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For a moment Emma thought her mother might actually understand her plight, but Lyndsay shook away whatever doubts she had. “You can’t expect to hold him to judgment for something he did when he was a child. I’m sure he’s matured since then and changed, just as you have. Need I remind you of the kind of child you were? You used to throw tantrums so loud, the entire village thought a storm was coming.”

Emma cringed with embarrassment. “That still doesnae change the fact that David disrespected me, and I should nae be expected tae settle for the first man who asks for my hand.” Emma folded her arms across her chest, and in a challenging tone, said, “Or would ye like tae change the agreement we made?”

Lyndsay wilted immediately and sighed. “No, you know I don’t want to do that. I’m not so old that I have forgotten what it was like for my father to choose a marriage for me. I managed to escape that fate, and I would never dare to make such a choice for you. I truly hope that you find the man you belong with because I know what a happy and joyous thing marriage can be. Everyone deserves to have a loving family, Emma. I only want the best for you. That’s all I’ve ever wanted, and I’m sorry if sometimes it comes across in the wrong way.”

“I know, Ma, and I’m sorry tae. I know this village was yer salvation and yer chance at a new life, but it haes nae always been a place of happiness for me. The girls here hae never taken me as one of their own, and I dinnae hae many friends. I cannae just change the way I think and feel.”

“Nobody is asking you to do that, especially not me. I just want you to understand that you deserve to be happy, and the sooner that can begin, the better. After all, you don’t want to spend your entire life living with us, do you? There’s a lot for you to experience, Emma, and I don’t want you to miss out on life. Your father doesn’t either. Just think about it, please, that’s all I ask.”

“Aye, Ma, I’ll think about it, but I cannae promise anything,” Emma said.

Lyndsay seemed satisfied with the response, but Emma had no intention of marrying in the near future. Life on the farm with her parents was settled and comfortable, and she saw no reason to upset the balance of it.

As she and Lyndsay walked through the market in the village, she caught sight of people she had grown up with and was once again reminded of the cruelty she had suffered. Her mother had been through a grand adventure, of course, so terrifying that she and her father had almost lost their lives. Yet they didn’t know what it was like to be unwelcome in a place, to always be shunned by people who could have been friends. In truth, Emma wasn’t even sure that she wanted to live in this village any longer. She thought that perhaps there could be somewhere out there where she would belong, somewhere she wouldn’t be bullied or teased or harassed.

Until she found that place, though, she was resigned to remaining on the farm with her parents. At least when she was among the crops and the livestock, she didn’t have to worry about finding her place in the world. Life could be sweet and gentle, and her mind could be free of all cares, at least until she thought about people again. She knew that David would plague her with his proposal again and again. He had grown into a handsome man, but she wondered why he was so insistent on marrying her rather than the other women in the village. In the back of her mind, she feared it was another gambit designed to humiliate her. Ah yes, she could even imagine it, all the village gathered for a wedding and her dressed up in her finest clothes, all leading to a punchline where David would leave her standing there alone.

That prospect certainly made more sense than him falling in love with her, for he had made it perfectly clear many times over that he didn’t care about her feelings.

She put these thoughts to the back of her mind as she went around the market with her mother and gathered more supplies. These moments were nice, when she could remember what it was like to be young and not be troubled by thoughts of marriage or the future. How she wished it was possible to never grow up.

They managed to find some fine leather gloves for Douglas and then left the village for their farm. Emma’s gaze drifted at the beautiful horizon around them. Summer was approaching, and the leaves on the trees were lush, while the flowers dotted the landscape with color. It was a time for new beginnings, and she dearly hoped that she could manifest happiness for herself or that her parents would come to terms with the fact that she may not get married at all. After all, they had given her the gift of choice, and it was up to her how she used it.