The abbess knew Krugger's promises were hollow.
Carlos Gómez had made his intentions increasingly clear. Independence was no longer a distant whisper—it was an approaching certainty. Yet the chaos in New Granada complicated everything. For the moment, the Spanish Empire was unwilling to openly oppose the Gómez family. Not while the so-called fanatics still operated in the region.
Officially, the Gómez family remained nothing more than wealthy provincial elites. The fanatics, however, were rumored to be supported by Rome itself. Though the Vatican publicly denied involvement, whispers persisted—Jesuit-trained troops, weapons traced back to ecclesiastical arsenals, funds moving through discreet channels. Denial meant little when the evidence seemed so visible.
Now María Gertrudis understood.
