Matilda's head was reeling. She wished she could go back to that evening in the bookstore and reverse the order of events. She would not have performed the spell. She would not have thought that magic was silly and was not in existence. She could do anything to take it back. Anything at all. Now she was stuck here, back in time and she did not know any way of going back to the familiarity of her life in Oxford city.
Matilda looked at the man who called himself Alexander. He was a fine specimen of a man but she sensed that he was a proud man. He seemed to think she was his wife, Beatrice who had hit her head on a stone table and lost her memory. How wrong he was! Well, she would set him straight on that."Look, I know what you think but I can assure you that I am not Beatrice and I do not know her. It was a spell that I unknowingly casted that transported me here. My name is Matilda as I told you earlier and I work in a bookstore in Oxford. You said that this is the year 1431 which means that we are presently in the fifteenth century but I live in twenty first century Oxford."Alexander took a long look at Beatrice after her speech and all he saw was a woman who had lost her memory and was slowly going mental as well. How could she say that she lived in the twenty first century. How many thousand of years away was that? She had lost her memory and her mind as well."Well, you are Beatrice and not Matilda as you call your self. I have told you that you lost your memory. I have also told you some things so that they may prod your memory. With all these things you have said, I can only conclude that you are beginning to lose your mind as well."He guided her to the bed and tried to lay her down on it."You have to lay down for a while so that you may relax your head. I will go and send for the healer to come so that you he may look you up and also give you some medication that will reduce the chances of your going mental."Matilda shrugged his hands off her shoulders and looked him squarely in the face."I will not accept this! What I told you is nothing but the truth and you have to believe me. I am not your wife, Beatrice. The spell I casted unknowingly just made us to cross paths and molded the body of your wife and mine together. You have to find a way to get me home, please."Alexander was livid. How could she think that she was telling the truth? Couldn't she remember even a little bit of her life before she hit her head on the stone table and lost her memory? He was frustrated by her utterances."Beatrice, I will not repeat myself again! Lay down on this bed at once or I will order the healer to give you medicine that will make you to be out of it for days. Do as I tell you or I will have my threat carried out."Matilda thought it wise to obey him. She didn't know the rules of this place and she didn't know what this man could do to her. After all, he was the Marquess and his word was the law in this place. Besides, she did not want to stay asleep for days under the effect of medicine while she could be brainstorming on how to go back to her life in Oxford. She walked to the bed and laid down on it.Alexander was satisfied at Beatrice's actions. She seemed to understand the graveness of his order."Rest for a while, milady. I shall go and send for the healer to come."He left the room and closed the door. On second thoughts, he locked it. He didn't trust Beatrice not to find her way out of the room and wander around the halls.Inside the room, Matilda wondered how she could get herself out of this situation but she came up blank. Finally, she just decided to try to convince Alexander of the truth in her words and persuade him to help her find her way back to the twenty first century.Alexander walked down the stairs and went outside. He made straight for the guard post. There, he found one of the sentries posted presently, and sent him to go and call the healer. He walked back inside, went up the stairs and to the door of the room where Beatrice was housed in.He stood in the doorway after unlocking the door and watched his wife. She looked much the same except that she had somehow become thinner in these past two weeks. Even her hair had lost its usual shine. Her cheeks seemed rosier and she looked shorter. How come he was seeing all these changes in his wife? Alexander thought. He reasoned that it must have been as a result of the fall.Matilda looked on as Alexander gazed at her from the doorway. She wondered what was going through his mind. He must still think that I am his wife who lost her memory, she reasoned. Matilda had tried to convince him but he didn't seem ready to believe her. He is a proud man. That I know, she mused.Alexander paced around the chamber as he waited for the healer to arrive. He needed to have a strong basis on which to put Beatrice's strange behavior on. He himself thought that she was going mad but he needed confirmation and a healer's opinion was always valid."When the healer arrives, comply with him and allow him to examine you or I will have my threat carried out," Alexander said.Matilda wondered what the so called healer would say when he came. She could not survive in this place because she wasn't of the old times. She had been born and raised in the new world so she had to find a way to get out of this god forsaken place.They both sat in silence for a long time until there came a knock on the door."You may come in," Alexander called out.The man who stepped into the room was very old. His hair had gone totally gray and his posture was stooped. He looked to be about seventy and five years of age and he was carrying a black bag in his left hand. When he spoke, the strength of his voice belied his old age."Good day, my Lord," he said while bowing." Richard, take a look at her and let me know of your findings. She has been saying some rather unmeaningful things since she awoke. Some talk about how she is not of this time and needs to go back to the twenty first century. How absurd!"The healer, Richard walked toward the bed. He looked at Matilda and took in her flushed face."Good day, my Lady," he said.Matilda did not reply to the healer's greeting. She simply stared at him until he came to the realization that she didn't reply because she could not identify him. Richard placed his bag on the table beside the bed and opened it."My Lady, if you would please lay down, I need to examine you."Matilda did as he asked. He took out some strange instruments from his bag and proceeded to use them on her. He also took her temperature and when he was done with his examinations, put his instruments inside his bag and produced a small vial of red coloured liquid from it. He placed the vial on the table and spoke to Alexander."My