The Last Song

kitchen, driving the servants wild with his demands.
    “Yes, my lady.” The slight tremor in his voice made me look at him more closely. I still couldn’t decide if he was making fun of me.
    I led him through the house into the grand hall. There were flowers everywhere in large pottery vases. The table in the center of the room was set with silver dishes.
    “This is a beautiful room,” he said, his eyes roaming over the rich carpets and wall hangings depicting knights rescuing damsels in distress. “Where would you like me to put the centerpiece?”
    He undid the rags to reveal a golden skylark in a silver cage. The bird’s feathers were ruffled and he seemed poised for flight. His gold eyes seemed to sparkle, as if in the ecstasy of his song. I could actually hear his trilling notes in my imagination. Somehow, the bird also seemed frightened and sad. His silver cage was intricately carved with different kinds of silver fruits hanging over the bars – oranges, grapes, and pomegranates.
    I stuck my fingers through the cage and touched the bird’s golden feathers. “This bird is beautiful. A masterpiece! He looks alive. I can almost hear his song. He wants to fly away. He wants to be free.”
    The boy smiled at me. I smiled back.
    “Thank you,” he said. “My father and I spent many happy hours with this little creature.” He patted thebird’s head with calloused fingers. “I am happy that he will belong to somebody who’ll appreciate his grace and spirit.”
    He turned toward the door. There was something so honest and so compelling about him.
    I didn’t want him to leave. “What did you say your name was?”
    “Yonah. What do they call you?”
    I didn’t know how to reply. Should I berate him for his boldness? After all, I was Isabel, daughter of Enrique de Cardosa, the queen’s physician. Who was he but a simple silversmith and a despised Jew? How dare he speak to me as an equal? Despite this, my mouth seemed to have a will of its own.
    “I am Isabel. The bird you made is for the table at the banquet in honor of my betrothal.”
    An expression I could not fathom flittered over his face. “I wish you much happiness, Isabel,” he said.
    Tears welled up in my eyes. “Happiness is not my fate. My parents are forcing me to marry a boy I detest. He is unkind, with a heart of ice.”
    “Do your parents know how you feel?”
    I brushed away my tears angrily. “They won’t listen to me. I don’t understand why.”
    There was a loud noise outside. He put a finger to his lips. Several servants carrying crockery in theirarms charged into the hall. He bowed and walked out of the room.
    The sun was still hot despite the lateness of the day as Luis and I stood in front of the chapel door. My parents were on my right. Luis’s father stood on his left. The rolled-up betrothal contract, describing my dowry in detail, was clutched in Don Alfonso’s hand. Friends and relatives crowded around us. Brianda was standing with her parents at the back; she gave me a loving smile. Father Juan, who had officiated at my christening, joined Luis’s hand and mine.
    “Do you, Luis de Carrera, swear a solemn oath that you wish to be betrothed to Isabel, the daughter of Enrique de Cardosa?”
    “I do,” Luis said.
    “Do you, Isabel de Cardosa, wish to be betrothed to Luis, the son of Alfonso de Carrera?”
    I looked at Papa. His features were set in stone. Mama nodded her head when my eyes turned toward her. I could hear whispers all around me.
    “Do you, Isabel de Cardosa, wish to be betrothed to Luis, the son of Alfonso de Carrera?” Father Juan repeated in a louder voice.
    I lowered my head. “I do.”
    “The marriage between Luis de Carrera and Isabel de Cardosa will take place a year from this day unless both parties agree to the dissolution of this betrothal contract for a just cause prior to that date,” announced Father Juan. He turned to Luis. “You and your lady are now betrothed. You may kiss her.”
    Luis lowered his head, his eyes gleaming darkly. His lips were cold and wet against my cheek. “You will learn who your master is very soon,” he whispered.
    I looked away to escape his gloating eyes.
    The guests were greeting one another and laughing heartily. I blinked away the tears in my eyes. Several ladies embraced me. Brianda took my arm while my other friends danced around me as we made our way toward the house. The young cavaliers congratulated Luis with claps on his back and winks at me.