Olivia's home is the Green Man Inn, situated in medieval city of London. She is content with her life, running the bustling tavern with her father, and is taken aback when he suggests a long journey in late autumn into the west of the country to meet her mysterious bridegroom.<br><br>As Olivia gets farther away from the busy metropolis, her concerns grow, especially as Halloween approaches. She senses something strange and unearthly in her fate, and her imagination conjures up fearful images.<br><br>All alone in the wild forests of Wales, will she be an unwilling sacrifice to the pagan gods?

The Green Man

She was pleased that they were approaching a bustling, well-to-do town. Perhaps her spouse-to-be was a native of such a well-established place? A business acquaintance of her father’s perhaps that he had taken a liking to. She hoped for a fine townhouse and a prosperous trade to engage in, and she was thankful they would reach her destination before the onset of grim November.


However, before they reached the town on the second-last day of October, she was dismayed when they again turned west. They were now close to the borders with Wales, where the dark mountains hovered ominously on the horizon. That night they halted overnight at a lonely tavern. Her father announced in apparent cheer that they were on the final leg of their journey to meet her mysterious bridegroom. Olivia did not know what to think.


Chapter 3