The Knight's Mysterious Maid

After spending two hours at the orphanage to celebrate Lydia’s adoption with everyone, the trio headed back to get some rest after an eventful morning. Rafael left to buy more food to last them for the days that they would be here and to start getting what they would need for their separate trips out of town.

Annalise sat in Lydia’s bedroom, helping to decorate with some of the gifts she had received from them. Lydia picked out what she would keep in this home for when they returned, what she wanted Rafael to take to the manor, and what she was going to take to the border.

Annalise was sitting on the floor, watching Lydia move around like a busy bee as Lydia called herself. "We’ll save opening the other gifts for when Rafael comes home. Tomorrow we can go to the market to get anything else you need. Like many ribbons to match all your dresses. The canvas should arrive tonight so we can paint."

Talking about ribbons, Annalise started to realise that she needed to think of ways she would do Lydia’s hair. Fortunately, she could braid because she was used to sometimes braiding up her hair when she trained so it would be out of her way.

The only problem was her having to be creative on how Lydia’s hair should be done depending on the dress she wore.

"I can cook with Rafael again tonight," Lydia said, returning to Annalise’s side now that she was finished with her room.

"You can as long as you continue to stay away from fire. I- Was that the door?" Annalise asked, listening intently to hear what it was. It is. We have a guest," Annalise said, slowly getting up. "It isn’t Rafael since he would have just come right in."

Annalise wished that it would be the court already delivering the papers about the adoption. She hoped that it wasn’t someone she didn’t know coming to speak with her now when she was helping Lydia get settled in.