Chapter 24: Escort (3)
"How are the men seated before us? Normally they are the ones late. Are you running away from some trouble you've caused?" Rachel asked.
Annalise followed Rachel, Beatrice, and Delilah to the dining room. She inspected those already seated at the table and beside Rafael was his father River Callahan. She heard plenty of stories about the former knight. Before Rafael, everyone feared his father.
Her father would love nothing more than to be face-to-face with River. She was told they had unfinished business. While her father still took part in the fight at the border, River could give up his time as a knight and sit around at dinner.
'How unfair," Annalise frowned, but it could not be helped that there were many knights to replace River while her father was not easy to replace. He was a leader and leaders had to stay in the fight for as long as possible.
"Did you train today, Rafael?" Delilah asked as she took the empty seat beside him as her own. Though Rafael turned her down it did not mean she had to give up just yet. There were no other women, that she knew of, who was close to him like she was to have dinner in his home frequently.
"I did," Rafael answered. There was nothing else to do but train at the moment.
"Did it go as planned?" Delilah inquired, not knowing what else to talk about with Rafael.
Annalise wanted to crawl under the table and hide instead of watching Delilah try to court Rafael. It was like Delilah was talking to a wall. By now, Annalise would have moved on to another man. What was so special about Rafael to keep wasting your time when he clearly had no interest?
"It always does," Annalise heard him reply as she walked by the table to join the other maids in the kitchen. "Lady Beatrice and the other guests are seated," she informed Mavis.