When There Is Magic

Chapter Thirteen

Annalise had known as soon as she had seen Beatrice walking in front of Lucia and another maid that something was up. Her decision to follow them and eavesdrop on their conversation had been a quick one. On the way, she had been intercepted by Issac who had tried to make small talk with her. She had tried not to let her impatience show but he was talking too much that she had to make a quick decision. She'd had to excuse herself from him. Annalise did not even give him a moment to respond before she had hurried away to the direction of Alexander's chamber. I shall stay there one day, she promised herself.

Annalise went to her own chamber to think about a way that she could present the information she had just learnt to Alexander and he would have no choice but to believe her without doubt.

Back in the Marquess's chamber, Lucia was talking. "Lady Beatrice, now that I have heard your tale, I feel alright. I am not sick anymore. I am pleased that I did not destroy the union between you and the Marquess because I chose to listen to a foe and present her evil idea before you. It was not my intention to cause your downfall and I am happy that her plan did not succeed."

"I am happy about it too. Now that I have known the intentions of Annalise, I know what she is capable of. I am drained and it is already noon. Run to the kitchen and bring up a tray of food for me. I shall go to Alexander's office later on."

" Alright, my Lady. I will hurry up and go there now. You need to eat so as to preserve your strength. Most people in the keep believe a child to be coming your way soon. I too believe that very soon, we shall welcome the Marquess's and the Marchioness's first child. How beautiful that child would be whether it be male or female," Lucia said.

With that, Lucia turned and left the room. She quickly made her way to the kitchens and asked for food for her Lady. It was quickly brought and arranged on a tray, then handed to her. She went back to the chamber and presented the food to Lady Beatrice who looked at the food and smiled at the aroma emanating from it.

Beatrice looked at the food and beamed in appreciation. It was a cherry pie with a perfect crust and a cup of apple cider. She started to eat the food and was pleased at the flavour of the pie.

Beatrice looked at Lucia and asked, "Will you not have your own meal too?"

"I will, my Lady," Lucia answered. " I am waiting for you to be done with your meal so that I can take the tray back to the kitchen and get my meal from there."

" Alright, Lucia. Let me quickly finish the food so that you can have your meal before the evening sets in. You know it is not good to have meals late."

Beatrice ate the food and drank the remainder of the apple cider. She had never tasted anything quite like it before, not even back in the twenty first century. This one was naturally sweet as it had no artificial sweeteners unlike the ones she had drank in the twenty first century. She handed the tray back to Lucia and yawned loudly.

"Do not bother to come back in here after your meal. I am tired and I need to take a nap to revive my energy. After that, I shall pay a visit to Alexander in his office. "

" Goodbye, Lady Beatrice. Have a blissful nap. I shall come in after the evening meal to check on you for anything else I may need," Lucia said cheerily.

Lucia left the room and Beatrice followed after her to shut the door of the chamber. She did not want to be disturbed during her nap and there was another more urgent reason. Now that she had known what Annalise was capable of, she did not intend to let her guard down. She would not leave the chamber door open any longer. Who knew who Annalise would send in to spy for information or perform an evil act. She could even come in herself without the knowledge of any occupant of the chamber.

Beatrice slept till it was late in the evening before she finally woke up. She went into the washroom and splashed some water from the ewer onto her face to clear any traces of sleep. She looked into the mirror after drying her face and was pleased at her reflection. She took the key to the main door chamber and when she went out of it, locked the door with the key and twisted the handle to confirm its safety. Satisfied, she turned and headed in the direction of Alexander's office.

When she pushed the door to the office open, she saw Alexander clearing up some papers, preparing to complete his duties for the day. He welcomed her with a passionate kiss and resumed his work. She joined him and before long, they were done with it.

"It is time for the dinner, my dear husband," Beatrice said.

" Aye, let us get going then, my dear wife," Alexander replied.

Beatrice thought about telling him of what she had learnt from Lucia but thought better of it. Even if she had to tell him, it would not be now. She would face Annalise on her own and only tell Alexander of it when it had gotten worse and she could no longer bear it.

Alexander laced his arms with Beatrice's and together, they went to the dining hall. Alexander pulled out the chair for Beatrice and she took her seat before he himself sat down.

From across the table, Annalise watched the loving couple with distaste. She would expose Beatrice very soon. She just had to perfect her plan.

The meal was brought and everyone dug in, making small talk as they ate their food. They talked about the ongoing planting season and the influx of peasant farmers. Everyone contributed to the fact that most young men wanted to go into farming because of the rewards. Everyone except Annalise. She did not say anything throughout the whole meal but simply kept to herself and ate her food. Isaac tried to draw her into the conversation but she just gave a brief nod to his question and looked away.

Eventually, Isaac finished with his meal first and wished everyone a good night's rest before the departed from the place. Victoria was next. She wished the remaining people at the table good night and Alexander and Beatrice responded while Annalise merely gave her a weak smile and looked away.

When Beatrice and Alexander were done with their food, Alexander wished Annalise good night. Not caring whether she responded or not, he turned and linked Beatrice's arms with his. They walked up the stairs in the direction of their chamber oblivious to the stares that Annalise was shooting at them. They went to their room and slept with arms around each other as usual.

Days passed and Annalise had still not told Alexander what she wanted to tell him since. She was just waiting for the right time and opportunity to do it.

The opportunity presented itself when one day, Alexander was feeling tired from the strain of work and he decided to take a walk to Beatrice's favourite place in the grounds of the keep. He went out and begun to pace around thinking about nothing in particular.

Annalise waited for Alexander to have some time alone before she went outside to join him. When she got outside, she was not sure of the direction he went in and she did not want to ask the guards stationed outside so she went towards the left side of the keep, past the beautiful garden but she did not find Alexander.

Annalise retraced her steps and went back to the front of the keep. She walked to the right side, passed the fountain and kept on walking until she spotted Alexander. He was preparing to head back inside but she stopped him.

"Lord Alexander, good day. How are you doing today?" she asked.

" I am well, Annalise. I just came outside the keep to get some fresh air," Alexander replied. Since he was feeling good natured as a result of his relaxing time at the lake side, he asked, " How are you doing today, Annalise?"

"I am fine, my Lord. I would have been better but for a deeply disturbing news which I learnt of. I would like to share it with you because it affects you directly. "

Alexander wondered the type of information Annalise wished to share. She had been rather sullen these past weeks but he did not care. It was not his concern.

"Lord Alexander, the other day I was passing by and decided to stop by your chamber to pay a visit to Lady Beatrice. A statement I heard made me to pause at the door so I decided to just stay there and hear what was being said inside. My Lord, I overheard Lady Beatrice telling Lucia, her personal maid about something shocking. She said that she was not the Beatrice you got married to in the first place and she was from another time. She also and that she did not want to tell you because she does not want to lose her position as the Marchioness of this town. "

Alexander was seething. He hissed and looked Annalise in the face with anger.