Amina hurried up the path. She recognised the man walking behind her. He had followed her around the town several times before. The sun's height in the sky did little to quell her fears. She was headed to her grandmother's estate. All the land between the estate and the village belonged to her grandmother. As such, there were no other houses on the path.
The man didn't seem to pose a threat to her, though. The times that she stumbled in her haste, he stopped and waited for her to get back on her feet. Amina took another quick look at the man. He was very tall, and his bronze skin shone brightly in the midday sun. His clothes were sharp but casual, much like the sailors on the boats that frequented the Dutch Isles.
When they crossed the last bridge, the workers in the fields came into view. Men and women harvested and bundled cane and reeds. The reeds would be woven into baskets, mats, and other items. The cane they'd send to the mill on the river bank on the outskirts of the village.
The man stopped following Amina once they were in view of the workers. His eyes followed her as she made her way to the main house. He stood and watched as Amina darted in and out of the house, carrying loads, scrubbing the floors, and dusting rugs. As silently as he came, he left.
The next day, the man turned up at the house. This time, he arrived as a guest and sat with the lady of the house.
"I want to buy one of your servant girls." He said.
"And what girl would that be?"
"I don't know her name. She's not over 20. I followed her from the town yesterday."
"I don't send the servants into town."
"She was scrubbing the floor of the foyer."
The lady shot her right-hand maid a stern stare.
"I had Amina scrub the foyer yesterday, Nan."
"Amina is my most prized granddaughter."
"Yet you treat her no different than your slaves." The man retorted.
"Pray, why do you want her?"
"My wife died in childbirth. I need her as my wife to raise my son and look after my blind mother."
"What will you offer me for the loss of my granddaughter?"
The man reached into the breast of his shirt and pulled out a piece of paper. A blank promissory note.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
"When your granddaughter becomes my wife, I'll no longer need my boat. Once it's sold, the money is yours."
"How big is this boat of yours?" The lady spat.
"Have you heard of 'Aemilia'?"
The lady's eyes widened, threatening to pop out of their sockets.
"The Aemilia, is your ship? The largest vessel to ply between here and the Dutch Isles?"
"The very one."
The maid hastily left and returned with Amina.
"Amina, come meet your husband."
ns 15.158.61.48da2
