Ansley The Tattletale

'Ansley, the match shall begin soon. Can this not wait?' Benedict asked.

Ansley looked over to Gina and whispered into Benedict's ears. The words he said made Benedict look over to Gina too.

Gina looked at the stare her uncle gave her before walking out with Ansley and that caused her to sweat. Every inch of her skin was covered in cold sweat even though it was a cold morning in Pumford.

'Aunty, do you suppose Ansley wishes to talk to uncle about business?' Gina asked her uncle's wife, Donna.

'Gina dear, when the men speak, we women do not listen. Your uncle shall return soon and if his discussion with Ansley concerns us, he shall divulge.' Donna looked straight at her son, Marlow as he placed his wager.

'Do you listen in when your father talks with his business partners?' Missy asked.

She had asked from a place of innocence, of curiosity, but Gina saw it as judgment. Gina did know about the law that forbade women from listening to men talk business, but her father did not abide by that law, strictly.

'No. I understand that women shall not listen in on men. I am curious is all.' Gina looked ahead to her cousin, Marlow too.

But her heart did not stop beating hard and fast. In fact, it worsened when her uncle got back to his seat. His enthusiasm for the match died down instantly. Gina knew that Ansley had said horrible things to him.

'Is all well, father?' Missy reached out and touched her father's shoulder.

'All is well indeed. We must enjoy the game now; we have traveled far. But Gina,' Benedict turned to Gina, 'I must speak with you the moment we return home. We must write your father together.'

That was the last straw for Gina. She simply nodded to her uncle and looked straight at the wrestlers. Tears began to drip from her eyes. She wished Ansley was more of a man. She wished he was not such a tattletale like a woman for she thought he had exposed her relationship with Richard.

But when Gina got home and her uncle told her of his discussion with Ansley, it was not tears that came out of her eyes, it was a look of total confusion.

'He wishes to wed you and he says he shall do anything to win your heart. We must write to your father at once.' Benedict announced to Gina.

That was impossible for her. She began to play out everything that could have happened between her uncle and the cunning one-eyed Ansley.

Ansley might have told Benedict about her relationship with Richard and in exchange for his silence, Benedict promised to marry her off to him.

But there was no way she could confirm her theory.

'But uncle, you looked at me with contempt at Pumford, surely Ansley must have told you something.' Gina said.

'Ansley did not spit a word more to me. And you shall call him 'Lord Ansley'. We must write your father at once.' Benedict made his way to his room and Donna followed him.

'You shall be a bride; how do you take it?' Missy asked, smiling.

'Do not ask her that. We must all be sorrowful for me, Pumford won the match, I lost the wager indeed.' Marlow walked to a chair in the room and slumped into it.

'There shall be another game next week, maybe your intuition shall be right then.' Missy laughed.

Gina wanted to laugh too because she could recognize mockery from miles away but there was nothing joyous for her.

It was possible that Ansley just wanted to make her and Richard scared and so he announced his desire to take her hand.

She walked slowly to another chair in the room and sat. she sat and stared at the ground, trying to figure out her next move but nothing inspired her.

Gina sat there and she wondered why her uncle had looked at her the way he did before walking away with Ansley. She also wanted to know why his countenance fell when he returned to watch the game.

'Gina, I reckon you are not thinking too much about it. You must be happy now, at last, a suitor.' Missy said and dragged a chair to where Gina sat. then she sat beside her.

'At last? Whatever do you mean, Missy?' Gina's voice was raised.

Gina had gotten tons of suitors because she was a fine woman and the daughter of a noble man. There was no eligible young man that did not wish to take her hand in marriage.

'Do not raise your voice, Gina. My father just always tells me not to bother about not getting suitors. So, this must be great news.' Missy said.

Missy had never really gotten any suitors because of the kind of job she did, and her father knew that. The day he realized that girls Missy's age already had suitors, he went around to ask why no one was calling on his daughter.

His friends told him all the men saw her as a used product, because of how some men touched her and talked to her at the bar.

'I have gotten myself suitors, Missy. I have turned them down because I have my eyes set on a man. That man is not Ansley.' Gina stood up.

'You have gotten callers?' Marlow asked.

He too had noticed the absence of callers for his sister but to him, it was normal. You see, Marlow was younger than Missy and so he did not know much about anything but the bar and wrestling.

Gina looked at her cousins and walked away. She knew the only person that could give her answers to the many questions she had was her uncle. She decided that she was going to lay down her questions even if they were not provided answers.

Gina walked to her uncle's room and found the door ajar. She heard her uncle and aunt's voice and so she moved closer to the door. She wanted to hear what they spoke of.

'Whatever is your reason for being angry then? You do not want Ansley for Missy; shall you then stop him from getting Gina?' Donna's voice floated to Gina's ears.

'Edmund my brother has gotten everything in life. My father passed his ranch to him, and I fought for my place in this town. I shall not sit around and watch his daughter get betrothed before mine. Missy must get a suitor before Ansley marries Gina.' Benedict shouted.