Chapter 139 - Sincerity
“That’s a curious statement,” Arlene said. “I am aware I have a few years on you, but I don’t look that old, do I?”
Scarlett considered her. While Arlene did have faint wrinkles and darker skin under her eyes, she didn’t appear much older than forty or so. Younger than Adalicia Mendenhall, probably.
She shook her head. “I do not believe you truly think that is what I meant.”
The woman showed a wry smile. “No, but one never knows. You certainly seem to know something that I do not, considering your previous words.”
Scarlett raised her hand and gestured at the houses in Freymeadow. “Do you know what this place is?”
Arlene studied her for a moment before looking around with an almost casual expression. “I wonder,” she drawled. “Most would have answered a simple village, but that’s not the response you are looking for, is it?”
Scarlett kept her eyes on the woman. She had always been curious exactly how self-aware Arlene was about her situation. Their previous interactions showed that she clearly had some idea that this place wasn’t entirely natural. There had to be a reason she always made them leave before nightfall after all, as if she was aware that outsiders couldn’t stay here all the time. But it was hard to tell if the woman was actually aware, or if it was subconscious in some way.
Scarlett pointed at a house on the other end side of the village square. It was a single building, with a timber base and a thatched roof. Behind it was a tiny patch of land with a small ramshackle shed that looked like it might collapse any day now.
“That home belongs to a Gill and Leticia Adlam,” she said. “Gill Adlam is one of the men that tends to the livestock outside the village, while his wife Leticia spends her days performing chores and processing the wool that they gather.“
Whenever she had to spend a day resting here in Freymeadow, those two were the ones Rosa convinced to lend out their home. They were a nice enough couple, even if the accommodations themselves were somewhat lackluster.
She turned to look at Arlene. “Other than when I travel to and from the village, I have never left this area or spoken with any of the villagers. You can personally attest to this, I suspect. Taking that into account, how do you think I know this information about the Adlams?”
“Are you playing riddles now?” the woman asked.