As the visit went on, Maeri began to gain some confidence. Under the watchful eye of her mother and her sister, Maeri had managed not to screw anything up too badly and she was finally starting to get excited at the prospect of marriage to this man. He seemed smart and ambitious, these seemed like good traits to have in a husband. The fact that he wanted to work together as part of a team to reach his goals also made Maeri hopeful about what the marriage might be. She would have the opportunity to learn interesting new things and be important in her own right. She was still too excited to consider the responsibility that would also be on her head were she to play the role that Amiti wanted her to.
When Amiti stood to go, Rayla, having lost her captive audience, turned her attention back to Maeri. The dog jumped on her own lap, begging for attention. Maeri was forced to scoot the dog away from her so that she could stand and make her own goodbyes. “Perhaps we’ll see each other again at the party?” Maeri suggested, skipping over the expected response that she would also wish to see him again soon. Maeri always seemed to be saying something just a little bit outside the normal bounds of politeness. Though she didn’t see why it mattered when was she said was true. She did hope that she might have a chance to speak with him again at the party.
After the men had left, Maeri could barely contain her excitement. Her mother and Nedevah helped to clear up the refreshments. Help was a generous word. Maeri was too busy daydreaming about what life might be like as a married woman to do much tidying up. It was hard to believe that it wouldn’t be long before she would be someone’s wife.
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