DISCLAIMER: The Characters in this story do not belong to me except for Marcus Cole and Esmay. etc etc.etc.

Hattie awoke slowly, as she opened her eyes she saw a low cloud glowing red with reflected light from the rising sun, the colour reminded her of a red dress in the exact same shade she had worn on her fifth birthday, as she thought of it the entire day came back to her complete and entire. The smell of her mothers perfume in her nose, the taste of the birthday cake on her tongue, the sound of everyone singing Happy Birthday in her ears. Suddenly Hattie gasped as she remembered where she was and sat up looking wildly around her, she was sitting in the back of the cart on top of her bags as it moved at a walking pace being pulled by the horse on the dirt track road. After a few moments, Hattie found herself calming down and catching her breath got back on to the seat and picked up the reins from where they had fallen on the seat.

" Thank you Alice for giving me a good steady Horse."

Hattie said to herself as the horse kept moving at the same walking pace it had all night, she also realized that since Alice had told her to remember everything she was doing exactly that. Later that day she reached the town nearest to the school, leaving the horse and cart with the local stable owner, who promised to see the horse was watered and fed before returning them to the school, Hattie bought passage on the next coach out of town, it was going a long long way away to a small town named Westbury near the border between Frell and Wessex. A long uncomfortable two weeks later She was getting off the coach in Westbury. After having found an Inn to stay at, the next morning Hattie woke early as she had at Madame Ediths and found she was compelled to get up get dressed and make the bed then she was left with nothing to do but sit on the one and only chair in the room and wait for the rest of the Inn to wake up. Three hours later after breakfast she set out to explore the town, the Innkeepers wife had told her that if she got lost just look for the town hall clock tower it was tall enough to be seen from anywhere in town. Westbury itself looked small, provincial, apparently as dull as ditch water, as she walked along she noticed posted on the walls of buildings paper flyers with writing in bold letters, and clusters of people gathered around the notices laughing as they read, finding one that had no-one near it she walked over to it and read:

WANTED: SINGLE WOMAN OF MARRIGEABLE AGE TO BE A WIFE AND MOTHER TO AN NINE YEAR OLD GIRL, MUST BE ABLE TO COOK, CLEAN AND CARRY OUT ALL THE OTHER DUTIES EXPECTED OF A WIFE AND MOTHER. IF YOU MEET THE STANDARD YOU MUST BE AT THE TOWN HALL AT 12 OCLOCK TODAY TO BE MARRIED.

Hattie finished reading the notice pulled it down folded the paper in half twice and put it in her pocket then turned to look at the clock tower, it said nine thirty. She found herself walking back to the Inn thinking about getting her hair done and making lists of all the other things to be done before the ceremony, Part of her mind was screaming NOOOO! but it was faint and easily ignored.

As the clock struck noon Hattie with a new hairdo and wearing a cream colored dress and matching gloves and shoes bought especially for the occasion entered the town hall, standing just inside the doorway was a tall slim black haired man with a worried look on his face dressed for a wedding though the clothes were not of the latest fashion and had been inexpertly mended probably by himself she guessed.

" Excuse me sir, did you put these notices up around town?"

Hattie asked holding out the paper she had removed from the wall.

" Yes i did, and do you meet the necessary standard?"

" Yes." She replied simply. He looked at her for a few seconds in silence and then asked the question that she was dreading.

" Will you marry me?" Hatties reply.

" Yes I will." Was said without any noticeable hesitation on her part, but inside Hattie had struggled and fought as hard as she could to say no or indeed to say anything else at all but to no avail.

" By the way what is your name?" He smiled a genuine smile that made his face light up.

" My name is Hattie sir." She found herself smiling back at him as she spoke.

" My name is Marcus Cole but please call me Marcus."

" Yes Marcus."

" Well let us be married then." With that he held out his hand, Hattie took it and they walked into the town hall where the registrar was waiting. Twenty minutes later it was done and as they walked out of the town hall the words.

" I do." and

" I pronounce you Husband and Wife." Were still echoing in her ears, looking down at her right hand from which she had removed the glove she saw the wedding ring on her finger, only a plain gold band but Marcus Her Husband! Hattie thought again had said it was a family heirloom passed down through at least seven generations.

OK that's another chapter done.