On a hot summer day, I opened my bedroom window... I must have fallen asleep, unlike usual.
"Tana!! Tana" I heard a scream from downstairs.
I went downstairs to see what my mother wanted this time.
Maybe she will ask me to sell one of my grandfather's old gifts, or maybe it was another marriage.
proposal from the nobles who now think I'm an easy prey after our family lost its fortune.
"My dear, God has answered my prayers" she said with a cheerful expression.
"What's the matter this time, mother?" I said sarcastically as I sat next to her.
"My dear, this letter is actually a marriage proposal from the Duke of Barton".
"Nonsense... Maybe someone is joking with us because they know how desperate you are to return to high society" I said to her.
"No, it came with a seal... Even the carriage that delivered it had the Barton House symbol on it... No doubt it's real" she added.
This strange proposal puzzled me... Isn't he the one who got married a few months ago?
I remember that his love story with his childhood friend was known to everyone in the capital, nobles and commoners alike.
I even remember seeing them ride in a carriage around the city on their wedding day after they got permission from the royal family.
From a distance, he looked like a handsome young man with brown hair, but why would he ask me to be his second wife? We had never met face to face and we had never spoken at fancy parties when my family was still in power.
Many thoughts were running through my mind all day.
Is he making fun of us? No, it can't be because everyone knows he's a good man, while other nobles have mistresses and go to brothels, he kept his reputation clean.
He was one of the few nobles who married for love and remained faithful throughout their engagement.
I didn't want to think about it any further because I would have rejected his proposal anyway or so I thought.
"Tana, my dear, your father and I think we should go ahead with the marriage as soon as possible before the duke changes his mind" My mother said as I was having breakfast.
"What? What do you mean I didn't agree to anything" I said to her, raising my tone with every word that came out of my mouth.
"My daughter, you don't understand. Maybe he had a fight with his wife or something… We need to come to an agreement as soon as possible before he backs out of the offer". She said to me as she held my hand trying to convince me.
"Mother! You said you would let me choose my own marriage partner like you did! And look at you now trying to sell me out" I said to her after she stood up immediately.
"It's different!!!" She raised her voice… then paused for a moment and continued but this time in a calm tone "It's different now… Back then our family was rich, but look at us now, the other nobles are making fun of us… Please, my little one, you are our only hope".
I couldn't listen to her anymore, so I left the room.
"Tana!! Come back, we're not done talking!" My mother shouted from downstairs. But I ignored her and locked myself in my room.
I thought everything was over...but the next day, three carts with the Barton family logo on them arrived at our house.