Chapter 1
John
John tended to the cows that morning as he always did. Dawn was breaking and when he left his bedroom, he did so without waking his little sister. He knew she was safe, but still, as a precaution, left the chair in front of the bedroom door and slipped out through the window. Their father had stopped making noises hours ago and John knew he'd be passed out for most of the morning, if his memory of past nights of abuse served him.
The morning temperature grew and held to the low 70s and held. The fall was here and their summer temperatures grew more mild. Several others surrounded their farm in the community. John saw Tom and his son, Gary, ride over on horseback. Gary was a few years younger than John and a talkative boy. Visits from the men of different farms were common to trade farming supplies. On Saturday, the farmer's market on James' farm in the center of their community was when they traded for food each of the following week. With their step mother gone, Marie had taken over for the cooking and canning of their meals come the winter.
Part of John wondered if his father even wished to have Marie married off. Without a woman at home, the cooking, cleaning, and storing of food would fall upon him until he was married again. Two women had died who spent time with his father. John couldn't imagine too many other women lining up to marry the aging man. Gary waved to John, who only responded with a nod of the head.
John made his way to the barn beside the house and dragged bales of hay inside the barn two at a time. Sweat stained the back of his shirt by this time noon was here and the bales of hay were extremely heavy. John's father stepped outside of the house and held the door open for Gary and Tom to follow him out to the front porch.
John rolled his eyes and walked back into the barn before he would have to be roped into a conversation with Gary. 'Being a part of the community' was never his forte. Just because Gary was his age didn't mean John wanted to be friends with him. John didn't want to be friends with anyone. John's mind then wandered to Marie.
Except Marie... Marie's...
"Marie," John's father called inside the house.
John looked out the open doorway of the barn to see his sister come outside. John's hand grabbed handfuls of hay from the stack he had brought inside and fed it to Marly and Jonah, two of the horses closest to him. Patting Marly, on the side of his neck, he brayed and nuzzled John's shoulder, demanding more hay. John fed him another fistful and watched Marie carefully walk outside.
She looked lovely, even with her hair tied back and her wearing a soiled apron covered in dirt from cleaning the house. John had to look away, though, when he watched Gary take her hand in his and raise it to his lips for a kiss.
Chapter 2
Marie
"Marie!" her father's voice boomed from outside.
Marie flinched at the sound of his voice. She had avoided him the entire morning. The two times he had come inside from working the fields Marie had hid in the bedroom and fiddled with folding dried clothes and dusting the shelves. Last night was the first time her stepfather had struck her since she'd known him, but based on his drinking habits since her mother died and his increasing level of rage each evening, she didn't believe it would be the last time.
Marie walked outside, drying her hands on her apron as she was amid making the day's lemonade. To her relief, there were others outside with father, so she knew he would not be in a violent mood. However, to her dread, it was Tom and his father. Tom was the expected suitor for Marie. Everyone in the community was already planning the next celebration in the coming months to be their wedding. Despite him having not proposed and she refusing to say more than a word to him. Courting was not a long affair in their community. Within a week of expressing intentions, an engagement was made and not a month later was the wedding. This, Marie feared, was the first step of the process.
"Marie," her father said, almost as a threat. "You know Tom."
Marie folded her hands in her lap. Her eyes bounced between Tom's feet and his goofy grin. She mumbled a greeting.
"Hello Marie, oh, were you in the kitchen? Cooking up something delicious no doubt," Tom spoke nonstop, as was his way. He then took Marie's hand in his and kissed which Marie had to pretend to not be bothered by. "Marie, you look as wonderful as ever!" Tom said, clapping his hands. "Say, why haven't you been over to our farm ever? We have gorgeous fields as far as the eye can..."
Tom's voice trailed off after his father nudged his arm. Marie's father was glaring at him, indicating bragging about how much larger his farm was than her fathers was not the best way to go about courting her.
"...errr... I'd love to give you a tour of my plot of land I'm inheriting, if you will do me the honor," Tom said.
"Umm... I-" Marie started, her eyes fluttered with hesitation until she was interrupted by her father.
"She will do as you ask," her father spoke commandingly, silencing her hesitation.
"Excellent!" Tom celebrated.
Gary cleared his throat as he entered the conversation. "Should the men discuss the bargain before the tour?"
"We can," Marie's father said and gestured towards the house. "Marie, go clean yourself up in the house while the men talk. We will summon you when it's time."
Marie bowed her head and went back inside the house quietly. The bride's price had developed in their community into a barter of several things. They would now discuss an exchange of farming equipment, seeds, and supplies as equivalent to Marie's hand in marriage. The courting was a courtesy, Marie knew. She was already being sold into marriage to Tom.
Chapter 3
John
John went inside the house not because he saw Marie go back inside, but because his father, Tom, and Gary had walked out towards the barn he hid inside. Tom said something obnoxious while slapping John's back as he passed by another. John simply nodded and walked inside the house.
This was it, he knew. This was the start of his sister being married off. Of him being alone with his father again. Perhaps he should just pick a woman to marry. He was just delaying the inevitable, wasn't he?