"I'd love to"

She turned to face him. "That would be wonderful, Dante. Mayhaps you can tell me more of your adventures or perhaps gossip about the aristocrats", she said naively. Her pretty face looked up at him innocently.

Dante smiled his best grin and said, "Why don't you come to the barn after your father goes to bed? And bring some of that delightful ale of his. I will tell you all the nasty little secrets of the upper classes". "Yes, and give a secret or two of your own, my dear", he mused to himself. The **** would make her more uninhibited too.

He returned to the main room while Jenna washed the dishes. He and Bart talked a bit, and then Jenna came out with dishes of apple pie. They ate heartily. Bart pulled out a pipe and filled it with tobacco. Dante told another story, and Bart followed with one of his own.

"All this great food and talk has made me sleepy. I'll retire now to the barn. Thank you for your hospitality," said Dante as he stood up from his chair.

"It's our pleasure as well to hear of the happenings of the country and of your adventures," Jenna replied.

"Yes, you sure know how to tell a good story," Bart chimed in.

Dante left the house and walked to the barn. He situated himself in the loft and waited to see if Jenna would arrive.