his family name would become a problem. It was ironic, he had travelled across the Atlantic Ocean to get away from it all; to leave the horrors of the past behind. It was bad for new relations in the country what had happened and he had an uncanny feeling that he needed to redeem himself and the rest.

First things first though. He needed to make sure that Francisca was going to be all right.

OOOOOO

Nicolás fought the nausea, trying to remain sharp and alert, but it seemed to be a lost cause. Someone gently tapped his cheek.

"Nicolás," Chantal whispered.

"Eva," he murmured.

Chantal's mood plummeted at hearing that single word. He wasn't hers to have anymore. It hurt hearing another woman's name coming from her husband's lips. She shouldn't have cared, yet it had a nasty way of getting to her in a way she hadn't anticipated. She really thought she'd gotten over him a long time ago. She didn't think he would be able to reawaken those long-lost feelings of love that she'd felt for him three years ago.

"Nicolás," she tried again, "Nicolás, listen to me. I need your help."

He shifted a little so that he could fully face her and reached out to grab her outstretched hand.

They both groaned and grimaced but for entirely different reasons. Nicolás tried to fight off the pain and dizziness as Chantal used all her strength to get her husband up from the floor.

As he made it into a sitting position, she gently positioned her arm around his middle and tried to push him up. It wasn't an easy task because he was both taller and heavier compared to her. Within a few agonizing minutes the pair was standing up and leaning against the nearest wall for support.

"Did I ever mean anything to you?" he whispered, his facial expression a mix of curiosity and disappointment.

She tilted her head upwards to look at him properly. "Nicolás, I loved you with all my heart," she said sincerely. "A part of me still do."

"If you call this to love someone then I don't think your definition of love is the same as mine," Nicolás replied. "What is it you want from me?"

She looked at him but remained silent.

"Come on Chantal. It's obvious you want something from me, or from this ship, that much is obvious."

"Nicolás, please, it's complicated," she said, begging him to understand.

The door suddenly opened and a man stepped in. "Good, you're up and about," he said curtly.

"It's not thanks to you," Chantal admonished standing close to Nicolás, her arm still around his middle.

Jean harrumphed as he crossed the room and came to stand next to them. "Where can we find it?" He demanded as he stared at the first officer.

Nicolás frowned at the straightforwardness. "I am sorry but you have to give me something to go on here," he replied and cursed himself for being so woozy, so unable to clear his mind.

"You've been in here for hours and you still haven't told him?" Jean asked incredulously, his attention shifting from Nicolás to Chantal.

Chantal glared at the, to Nicolás, unknown man before she turned to him again. "This is going to take some time," she said.

"No," Jean said seriously. "The ship is going to sail soon. We need to be off then. I need you to point us in the direction of the gold."

Nicolás didn't know if he should laugh or cry at the mention of the gold but in the end, he managed a straight and neutral face. "I don't know how you know about the gold but it's no longer onboard. An officer from the Rio de Janeiro port authority confiscated it and brought it off the ship."

Jean balled his hands into fists and muttered something unintelligible under his breath.

"Nicolás, how did he know about the gold?" Chantal asked.

"We had some difficulties during the voyage, there were unexpected deaths, shipwrecked, people returning from the dead, stowaways," he offered. "Carlos Villanueva, the man who claimed to be the owner of the gold passed away recently."

"Villanueva," Jean muttered coldly as he began to pace the small room.

"Before he did so, a very disturbing truth unraveled," he added and turned to look at his wife. "We had to report him to the authorities and tell them about the gold."

"So, he didn't get away with it either," Jean muttered. "I was there when he received it. The load was insane, filled the whole truck."

Nicolás stiffened at that, realizing that there was more to it than everyone had thought. 'Crafty son of a bitch' he thought darkly. Not only did Carlos deceive his brother and accomplice but his children. Also, for him to be able to get it all onboard the Barbara de Braganza he must have had inside help from someone else.

Unfortunately, Chantal knew Nicolás too well after having spent a fair amount of time together, so she knew he was withholding something.

"There is something you're not telling us," she said softly.

"No," he protested.

Jean whipped his head around and quickly stepped up to Nicolás. Before the officer had time to react the man had landed two blows at his midsection. He grimaced and sank to his knees, his head spinning.

"You'd better tell us what that is because time is running out," Jean said coldly.

"Jean," Chantal shouted in disgust. "What has gotten into you?"

As he was about to land another punch, she positioned herself between them. "Leave him be. What is happening to you? I don't recognize you anymore. You're not the kind and caring man who came back for me at the prison camp."

'That explained some of it,' Nicolás thought miserably as he tried to get his bearings.

OOOOOO

Fernando glanced up from the newspaper before him as he heard a car drive up the driveway. He folded it and threw it on the table where he sat in the large study room. He stretched casually and let out a yawn before he slowly got out of the chair to meet his wife and her sister, curious as of what the publisher wanted.

Carolina pushed the door open before anyone had the opportunity to answer it and let herself in.

Fernando smiled a little at her as the two women stepped into the house. "How did it go with the book publisher?" he asked.

Carolina's face fell as Eva huffed.

"He says he's interested," Eva replied cryptically.

"It's just that he wants Eva to do a few minor changes," Carolina explained softly.

"Minor changes," Eva echoed sarcastically. "He wants a rewrite; he wants me to redo the entire book."

Carolina pursed her lips and looked apologetically toward her sister.

Eva defiantly turned to Fernando, her head tilted slightly upwards, she was not the least amused. "So, I told him he needn't have bothered since I am not interested in changing it," she explained.

