Bab 27: Cornered (3)
"Rafael, you should smile. You don't want everyone to think you are not enjoying yourself," Delilah said after sneaking a glance at Rafael. It wasn't enough that he was by her side. She wanted him to look happy or the young ladies who wished to be in her place would comment on the fact that he looked like he did not wish to be near her.
"I am not," Rafael replied. Gatherings like this were not for him, but he was allowing it so the knights could enjoy themselves after the deaths they witnessed during their trip. He didn't want to escort anyone since he didn't plan to dance and act like he was interested in Delilah.
Rafael looked around the hall for some unfortunate soul he could stick Delilah with and then leave. Find a corner that would offer him some privacy. Rafael closed his eyes for a second as he already felt the headache from listening to mothers talk about their daughters. 'I should get the knights to surround me,' he thought.
"If you don't look happy, people will assume I am the reason why. I do not want to be ridiculed. I know that I forced my way onto your arm when you've turned me down, but-"
"Since you know that much, isn't it time you get your mother to stop asking me to escort you, and for you to stop coming around my home so often? I have no interest in you, and tonight will not change that," said Rafael, being honest instead of getting her hopes up. "I will help you find a suitable man. You are a lovely woman, but I am not the man for you. I do not wish to steal your time."
Delilah opened her mouth to speak but then closed it, as she did not know how to respond for a moment. She didn't want to be paired with anyone but Rafael. She loved him, so much that she counted down the days until his return. She turned down other offers for her hand so she could wait for him.
Delilah could not give up her love for him just yet so she would do whatever was necessary to stay close to him. "I apologize for the difficult position I have placed you in. If you could be so kind as to introduce me to one of your knights so my night would not be so wasted. I will leave your side when there is someone suitable. I don't want to disappoint my mother."
"Very well," Rafael replied. That much he could take. He looked around the hall once more trying to find a suitable man who was looking to marry around this time and wouldn't be caught drunk in the red-light district.
After a long depressing trip, though there was a victory, most of the men only had one thing in mind. Women and getting drunk. He would end up having an earful from her father if he set her up with just anyone.
"After all these years that I've known you, I finally get to see you with a woman on your arm. My eyes aren't playing tricks on me, are they?" Logan asked, rubbing his eyes and then looking back at the lovely couple. "It is real. How wonderful," he smiled.
"Logan, there has to be someone else for you to bother," Rafael said.
"There was, but I don't know where she has walked off to. The hall has gotten too full for me to keep an eye on her," Logan answered, looking around for Annalise, who managed to slip away from his sight. There were too many knights and other guests walking around the hall.
"Please leave the poor soul alone. Christian, when will you be ready to settle down?" Rafael asked, ready to place Delilah on Christian's arm. Christian was one of the men he could trust not to have Delilah come running back to him.
Christian glanced at Delilah who was pleading with her eyes to have him say no. It wasn't like he wanted to be caught up with a young woman so obsessed with wanting to be with Rafael. Rafael had to keep suffering with this one. "Not right now. Instead of trying to get rid of this problem, you have another to deal with. Connor is here. I thought the two of you-"
"Where is he?" Rafael asked, letting go of Delilah's hand. Connor was not meant to be here tonight after the way he acted with the maid. Connor never knew when to stop with his temper after he felt disrespected and would try to get revenge. "Watch her," he said, gently pushing Delilah toward Christian. "If you see Connor, hold him."
Rafael had to find Connor quickly before he bumped into Annalise. He didn't see how Connor was here when he checked the list and didn't see his name. The guards at the gates must have let Connor in since he is a knight.
While Rafael searched for Connor, Annalise placed her empty tray on a table in the kitchen and took off the empty glasses. She smiled as she heard Jonah screaming at someone in the kitchen. They had to be new and mess with Jonah's rhythm. Annalise took up the glasses that were full and started to make her way back out to the dining hall.
Some of her problems would be solved if she were to slip something inside these drinks and kill all who took them up, but then she would kill innocent people who had nothing to do with the war, and then she would be out of reach of the king, who would not come to this town.
"Annalise! Please help me," said Gloria, a maid Annalise wasn't familiar with. They spoke in passing, but could not call themselves friends. "There is a guest who needs help in the bedroom before you enter the hall, but Mavis is calling for me. Please take care of them for me. I'll owe you. I'll take this back to the kitchen. Thank you!"
Annalise found Gloria's behavior to be odd. Mavis was hard to deal with sometimes, but she would go easy on Gloria for coming to her late once she knew Gloria was taking care of a guest. Mavis stressed that tending to the guest mattered more than anything else.
Annalise decided to check on this guest who needed help to get it over with so she could go back to the hall. She opened the door of the room, as Gloria told her. It was dark when she entered because no one was supposed to be there, so they did not bother lighting up the room.
'Who?' Annalise looked over her shoulder and stepped forward when she felt someone behind her.
"Finally," Connor said, closing the door behind Annalise. He had to give Gloria something extra for how quickly she worked. It was good to still have relationships with some of the maids here. "We should continue where we left off without any interruptions. Did you really think you could get away with hitting me? Don't even think of screaming. The hall is loud, and no one will hear you."
Contrary to what Connor thought, Annalise loved this predicament more than she was scared like Connor wanted to be. In this situation, she could give Connor a good beating and not be fired for hitting a guest. "Don't scream," she smiled, as the party just got interesting. "I hope you remember your words."
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