Chapter 38: Returning gifts (3)
Delilah was glad to see the butler who would answer her question and scold the maid for not being compliant. She deserved to be fired. "Who does the dress in her hands belong to? Is Lady Beatrice still here?" She asked.
Edwin looked at the white dress Annalise was holding. He didn’t see why Delilah had any interest in it unless she wished to know where it came from to buy one for herself. "That dress belongs to Annalise-"
"Do not try to fool me. A maid could not possibly afford that dress. The quality of it looks like it would cost a month’s worth of her pay," Delilah said, reaching out to touch the dress with her fingers. She knew dresses well and this one could never belong to a maid. Annalise would have to be foolish to waste her money on a dress which did not suit her.
"The dress was a gift from the young master-"
"What?" Delilah exclaimed, looking at Edwin as if he had grown a second head. "Why would Rafael do such a thing for her?" She looked at Annalise who continued to be a problem. Since when did Rafael buy dresses for a woman and for a maid of all people? Her mother’s words were starting to happen that men would look to spoil the maids they were either sleeping with or wanted to.
"There was an incident last night so these are her gifts to her. Carry on with what you were doing Annalise," Edwin said so he could get her away from Delilah’s growing anger. "I’m afraid Beatrice is not here so I can call upon your carriage."
"I am here to see Rafael," Delilah said, following Annalise up the stairs. She wanted to get a closer look at the dress in Annalise’s hands.
"He doesn’t need this headache today," Edwin muttered. Instead of following Delilah, he went to close the front doors. He hoped that whoever Rafael picked to be his wife, was not Delilah. She was wary of the smallest things and made life hard for the servants sometimes. Mostly the maids.
Meanwhile, as Annalise walked to Rafael’s study, she listened closely to Delilah’s footsteps not far behind her. Why was one single dress causing all of this? Annalise would happily give it to Delilah if she asked nicely.