Chapter 5: Quite the character (1)
"Woods? I have never heard of such a last name. With your looks, I am sure you are not from around here," Beatrice said, giving Annalise a look over. If you lined all the servants up, Annalise would stand out with her wild hair. "You're different. Luckily, I happen to like different things."
"She is, isn't she?" Mavis forced a smile and pretended to agree with Beatrice. In her opinion, Annalise was the bad kind of different. She was hoping the lady would dislike Annalise and be the one to kick her out right away but with her terrible luck, Mavis now had to deal with Beatrice liking Annalise.
"It is hard to believe you are the young master's mother. You look so young," Annalise commented, finding the older woman to look young for having such a grown son. Annalise would have never believed Beatrice was Rafael's mother if she wasn't aware of the Callahans.
'She knows how to flatter someone. She's smart,' Beatrice thought as she tapped her finger against the table. Annalise's comment didn't come out as if she was trying too hard to make Beatrice like her. She was subtle with her advances. 'Well, this is interesting.'
Beatrice was used to the maids overly complimenting her in hopes she would pick them as her personal maid when she came to visit Rafael, or they thought pleasing the mother would help them get close to the son. She wondered which Annalise was trying to aim for.
"I like her," Beatrice smiled as she made up her mind. "Mavis, make sure she is the one to tend to me when I come for visits. You know Rafael is going to become busy with training instead of taking a moment to rest, and my husband will find someone who needs help to pass his time. I'll need someone like her by my side to keep me company."
Rafael didn't think Annalise was the most suitable person to keep his mother company. His mother was already quite the character so she didn't need someone with a mouth like Annalise's to further influence her. He had not gotten past Annalise's offer to show him her thigh. Rafael did not know Annalise but he already had a feeling there were worse things to come out of her mouth. "There are other maids-"
"Why not this one?" Beatrice quickly asked, picking up on the fact something must have happened between Rafael and Annalise. Rafael never stopped her from picking any maid she liked to tend to her when she visited. Was there a silver lining at the end of this day?
Beatrice gave Annalise a look over once more as she wondered if this was Rafael's type. She had gotten it wrong over the years if it was.
"Nothing," Rafael dropped it before his mother could get the wrong idea. It was obvious she started to overthink his words as she flashed him a big smile, and her eyes pleaded with him to tell her more. "Enjoy breakfast and find something to pass the time until father arrives. Stop frowning."
"I would if you brought home some good news," Beatrice pouted. At this rate, she would have to play with her sister's grandchildren since she was not getting any of her own any time soon. "Mavis, excuse Annalise from her duties to have her remain by my side. I prefer her company over my son at the moment," Beatrice tried to guilt Rafael into spending time with her.
"Yes ma'am," Mavis replied, still bothered by the lady's choice. She preferred to have one of the maids who followed her to be close to Beatrice. It was the best way to get any news on what was happening between mother and son.