Thomas waited for her as he did every night. “My father arranged my marriage,” she said between sobs. The wedding is in three months. Thomas hugged her tightly, as if his heart had been ripped from his chest. “You can’t marry him,” he whispered against her hair. “I have no other choice.” “Yes, I…”
“You know,” Tomás said, moving closer to look into her eyes. “We can run away tonight.” The idea of escape had been simmering in Tomás’s mind for weeks, but now it had become a desperate need. That night, in the light of a waning moon, he shared with Isabelle
all the details he had secretly planned. “I know a man at the port,” Tomás explained urgently. “His name is Captain Morales, he’s a smuggler, but he also helps runaway slaves in exchange for money.”
“It can take us to Jamaica, where Spanish law can’t reach us.” Isabella heard. Her heart pounded. The idea of leaving everything she knew behind terrified her, but the alternative was even worse. How much money do we need?
