I jerked involuntarily at the profanity of his words. I had heard the sailors speak this way but never José. He dropped his face into his hands, leaving behind a tired mass of a man. He slowly looked up. “I am sorry, tesoro mio, I didn’t mean to be angry with you.”

Cautiously reaching out to him, I took his forearm in my hands. “Tell me what happened,” I said as I began to massage his wrist.

“Canabarro has it on good authority that Imaruí has turned on us. They have gone back to supporting the Imperialist regime.” Imaruí was a small village twenty miles north of us. There wasn’t much in the tiny town beyond sun-dried fishermen and broken nets.

“He ordered me to raid the town. Like a pirate.” He shook his head. “I…I just…If we make an example of these people like he wants, the Imperial army will fall on us hard and fast.”

“Then tell him no.”

“I did. It was either follow his orders or leave.” He turned to face me. “God help me, Anita, I can’t give up. Not now.”

In that moment I saw the boy that he must have once been. He was heartbroken over what he must do. I pulled him to me, holding on to him as strongly as I could. He surrendered to me, letting his weight press against me. In that moment I knew I had to be strong enough for the both of us.

José sat back up and looked at me. “Anita, I need you to stay here.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but he silenced me by lifting a finger to my lips. “I need you to stay here because I need you to work with Griggs. I’ve tasked him with collecting every dinghy, boat, and raft available. You know this town better than any of my sailors. If I am right, we are going to need all of them. Can you do that? Can you help me prepare?”

Taking his hands in mine, I pressed them to my chest so that he could feel my heart beat. “Yes.”

Twelve

December 1839

I watched from the cart as the Rio Pardo sailed from Laguna under a rippling gray sky. My heart sank at the knowledge that José was on that ship without me. Wrenching my eyes from the ship, I turned forward. I had a job to do.

“Hee-ya!” Griggs called, snapping the reins, causing the cart to lurch forward. “So, little renegade, which way first?” he asked.

I pointed to the north. “The outskirts of the town should have plenty of poor men willing to sell off their boats.”

Griggs nodded in agreement. “I want to move fast; we’re going to get rain soon.” He was right, the air was thick with moisture.

In the cart behind us I could hear the three sailors who accompanied us bantering. We worked steadily all morning through the mist. When we got back to town I led the men to a shop I knew to be loyal to the revolution.