Nothing was further from the truth. I’d enjoyed my fishing expedition with Martin more than I could’ve ever imagined and those walks in the forest in the early morning were invigorating. Last night at the creek had been like adding crème chantilly to a chocolate mousse. No, I didn’t see myself leaving any time soon.

“I don’t blame you,” he said. “It has taken me a while to get used to this place.” He leaned over, lowering his voice. “People here can be so provincial. Cacao has given them more money than they know what to do with, but you can’t buy refinement or class. They all smell of new money. Fortunately, there are many compatriots of mine, but other than them, I can count on one hand the number of people that are worth having a conversation with around here.”

“I certainly hope Doña Angélica is one of them.”

He smirked, but other than that, his expression was unreadable. He was about to say something else, but instead, he squinted through the window.

“What is she doing here?” Laurent said, almost to himself.

I followed his gaze toward a woman walking by. She wore a beige skirt that nearly touched the ground and a high-collared white shirt. I couldn’t make out her face from afar, but I recognized her unruly waves loosely held in a high bun.

“Do you know her?”

“Oui,” he said, “it’s Aquilino’s maid. God knows what her name is.”

“Mayra,” I said automatically.

He seemed to lose interest. “Something like that. I think she’s Julia’s cousin.”

They were cousins? I had no idea.

He took a last sip of coffee and set the cup down. “Would you like to take a walk by the river, Don Cristóbal?”

I wouldn’t mind getting to know Laurent better to see if he had any connection with Franco, but I could do that any other day, whereas I might not get another opportunity to find out what Mayra was doing here and why she was crying the other day—anything that had to do with my father’s attorney was of interest to me. As the first person to know of my traveling arrangements, Aquilino was still under suspicion. Perhaps Mayra had seen someone or something relevant at the lawyer’s house and could provide valuable information.

“Maybe another day, Laurent. I think I’m going to have another coffee.”

“As you wish.”