Cape of Goodhope is a stormy place.

She was an optimist but this was not what she expected of her father to be so distant towards her. She could see her father had changed somewhat since she last saw him as it must have been four years since she had last seen him . At that time her father had been very attentative and this was bittersweet because the last time she saw him they had been together in England and that seemed like another world now. Her father had taken her everywhere with him yet now he had changed and his rejection hurt like hell.

She thinks things started going wrong as soon as she had docked from the ship at the Cape harbour when the carriage had

taken her towards her father's homestead he was already waiting for her. There was no big ceremony waiting for her even her father never came to her on the arrival of the carriage as she suspected he might be there to hug her and welcome her to the homestead. Unfortunately the annoying man who was a pest almost most of the trip also accompanied with them as well as a few slaves, who sat outside the coach of the very fancy carriage that belonged to her father's fleet of carriages with its magnificent coat of arms on the side of the carriage. It had been the gleaming wonder among the other ordinary carriages on the peer on that day. She and the 'gentleman ' was whisked away very speedily stright to her father's study that was also his office.

That was the morning she got to her destination in the late afternoon it was then that she was nervous not knowing what her father was going to say to her. She was shocked when her father asked her to wait outside while he spoke to Mr Pantone or something that sounds like that.

Eric Phantone was a fake European dignatory but Esme Barnsworth's father was aware of his true nature. He had Eric come into his office and when he put his eyeglass to the one eye to scrutinize his pray more closely Eric was sweating profusely. He wasted no time in letting Eric know he knew all about his not so clever idea of pretending to be of royal blood. 'It does not matter what you are as I don't have time to get someone else to take your place. I will of cause not give you my daughters full finances as I have to wait and see if you will try to run away.' her father said with a wry smile. He let Eric know that this marriage deal he is going into is more of a punishment than a coup especially since he had no idea what a truly aggressive person his daughter is. 'She is the most disagreeable and cantankerous female you would ever meet. You have the unfortunate privilege of being the person who would be stuck with her and I consider this to be ample punishment for your crime of lying to me about your parentage. If you try to escape after you have married my daughter I will personally put you in a very dark jail in the Cape of Goodhope castle.' her father said more softly. It was as if he was speaking to a child and Eric had black butterflies in his stomach.

Eric Phantone was not a happy man as he was exposed now but worse still he had not known the lady in question had been Esme Barnsworth who was now sitting outside waiting to speak to her father who seemed to have no patience for his beloved daughter.

Esme Barnsworth's father then informed him the marriage would be the very next day but in the meantime Eric would be under guard protection to prevent him from running away and yes he let him know that this would very much be a shot gun wedding..... There would be no escape from this marriage as he was told by her father that he had himself to blame and no one else....

Esme was the told to come into the office and when she tried to go and hug her father he held her at arms length and sternly said 'Now, now compose yourself woman you are grown-up now and not a child.' This was a very cold reception and it was definitely not what she expected her father to say to her . Tears misted her vision and her father very unceremoniously handed her a white handkerchief and said ' Blow and stop acting like a baby as I don't have time for your shenanigans. You will marry Mr Eric Phantone tomorrow morning and I don't want to hear any discussion on this subject. You will do as you are told! Do you hear me!! ' he shouted with vehemence .

She had no choice in the matter and because of her father's political position in the colony there was no escape and all she could do was try to run but where to go she knew no one here. The day arrived very quickly as her father must have suspected them to arrive when they did. There wedding was quite beautiful from the wedding itself to the reception and her father even kissed her cheeks when the wedding ceremony came to an end. She did see there was a lot of solders standing on guard that day.

After the reception her father had them speedily sent off stright to there own homestead that he told them was his wedding gift to them and they had to make the quotas for the fresh vegitable produce as was expected of all the farmers in the colony.

It was an impossible situation that was made even worse especially since they disliked each other so much. How were they going to get along and also under pressure. This was so unfair her father was not just a bully but a tyrant as well! She would never have thought him capable of such duplicity as her father was a changed man and not the loving person she always thought he was....