I’ve been trying to figure out the timing of Isabel’s attempt to save her parents from the French invasion. First, the letter from Westhope’s cousin in Martinique would take over a week to cross the Atlantic. We’re talking steam ships here not airplanes (it’s 1865). Secondly, the letter Isabel plans to send to her parents in Mexico would also take the same amount of time. Also add a day or two for delivery because none of these characters lives on the coast. If Maximillian’s army knows where the Mexican president is hiding, he would make haste. But he also has to wait for his various troops stationed around the Caribbean to come to him. So it does seem possible that Isabel’s letter might arrive in time to save her parents’ lives. I realize this is a romance, but these kinds of details if not done accurately, can irritate me. I’m glad the author has taken the time to make this plot element believable.