Chapter 1

*Amara*

It was crossover night, on the 31st of December.

I stood in my room, holding a hair dryer as I dried my hair and prepared to sleep. Just then, I heard a loud knock on the door.

I walked to the door and pulled it open, seeing Agnes, my mother’s maid, standing there and smiling at me.

Agnes was dressed in a long blue gown. She was light-skinned and a young lady about my size. I was also 24 years old. I wore a long blue nightgown, since it was already nighttime, around 11:30 p.m.

I had pulled my hair into a bun shortly after drying it after my bath. “What do you want, Agnes?” I asked, looking at her face as she smiled back at me.

“Amara, your father sent for you,” Agnes told me.

I sighed and muttered, “But we just finished dinner in the dining room. What does my father want to say to me again? I am not interested in the New Year celebration.”

Agnes smiled faintly and replied, “I don’t know, but he’s downstairs with your mom, and the guests have all gone outside, preparing for the fireworks.”

“Okay. Tell my father I’ll be downstairs soon. Let me go and ease myself,” I told Agnes, and she smiled, before leaving.

I sighed, went back into my room, and headed to the bathroom to relieve myself. After that, I made my way downstairs in my father’s enormous mansion.

We lived in the countryside. My father is a chief and dealt in agricultural farm produce.

At home, I was treated like a princess. I was the center of admiration, and my people loved me because my mother taught me to be kind and helpful to those around us. We were preparing to cross over into a brand-new year, and I did not know how to feel about it.

I was the only child of my parents. I was still single, and my parents were not pressuring me to get married. My father was an understanding man, but many men had come to ask for my hand in marriage. Even my crush, Charles Wilfred, had come, but my father refused.

I did not know his reason, but my mother assured me that my father wanted the best for me. She said he could not just give me to any male suitor who would probably treat me badly in the future. I understood and sighed as I headed to the living room.

We lived in a standard duplex house, surrounded by lush gardens.

My father’s mansion was fenced, but since the celebration was still going on, we had many visitors, and the guest rooms were full of my cousins and aunts.

Finally, I walked into the living room, and Agnes stepped out of the kitchen and informed me, “Your dad requested that you meet him in his home office.”

“Okay,” I replied, and I went to my father’s home office to see him. I suspected what he wanted to tell me was private, so none of our relatives would eavesdrop on our conversation.

I reached my father’s office and knocked gently. I heard his calm voice respond, “Come in.”

I quietly pushed the office door open and walked into the enormous office, which had two guest chairs and a set of four blue couches.

My parents sat on one of the blue couches, and my father smiled and said, “Come, Amara. Have a seat before the fireworks start. Your mother and I have something important to tell you.”

“Okay, Dad,” I replied, and moved to sit on another blue couch across from my parents. My mother wore a red nightdress, and my dad wore a white garment with black trousers.

My father smiled and said, “Amara, it has come time for your mother and me to inform you about our arrangement. We have kept it from you, but now is the time to let you know our decision. I’m sure you’re familiar with my friend, Mr. Joshua Briggs?”

I smiled and replied, “Yes, Dad. I know Mr. Briggs. He lives in the city and visits here sometimes.”

“Good. You are married to his only son, Darlington Briggs, and you will be going to the city tomorrow to live with him,” my father informed me.

“What?” I gasped. “Dad, I don’t understand. How can I be married to your friend’s son? When? I cannot remember getting married to any man, or did I suffer memory loss?”

I stared at my parents' faces with shock. How could I be married without remembering it, when I had always wanted to settle down and have my own home?

My father sighed, and my mother smiled at me in understanding.

“Amara, it was an arrangement I had with Joshua a long time ago,” my father explained. “You are not yet married to Darlington Briggs, but you will be going to the city tomorrow to live with him, to see if you both can get along, before you become husband and wife.”

“Dad, I do not understand what you are saying. Do you mean I will just visit them, or am I already married to the man you are calling your best friend’s son?” I asked, wanting to understand him better.

“Amara, as I said, you are married to Darlington Briggs as of now, and you should behave well when you get to his house. You don’t have to worry about anything. Darlington’s father has paid all the necessary dues for your hand in marriage for his son. So, you’re Darlington’s wife now. The only difference is that Darlington did not come here himself to marry you, and you did not wear a wedding dress or walk down the aisle with him. But you are officially Mrs. Amara Briggs now, and Darlington Briggs is your husband according to our custom,” my father said.

“Dad, I cannot marry a man I don’t know. I cannot go to the city to be with him. Mom?” I looked at my mother's face, wanting to hear her opinion about this ridiculous arrangements.

My mother sighed, looked at me, and responded, “Calm down, Amara. It is for your good.”

“How, Mom? I cannot go to the city to live there, Dad. I do not like the bustling life of city people. I want to remain here, on this side of the country, where there is no noise and no wild lifestyle,” I protested, hoping my father would change his mind about these sudden arrangements.

“Amara, I understand your complaint, but I trust Joshua’s son to take care of you, so you will be going to the city tomorrow,” my father concluded.