A novel of loss, conscience, and the quiet strength that endures.
When Captain Rafael Morales is recalled from the silver routes of Peru to face accusations he does not understand, he returns to Seville stripped of rank, purpose, and the life he once knew. In a Spain worn thin by plague, debt, and suspicion, truth becomes a luxury-and the Crown wants someone to blame.
But in the widow Rosita Ma no, a painter's wife who carries her own grief with grace, Rafael finds something unexpected: not rescue, but recognition. Together, they confront a world where power is fragile, reputation is priceless, and love-steady, patient, and undeserved-can outlast even an empire's decline.
A story of dignity in the face of injustice, tenderness in a time of uncertainty, and the courage it takes to choose love when everything else has fallen away.