María wandered the Olivares estate cataloging changes she wanted to make, then entered Andrés de Guzmán’s chambers and found them cluttered, with a polished suit of armor and a flattering portrait of Andrés. She examined a valuable leather-bound, gilded book but could not read it, regretting her lack of learning. After testing the bed and recoiling at Andrés’s smell in the pillows, María left the room, determined to find her maid.

María went to the servants’ quarters, where the staff were startled by her appearance. She found Ysabel in the kitchen drinking wine and playing cards with an elderly man while the cook tended bread. María noted Ysabel’s unguarded expression before the maid reverted to deference. When Ysabel apologized and commented on María’s half-fastened dress, María suppressed her anger about her curtailed freedoms and focused on the cards, asking to learn the game.

María moved with Ysabel to the inner courtyard and insisted the maid sit and teach her Chinchón. Ysabel explained the suits—cups, coins, swords, clubs—and the ranked picture cards featuring kings. When María asked how Ysabel obtained the cards, Ysabel said they were a gift from Count Olivares and added, with a careful aside, that he could be generous. María also asked where the women were on the cards, and Ysabel laughed it off.

Ysabel taught María the rules: to form runs in a suit or sets across suits. They played a hand, during which María watched Ysabel and sensed there was more beneath her answers, including when Ysabel said she learned by watching her father. María won the first round and felt warmed by Ysabel’s praise.

They played again, with María losing the second hand but enjoying the game and Ysabel’s company. María noticed Ysabel’s hands, lashes, and mannerisms, hinting at a growing attraction and trust. The scene closed with María wanting to continue playing, a small but meaningful assertion of choice and connection within her confinement.