Chapter 12 — The Colonel’s Punishment
Dawn still lay over the fields when the carriage left Santa Vitória Ranch.
A thin mist hung over the coxilhas.
The wheels rolled slowly along the damp road.
And inside the carriage, Isabel felt her whole world caving in.
No explanation had been given to her.
No choice had been offered.
Only an order.
Leave.
At once.
No farewells.
No letters.
Not even the right to fully understand her own fate.
The young woman watched through the window as the familiar landscape faded into darkness.
The trees.
The fields.
The fences.
All of it had been part of her life since childhood.
And now it was being left behind.
Perhaps forever.
On the veranda of the great house, Colonel Anselmo watched the carriage disappear into the distance.
His face stayed hard.
Unreadable.
But inside him, a silent battle raged.
He loved his daughter.
Of that there was no doubt.
He always had.
More than anything else in the world.
And it was precisely because of that love that he believed he was doing the right thing.
In his mind, he was saving Isabel from a mistake.
Protecting her from an unworthy future.
Preserving the family name.
Even if it meant breaking her heart to do it.
The colonel drew a deep breath.
And went back inside the house.
Convinced that time would make his daughter forget Bento.
Convinced that distance would settle everything.
He could not have been more wrong.
Before leaving, Isabel had still tried to fight it.
Tried to talk.
To argue.
To plead.
But every door remained shut.
Her father refused to listen.
The decision had already been made.
And no one would dare defy it.
Not even her.
Not even Rosa.
The loyal maid was among those who suffered most.
The morning after Isabel’s departure, she was summoned to the colonel’s study.
She knew exactly why.
Knew what awaited her.
She walked in without a word.
Head held high.
The colonel studied her for a few seconds.
“How many years have you been deceiving me?”
Rosa said nothing.
“How many letters did you deliver?”
Silence.
“How many lies did you tell?”
Still silence.
Anselmo closed his eyes.
Reining in his anger.
“I always trusted you.”
Rosa finally spoke.
“I never meant any harm to Miss Isabel.”
“You haven’t answered my question.”
The maid raised her eyes.
“Because the answer doesn’t matter.”
The colonel rose to his feet.
“It matters to me.”
“Then yes.”
I helped them.
Because they loved each other.
The words hung in the air.
Steady.
Without regret.
Without fear.
The colonel stood motionless.
Then he answered.
“You’re dismissed.”
The sentence fell like a stone.
“Sir…”
“You have until the end of the day to leave the ranch.”
Rosa felt her eyes fill with tears.
Not for the loss of her position.
But for Isabel.
Because now she was alone.
Completely alone.
Days later, Rosa left Santa Vitória.
Taking only her belongings.
And an enormous worry.
She had no idea where Isabel had been sent.
No idea how to help her.
No idea whether she would ever see her again.
But she swore to herself that she would not abandon the two lovers.
Somehow, she would find a way.
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, Bento was living through an anguish all his own.
Nearly three months had passed since the last letter.
Three months.
Far too long.
Much longer than any previous delay.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
He felt it more clearly with each passing day.
His nights grew restless.
His thoughts gave him no peace.
He tried to convince himself there was a simple explanation.
An illness.
Trouble with the messengers.
Some mishap.
But deep down he knew.
The truth was worse.
One rainy afternoon, he decided to write again.
It was the sixth letter with no reply.
Even so, he kept trying.
Because giving up felt impossible.
Sitting under the shelter of an old abandoned building, he began to write.
“My beloved Isabel,
I’ve lost count of how many letters I’ve sent without an answer.
Six, perhaps.
Perhaps more.
It doesn’t matter.
I will keep writing.
Because I need to believe my words will still find you.
Something has happened.
I can feel it.
And that uncertainty torments me more than any battle ever has.
If you are ill, I will pray for your recovery.
If you are sad, remember that I think of you every single day.
If you are in danger, I swear I will find a way to reach you.
Only don’t stop believing in us.
I won’t.
Never.
Yours,
Bento.”
When he finished, he sat watching the rain.
Feeling helpless.
For the first time since the war began, the distance felt unbearable.
The months kept passing.
The war went on.
Campaigns were fought.
Battles came and went.
Promotions followed.
But Bento no longer found joy in his achievements.
Something was missing.
Isabel’s absence turned every victory into something incomplete.
Then unexpected news reached the camp.
A group that had just arrived brought word from the region around Santa Vitória.
Bento went to find the travelers at once.
Perhaps they knew something.
Anything at all.
For hours he asked questions.
Most of the answers were vague.
Imprecise.
Until one drover mentioned something curious.
“Heard Colonel Albuquerque’s daughter went away.”
Bento’s heart lurched.
“Away?”
“Yes.”
“Where to?”
The man shrugged.
“Nobody rightly knows.”
Rio de Janeiro, maybe.
Or off to relatives, maybe.
Story changes depending on who’s telling it.
Bento felt the ground give way beneath him.
Rio de Janeiro.
Relatives.
Gone.
The words echoed through his mind.
That night he couldn’t sleep.
For the first time, he understood part of what had happened.
The secret had been found out.
There was no other explanation.
The colonel had learned everything.
And sent Isabel away.
But where to?
And for how long?
Was she well?
Did she still love him?
Or was she being forced into marriage?
The questions multiplied.
No answers came.
Days later, he was given a new military assignment.
Important.
Dangerous.
But his mind was elsewhere.
For the first time, he began to consider something unthinkable.
What he would do once the war ended.
He would not simply return to Santa Vitória.
No.
If Isabel truly had been sent away, he would have to find her.
Anywhere.
In any province.
Whatever it cost.
The promise made beneath the fig tree was still alive.
And he was ready to cross an entire empire to keep it.
Meanwhile, far away, Isabel found herself in a place she never imagined she would come to know.
High walls.
Silent corridors.
Bells.
Prayers.
Discipline.
Solitude.
The convent where she had been sent had become her new reality.
And though she was surrounded by people, she had never felt so alone.
Even so, every night she did the same thing.
Before sleep, she went to the small window of her room.
Looked up at the stars.
And thought of Bento.
Not knowing whether he was still alive.
Not knowing whether he was still searching for her.
Not knowing that, at that very moment, on the other side of the country, a man was doing the exact same thing.
And swearing he would never stop until he found her.