The Knight's Mysterious Maid-Chapter 213: Flowers (1)

Siena smiled despite the fact Rafael was not happy to see her. She was surprised to learn from Wendy that the Callahans had arrived and they would be coming here. She had been patiently waiting for their arrival since Travis sent her here.

Rafael would not believe her, but she did not come here to see him. She only wanted to speak to Wendy to help the days go by quickly.

"I thought Lady Wendy could use some company so I paid her a visit. I did not know that your family would be here," Siena answered.

Beatrice looked back and forth between Rafael and the young lady she did not know. "It seems the rest of us are left out. How do you know each other?" She asked.

"I first met your son at the competition for knights. We didn’t have the best first meeting, but I was able to give him a charm. I have loved stories told about the Callahan knights. I didn’t get to stay long that day since I had to travel here," Siena explained, hoping that Rafael knowing she was here before him would get rid of suspicion.

Siena looked beside Rafael at the maid. Now she had to believe that this was Rafael’s lover. A small hindrance in the plans for their wedding. Travis would want the maid dead if he were to learn about her. Siena wanted to tell her to run, but then she would have to reveal her engagement sooner than she wanted.

Wendy was happy to hear that Siena and Rafael already knew each other. "Now that the Callahans are here, you can stay to hear more stories. Then, do you know the young lady with them?" She asked, looking at Annalise.

Wendy noticed how Annalise’s dress stood out amongst the four women here. Not that it was beautiful, but because of the faded colour. She started to wonder if someone from the orphanage was staying with them or if she had mistaken Beatrice’s maid for a woman Rafael was courting.

"I remember clearly that she is Rafael’s maid," Siena answered.

The more she thought about Rafael already having a lover, the more she worried about what this meant for herself. On one side, there was Travis and her father pushing her into this marriage, not asking her what she wanted. On the other side was Rafael who had someone he loved already. She stood in the middle, waiting to see which side would win and where she would go.

She could not get Rafael to like her unless his feelings for the maid were few. The engagement didn’t seem so bad when she tried to think of her and Rafael falling in love, but now she was reminded of how much she disliked it. How an engagement with two people who did not know each other was doomed from the start.

"A maid?" Wendy replied, surprised by this. She was a little disappointed that Rafael was not coming to introduce her to the woman he would wed. "Oh, Beatrice. When will there be good news?"

Beatrice held Wendy’s hand and whispered, "Do not look so down. There is much for us to talk about."

River sighed, preparing to listen to the two gossip as he followed them inside. He would need to find an opportunity to slip away to find Wendy’s husband who had to be already hiding to avoid the women talking about marriage.

Siena stepped out of the way to let Beatrice and Wendy talk. Despite Rafael’s displeasure in seeing her, she looked forward to speaking to Beatrice. Not only because she was Rafael’s mother, but because she admired Beatrice for having the strength to run away from Travis.

"I did not stalk you and follow you here. I have travelled here the night of the competition-"

"I don’t believe in mere coincidences that you are here now. Whoever is pulling strings for you to suddenly appear in front of me, tell them to stop because their efforts will be for nothing," Rafael said, calming his annoyance in seeing her to avoid ruining his mother’s joy. "You said you were married. You and your husband seem to be careless."

"I’ve already noticed it," Rafael added when she hid her hand that was without a ring behind her back. "A wife who doesn’t show her ring and a husband who lets her travel around not by her side when there is so much danger."

Siena regretted not travelling with the ring to slip it on her fingers when needed. She truly did not expect to see him today. "It is true that I am not married-"

"I am not fond of liars," Rafael interjected.

’Well,’ Annalise thought, looking off to the side as she considered herself to be the biggest liar here. With how angry Rafael was by just seeing Siena here, she knew that his anger would be tenfold if he found out who she was. ’Why do I have to listen to their conversation?’

Annalise wanted to follow Beatrice inside to get away from the awkwardness in front of her now, but she was Rafael’s maid and needed to stay with him.

"I only said that I was married so you would not avoid me. I really want to hear the tales about your father’s journeys and your own. I am not here because of you. I have spent time travelling from town to town as a gift from my parents while they search for a suitor. It is my last bit of freedom before marriage," said Siena.

Rafael didn’t care about why she was travelling around. He did not like that she was starting to show up near him. It wouldn’t be the first time a young lady followed his family here to get his attention. Siena was one step ahead in getting here before him and getting close to Wendy.

"Whatever you are trying to get by showing up before me will never fall in your hands," Rafael said, walking up the steps to go inside.

"You are not sending me away?" Siena asked.

"Is it my home?" Rafael replied in return. How was he to send her away when they were both guests?

Annalise started to follow Rafael inside.

"Lady Wendy has sent out all the servants except for the butler so she could have a moment alone with you and your family. My maid remains outside waiting for me in the carriage so I am afraid she will turn your maid away," Siena said, looking down at Annalise who didn’t make it to the third step.

Rafael stopped right beside Siena and looked inside at his mother and Wendy speaking to each other. "Wendy," Rafael said, interrupting her talk with his mother.

Wendy turned away from Beatrice to Rafael who was yet to come inside. "Why are you two still out there?" She asked, walking to the door to see what was keeping them outside.

"Have you ordered the servants to not enter?" Rafael asked.

Wendy glanced at Annalise who was not far behind Rafael. "I did. I wanted some privacy because of the incident with the maid repeating what your mother and I discussed. I can never trust them to keep their lips together. There is plenty for your maid to see outside. I have placed a few benches in the garden and she can pick some fruit if she’d like."

"Is that so? Then I will take a walk in the garden," Rafael said, turning around to go back down the steps. He walked down to where Annalise stood and when she didn’t seem interested in moving he asked, "What are you waiting for? For me to lift you?"

"No," Annalise replied, coming out of her shock that he was not going inside. She looked up at Siena and the lady of the house before following Rafael to the garden.

"Oh dear," Wendy panicked, fearing she might have made him angry.

On the other hand, Siena was amused by the sight of the couple walking away from her. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com