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Show Page 115 indeed have distressed Richard, for while i had been uncomfortable in his presence before, never had I known Richard to be uncomfortable in mine. I stood nervously, my fingers picking at my skirt, as the four men huddled together, their voices a whisper I could not make out. Governor Yeardley, John Rolfe, Samuel Maycock, and John Pory had indeed been waiting at the Governor's Mansion when Richard and I arrived the next morning. At first it seemed as though the affair would go quickly and I would soon have my headright, when a difficulty arose. I was about to take the oath when Edward Sharpless, who had come to issue my certificate, leaned over to whisper in the governor's ear. Yeardley frowned, then turned to me. "Would you please tell us your age, Mistress Douglas," he said. "Fifteen," I replied, without hesitation. Upon hearing my answer, all four men frowned. Only Edward Sharpless did not seem dismayed, for he had an open grin upon his narrow, pocked face. Now the men were whispering together and I knew not what the problem might be. "There seems to be some quesion as to whether we can grant a headright to one so young," Governor Yeardley said at |