The Knight's Mysterious Maid

"I saw the ring on her finger. I would say that you are moving fast, but others would say that you were late in getting married. I hope that you know what you are getting yourself into," Thelma said, happy for the pair, but still worried that they had not fully considered what awaited them. She hoped they knew the good and bad sides of marriage. That they were doing it all for love and no other reason. Love didn’t seem to be needed in many marriages these days.

"Annalise is a good woman. You only need to get to know her," Rafael replied as her words wouldn’t change his mind. Rafael knew what he was getting himself into and he was going to wed Annalise as soon as he could.

He would not have proposed if he hadn’t thought this through to the end. He welcomed twists that he hadn’t anticipated.

"I meant about marriage. I would not try to convince you to change the woman you fell in love with. Marriage is not as easy as many make it to be. There are many good moments, but you have to prepare yourself for a few bad moments. Remember what you feel now and fight to keep it," Thelma further explained so he wouldn’t misunderstand her. "I don’t dislike her."

Rafael already knew that and he had said it to Annalise a few times. Thelma was just a little harder on strangers unless they were children. "It is that you do not know her. She cares a lot for Lydia and she will keep her safe. Annalise will be a great mother in the future."

"You wouldn’t lie to me so I am halfway convinced to let Lydia go with you. You two were quick to get her to open up to you. Something the caretakers and I failed to do. There was a point in time when we thought she was mute. We concluded that she was near one when she was left here," Thelma said, watching Annalise play with Lydia from afar.

"The child took so long to let us know that she could speak as she grew up. I hate to think of what might have made such a young child reluctant to make any sound. She will need special care to continue to open up to those around her. I want all the children to find homes, but I worry about them."

Thelma had been fooled once and it was that one time to make her more concerned about the homes she was sending the children to.