Pearls Read Online Free

mistress seemed exciting in the beginning, but in the end, she regrets her decision. I believe she regrets having given birth to me, as well, but she would not say so. I pay her rent and give her spending money.”
    A worry line formed between Isabel’s eyebrows. “I can’t imagine any mother feeling that way.”
    “She does, I assure you. She has told me again and again that I look and act just like him.”
    “That’s not a crime.”
    “To my mother it is.”
    Isabel fidgeted with the silverware on the table, and Raúl realized he’d upset the mood with talk of his mother’s problems. Isabel had descended from people who valued family and honor. When she spoke of her parents, he sensed the love and commitment between them. She could not comprehend life in the run-down, crime-infested barrios , or a woman like his mother who would devote herself to a man who didn’t really love her. She did not know the shame of a father’s rejection or the difficulties Raúl had faced to rise to his current position of respect and prestige. But I didn’t need family and support. I made something of myself without them. As if she could hear his thoughts, Isabel met his gaze, compassion and pity in her eyes.
    He did not want her pity and quickly changed the subject. “I apologize. We’ve strayed from our earlier conversation. May I have the honor of your company over Christmas break?”
    The tense line of her shoulders eased. “I intend to stay at the hacienda for a few days. After I return, I’m all yours.”
    Raúl raised his eyebrows, a smile teasing his lips. “All yours? Is this another of the delightful sayings from your English language?”
    She gave him a playful grin. “Hmmm, let’s see. It’s English and it’s a saying, but I couldn’t vouch for the delightful part. I think that’s a matter of personal preference.”
    He leaned closer to her, breathing in the scent of her and admiring the smooth texture of her skin. “If you were all mine, my personal preference would be to never let you go, mi amor . You captured my heart the moment I first saw you. Have you given any more thought to staying here in Caracas after graduation next summer? Perhaps I am selfish, but I want to keep you close to me always.”
    She gazed at him, her face alight with tenderness. “Have I told you how wonderful you are?”

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June 10th, 1505
My inability to visit Karwa these last few days has distressed me. Feverish with desire to prepare a shipment of pearls for Spain, the admiral insisted we work extra hours. The Spanish royal court grows impatient to receive a return on their investment, and admirals have lost their commissions and their heads for lesser offences. Working from dawn to dusk for a week straight, we filled the cargo holds of two sturdy ships with pearls and prepared them to sail. The ships left harbor at dawn, and in celebration of our accomplishments, we were allowed a day of rest.
I rose early and journeyed to the hut to see Karwa. I feared she might have interpreted my long absence as abandonment, but when I arrived she stood before the hut. Relieved to see her, I greeted her with enthusiasm, speaking in a rush of language she did not understand. When she cocked her head to study me, I felt foolish for my outburst. I dropped the supplies I carried and knelt to sort through them, lowering my head so she could not see my embarrassment.
To my surprise, she came to kneel before me and softly spoke my name. Unaccustomed to speaking my language, her tongue confused the vowels and changed the inflections of the Spanish pronunciation, yet I thought it the most beautiful word ever spoken. Her soft voice swept over me like a caress. When I looked up and met her gaze, her smile grew and so did the boundaries of my heart.
We spent the day together, fishing, gathering fruit, weaving palm leaves into mats, and repairing the hut. Sometimes we worked in amiable silence, while other moments prompted a sharing of