Simon left the carriage to talk to the driver. The home of his friend was situated a few minutes away from the heart of the town. It was located on the east side of the town.
"Just keep moving straight on this road, after a few minutes, you will see a big church before you will reach the church, you will see two roads... turned left. That will be the road that will take us to my friend's house, which is the last and the biggest house in that area," he instructed the driver.
"Okay, Sir!" the driver replied.
Simon boarded the carriage again and looked at Laura. "We're finally arriving at our destination, daughter!" he said.
Laura smiled a bit, but deep inside, she was feeling nervous again. She tried to stop her knees from shaking. "I'm getting nervous meeting strangers, Father. What if they don't like me?" she finally confessed to him her innermost fears.
Simon smiled. "No one can resist your charm, daughter," he said, feeling proud of his daughter.
Laura smiled brightly for her father's benefit.
A few minutes later, the carriage finally halted.
"We're finally here, Sir!" the driver announced.
Laura looked at the window and saw a huge mansion in front of her. "Wow! The mansion was three times bigger than her house in Hallowpass! And the iron gate was about ten feet tall! She can see a well-manicured lawn inside. The front yard of the mansion was decorated with bright decorative lanterns everywhere.
Simon exited the carriage, he went outside to talk to the two guards at the gate.
"Good evening, guards. Is Mr. Nicholas Redding home?" he asked.
"Yes, Sir!" one of the guards answered.
"Can you please tell him that his friend, Mr. Simon Helman came in town to visit him, please?" he said.
"Okay, Sir. Just wait for a moment while we inform Sir Redding about your arrival," the guard said.
Simon waited patiently outside the iron gate.
One of the guards walked towards the front yard and disappeared inside the huge mansion.
Simon was walking back and forth in front of the iron gate.
Ten minutes later.
The guard exited the house together with an old man, the same age as Simon.
The guard opened the gate wide.
"My friend, it's nice to see you again!" Nicholas Redding said, wearing a bright smile on his face.
The men hugged each other for a few seconds.
"I'm sorry, that we had come a bit late," Simon apologizes.
"Nah, don't say that! You can come to my house anytime, whether it's day and night it doesn't matter, you're always welcome here!" Nicholas said. "Amigo, please instruct your driver to bring the carriage inside. We have a large stable for the horses, and then servants room for your men," he said.
"Thank you, my friend!" Simon said. He looked at the driver and instructed him to drive the carriage inside.
"Did you bring your daughter, Laura, with you?" Nicholas asked.
Simon nodded his head. "Yes! She's inside the carriage," he answered. "Is your son, Cooper home?" he asked.
Nicholas coughed a little. "We will talk about him later, over dinner. Come inside the house so that you and your daughter can freshen up," he said.
The two men walked towards the entrance of the house.
Laura exited the carriage and looked at her father and his friend.
Nicholas's servants took Laura and Simon's bags from the carriage. The other servants were leading the carriage and the horses towards the stable.
Laura came face to face with her future father-in-law. "Good evening, Sir!" she greeted the old man warmly, wearing a pleasant smile on her face.
Nicholas smiled brightly at his future daughter-in-law. "Is this Laura?"
"Yes, it's my daughter, Laura," Simon answered proudly.
"Wow, such a beautiful girl, a perfect wife from my son, Cooper!" Nicholas smiled appreciatively. "Nice meeting you, child," he said.
"Nice meeting you too, Sir!" Laura replied and smiled.
"Ah, dear, stop calling me, sir. We're family, from now on, call me, Father!" Nicholas said.
Laura looked at her father... Simon nods his head.
"Okay, Father," Laura said.
Nicholas's eyes sparkled. "That's good to hear, Laura. I was never blessed with a daughter, only sons. You will be a great addition to my family," he said appreciatively.
Laura smiled. "I hope I won't disappoint you, Father!" she told him.
Nicholas smiled. "You won't. Come, let's get inside the house," he told his visitors.
They entered the entrance of the mansion.
There was a grand staircase, and comfy sofa's in the living room. Beautiful decorative frames and antique decorations were scattered all over the living room, giving it a vibrant look. There was a stunning chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
"Let's go upstairs. I'll take you to your room," Nicholas said.
They went upstairs which is equally grander and has the same types of furniture as the ground floor. Several big rooms were lined up in the hallway. The walls were painted with creamy white paint that produces a very calming and soothing atmosphere to its occupants.
Nicholas brought Laura to her room first. "Daughter, this will be your room temporarily while you and Cooper have not finalized the wedding yet. You may go inside and freshen yourself. I will send a servant to inform you if dinner is ready," he said.
"Thank you, Father!" Laura told him.
Nicholas smiled and nods his head.
The servant opened the door wide and brought the baggage inside. Laura followed the servant inside.
Nicholas addressed his friend. "Simon, I'll take you to your room which is next to mine," he said.
Simon smiled. "Okay, after you, amigo," he replied.
The two men proceed to the rooms on the right side.
There's a total of six bedrooms on the second floor encompassing the entire second floor. Near the top of the staircase was a nice array of sofa with comfy pillows, decorated with ornamental plants in every corner. If one is tired of climbing the long stairway, they can sit on the couch to catch their breath before they proceed to their rooms.
Nicholas opened the door of the room next to his. "This is your room, amigo," he said.
The servant brought the visitor's luggage inside the room then leave quickly after depositing the bag on the floor.
Nicholas looked at his friend. "I'll leave you for a while so that you can rest for a few minutes. I'll call you later if dinner is ready," he said.
"Thank you, amigo!" Simon said, feeling grateful for his friend's warm welcome.
Nicholas smiled. "Ah, don't thank me. We're going to be family soon!" he said. "I'll take my leave now..."
Simon watched his friend left the room.
Meanwhile, inside Laura's room.
She had finished cleaning her self inside the elegant bathroom. She also changed her clothes.
She lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. The one thing she noticed about the mansion is that it has a higher ceiling compared to their mansion in Hallowpass.
She looked around the room. It has a queen-size bed with a soft floral design bed sheet. The closet is huge, and the floor was carpeted. She looked at the bedside table, it has a nice lampshade on it. A single table and chair were on the corner. On the right side near the window was an antique-looking dresser table fitted with a big mirror.
She rose to her feet and took the garment from her bag, she walked towards the dresser, and hurriedly covers the mirror with it.
She went back to bed, lay down, and closed her eyes, hoping to catch a few minutes of rest before she will face her father-in-law in the dining room.
But her mind refused to rest.
She wonders where is Cooper? Why he didn't welcome her? Why is it that it's only his father - who welcomes her?
Sighing, she shut down her brain, forcing herself not to think of anything. She needs to breathe, relax, and get acquainted with her new surroundings.
She breathed steadily and pretended to sleep.