The Mysterious Visitor

'Father expects an important visitor and we must not keep him waiting.' Missy said.

Gina looked around and saw the bleachers were empty and the rest of her family had left.

'Shall I walk in the rain then?' Gina asked.

'The carriage is here.' Missy pointed to a group of carriages nearby.

Gina wondered who the important visitor was, for her uncle rarely hosted people. She wondered if it was going to be a suitor for Missy or if it concerned his tavern.

Suddenly, her eyes rested on Tabitha, the town gossip. And right beside her was Ansley. Her heart stopped beating for a second and then started thumping hard against her chest.

'Whatever is Ansley doing here?' Gina could not tear her eyes off him.

She saw him sitting and talking with Tabitha. She wondered what they were talking about, and it sounded as though she heard him call out her name.

What was Ansley trying to do? Did he go to tell Tabitha about her relationship with Richard?

'How can I tell? Gina, you must come with me.' Missy said.

Missy looked toward her father's carriage and saw him motioning for her to hurry.

'We must find out then.' Gina stood up. She could hear her heart beating in her head.

Her body trembled from so much fear. It was like she was going to fall.

'Whatever is the matter, Gina?' Missy questioned.

Gina could not say anything to her cousin. But after some thought, she knew it was best for her to leave unseen by Ansley. At least, if he had not spoken about her to Tabitha, then she did not need to remind him to do it.

'We must leave now.' Gina held her cousin's hand and ran toward her uncle's carriage.

Gina had enough trouble thinking of Rudd who spoke to her about her cousin, Missy. How then could she double her trouble by thinking about Ansley and what he might have said to Tabitha, the town gossip?

'I have not succeeded in my wager placement yet again. Father, whatever is wrong?' Marlow asked his father on their way home.

Indeed, the wrestler from Pilet, Donna's hometown, won the match. It had been a close one but still, Pumford lost. And Marlow found himself in another debt. He wondered where he was to get twenty silver coins to pay off what he owed.

'Shall you continue to place wagers? Do you not see that you never win?' Missy asked him.

'Do not speak that way. I shall surely win someday.' Marlow said.

'You must listen to your sister, Marlow. You do not need to lose so much money all the time.' Donna said to her son.

But none of those words got to Marlow. He had made his resolve to find happiness by winning a wager as his father did.

'Mother, do you not have any faith in me?' Marlow asked.

'Do not speak that way. One must know when to stop and I reckon now is the time.' Donna looked to her husband, waiting for him to back her up.

'Leave the child, let him have his life.' Benedict looked at Marlow and smiled.

Benedict was in a happy mood that noon. He smiled at everyone and did not find faults in anything. Those behaviours were not unlike him, but his family could tell that something was different. They could also tell that it had something to do with the important visitor that awaited him.

When the Delve family made it back to Garld, the rain had ceased, and Benedict's smile was as bright as the sun.

'Father, you must tell us who this visitor is. Has he come from the east?' Missy asked her father as they walked into the house.

The people from the east of Garld hardly paid visits to people who lived in other parts of Garld. You see, the east was an island that was far away from the others. The King from centuries ago saw how peaceful it was there and he declared it the part of nobles and kings. Only noble-borns and those who earn the title can reside in the east.

Edmund Delve, Gina's father had earned the noble title after he married Myra, Gina's late mother. At the time, he amassed so much wealth that the king could not help but notice.

Unlike others that strived to get the title, Edmund was offered it on a platter, and he did not hesitate to take it. However, that strained the relationship he had with his brother, Benedict for many years.

'Missy, he has not come from the east. Shall you not wait until you have set eyes on him?' Benedict opened the door.

When Missy entered, her eyes laid on a fat man. His belly was so big that she was sure he could not see his feet should he try. The hair on his head was scanty, it was possible to be counted and when he spoke, the room oozed ale.

Missy and Gina did not know the man that stood before them, but Marlow and Donna were quite acquainted with him.

'Laban!' Benedict said and threw his arms open for the visitor to embrace him.

Gina saw how her uncle's hands barely went around Laban's body and she let out a small laugh.

'Whatever is funny?' Donna asked.

'Forgive my manners, aunty. You are most welcome, Laban.' Gina said.

Indeed, the important visitor that awaited Benedict was Laban. After Missy narrated her encounter with the stranger in the bar, Marlow mentioned knowing a man who enjoyed his mug full of Mead. That man was Laban.

Strange as it sounded to Benedict that his daughter, who held the beauty of many women, saw Laban as a suitor, Benedict sent a letter to him. In the letter, Benedict asked him to stop by the house to officially ask for Missy's hand in marriage.

'Laban, you must tell me why you have visited. But first, we must sit.' Benedict pretended to not know what his mission was, and he walked to an empty chair in the room and sat.

So did everyone else. When Benedict saw that everyone was settled, he signalled to Laban to begin speaking.