4 A PLEA

Louisa felt the urge to cry; a strong latent urge. She gritted her teeth but that did not help how messy she felt. She hated that she was sticky and wet. Her hair had gotten stuck in a fix, her long bouncing flaxen hair had since slicked to the back of her neck. She began to feel naked under the rain, and yet she was.

She could feel it, like she had felt it when her nipples pushed outward of her dress, like the ripe budding of a delicate plant. They stood tall, and erect. She had not felt so vulnerable in a while. It only made her loathe the errand even more. What was her mother thinking anyway? Hadn't she considered that it could rain, in heavy torrents, like now and drench her so?

As Louisa clicked her tongue on the insides of her mouth, she felt her stomach churn. She was seething. And her mother was to blame! Even the bag of perishables she held tightly on to, had started to stink of wet. She should just throw it all away and get back to the house with a false report of how she had gotten robbed because of the rain and so and so. But she loved her mother too much to break her like that. She may likely never find out the truth, but it was her mother's money that was at stake. Also, her stomach. She wasn't ready to starve!

"Perhaps, if I had sought shelter among those stalls," she stopped to pat the raindrops off her face. "I'll never settle for such a useless trip in the future!" 

"Excuse me, Miss." 

Louisa jerked up in a start, actually, her shoulders did. She was still standing as before. Static.

Who was he? The man who had spoken softly despite his raspy tone of voice. Also, what did he want, standing behind her?

Her body!?

Louisa waited for the person to speak again. If he was still standing beside her, then he must be either one of two things; patient or desperate!

The silence extended for a minute's worth of time.

"Miss. . ."

This time, the man tapped on her shoulder.

"What do you want from me?" said Louisa.

"I think you should come with me or you really might catch a cold. Worse yet, the Flu," said the man.

"I don't need your help!" Louisa said. "Leave me alone, Stranger!"

"Stranger?"

"Aren't you one?"

"Y-yes, but right now you need help."

"I don't."

Simon drew in some air before letting it go.

"Okay, you are right that I am but a stranger. But consider two things and tell me what you think. 

"First is, I came under this rain depriving myself of the comfort of the coach I previously was, to talk you out of standing in the rain.

"Second is, my boss, whose fancy coach is over there, sent me to you. He fears you may catch a Flu if you stay out here long enough."

Louisa stayed on the content of the man's talk. He'd mentioned 'fancy coach' and then his 'boss' in the same sentence. She did not need a soothsayer or a tarot reader to read the cards. Not this card. This was heaven's compensation for her sister snatching her man, King Briceus and becoming his potential queen.

"Why should I trust what you say to me?" asked Louisa, smiling in her front.

"In the same vein that you trust the rains which are dousing you now."

"I do not trust the rains," said Louisa.

"Okay. Please, come with me. It is a plea," said Simon. "I can promise that my boss is just being nice."

After hesitating a moment, Louisa turned round to face him. The man staggered some light steps backward.

"You are..." The man seemed to be out of breath. "You are beautiful, Lady."

"Thanks," said Louisa, curtly. "Just take me to him!"

"Right away."

As Louisa studied the man leading the way, the breeze began to decline in magnitude and the clouds started to clear out completely. Was this a sign that the universe approved of their meeting?

•••

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