The Indomitable Lady

5. Preparations

The next day, Rute was still combing her brown hair when Francisca and Luísa entered her room wearing two dresses.

ꟷ The dressmaker must be arriving. You have to decide which dress you take and what changes we will make ꟷ explained Luisa

Both dresses were beautiful, but because Luísa was closer to her size, she ended up choosing this one.

ꟷ It's beautiful, it's perfect! ꟷ said Teresa looking at herself in the mirror

ꟷ The dressmaker will have to fix her shoulders ꟷ said Luísa

The whole morning was spent with the seamstress. Dresses, petticoats, corsets and crinolines were tried on. These added volume to the skirts, but were not very comfortable to move around, and made it almost impossible to sit down.

Because it was for her wedding, they convinced her to wear all the fashionable underwear, and she ended up feeling like a princess when she saw herself dressed up. She thought about what her friends would say if they saw her dressed like that, in the midst of people so different from anything she had ever known, and about to be married.

Dresses and fabrics were ordered for upcoming occasions, as there would be no time to make new ones before the wedding. We talked about the guests and the party. Refreshments brought by the slaves were drank. And Teresa found herself enjoying that morning between women and futile conversations, feeling excited about the preparations for her marriage to a man she barely knew and who she wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Finally, the dressmaker finished all the necessary finishing and alterations on the various dresses of all of them and left with the promise to reserve the best fabrics to be chosen on the next visit they would make to the city.

Alice, soon took the opportunity to leave the house and Teresa followed her

ꟷ Where are you going? Can I go with you? ꟷ asked Teresa from the top of the porch stairs

The girl looked at her strangely.

ꟷ I would like to know a little about the farm. ꟷ said walking down the steps ꟷ And I would really like to go to the waterfall your brother took me to last night. I wanted to see how it is during the day.

ꟷ Okay, but let's hurry before they see us ꟷ agreed the girl, looking even happy to have company

He whistled and a German Shepherd dog appeared running with its tail wagging, showing its contentment.

It was pleasant to walk through the trees by the river, where the weather became cooler, the air was light and the scents of nature were stronger than Teresa had experienced in her century.

ꟷ They do n't want us to come here alone ꟷ explained Alice

ꟷ And do you think this is normal? Prohibit us from this and that as if we were children?

ꟷ No, it shouldn't be like that, but they think there's a quilombo nearby where runaway slave refugees are. Sometimes they enter the farms trying to take more slaves or even women to serve as hostages. That's why our men don't want us to leave the house. There we have the gates guarded and men who do the patrol making sure no one is on the perimeter.

At that point Teresa realized the danger she was in. She looked around in distress. Would she feel if someone was around?

ꟷ Don't worry, Rufus will warn you if anyone approaches. So I'm not afraid to walk around here.

Relieved, Teresa observed the picture that nature presented to her. She sat on a rock and took off her shoes, soaking her feet in the cool, clear water and listening to the birds chirping.