“But . . . wait a minute! When did you learn to speak English?”
Tío looked at Don Julián. “Haven’t you told her?”
“Told me what?”
Don Julián smiled. “Don Ramiro came to Alvar last summer after the peace treaty was signed.”
“What?”
“It was your idea, Andrea. You asked me to help Don Julián.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you would have insisted on coming and ruined our secret. Besides, your previous behavior toward Don Julián didn’t exactly qualify you as welcome in his kingdom.”
Tío was right. And yet he was not. But before I could make up my mind, we left the arch. As we came onto the beach, Don Julián stopped and set me gently on the sand. I stared after him, toward the east where the moon, tinted orange by the last rays of the setting sun, was rising. Don Julián turned to me. His hands again on my waist, he lifted me above his head and swirled me around. Against the piercing screams of the seagulls, I heard Tio’s voice. “Obviously I was mistaken.”
When Don Julián put me down,Tío was gone.
“Don’t be angry at him, Princess,” Don Julián said, a twinkle in his eyes. “Don Ramiro didn’t know.”
“What was he supposed to know?”
“That you cared for me, Princess.”
We were so close then, I could see only his eyes, his dark mocking eyes, burning into mine. Inside his pupils, the pale moon of the New World was dancing.
“What is it, Princess? Do you still believe, as my brother claims, that I have no feelings?” Don Julián asked.
“You haven’t given me any reason to believe otherwise, Sir,” I teased him.
“You are right, Princess. I haven’t. Yet.”
Wrapping his arms around my waist, he pulled me to him. As I closed my eyes, I felt the salty taste of the ocean on his lips. Then, once more, I was gasping for air.
Around us, the New World stood still, waiting.
Acknowledgments
I want to express my gratitude:
To my children, Nicolás and Natalia, who have given me so much;
To Spain and its history, from which I borrowed freely;
To Sandy Asher, who saw the potential of the story when it was merely a seed;
To Dandi Mackall, who helped it grow;
To Mary Lanctot, my first reader;
To Don Swain and the writers of the Bucks County Writers Workshop for their critique and support;
To Peggy Tierney and Stephanie Burgevin at Tanglewood for believing so strongly in my story;
And to my parents and my sister María José, who sent me on my journey.
About the Author
Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban grew up in Galicia, northern Spain, and obtained her Ph. D. in biology from the Universidad Autónoma in Madrid. She later went on to spend several years working as a postdoctoral researcher at universities and government institutions in both Spain and the United States. She presently lives in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, with her two children and works as a freelance writer and translator. The author of four books on drugs and diseases, this is her first novel.
About this book, Carmen says, “Two Moon Princess is loosely based on personal experience. Like my protagonist Andrea, I arrived in California from Spain, the Old World. I have tried to capture in the book the sense of wonder I felt during those amazing first months in California and the shock of finding myself an alien in my own country when I went back.”
To find out more about the author and this book, please visit www.carmenferreiroesteban.com.