Annerieke had already started working in the kitchen on the preparations for dinner. When she heard the bell, she quickly washed her hands and dried them on her apron. She went to the hall and opened the front door. She saw a couple, whose wife had an angry look.

Annerieke had decided beforehand not to care about anything and as a result, she also approached them with reasonable ease with the same friendliness with which she always greeted her guests.

"Good day! You must be our new guests, Mr. and Mrs. In 't Veld?" She saw them both nod and then she held out her hand: "Welcome! I am Annerieke Jansen. Please come in. You can put your suitcase here for the time being. Did you have a good trip?"

While she listened to their answer about all kinds of frustrations about other drivers, she took off her apron and nodded. "Well, not everyone drives pleasantly, that’s a pity. You can hang your coat up here."

"Take your things out of your pockets, John, you never know..."

"Alright Mieke, let's do that."

They heard footsteps approaching from the washroom. Huib stepped into the hallway and saw them standing, "Ah, good day! Our new guests, I presume..." He introduced himself, told them that he was Annerieke's son and that he hoped they would have a wonderful time in this guest house and its surroundings. And to his mother, "I have to change a lamp upstairs. And oh, ma'am, sir, shall I bring your bags upstairs right away?"

Mieke shook her head and said decidedly, "No, we'll do that ourselves."

"Shall I show you around?" Annerieke asked. She opened the door to the dining room and preceded them, telling them about the meals. They continued their way to the living room, where she pointed them to the brochure box in the bookcase.

"And finally, we will now go upstairs to the guest floor." They followed her up the stairs. Huib was upstairs by now, to go change a lamp that was doing fine. He had planned it that way, so he would be around when his mother showed them there room. And as he had already expected, Mieke soon started talking about Margreet, asked nippy where she was and why she had not let them in.

Annerieke, who had figured out Huibs plan just fine, asked him, "Huib, do you know where Margreet is? I think I saw her driving off with Lisa, is that right?"

As Huib came down the household stairs, he told his mother, "Yes, that's right, they had an appointment with Martin Verkamman and then they were going to her favorite store. Lisa wanted to browse there too," he said, smiling.

"Who is this Martin? Is she already starting to fool around with strange guys?" asked Mieke sharply.

Huib shot into laughter. "Dabbling with Martin? She shouldn't dare to do that! Martin is married, happily married as far as I know. And more importantly, Margreet and I have found each other, her arrival here was the prelude to the most beautiful day of my life. What a wonderful daughter you have, a fantastic, lovely woman she is!"

"What do you mean? Are you dating my daughter?!"

"Yes indeed!" Huib beamed. "I'm the luckiest guy walking around here on this earth!"

Mieke looked at him, full of contempt. Upon their acquaintance, she had already found him an oddity, with that half-long hair in a ponytail. "You're not her type, not at all! You just lured her into a trap!"

"And why am I not her type, do you think?"

"Just looking at that nasty long hair of yours, bah, our Margreet is a neat girl, that's why..."

"Margreet is a young woman who loves to rummage through my hair with her hands when I have them loose. They are clean by the way, I like to wash them regularly. And Margreet is a woman after my own heart!"

John, who still hadn't said a word, now asked, "And she lives here in the attic right? Does she even have a lock on her door?"

Annerieke wanted to answer, but Huib was ahead of her. "Yes, she started here in the attic, but after almost two weeks she asked me if I would help her move to my house. And that's where she lives now. I think I hear her car just coming up there."

Without saying anything, Mieke and John walked down the stairs. Outside, they heard a woman's voice: "See you later, Margreet!"

Huib whispered to Annerieke, "Feel free to continue your preparations in the kitchen Mom, I'll be fine." Annerieke nodded and slipped into the kitchen, where she plopped down on a chair and lay forward on the table. What awful people! Poor Margreet...

Meanwhile, Mieke furiously pulled open the front door, saw no one, however. "Where are they?" she attacked Huib, who had come up behind them.

"I'm not a clairvoyant," he said, "but I suspect Lisa will come in through the laundry room and go to her room. Ha, there she is already. Lisa, did you have a good time?" he interrupted himself as Lisa came into the hallway. "Yes, it was good and that store is great! Margreet will tell you more, I'm going upstairs now." One look at Mieke's eyes had been enough for her, a look that made fear fly to her throat. Away she wanted, away from that woman. Was that Margreet's mother? Poor girl!

Huib babbled on as if nothing had happened: "So that was Lisa, Margreet's friend. And I think Margreet drove home. I guess she has groceries with her..."

"Where is that house? We'd better have a word with her!" Mieke interrupted him demandingly.

"If you'll just come this way, I have my shoes in the laundry room back here, I'll walk with you."

They grabbed their coats off the coat rack again and put them on as they walked behind Huib. He put on his shoes in the washroom, and silently walked ahead of them through the beautiful garden, which Mieke and John saw nothing of. Mieke was far too angry at the guy she was walking after, the guy who had framed her daughter. And John was utterly confused about the situation.

To chapter 69. Margreet facing her parents

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