Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende Read Free Book Online

the monument in the plaza and recognized the sick man she had helped her nana take care of. Without a moment’s hesitation, she made a beeline straight for him.
    â€œWhat are you doing here! Are you hurt?” he exclaimed.
    â€œI’m lost. Can you take me to my house?”
    Jacob Todd wiped Eliza’s face with his handkerchief and checked her over quickly, satisfying himself that there was no visible harm. He concluded that the blood must have come from one of the flagellants.
    â€œI will take you to Mr. Sommers’ office.”
    She begged him not to do that, because if her guardian found out she had come to see the procession he would send Mama Fresia away. Todd set out to find a carriage for hire, not an easy task at that moment, while the girl trotted along, saying nothing but also not letting go of his hand. For the first time in his life, the Englishman felt a quiver of tenderness as he felt that tiny warm hand grasping his. Occasionally he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, moved by the childish face with its almond-shaped black eyes. Finally they came upon a small cart pulled by two mules and the driver agreed to carry them up the hill for double the usual fare. They made the journey in silence, and an hour later Todd dropped Eliza in front of her house. She thanked him as she said good-bye but did not invite him in. He watched her walk away, small and unbearably fragile, covered from head to toe in her black mantle. Suddenly she turned, ran back to him, threw her arms around his neck, and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you,” she said again. Jacob Todd returned to his hotel in the same cart. Occasionally he touched his cheek, surprised by the sweet yet sad feelings the child had aroused in him.
    The processions had the effect of heightening collective repentance, but also, as Jacob Todd himself had witnessed, of ending the rains, justifying once again the splendid reputation of the Cristo de Mayo. In less than forty-eight hours the skies cleared and a timid sun peeked out, playing an optimistic note in the concert of current catastrophes. Owing to the storms and epidemics, nine whole weeks passed before the Wednesday gatherings in the Sommers’ home were resumed, and several more before Jacob Todd dared hint to Miss Rose of his romantic feelings. When finally he did so, she pretended not to hear him, but when he persisted she came out with a crushing response.
    â€œThe only good thing about marriage is becoming a widow,” she said.
    â€œA husband, no matter how stupid, always makes a woman look good,” he replied without losing his good humor.
    â€œNot me. A husband would be an impediment, and he could not give me anything I do not already have.”
    â€œWhat about children?”
    â€œBut how old do you think I am, Mr. Todd?”
    â€œNo more than seventeen!”
    â€œDo not tease me. It is my good fortune that I have Eliza.”
    â€œI am stubborn, Miss Rose, I will never give up.”
    â€œI am grateful to you, Mr. Todd. However, it isn’t a husband who makes a woman look good, but many suitors.”
    In any case, Rose was the reason why Jacob Todd remained in Chile much longer than the three months designated for selling his Bibles. The Sommers were the perfect social contact; thanks to them, the doors of the prosperous foreign colony were thrown wide open to him, and all the English were ready to help him in his proposed religious mission in Tierra del Fuego. He set himself the task of learning something about the Patagonian Indians, but after a few halfhearted sweeps through some heavy tomes in the library, he understood that it made little matter what he knew or didn’t know, since ignorance on the subject was universal. All he had to do was say what people wanted to hear, and for that he could rely on his golden tongue. To unload his Bibles among Chilean clients, however, he would have to improve his rudimentary Spanish.