*CHAPTER 1*

Amara Nicholas

~~~

I was in my room when I heard a knock. I walked to the door, pulled it open, and saw Agnes, my mother's maid, smiling.

Agnes wore a long blue gown. She was light-skinned and about my height. I am twenty-four years old. I was also in a long blue nightgown, as it was around 11 p.m. on December 31st. We were waiting for the New Year's Eve celebration to begin. I had put my hair in a bun after drying it from my bath.

"What is it, Agnes?" I asked, looking at her. She smiled back.

"Good evening, Amara. Your father requests your presence downstairs," Agnes said.

I sighed. "But we just finished dinner. What does he want now? I'm not interested in the celebration."

Agnes smiled faintly. "I don't know, but he's downstairs with your mother. The guests have all gone outside to prepare for the fireworks."

"Hmm, okay. Tell him I'll be down shortly. Let me use the restroom first." Agnes turned and left.

I sighed and went to relieve myself. Afterward, I went downstairs to the living room of my father's enormous white mansion. We live on the outskirts of the city, in the countryside, as my father is a chief and involved in agriculture.

I am treated like a princess at home. My mother is admired by everyone, and the people love me because she taught me to be kind and helpful. We were preparing for New Year's Eve, and I didn't know how to feel about it.

I am my parents' only child and still single, though they aren't pressuring me to marry. My father is understanding, but he has refused several bachelors who sought my hand, even Charles Wilfred, my crush. I don't know his reasons, but my mother assured me he wanted the best for me and wouldn't give me away to just anyone who might mistreat me. I understood and went downstairs.

We live in a duplex surrounded by trees and gardens. My father's mansion is fenced, and with the celebration underway, we had many visitors. The guest rooms were packed with cousins and aunts.

I entered the living room, and Agnes reappeared. "Your father requests you meet him in his office."

"Okay," I said and went to his office, suspecting he wanted privacy.

I arrived at the office door, knocked gently, and heard my father's calm voice say, "Come in."

I quietly opened the door and entered the enormous office, which had two guest chairs and a set of four blue couches. My parents sat on one of the couches. My father smiled. "Come, Amara, sit down before the fireworks start. Your mother and I have something important to tell you."

"Okay, Dad." I sat on another blue couch across from them. My mother wore a red nightgown, and my father wore a white garment and black trousers.

He smiled. "Amara, the time has come for us to tell you about an arrangement we've kept secret. I'm sure you know my friend, Mr. Joshua Briggs."

I smiled. "Yes, Dad. He lives in the city and visits sometimes."

"Good. You are married to his only son, Darlington Briggs, and you will go to the city tomorrow to live with him."

I gasped. "What? Dad, I don't understand. How can I be married to your friend's son? When? I don't remember getting married!" I stared at them in shock. How could I be married without remembering it, especially when I hadn't even decided to settle down?

My father sighed, and my mother smiled understandingly. "It was an arrangement I made with Mr. Joshua Briggs long ago. You aren't fully married to Darlington officially, but you will live with him to see if you are compatible."

"Dad, I don't understand. Am I visiting them, or am I already married to this man? And doing what married couples do?"

"Amara, you are married to Darlington Briggs, and you should be a good wife to him. Mr. Joshua has already provided everything necessary for your hand in marriage. Darlington is your husband, and you are his wife by our traditional custom, even though he didn't come here to marry you officially, and you didn't wear a wedding dress."

"Dad, I can't marry a man I don't know. I can't go to the city to be with him. Mom?" I looked at my mother, wanting her input.

She sighed. "Amara, calm down. It's for your own good."

"How, Mom? I don't like the bustling city life. I want to stay here, where it's quiet." I wanted my father to change his mind.

"I understand your concerns, my daughter, but I trust Mr. Joshua's son to take care of you. You're going to the city tomorrow," my father said firmly.