It wasn’t an easy task, to take care of this house all by herself.

She was used to being in charge of the cleaning, and the kitchen was definately her kingdom… But he usually helped her, making sure she never ran out of wood for the old stove, and he spent time every day in their garden. She didn’t have a green thumb like him, despite all the tips he had tried to teach her.

They didn’t live in a mannor, but the house felt much bigger in his absence. Kneeling in the middle of the cucumber plants, she hoped he would be back before fall. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to prepare both the house and the garden for winter.

Picking up the dying leaves, and the weed growing faster than she could pull them from the soil, she wondered how her mother handled things at the village. Of course, there were people to help her, but she had never lived this long apart from her hard working husband.

If only they had news from the capital… But everytime a letter had made it to the secluded house in the woods, it only held stories, and very few details about the two men’s stay in the city, or Gunther’s state, for that matter.

It was his way to communicate. His stories… He probably lived more in his fantasy world than he dared to spare time in his ”real” life. And she knew that all these tales were subtle windows openings on his very mind. She felt flattered for the display of trust, despite the heart wrenching feeling that his silence about their improved quest wasn’t working out as planned.

She watered the tomato plants, and walked back to the house, her basket full with the day’s harvest. When she got to the porch, an envelope awaited her. Again.

Dropping her vegetables in the grass, she rushed to the door.  Picking up the letter, she broke the seal and pulled out the folded piece of paper. Scrolling quickly, her fingers started trembling when she read his words.

Your father has offered me your hand. I know you’ll agree that this is an absurd thought, but given the circumstances, I’ve let him believe I’d think about it. But no worry, trust me.

He had all of her trust, there was no doubt about that.

Part of her agreed that they would be a weird match, but for some reason, she felt honored to consider getting wed to him.

She gathered her day’s worth of gardening, and the precious letter, and walked in, hoping to get more news really soon.

You can catch up with the first installments of these characters, by reading A Muse day, The Walk, Evening Doubts, Visit To The Village and The Letter