My Corpse Husband (MGL series Book 1)

Chapter 3

Ella was stumped by the kind words the carriage driver said to her but she knew that they were just kind words, not true. Exhausted and sweaty Ella thought for a moment about the offer and climbed into the carriage with a grateful smile.

It felt cool and accommodating, riding in the carriage in such hot summer. Ella was thankful and felt lucky for having talked to a person other than Gode, after a long while and also riding a carriage after years. She was grateful for the old man's offer.

Ella opened the ties of cloth in the basket and took out two fresh and delicious smelling sweet mangoes and two big reddish yellow Apricots. Tying up the cloth again, she dusted the fruits with her little napkin and waited for the carriage to take a stop.

Once reaching the destination, Ella pulled her hood up and tied a cloth from the nose till the down of her chin to cover her face. The fruits she took out, she smiled and gave them to the old driver and thanked him profusely for his great help.

"People call me, Dale." He offered his name with a little shrug.

"I'm Ella." Ella replied softly expecting a violent reply but the old driver just smiled and nodded.

"I know, Dear one." He replied yet again with one of his knowing smile and walked away from there, leaving Ella stumped.

Composing herself, a few seconds later, Ella walked inside the market carefully, step after step, measured and cautious. Carrying a large heavy basket and trying to cover herself was not an easy task for a puny looking Ella. She stumbled many times on her way to her cart.

The market is flowing with many people in and around from many villages. There were many travelers and guards who were waiting to buy liquor in a long line.Women were busy purchasing provisions and children are running around towards a sweet chips cart. There are jewelry and hair supplies carts that are buzzed with young women buying different color ribbons and decorated pins for hair.

'Ah, how she wanted to have a carefree and relaxed like those young ladies' Ella thought to herself.

She pulled her cart from the narrow alley and arranged the fruits and vegetable on the cart. She was feeling nervous and anxious about being in the midst of many people after long years of living in solitude.

What if someone recognize her? What would happen if people throw eggs and tomatoes on her again? Will anyone ever care if she's here? Would anyone buy her goods?

She was feeling all the negative possibilities swirling in her mind and why wouldn't she think negative, when she went through a lot of pain, betrayal and has been a pawn of selfish deeds?

Tying the scarf around her face tightly, she waited for people to stop by her cart. Three hours passed but no one came to purchase from her. All the vendors around her were brimming with coins selling away their goods almost in an hour. Expect her.

Her harvest is untouched and un-approached. Not even one person looked at her or her goods at all. Standing in the hot sun in hope of earning a coin turned out to be more than nightmare to her given that she's hiding her identity.

"Hmm – you, lass." she heard a slurred voice from her right side and turned towards the source to see if she was being called. A man of five and half foot tall covered with dirt patches on face and clothes stood in front of her, drinking liquor directly from a large glass bottle.

He was looking at Ella evilly and smirked at her displaying his yellowish black teeth. The dark liquor was rolling down from either sides of the mouth disgustingly. He was swaying back and forth and laughed malicious at Ella.