Chapter 327: Return to Lockwood (2)
"Father, why can’t you just tell me why you are meeting with Rafael? What could you possibly want to talk about and why do I have to wait for him to come here to know? Don’t tell me that you are planning to change your mind about us being together," Annalise said, feeling like this was where this meeting was heading.
Her father woke her up and told her to get dressed for riding out to meet with Rafael. She thought he would have liked to keep her away from Rafael after she spent time with him yesterday, not take her to see him the very next day.
"Just wait, Annalise. He should be here soon and then you will hear what I have to say. You should be glad I didn’t leave without you to speak with him alone. I am not trying to break the two of you up. I know that will have you running away to see him and that will ruin the peace we could have," said Phillip.
He was here to learn if Rafael had gotten the guards to agree to not attack so he could decide if it was time to send Annalise off with the people he picked to protect her. It was best they started to work on the truce now since it would take a long time for both sides to reach an agreement.
Phillip wanted the truce to be done quickly so he could have Annalise back at home and for his people to not worry about their homes being attacked anymore. It still wasn’t easy to let her go again, but he did not want to stop Annalise from this path she was going on.
"Is this about us leaving? Are you finally giving me the order to leave with him?" Annalise asked, excited that the time might finally be here. She liked being at home and seeing everyone she missed, but she yearned to go back out with Rafael. "If that is why you brought us here, why must you be so secretive?"
"Because I don’t want to watch you be so excited to leave. What could they possibly have over there to make you so excited to leave home? You have never liked too many rules and their world is full of rules. Is it because you will get to be with him? I am telling you now that I will have Ezra looking over you," Phillip said, looking to his right to see her reaction.
As he predicted, Annalise looked upset by this but then she smiled. He didn’t get to enjoy her reaction for long.
"It is only fair that with you not around Ezra will look after me. He is like an uncle to me and I am sure he will keep me away from Rafael," Annalise said, forcing a smile. All she had to do was make Ezra distracted by something or someone so she could be left alone with Rafael.