"Oh, Eva," Carolina began sweetly. "I am so sorry."

The younger sister shook her head and then managed a faint smile in frustration. "Perhaps it was for the best. I have to come up with something better," she reasoned. "Excuse me, I'll take a stroll in the garden."

The married couple watched her leave before their focus was entirely upon each other.

"You look troubled Fernando," Carolina said softly. "Is something wrong?"

He shook his head. "No, not really. It's just that after everything that's happened; Aníbal's death and Natalia being brought out of custody but not able to leave the country, I might need to go back to Spain earlier than expected. There's a few business arrangements that needs closure," he explained.

Carolina looked away for a moment. "I see," she finally managed dejectedly then something sparked inside her and she fixed him with a glare. "I know you have a business to run but do you really have to leave at a time like this?"

He frowned, waiting for her to continue.

"Papá has recently passed away, Uncle Pedro has been lying to us, Francisca is still at the hospital, Casandra and her creepy assistant or whatever he is are probably going to be let out of custody soon, the mansion needs to be decorated and my little sister is depressed. Fernando, I need you here with me right now," she said.

"And I will be with you Carolina when I've sorted everything out," he reasoned kindly as he looked deep into her eyes. "You're my wife and I want to be with you but my sister is getting framed for Aníbal's murder, the goods needs to be brought onboard the ship, the passengers demands compensation for the journey and I have to find a new singer. The only positive thing in the middle of this seems to be that Captain Aguirre is back to his normal self so that I don't need to hire a new commanding officer."

Carolina carefully glanced over her shoulder to make sure Eva wasn't lingering before she spoke. "What about Nicolás? Shouldn't he be granted leave to be with his wife?" she asked.

"If he wants to stand down from his duties, I suppose I could arrange that but he hasn't expressed any wishes to stay in the country," Fernando reasoned then narrowed his eyes at her. "I thought you wanted him to be as far away from your sister as possible?"

Carolina grimaced. "No," she whispered. "I like Nicolás, they would have been prefect for each other. I can't believe I am saying this but I really wish Chantal hadn't returned."

"Don't let it slip when Varela is around in case anything happens to her. He's still looking at me like I had something to do with the death of Rosa Marín," he replied.

"Good grief, can't we just look ahead?" she begged softly. "I just want to put everything bad behind me. The whole thing is a nightmare – papá, Uncle Pedro, Doctor Rojas, Aníbal, Natalia and that poor singer."

"Here's what we'll do," Fernando suggested as he gently pulled her into a hug and planted a soft kiss on her cheek before he stood back at an arm's length to look at her. "You and Eva stay here and decorate the place; you can buy anything you want. Then I need you to help me with the business

and make sure that everything is ready when I come back from Spain again."

She nodded. "I am going to miss you."

OOOOOO

Carmen let her eyes roam over the black hull of the ship and its creamy white superstructure for the first time in years. To her it looked like the old Codonga had gotten all her glory and finish restored. She remembered the day her father had baptized her, how the beautiful flask of champagne had smashed into the sparkling black hull plates in the glistening sun. People had cheered and applauded all around her. She remembered the sturdy and smart Captain Gonzalez and his dry humor, the witty chief engineer who always had a pipe in his mouth.

The two sisters, Rosa and Carmen, had literally grown up at the shipyard and onboard the large magnificent vessels their family owned. It had been hard on all of them when the company didn't do so well, a lot of workers had to be fired and expenses had to be cut into half if they were going to keep the company afloat. The vessels were in need of an overhaul and refurbishing all at once. In times of war a lot of potential passengers declined buying tickets, fearing for their safety. It was dangerous to travel overseas. In the end Juan Marín had finally given in to Fernando Fábregas offer and decided to sell Codonga to him after some persuasion and clear reasoning from his oldest daughter.

"Papá," Carmen asked suddenly yet she didn't take her eyes off of the ship. "Why did you have to sell her?"

"I needed the money. She brought enough income for me to be able to restore the Camadan to her former glory, the rest you know," he pointed out.

She hesitated at the gangway. "Actually, I learned a lot out at sea," she countered. "It was Rosa who wanted to sell Codonga wasn't it?"

Juan looked away and shook his head sadly. "Rosa was sharp and brash when it came to business," he finally replied. "She told me we had a wealthy customer and that she intended to have him pay full price and then some to get such a worn yet beautiful ship from us so I let her handle the affair."

"There were many meetings," Juan added hollowly. "Mr. Fábregas didn't want to pay overly much and Rosa didn't want to give the ship away."

Carmen looked at her father dejectedly. "Papá, Rosa was going to elope with Fernando," she let on. "Somewhere along the line she fell in love with him."

"No," he whispered. "Not Rosa."

"Yes," Carmen insisted. "Had she not been killed by Carolina Villanueva's – now Mrs. Fábrega's – maid she would have sold the ship, eloped with Fernando and,-" she let the unfinished sentence hang in the air and sighed. "I loved my sister, Papá I really did, but in light of recent events I don't understand."

"Why don't you leave it alone, dear? It' all in the past now. After the war ended and our two largest vessels have been refurbished and brought back on the market, we have the means to offer the passengers an unforgettable voyage across the Atlantic Ocean," he reasoned. "I need you to come back home and help me, you need to know how it works. I am not getting any younger and I want you by my side."

Carmen smiled genuinely at her father and reached out to take his hand into hers as they began to walk the gangway to Barbara de Braganza. "Let's take her home," she suggested.

OOOOOO

To be continued