A Dance with the Devil

"Anna!"

"Coming!"

Anna walked in with a basket of vegetables.

"It's not like I escaped. Besides, that will never happen as long as you're still alive," she replied.

Diana glared at her daughter, her eyes travelling over her curves and beautiful face.

"You've gotten prettier and thicker. The men are treating you better now. How was your night with Mr Will?"

Anna dropped the basket and moved over to the bowl of wet clothes. She picked one up and shook it, sending tiny droplets of water onto her skin.

"Mr Will is just a brute," she replied as she hung the clothes on the thin line in the backyard.

"I've told you to watch that mouth of yours. It will get you into trouble."

"Why are you yelling? Who do you think I learned it from, if not you?"

"What?! Have you ever seen me going around cursing people?"

"I think that's what you taught me."

Diana knew better than to argue with her daughter, so she kept her mouth shut and left the backyard, leaving Anna with the chores.

"And there she goes again, leaving her unfortunate daughter to do everything," Anna murmured as she continued hanging the clothes.

When she was done, she sat down to sort the fresh vegetables.

"Where in the world is she? Isn't she supposed to be here helping me? I'm so going to kill her when I see her at the marketplace."

"Looking for me?"

Anna flinched at the sudden voice behind her.

Abigail, knowing she'd successfully scared her friend, burst into laughter as she emerged from behind the clothes hanging on the line.

"You scared me, you thin girl!"

"And now someone isn't pleased to see me. She's calling me a thin girl! I might as well leave for the market," Abigail muttered knowingly, pretending to walk away.

Anna sighed and grabbed her friend's tiny wrist, pulling her down to sit beside her.

Abigail smiled and began working on the portion of vegetables Anna had left for her.

"What's your mom up to again?" she asked.

"Who knows what that crazy bitch has up her sleeves? I don't even want to care."

"Is it true about your marriage?" Anna asked.

Abigail sighed and stopped working for a moment as she stared at the blue sky. Noon was drawing closer.

"It's true, but I managed to talk things over with the groom my mother arranged for me..."

"So... did he agree to call it off?"

"No. He obviously has no other choice either."

"How old is he?"

"I heard he's in his early twenties. Lucky me! I thought I'd be getting married to a man with a big potbelly."

They burst into laughter.

"I'm happy for you," Anna said with a sweet smile.

"I don't want to get married, though."

"I know, but I think this is the best opportunity you have. What if you reject him and they decide to set you up with a man with a big potbelly instead?"

"I guess you're right. I can't believe we're getting married."

Tears stung Abigail's eyes.

Anna smiled at first, but as she processed her friend's words, she blinked in confusion.

"Wait, what? We're getting married, or you're getting married?"

Abigail wiped the stray tears from the corners of her eyes and sniffed as she stared at her clueless friend.

Or was she really clueless?

"You didn't hear?"

"Hear what?" Anna asked, keeping her gaze fixed on Abigail as if silently urging her to hurry up and explain.

"You're getting married this week, on the day of the Maize Festival."

Silence fell over the backyard.

Anna's grip on Abigail's arm tightened, making her friend flinch slightly.

"Okay... you need to stay calm. Breathe in and out," Abigail instructed.

Anna silently followed her instructions.

Oh, thank goodness. She's keeping calm...

Abigail sighed in relief.

But her relief didn't last long.

The next thing she heard was Anna's scream.

"AHHH!!!"

Even the birds that had landed nearby in search of food flew away in a frenzy. Their wings flapped wildly as they soared into the sky, leaving only a few fallen feathers behind as evidence of their recent presence.

Abigail squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears protectively.

Meanwhile, Anna had already rushed out of the backyard and through the kitchen.

When Abigail opened her eyes, all she saw was an empty, silent backyard.

Is she going to ruin everything again?

"No, no, no... Anna, wait!"

She jumped to her feet, lifted her skirt, and hurried after her friend.

She had an idea of what Anna was planning, and things weren't going to end well.

---

On her way home, Anna marched like a soldier heading into battle.

Her eyes were turning red with anger, and she refused to stop for anyone. She ignored Abigail, who was calling her name from a distance, as well as the market women who stopped to congratulate her on her upcoming marriage.

An older woman who spotted Anna approaching quickly entered her shop to fetch the present she'd prepared for her regular customer.

As Anna neared the shop, the woman hurried outside and stretched out the present, ready to deliver the congratulatory speech she'd already prepared.

"Anna, I wish you-"

The present slipped from the woman's hands and fell to the ground. Its contents spilled out as Anna walked past without stopping or even sparing her a glance.

Abigail witnessed the incident and quickly moved closer to the elderly woman, who was struggling to bend down. She helped her gather the scattered items and put them back into the container.

"Elder, I'm so sorry about that. She's really angry right now, and that's why she behaved that way. You know that's how she acts sometimes, don't you?"

"Yes, I know," the woman replied. "I remember. I was just surprised, that's all."

"Don't worry, Elder. She'll come back and apologise. Let me hold on to this present for her."

"All right, my dear."

Abigail clutched the present tightly and looked ahead, but Anna was nowhere in sight.

She turned to smile at the elderly woman before running off again.

---

Anna arrived home and didn't bother to knock. She barged inside, and what she saw only made her angrier.

Three pairs of eyes turned towards her as she stood by the door.

Her skirt was tied up around her knees, and with her furious expression, she looked more like a madwoman than a young lady about to meet her future husband.

Her glare was enough to send shivers down the groom's spine.

"Oh... I'm sorry. My daughter doesn't usually dress like this. I don't know what's gotten into her," Diana said with a nervous chuckle as she hurried to stand beside her fuming daughter.

She pinched Anna's skin as she guided her towards a seat, silently warning her to behave herself.

The look in her eyes was threatening enough.

"Evan, this is my daughter, Anna. And Anna, this is your husband-to-be and his father. Say hello."

Anna stared at her future in-laws, her glare growing even more intense as her brows furrowed.

But then, who was she?

She was Anna Chadwick.

She forced a deep, overly sweet smile onto her face.

"Hi, Evan. I heard you're my husband-to-be. I'm Anna, your wife-to-be."

"Nice to meet you, Lady Anna."

"Nice to meet you too, Husband."

She noticed Evan blushing and wondered what was wrong with him.

Why is he blushing so hard?