I spent the rest of the evening sewing to somehow calm down. It was still too early to pack. It remains to be seen whether this man will want to live with me. Yes, and then there will be enough time for fees.

When it got completely dark, she put out the candles and crawled under the covers. For some time she continued to speculate about the groom, think about her parents and how they feel now. Don't forget about the sisters.

A soft knock woke me up. More precisely, it was more like mice scratching somewhere nearby. At first I didn’t understand what the rustle was, but when I realized it, I hurried to the door. It's too rare for someone to come to me. So something important.

Without lighting the candles, she gently opened the door, trying to avoid the squeak. My sister Heli slipped into the room like a ghost, wearing a light-coloured shirt on the floor and a handkerchief on her shoulders.

“Dear Amy, I miss you so much,” she whispered immediately, and I found myself in the soft arms of my sister. - You shouldn't have closed here, we all miss you so much!

I squeezed her tightly in return. If you knew, dear, how I missed you! But I kept silent. This is exactly the case when everything was clear without words. Suddenly I felt hot tears on my shoulder. I immediately pushed my sister away, continuing to hold her shoulders and peering into her pale face, illuminated by the moonlight.

"Hey, what happened?"

"I'm so worried about you," she whispered hotly, sliding her warm hand down my cheek.

And suddenly my sister froze, looking intently into my eyes.

- What? What's happened? I asked, pulling Heli onto the bed, closer to the window so I could see her better.

“Amy, you…” she hesitated, choosing her words. “Did they tell you who exactly will come for you?” she asked, watching my reaction.

Looks like my guess was correct. If Heli, who is usually very stingy with emotions, came running in the middle of the night to warn, then something was wrong with the new groom. Everything inside was twisted uncomfortably. Of course, I was ready to accept any decision of my parents, I had long reconciled myself. And yet I wanted to believe that they would not give me up to the first comer or a monster. After all, I am their daughter. They won't give it up, will they?

Heli, tell me everything you know. You know they don't tell me much. Please, I pleaded.

The sister straightened the blond curl. She licked her lips nervously.

“Don’t languish,” I whispered, unable to stand it.

“This is Mr. Erton, Amy,” Heli blurted out and lowered her eyes.

I scrolled in my head the names of all the more or less famous families of our city, but I could not remember a person with such a surname. And it was weird.

“This is the first time I’ve heard of it,” I admitted, shaking my head. - And you? What do they say about him?

Heli lifted her head and looked at me with all her eyes. After a few moments, understanding dawned on her face.

“He's just here, Amy. About a month. I saw him at the Towson family's reception. They invited him on the occasion of a housewarming party and to get to know the locals.

Now I understand why I haven't heard of him.

- Yes. Mr. Erton Cole,” the sister began, stroking my palm with her finger. — Amy. He... Loya and I know next to nothing about him. Like others. I think tomorrow his father will ask him about everything. I can only say that he is definitely rich, well-mannered and...

She hesitated again.

“But what is the matter with him?” He is old? Ugly? Does he smell bad? - my nerves were giving out and I rather wanted to hear the answer.

“It’s very difficult to forget him,” Heli sighed doomedly. The sight of this man frightened me. Perfect clothes and manners, but a face. More specifically, scars. There are so many! On the face and even the neck. It's like they cut his face. And he's definitely older than you. Twelve years, maybe even more.

I took a deep breath. So scars. OK. This could be dealt with. Age. So he is over thirty, maybe closer to forty, which is also not scary.

- And it's all? I thought you were going to tell something terrible, - I said reproachfully to calm my sister, to distract her from heavy thoughts.

She smiled wryly, but immediately slumped.

- He's a widower. What happened to my wife and for how long, I do not know. Too personal to ask this at a public reception. The Towsons didn't bother him. But all sorts of rumors immediately spread.

- It's good that they didn't. They could. Correctness for them is in last place. I sincerely sympathize with Mr Erton.

The Towson family was known throughout the city. They often and on a grand scale arranged magnificent receptions, to which they invited a huge number of guests. And if there were new people among those invited, then by the end of the evening only the lazy did not know the details of their lives. I even for a second admired Mr. Erton: the Towsons themselves could not talk to him!

At such events, we got to know each other, communicated, made useful contacts, and had fun. And then for a long time they washed all the bones and discussed the latest news.

“And yet, Heli, why did he frighten you?” I asked again.

My sister looked at me in surprise.

- Are you short of the above? It’s hard for me to explain, but looking at him, I became scared. Why i do not know. And I really hope that he will leave alone, and you will stay at home. Things will get better, I believe,” she whispered hotly. “In time, everything will be forgotten. And you will have a handsome, rich husband! She said the last sentence with a smile.

I would like her confidence. Not about marriage, but about the fact that everything will be fine.

“Thank you, Heli, for coming and telling me. I will also hope for the best. Everything will be decided tomorrow. I will meet this mysterious Mr. Erton.

My sister moved closer to me.

- You're scared? There was sympathy in her voice. I will pray for you and for all of us. You deserve the best! Loya and I know it's not your fault. We believe in you and will always be by your side! she whispered hotly.

With difficulty, I managed to hold back my tears and respond calmly.

- Thank you, dear. And Loe too. You have no idea how important it is for me to hear this.

I hugged my sister again. Stroking her soft, wavy hair. And I was afraid to let her go, knowing that very soon I would have to leave.

Like we were saying goodbye. I didn’t want to dump my emotional experiences on the girls. Therefore, we hardly discussed what happened. I did not want them to experience fear of a man, marriage, society. Enough bullying from outside.

“I have to go,” Heli whispered after a while. - Good night.

“You too,” I replied.

Already at the door, my sister stopped and turned to me.

“Amy, please don’t be mad at your dad. He is very worried about you. There's just so much going on... He's doing the best he can. Soon everything will be fine, and we will again laugh and joke together. It remains only a little patience, I'm sure of it.

I nodded, and my sister darted out the door. That's when I could not restrain myself, I gave vent to long-suppressed emotions. She burst into tears in her pillow, again scrolling through everything in her head. I felt so sorry for myself! Why me? Why?

I don't know how long the tantrum lasted. After that it got a little easier.

Sleep did not go, and I looked out the window at the full moon and the sky strewn with stars. A feeling settled in my soul that tomorrow everything will change dramatically again. But in which direction? The upcoming meeting was daunting. Not because of what Heli said, but because of my fears and disappointment.

The memories of my fiancé were still too fresh. Former fiance.

With Eddie Forst, the son of friends of our family, we knew each other almost from birth. Wait, Eddie was born ten months before me. We got along well, even friends. Every year, parents increasingly mentioned that one day we would become spouses. I lived with this thought and kept waiting for the feelings to wake up. But nothing but the simplest sympathy did not feel. Medium height, blue-eyed, fair-haired Eddie I liked. As are my girlfriends. Pleasant in appearance and in communication. I think love would come to us with time. After all, many unions were formed in this way. Arranged and arranged marriages. Of course, sometimes I was sad. Sometimes, having read with girls, secretly from parents, women's novels, I wanted to experience something like that. But in the last year, I finally reconciled and discarded unnecessary worries. No and no. Perhaps it was in a life together that they would have appeared, these strong feelings.

Only, things didn't quite work out as planned. No more girlfriends, no groom. They all stayed there, in life "before". And I had to understand and get used to what is happening now.

The unknown scared me. This stranger who appeared so unexpectedly... You have to be ready for anything.

I didn't sleep until almost morning. She rolled over from side to side, fluffed her pillow, counted sheep, drowning out disturbing thoughts. Then, as if she fell into an alarming pool of sleep, which ended only with dawn.