The reception was long and warm and occasionally very loud, which was the consequence of having Bianca in orange in a room with adequate wine.
Fernanda Melo's catering was, as promised, exactly right — nothing cold that shouldn't be, nothing overdone, food that seemed to understand its occasion. Helena ate the first course and looked at Fernanda Melo across the room with the expression of someone filing a formal approval. No vol-au-vents. Camila had confirmed this. Fernanda Melo had confirmed this with the gravity of someone clearing the record.
Daniel performed his role as ring-bearer with distinction and subsequently spent the reception rotating between Beatriz, Tomás, and an absorbed acquaintance with the estate garden, which he'd identified as containing at least three rocks worth fu
