The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba - Chanel Cleeton Page 0,109

if she had any message she would like me to carry to you.”

“I cannot thank you enough for all you have done for me. You saved my life in Recogidas, but this—to give me a part of my sister when I have missed her so dearly, when I have felt so alone. I fear I will never be able to express how much your kindness truly means to me.”

“It was my pleasure. You deserve all of it and more.” He gestures toward the letter. “I can make excuses for you if you’d like to go upstairs and read that in the privacy of your room. I imagine you are eager to hear the news from your sister.”

“I am. Thank you.” And then it occurs to me. “Wait. I have something for you, too.”

I walk up to my room and sit down on the edge of the bed. As I open the letter, I am overcome with a wave of nostalgia and homesickness. For all the time we spent together when my family was separated, I have always been closest to my sister Carmen.

Evangelina,

I cannot tell you the joy it brought us to hear that you have been liberated from that awful place, and that you are now free. When they released me from Recogidas, I felt an unmistakable sense of relief, but also so much worry for you. Not a day has gone by since we last saw each other when I have not prayed for you, thought of you, and now it seems my prayers have been answered, my brilliant, clever sister. I was filled with pride when I saw that you had escaped their clutches, that you bested the Spanish.

A gentleman named Carlos Carbonell came to visit me—indeed, I believe he is carrying this letter to you himself. He spoke of your joy at being released from prison and shared news from the American newspapers of how you have captured the hearts of everyone in the United States. I cannot say that I am surprised of your triumph and successes, only that you have done our family proud.

I hope we will be reunited again soon. Everyone is as well as can be expected, I suppose, although our father is much changed since you last saw him. The Spanish have taken their toll on him. I believe he holds on so he will be able to see you again, his beloved daughter. We hope for a speedy resolution to this war and for all of us to be together in a Cuba free from Spanish tyranny.

I love you.

Carmen

Ps. The gentleman who came to visit me seems quite fond of you and appears to be a distinguished man of integrity and good character.

Tears spill down my cheeks as I clutch the letter to my breast, feeling as though Carmen is sitting beside me, imparting sisterly wisdom and telling me all about her life. There is an ache in my chest that I feel keenly in my family’s absence. My American friends had told me that my father wasn’t doing well, but now I fear he will pass on before I am able to return to Cuba, that we may never see each other again.

After a few minutes, I rise from the bed, setting the letter on a little nightstand. I will read it again when the evening is over, before I fall asleep, and hopefully Carmen’s words will bring me peace to chase the nightmares away.

I blot my cheeks, straightening my coiffure, doing the best I can to make myself look presentable after the crying jag. I can’t deny that Carmen’s closing words about Carlos Carbonell have stuck with me, too.

On that note, I gather a bundle from my suitcase, carrying it down to where Carlos stands near the bottom of the staircase, slightly apart from the rest of the party.

“You once did me a great kindness lending me these clothes when I needed them. I washed them and held on to them for the moment I would see you again. It is nothing compared to the gift you have given me in the note from my sister, but it is hopefully just the first step in showing you my gratitude. Thank you.”

He smiles, taking the folded clothes from me.

“It is my pleasure to make you happy, Evangelina. Perhaps we could go for a walk tomorrow? Would you like that?”

“I would like nothing more,” I reply.

Thirty-Eight

I spend nearly the entirety of my visit at the Lees’ residence in Carlos’s company.