"But Bette, you will be alone."

Alice had identified the one flaw in Bette’s plans, the one fact that sometimes made her waver before she rejected Alice’s latest match.  Truth was, a scholarly man who was clean and would discuss books with her late into the night as they sat next to the fire might be the most acceptable man that Alice would ever find.  It was not enough to sway her. Yet she was lonely.

"But Alice, I have Johanna’s excellent and blessedly silent company during the day and your noisy visits many a night."

"Oh Bette, is that enough?"

Bette stood and began to walk towards her kitchen, "Do you want some tea and cake?"

Alice perked up.  One of the shopkeepers had told her that Bette had received a large box filled with the finest black tea and the tastiness of Johanna’s cakes was well-known.  "Yes, Bette."

"Cream and honey?"

"Yes, Bette."

Alice smiled that Bette shared her luxuries so willingly.  She then sighed in frustration.  Bette’s sharing had its limits.  She would not share her life.

Alice glanced around the room.  It was large and filled with good furniture and fine rugs. Since it was winter, warm animal skin skins were scattered in front of the fire.  The chairs were cushioned and two small beautiful and old tapestries hung on the walls.  Alice knew that a small room off of that room had walls with shelves filled with books. The only other rooms she had seen were the kitchen and dining room, but she was sure that the unseen rooms were the equal of the beautiful rooms she had seen.  Alice knew that the decorations and books she saw had been collected over several generations.  Bette’s family had been well-to-do and prominent as far back as the town had records. Bette had inherited many hundred hectares of fertile land that grew crops in abundance and had dense forests the produced much lumber.  A large herd of sheep, with wool of such quality that its rams were sold at great profit, grazed in the open fields.  Bette’s forebears had built a mill for their farm’s grain but Bette had harvested the power in a small falls in the river on her property to enlarge the mill so that it could serve the whole countryside.

Bette had a deserved reputation of being haughty, but her stunning good looks, excellent figure and considerable wealth attracted every available man. So far, Alice had located handsome men that were her social equals, from this town and from those nearby, a penniless nobleman of ancient lineage, a prosperous nobleman of equally ancient lineage, as well as other noblemen of more recent creation, a brilliant musician, a famed writer, several distinguished mature men, a solid hirsute man of obvious vigor and virility that made many other women swoon, and a lithe man of a beauty that rivaled Helen of Troy’s, who caused swooning among the women who had been unaffected by the brawny man.

Bette had no shortage of willing and eager male suitors. She just didn’t want one.

Alice’s frustrated thoughts stopped abruptly when she caught the scent of the tea when the box was opened.  Sniffing intently, she also caught the aroma of the stew that was cooking in the kitchen hearth.  Johanna’s cooking was admired almost as much as her cakes.  Alice thought of the day-old bread and cold mutton, of unknown age, that waited for her at home.  She decided that Bette should invite her for supper, maybe even to sleep on the warm, cozy animal skins in front of the warm fireplace.