The Knight's Mysterious Maid

"It scares me how nervous you look, Annalise. It is only a party with women you are familiar with. If that look is because you miss my son, you’ll be back with him in a few hours. I’ve prepared a lot so you won’t miss him. I’ve even told River not to return until it is time for your carriage to return," said Beatrice. "It is not from me missing Rafael. I am nervous because I have never sat down to do whatever you have planned today. I am still learning the rules for how to act in a group. I don’t want to be the odd one here today," Annalise said, sharing her fear.

"There isn’t anyone here to judge you or think that you ruined the party. There are no rules here for how anyone should act. Though I must admit I don’t want to see another young lady hold up her dress my way. Once was enough," Beatrice said, tapping Annalise’s hands to help calm her.

Annalise wanted to hear more about the young woman who held up her skirt. "You must tell me what happened. Was it at a party where dresses were not to be lifted? Were there drinks involved?"

"There were a few drinks but the men had stronger drinks. I don’t know how she got her hand on the stronger drinks. I was speaking to a friend and the next thing I saw was a dress lifted before me. Maybe I am getting too old to remember all the trends. At least give me a warning before dresses go up," said Beatrice.

All Beatrice wanted to do was go over to the drunk young woman, pull down her dress and escort her home. She later learned that the embarrassment had all started over pressure from other young women to do a dare.

"I will try my best to give you a warning," Annalise joked.

"Thank you. Did Rafael also get you ribbons? The purple looks pretty in your hair. That boy is spoiling you. It looks like it is coming undone. Let me tie it better for you," Beatrice said, going behind Annalise. "Do you mind coming down a little?"

"Yes," Annalise replied, lowering herself to help Beatrice. "I have been thinking of what to get him. I have a little bit of my money left over to spend on him, but he won’t tell me what he wants."