Chapter 10: "Rider"
- Ava Altair
- Feb 4, 2019
- 4 min read
Karina looked up from the empty water trough she was cleaning as the hoof beats of an approaching horse echoed down the drive. The dark cloak from the rider streamed behind him as the horse cantered towards the house. Karina’s scrub brush fell from her hand and hit the wet ground with a sticky thud.
Karina draped her arms over the fence rail and watched her father’s exchange with the rider. They were too far away to make the words out clearly, but whatever the rider was saying seemed to make her father happy. Her father patted the man on the back and directed him into the house with a wave of his arm.
After the men disappeared in the house, Mother turned in Karina’s direction with a beckoning finger. Karina dashed forward. She wouldn’t dare hesitate at a moment like this. Something was up and it was bound to be more exciting than daily farm life. Her footsteps fell on the porch and her mother silenced her with a quick finger to her lips. Karina stopped mid-stride.
“Get cleaned up and presentable. Hose off in the barn. I’ll meet you there,” Mother ordered.
Karina dropped her eyes. Her excitement quickly turned to anxiety. The rider was here about her. She knew better than to question her but the questions still ran through her mind.
“Go now. Be quick about it.” Her mother spun her by the shoulder. Her bony finger dug into before she finished with a shove in the direction of the barn.
Karina marched forward while her mother disappeared inside. After she reached the barn, she used the barn’s large sink and a towel to scrub her body clean. She had her head in the sink wetting her hair when she felt strong fingers pulling at her arm. When she pulled back she was face to face with the weathered frown of her mother.
“I said to get cleaned up,” the gravelly voice of Mother grated her ears. Mother’s frowned deepened as she threw a towel over her head and scrunched the hair. “How am I supposed to make this presentable?”
Karina knew better than to say anything. She stood still while her mother’s fingers dug through the towel and pulled at her hair painfully. When she was finished she withdrew the towel and ordered Karina to strip. She handed over a clean bra and panties then a fresh dress made with a purple print.
Karina ducked her eyes and donned the clothing as quickly as possible. She tried to keep the blush from her cheeks as her mother ran a scrutinizing eye up and down her naked body. She couldn’t help but feel embarrassed, but she knew if she did anything to avoid Mother’s gaze there would be a painful penalty.
After the dress slid over her head, Mother spun her and zipped the back. She pulled Karina’s dark hair back over her shoulders and combed her fingers through it. Karina stood still as her mother pulled at the long locks. Mother grumbled then snatched up a brushed used on the horses’ tails. After a few more agonizing minutes, she turned Karina back around.
“Well, you’re not much to look at, but hopefully you’ll be enough.” Mother held her hand out in the direction of the barn door for Karina to go ahead of her. Before Karina could take more than a few steps, Mother stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. “Oh, wait. Shoes.” Mother bent and dropped a pair of black short heeled shoes to the ground.
Karina stepped into them. They felt heavy on her feet and clunked as Mother pushed her out of the barn and toward the house. Karina’s stomach knotted. She had a feeling she knew what this was all about, which meant she was leaving this house, the only home she ever knew.
The inside of the house felt dark and dusty after the bright sun beams of the outdoors. When her eyes adjusted, Karina saw her father sitting at the dining table with the rider across from him. Karina hesitated, but Mother closed her long fingers around her upper arms and directed her forward to the side of the table.
“This is my eldest, Karina,” Father introduced.
The rider’s green eyes looked her up and down. He had a fairly handsome face she supposed. She hadn’t seen many men before, Mother forbid her from leaving the farm. Karina wanted to squirm under the stare, but Mother’s hands kept her still.
“She’s a little skinny,” the rider finally said.
“She’s a hard worker. She may be skinny, but she’s strong. She’d make a sturdy wife,” Father said.
The rider tilted his head to the side as he considered her again. “Seems a little light on the dowry if we’d be taking this one off your hands.”
“You wouldn’t be doing us any favors,” Mother butted in over Karina’s shoulder.
Father shot her a stern look.
“All I’m saying is that if you take our daughter from us then we won’t have anyone to do the chores around here. I’m busy with my business and Jeral works. The other two are too young,” Mother said.
Karina bit the inside of her bottom lip. She wasn’t ready to leave yet. The thought of being this man’s wife, or any man’s wife right now made her stomach turn.
“She would be part of a good family,” Father said.
“Of farmers,” Mother retorted.
“We are good folk,” the rider said. “We’d take good care of her. If she works as hard as you say, then the dowry will be fine. Let me talk with my master and schedule a visit. Would Friday be fine with you?”
Father nodded. A hint of a smile played at the corners of his mouth, but the fingers on Karina’s arm tightened.
“Alright. We’ll aim for dinner on Friday then. We’ll be here mid-afternoon. I hope Karina prepares a meal that can make your family proud.”
“Of course.” Father stood and offered the man a handshake.
The rider grasped it firmly then the two left the room together and headed towards the front door.
Hot breath tickled Karina’s neck. “Don’t worry. I won’t let you go to just anyone.”
The venom in Mother’s voice sent a shudder down Karina’s neck.
Copyright 2019 Ava Altair
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