The next day was an unusually sunny day, which only brought about more heat, and that made the day's work nearly unbearable. Still, this was not the first time Rosamund and Sage had had to bear the warmth of the sun beating down on them.

 "Are you sure we are to go to the castle tonight?" Rosamund asked her sister.

 "That is what Lord Finn told me," Sage answered. "I know you will like him when you meet him, Rose."

 Rosamund pretended to share her sister's enthusiasm, but she still had a strange feeling about it, as if something in her was telling her not to go meet these new people. She wished she could excuse herself somehow, pretend to be ill, anything to keep her from having to go. But she knew Sage would see right through that and bring her along, anyway.

 When the day's work was finally over, and the sun was beginning to set, Sage said to her, "Let us go now. I do not want to be late."

 "The sun has just begun to set, sister," Rosamund said in a slightly exasperated tone. "We do not have to hurry yet."

 Sage looked over her shoulder towards the field. "Oh, look, there's Henry. He's looking at us. Well, looking at you, I suppose. You are the one he prefers, you know. You should be more attentive of him." 

 "I am attentive of him." Rosamund protested.

 Rosamund had known Henry for nearly her entire life, and thought of him as a friend. Sage thought he was in love with her, and the idea of that honestly made her nervous. It wasn't that she didn't like him, but rather that she didn't want to marry him. She didn't like the idea of being married, even though she knew she would have to soon enough. She liked living with her sister in their little cottage, but she knew they were both expected to marry sooner rather than later.

 "Oh, come, Rosamund, you know he would make a good husband," Sage said. "Give him a chance. You know he's fond of you."

 The older sister sighed. "And I am fond of him. But I don't think I want to marry him, Sage. I could not possibly think of him as my husband."

 "You will have to marry someone, Rosamund. Why not Henry? At least he's fond of you."

 "Well, what about you?" Rosamund asked to divert her sister's attention. "When will you marry?"

 "Oh, soon, I hope. I have not gotten much attention from the young men here, but perhaps I'll marry one of the lords instead."

 Marry one of the men in the castle? That seemed a bit silly, Rosamund thought. These were lords of a castle, probably born into nobility, and they were just common young women. Noblemen didn't marry common young women.

 Still, Rosamund followed her enthusiastic sister up the hill to the castle. Really, she hoped there would something good about these people to make Sage so excited.

 "You say you have met Lord Finn's youngest brother," she said, "And that he was an absolute scoundrel. What of the other two brothers, and the sister?"

 "He told me not worry of them," Sage replied. "He said they can be quite monstrous, but they know how to behave when there are guests. Come, Rose, the castle's right there."

 Sage walked up to the door and banged the heavy knocker, and explained to the servant who answered that they were Lord Finn's guests for the evening.

 "Come on, Rose," she whispered as they were ushered inside.

 Feeling somewhat nervous, Rosamund followed her sister's lead.