Henry slipped his hat off as he stepped into the house. It was much darker indoors, and he had to struggle not to squint. The house looked very similar to his own, and Henry could remember vaguely the few times his parents and he had come to Lily’s home for parties or other such things. It was small. He remembered that from before, but its size only seemed to make it seem more refined. The whole house bordered on being crowded, but it never really reached that point. It felt crowded for Henry, however. He sighed as he waited for the house maid to inform the lady of the house of his arrival. Although this whole marriage thing had all but been decided for him, he still had to take care of this unpleasantness. This would be so much easier if it had been Lily’s father he was asking and not her mother. But without even another male in the house, it fell to Lily’s mother to give out her hand in marriage.

“This way sir.â€