‘Many,’ agreed Bel companionably.

‘I will tell the gardeners to search the grounds. They may find it yet.’

‘Thank you,’ Bel said as she lifted her arms to help Loen ease her nightgown from her body.

Over breakfast, Antonio Bonifacio was studying the invitation list to his daughter’s party at the Copacabana Palace. ‘Senhora Santos has indeed gathered the great and the good, and most of them have accepted,’ Antonio commented with satisfaction. ‘Although not the Carvalho Gomes family, nor the Ribeiros Barcellos. They are sad but they are busy elsewhere.’ Antonio raised an eyebrow.

‘Well, they do not know what they will miss.’ Carla put a comforting hand on her husband’s shoulder, knowing that these were two of the most important families in Rio. ‘It will be talked of all over town, and they will hear of it, I’m sure.’

‘I hope so,’ Antonio grunted. ‘It has cost enough. And you, my princesa, will be at the centre of it all.’

‘Yes, Papa. I am very grateful.’

‘Bel, you know you must not call me “Papa". I am “Pai”,’ Antonio chided her.

‘Sorry, Pai, it’s hard to change the habit of a lifetime.’

‘So.’ Antonio folded his newspaper neatly and stood up, nodding a goodbye to his wife and daughter. ‘I’m off to the office to do the work that will pay for it all.’

Bel’s eyes followed her father as he strode from the room and she thought how handsome he still was, with his tall, elegant physique and his full mane of dark hair, only slightly greying at the temples.

‘Pai is so tense,’ Bel sighed to her mother. ‘Is he worried about the party, do you think?’

‘Bel, your father is always tense. Whether it’s over the yield of coffee beans on one of our farms or your party, he will always find something to worry about. It is just . . . who he is,’ Carla shrugged. ‘Now, I must go too. I’m meeting Senhora Santos here this morning to go through the final preparations for the reception at the Copacabana Palace. She will want you to join us after your piano and French lessons to go through the guest list.’

‘But Mãe, I can already recite it front to back and upside down,’ Bel groaned.

‘I know, querida, but nothing must go wrong.’

Carla stood up to leave, then hesitated for a moment and turned back to Bel. ‘There is one more thing I must tell you. My dear cousin Sofia is recovering from a very serious illness and I have invited her and her three children to stay at our fazenda while she recuperates. Since we only have Fabiana and her husband there, I must send Loen to attend to Sofia’s children so she can rest. I’m afraid Loen will have to leave for the mountains by the end of the week.’

‘But Mãe!’ Bel gasped in dismay. ‘My party is only a few days away. What will I do without her?’