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The quiet white cottage stood at the edge of the forrest looking undisturbed and solemn. But inside five young ladies rushed around trying to prepare lunch for their "guests."

Alycyn was shrilly screaming at Joy, "Why can't you do anything to help?! I've shown you a million times how to wash the dishes! But every time it's the same! You never to slosh water all ove the kitchen floor."

"Well, you know, Joy, you really shouldn't poor the whole bucket of water in the sink at one time; it does overflow and create quite a mess. But Alycyn, do be a little gentler," Linn said quietly. Alycyn made a face.

Josephine, Linn's twin, just shook her head and laughed, then continued rolling out the pie she was making.

Beth, a year younger than Joy, just listened and remained quiet in the corner where she was peeling potatoes. She thought back to the first time she saw the four sisters, Alycyn, Linn, Josephine and Joy a year ago. Her thoughts were interrupted then by the noise of yelling voices and stamping feet.

"The boys!" Linn squealed and dropped the dishes she was drying and ran to the porch.

Joy grumbled, "What's gotten into her?" as she missed being the first to see them.

Beth giggled, "Linn told me Allen was taking her to a special place this afternoon."

Alycyn quickly finished setting the table and Beth took the baked chicken out of the wood cooking stove.

All of the boys were soon gathered around the table. The talk at the table was lively and happy as usual. Josephine noticed how Allen kept glancing at Linn. Josephine's thoughts drifted. After the boys had bought the farm they moved into the barn and let the girls have the house. They were all friends, but Josephine knew certain couples had developed during those times. Linn and Allen, for example, were always together. Alycyn and Clayton were caught many times sneaking glances at each other. Josephine sighed; as for her, she was madly and deeply in love with Troy but she still wasn't sure how he felt about her. That left Tim and two girls, Joy and Beth, the youngest. Josephine knew Tim thought of Joy as a baby and sort of liked Beth, and Joy worshipped Tim. But Beth just sat back and watched.

"I'm sorry, Troy, I-I didn't realize..." and Josephine blushed, realizing she had been staring at Troy the whole time.

"Where are we going?" Linn questioned Allen as they were riding their horses down the overgrown path.

"Someplace, my dear lace," replied Allen, his eyes twinkling in the late afternoon sun.

As the two of them passed the clearing Linn gasped at the beautiful estate in front of them.

"It's the Duke of Courster's mansion," Allen said, answering Linn's unanswered question.

Linn followed Allen up the steep flower-graced hill to the back stone wall which ran around most of the neatly trimmed yard. Allen hopped up onto the moss-thick ledge. He jumped down and help out his hand to Linn.

What Linn saw before her she never forgot. The most beautiful courtyard she had ever seen. In the very center was a crystal fountain of a rose with water cascading off the petals. There were exotic, bright-colored fish swimming in the fountain and red roses bordering the edge around it. White pebble paths led to breathtaking sculptures, and arrays of red, pink, white, blue and purple flowers spilled from every corner of the courtyard. The heavy evening scent of misted violets filled the damp air. Linn shivered and Allen covered her with his cape, thinking that she was too cold.

"No, I'm not chilled; it's just that this place is magical, as if it were a kingdom for faries. It seems as if I disturbed even a lily, the whole garden would disappear before my eyes, and I'd be left here, alone."

Allen laughed and took Linn's hand. He led her to a stone bench overlooking a small creek of crystal clear water. Ivy hung about them and young tulips formed a flower border around the bench.

The veil of magic and serenity was suddenly uncovered with the shouts of a man in his shorties and undershirt. Linn looked up surprised and would have laughed if she hadn't seen the garden rake and kitchen knife in his hand.

"Git ye out 'o here, or I'll surely cut ye heads off 'fore I get ya to the sheriff," he boomed out as he came running like mad towards the shocked couple. Allen was the first to recover from complete surprise, and he jumped up and grabbed Linn's hand.

"Come on, let's get out of here!" and with that the two of them ran over the tulip border and over rose hedges with the man close behind.

"Re...ally? huff...gasp...I thought...he...was...wheeze..suppo...sed to be in...pant...Rome!"

Linn looked past Allen and let out a big sigh. The Duke, being fairly fat and unfit was quite a ways behind them. "What did you want to ask me?"

Allen gazed into her green/blue eyes, "Will you marry me?" and he produced a gold ring with a small dainty diamond.

Linn just pointed and gasped, because just then the Duke was climbing up the wall. Linn and Allen whistled to their horses.

"Yes!" cried Linn as she leapt away from the wall, flying with bursting happiness. There was a moment's pause as she hung in the air, the pause when you think you'll never land, the pause when she could still hear her spoken word hanging around her and she knew her life hand changed, and then... she landed.

They both galloped off with the Duke standing on the wall behind them and shaking his rake and knife.

"Ohhh! This is the best afternoon of my life!" Linn said as she smiled dreamily and looked out over the green lush valley they had just been galloping through.

Allen reached out his hand and Linn grabbed it and they held hands as they trotted. Just as they were crossing a shallow creek Linn pulled Allen's hand hard enough so he slipped right off the horse's back. Linn was laughing so hard at Allen after she saw him sitting in the creek, sopping wet, looking utterly stunned, that she didn't notice when he creeped up on her. That is, she didn't notice until he started tugging on her leg.

But Allen overpowered Linn and pulled her down but she didn't get wet because he caught her. "Oh, you're lucky you didn't drop me!" Linn said, sighing, "Because if you did...Hey! What are you doing? Allen, this is not funny. Allen!" Linn squealed because Allen was wading deeper and deeper. "Allen! I'm not a very good swimmer! Come on, who knows that's in this water. Allen, are you listening? Put me down!" and just as Linn said it she realized she had made a mistake. Allen, laughing, shouted, "Ok, if that's what you want..."

Linn stood up sputtering and laughing. Her and Allen's eyes met and they kissed a soft sweet kiss.

Allen teased, "If this is what I get when I dunk you you'll be living in the water!"

Linn laughed softly, "Come on, let's go! We can watch the sun set from Shanna Peak."

The next evening Allen and Linn held a special dinner and invited some of their neighbors and friends. That's when they announced that they were being married in September.

"Who will be in your wedding?", "What are you going to wear?", "Can I be in it?", "Are you having a dance?"

"Whoa, whoa! Wait a minute, all we know is that we're getting married in September and we haven't really had any time to plan the actual wedding!" Allen broke in.

Everyone became silent then as Allen proposed a toast, "To my future bride." And Allen and Linn smiled as the sound of wineglasses faded away.

I've just typed all this from a handwritten manuscript, and it's very late, so please excuse any typos. I'm pretty sure the grammatical errors aren't mine, though, since I've taken this almost work for word.

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