Nacre's Promise

Chapter XIV : Fair trade

Barcelona, ​​1902.

After the death of King Alfonso XII, the Queen of Spain, Marie-Christine de Habsbourg-Lorraine, had ensured the regency, first for her eldest daughter Marie-Mercedes, then for her son Alfonso, declared king from birth.

From the age of sixteen, he was declared of age and crowned king under the name of Alfonso XIII. This adolescent raised in opulence and cut off from the real world was, from an early age, invested with powers such as personal inviolability, legislative power, although shared with the Congress of Deputies and the Senate, the power to sanction but also to promulgate and enforce laws. He had also become the supreme chief of the armies and, part of the Spanish people feared what this power could cause.

Isabel, at nineteen, was a hundred leagues from these concerns. In the room, which she shared with Carmen, she made an inventory of all her possessions. She had arrived with a small suitcase containing mostly the clothes made on Carlina's advice. She had since, thanks to her wages, completed her wardrobe, but had not had an opportunity to use these new clothes.

She didn't know many people, didn't see any boy. His only outings were walks with Carmen and Miguel who seemed very attached to each other. It made her feel like she was too much and reinforced her desire for another life.

One spring day, galvanized by the ambient mildness and the renewal of nature, she made her decision and told Señor Ruiz about it.

— Señor Ruiz, could I speak to you in private about a project that is close to my heart?

— Well, yes, my child, let's take advantage of the garden to talk about it, will you?

The butler seemed to already suspect the content of the interview, but he made no comment and let Isabel speak.

— Señor, I am afraid I have to inform you of a recent decision I have made that affects you directly, she began. You taught me to read and write and I can never prove my gratitude to you. Everything you taught me has changed me and made me realize that I don't want to be a servant all my life even though this house has given me the best I could ever have wanted.

Examining his reaction, she had paused for a moment.

— So I decided to try my luck in business here in Barcelona. I have met someone who would like to employ me and I intend to accept. Of course, I will not leave until you have found someone to replace me and I am committed to training that person as you did for me.

Looking at him, Isabel realized that these words affected him more than she thought.

— I'm sorry, Isabel. We will miss you, he confessed with a voice tinged with emotion.

She felt herself on the verge of tears. Leaving like this made her stomach ache and she could only contain herself by knowing that her decision had not been taken lightly, but had been carefully considered.

— Oh, please don't torment me anymore. You know it was a hard decision to make and I too will miss you and all the other servants, but I cannot go on like this. I feel like I have so much to see outside, so many discoveries still awaiting me!

— I understand, he admitted. Stay on your guard Isabel, there are pitfalls to be avoided and not all kind people can be trusted. You are young and some could benefit from your inexperience. Also, I want us to stay in touch and let me know, in advance, of every decision you make, every trip you take. You are like the girl I never had and I wish I could help you.

This unexpected proposal gave him balm in the heart. She had not seen her family for six years as her involvement in her work and her determination to learn were strong. She also knew that, despite the intensity of the reunion to come, she had changed so much that cohabitation, even a short one, would be difficult. Even if she described her life in her letters, how could her family understand her ambitions? For her parents, a place of servant, in a good house, was seen as an inestimable chance.

— Thank you, Señor, you are a remarkable person and I promise you will always be a part of my life. Could you let Don and Doña Campos know, I'm not sure how to tell them? I appreciate them very much and I am so afraid that they will be angry with my decision, that I do not know if I will have the words to tell them myself.

Ruiz nodded and promised Isabel that he would let them know when he found a replacement for her position.

The transition was smooth, but in the fall, because Don Campos had wanted to spend the summer without changing servants. Ruiz had found a young Barcelona girl who seemed to fit. Isabel spent a month teaching her the tasks she would have to accomplish and she was reassured by seeing his dedication and goodwill.

To learn the basics of commercial negotiation, she decided to join a farmer who sold her produce in the markets.

Manuela Cortez, the lady in question, was about forty years old and was very daring for the time since she had created a kind of cooperative bringing together the productions of the lands neighboring her own, which she was selling in the market.

For small producers, selling their produce on the market themselves was complicated due to handling and time spent. The cooperative was a good compromise and, in addition, Manuela Cortez went to their homes to collect their harvest without them having to travel. No longer need to have a horse and a cart to go to the market, it came to them and it was much easier.

Isabel liked the approach. As they had quickly forged bonds of friendship, it was naturally to her that Manuela offered a job and accommodation to help her manage her business.

Manuela was a widow, childless, and lived in a small village on the outskirts of Barcelona. She spent every day with the farmers before going to sell the harvest on the market. During this time, it was necessary to take care of the management of the cooperative and it is this aspect of the work that she entrusted to Isabel.

When her husband died, she had inherited a fairly spacious house. A hangar was attached to it. Half of it was occupied by two horses and the storage of straw and hay, while the other half was used to store future sales of the cooperative.

Although dynamic, Manuela could no longer manage this business alone, which now had ten different producers. Naturally suspicious, the farmers doubted Manuela's honesty, and some suspected her of keeping profits that were to come to them. This is where Isabel came in.

The solution was to keep a record of his contribution for each farmer. Isabel knew how to read and write, so she was the ideal person to take care of this management by providing the cooperative with delivery and payment documents. Each farmer read, or could have these documents read by the public writer, and could check if everything was correct. This put an end to the distrust that had set in.

Isabel's other activities consisted of sorting the supplies of vegetables and fruit, packing them in crates, even old dresser drawers that served as trays, and loading them into the cart for the market. It was also necessary to harvest the produce from Manuela's land and store it in the shed.

If she herself appreciated these new functions, her body liked them, a little less every day.

What a change from his previous job! There she needed irreproachable outfit and availability and she never made any physical effort. In this new activity, the dress did not matter, but it just needed strength and a strong constitution.