But first, you and I must come to an agreement. You are a man of principle and honesty. You will do what I ask. You will also be my eyes and ears and you will bring me reports and information from your spies in that group of outlaws you are keeping an eye on. Of course, I will reimburse you for your time and expenses, but you will take no compensation until you have delivered on what I ask. What do you say?" He made this offer in all sincerity. He had no intention of going into the woods with those whoreson men. He wanted to be one of the rich and important in the East. He did not want to be working for a man who was hated, but his reputation for honesty and integrity would help him in the future. He hesitated and then he had to admit that he was very hungry and the woman did look really good to eat. At that moment, his wife, Eeva, came running out the door. "What are you doing here, my daughter, and at this hour?" She stood in the doorway looking at her daughter with dismay. "Get in here, this instant!" she demanded. "How could I resist such a greeting, Mother, when I am so in need of being loved and petted?" she said innocently. "Who else has such a devoted mother? Look what I have brought." As she walked into the cottage, she reached into her pouch and pulled out one of the delicious little red berries they had found growing wild in the woods. "We are eating some berries that look like red berries but taste of strawberry," she said as she licked the red juice from her fingers. She handed the berries to her mother and patted her father's leg. "You must try one," she coaxed him. The man watched her in amazement. First, he watched his wife gobble the berries up like a mouse catching crickets. Then, she looked up at him with a twinkle in her eye and gave him a saucy wink. "Would you like some more, Daddy?" she asked mischievously. The man stood dumbstruck, not knowing what to do or say, and finally he just took one of the little berries and popped it into his mouth. When he swallowed, his wife pinched him, turned and walked into the other room. "Yes," he heard his wife say. "I thought so." He hurried to her side and asked, "What did you just say, Mother?" Eeva was holding her stomach and doubled over in laughter. "It is funny, isn't it?" The man said he had to admit it was funny. Eeva said, "You see, she got pregnant by the very man she was going to do that horrible thing with. I knew this woman could not keep her mouth shut. It is a miracle the child did not tell me. Of course, I did say that if I found out she was pregnant and the man's name was known, I would personally see that he came to the woods and cut her throat. I will be happy to do it myself, or at least hire someone to do it." The woman was so proud of herself for giving her daughter such a long speech and for all the wonderful things she had said. "But, as I said, I thought it was her and told her that she would not be able to hide it. Who else would she ever have it with other than him and his own two daughters? That is why she cried. I think she is ashamed of it. I think her child is yours." The man sat silently in shock. What a lot he had learned. It was all about that child and the man was happy to let his wife think he was sterile. But the man said nothing, and he allowed his wife to talk. "I said I would do this if I knew the name, that is why I looked so hard. I knew the man's name and I have it in my memory. I know where he lives and when he is coming and going. I will see to it that you will have access to everything she tells him. You will find out more about him than you could ever have hoped. I told her that." The man looked over at the wife who was waiting for him to say something. She was waiting to be praised for all of this and she took delight in telling her husband all the little details of what had happened. "Now, my darling, we have to be careful here. We know who our daughter is seeing and we will set a trap. Who knows what she will do? It is only a matter of time now. Have you ever heard of a woman like that?" she asked seriously, but with obvious enjoyment. The man decided not to respond to her question. He would never tell her that his wife had just admitted that all she had done was sleep with the man. That night, the man told her about what his wife had said. "You don't tell me any more, do you? Why?" Eeva asked. The man said, "I do not want to tell you anymore than I have to." "So you do have something to tell me," Eeva probed. "Yes," he said very quietly. "My mother, of course." "And what about it?" Eeva asked. "I have to go back and see if he knows anything. There is no telling. He might know more than my wife has said." "But you're not going to tell me what she said?" Eeva demanded. "No. I am going to tell you nothing. You and I will go, and you will see him when I have nothing to say. I will do that, and when he knows nothing, I will leave. He will not know that you are my wife." "My wife, is she?" Eeva asked innocently. "Well, I will go with you," Eeva laughed. "No, you will go home. I will go out in the woods. This is my business. You will go back and be careful," he said. "Where are you going?" she asked. He smiled. "You must tell me," she insisted. "It is not necessary. Do not ask me any more questions. Just know this. I am going to be there and that is all. The man is to be punished," he said quietly. And that is the way it happened. The woman was more than happy to go home and watch for what was happening. There was much to think about in this part of the trip. The man had to consider the future and his plans for that farm and the big house. The wife was excited about the possibility of becoming very rich. She did not realize how much money she was actually going to bring him in the years to come. All he had to do was wait and learn from his spies what was going on. There was no time to be impatient. He was going to have to be patient and let the plan to find the old woman come to fruition. It had to be done properly and without haste. As the weeks went by and his wife waited to find out more about this woman and how much she had told him, the man felt his own excitement growing. He would show her. She did not realize how impatient she was. He would show her his patience. All he had to do was wait. He had to make sure he was on his guard all the time. It was going to be a long time before he got his hands on her, but he had to have patience. As he waited for the woman to come to him again, he found himself wondering what she would do when the secret was finally told to her. He would tease her until she was ready. CHAPTER FIVE They were getting ready for the wedding. The bride was anxious to be married and she was getting so excited she did not know what to do with herself. She had been working very hard in order to make everything perfect for the celebration of her marriage. She had been so occupied in working on all the small details and she was starting to believe that she would actually get married. She had not really thought about what it would be like to marry the young man who was to be her husband. It had only been a few weeks, but she knew there was so much she did not know about marriage. It was not that she did not know love; she did love this young man and she knew she would miss him when he was gone. What she did not know was the excitement of it all. What would it be like when they made love? She wondered if it would hurt as much as she thought it would. She would tell him when he asked that she did not know what was to come. She was certain, though, that it would be a wonderful experience that would make both of them feel like one being. She was not that inexperienced, but she did have no real experience with men. She was always busy working with the sheep and keeping a tight grip on every aspect of the sheep's lives. She never stopped working, and it was her only escape. While she was thinking of that young man, whom she had no knowledge of, at that moment, his brother, who was in her field, looked up and saw a rider coming toward the house. He felt a small jolt in his heart that