Lord, I have examined Lady Beatrice and found nothing wrong with her except that I fear her temperature is quite high. My Lady should use this medicine with her food when she has her evening meal and her temperature should be down by the morrow. If you please, I will take my leave now, my Lord.""You can be on your way, Richard. Make sure to stop by the keep in the morn to further check on Beatrice."Richard left the room and Alexander also went outside immediately. He called to a kitchen maid to bring food for Beatrice. He went inside and after a while, the maid brought the food in."Place the food on the table and leave," Alexander ordered.The maid complied with the order and closed the door silently behind her. Alexander went to the table, opened the vial of liquid and sprinkled a little amount of it in the food."I have something to say," Matilda said firmly."You must have your meal before I listen to anything you have to say," Alexander replied. " I have a pressing matter that I need to attend to. I shall be back by the time you are done with your meal."With that, Alexander turned and left the room.Matilda was skeptical about eating the food that was in the plate. Earlier on, she had stepped down from the bed and taken a look at the food on the table.The food had a strange look as was with everything in this place. It looked like some sort of porridge but it was thicker than a normal porridge. On further thought, she decided that it was meant to be like that. After all, nothing in this place looked normal.Matilda's greatest fear was that the food might have been poisoned. She also thought about the red coloured liquid that Alexander had sprinkled on the food. What if it was some type of medicine that turned her head upside down? As for the idea of poisoning, she thought about it more. Alexander had called her his wife, so he would not poison her right? Still she was determined not to eat it. Beside the wooden plate of food on the wooden tray stood a wooden cup of water.She looked longingly at the water. She was very thirsty and not even a drop of water had passed through her
Alexander slammed the door shut behind him. His thoughts were jumbled together as he headed for his chamber. On his way there, he came across his mother.Victoria Thomas was a middle aged woman of fourty and eight years of age. She was short and had a mop of brown curly hair. Neither of her sons looked anything like her. She was a sweet old lady who saw only the good side of people and nothing of their faults. On seeing his mother, Alexander came to a halt."Mother!" he called out."Allie, how is Beatrice doing?" his mother asked.Alexander grimaced. He had always hated the nickname his mother had bestowed upon him since his childhood days. Thankfully, now she only called him Allie in the presence of family only. He pondered on the response to her question. He considered telling her of Beatrice's mental state but thought it wise not to do so. There was no knowing who his mother would tell it to. Victoria had always Ahad a bit of a loose mouth."She is alright, Mother. Beatrice is ju
Alexander gazed on at Beatrice as she slept on the bed. She clenched the red and white coloured coverlet in one of her fists as she slept. Alexander remembered the promise he had made to himself earlier on before he had gone to fetch Beatrice for her wash and he vowed to keep it at all costs.He was done being harsh with her. That was all in the past. Her sleeping form twitched a little and he took in her angelic face. She truly was beautiful. That was what had attracted him to her in the first place. Her firm breasts nestled under her night dress as they moved up and down due to her breathing. Her hips were not were not too generous but they were the right shape and he loved them that way. Her also loved her slender waist, her elegant legs and her milk and butter complexion.Alexander's gaze moved to her lips again and he took in how rosy they were. They were full and enticing. At this moment, there was nothing he wished more than to capture her lips with his and kiss her with the d
Beatrice managed to fend Annalise off by replying to her questions with one worded answers. Lady Victoria got the hint that Beatrice did not want to talk so she ushered Annalise outside the chamber saying something about a newly blooming flower that she wanted to show her. Lucia also left the chamber to give her mistress privacy.After they had all left, Beatrice felt lonely and didn't know what to do. She decided to wander around the castle. Matilda made her way down the stairs and pushed out of the great bronze front doors of the castle. Outside, she came across a guard post. A heavily built guard tried to come close to her but she waved him away.She made a turn to the right, past the beautiful fountain and kept on going until she came across a clear beautiful lake. She sat down on th edge, kicked off her shoes and dipped her toes into the water.A sudden movement in the water startled her and she looked at the ripples on the surface of the lake. Then the water surface broke in a
Beatrice made her way to Alexander's office. She needed to tell him the list of things she would need for the ball. When she got there, she did not bother to knock this time. She just pushed the door open. She walked to his side and beamed at him."My dear husband, I came to inform you about the items I shall need for the ball," Beatrice said. " I did not write them down so you have to take them down on a piece of paper."Alexander nodded and pulled a sheet of paper to put Beatrice's list down. "I am ready," he said. "Call the items out."As Beatrice called them out, Alexander wrote them down. When he was done, he spoke."I shall ask the housekeeper to get them for you. Some of them should be in storage while others will have to be bought. Anything to make you happy, my wife."" There is one more thing, two actually," she said. " I will need you to send for the dressmaker. I need a new dress for the ball. I also need someone to fill out the invitations."" I shall send for the dressma
Beatrice was totally confused by Alexander's expression. His face was contorted with anger. She had never seen him this angry. Not even when he had threatened to have the healer give her a large dose of sleeping medicine. Alexander's anger now was something else. Beatrice wondered what was ticking him off in her dress. It was a very beautiful dress, as beautiful as any one could get and it was decent too. It did not expose any part of her body that was not supposed to be exposed. "I said pull the dress off now! Didn't you hear me or have you lost your hearing function?" Alexander thundered again." What is wrong with the dress? What should I have to pull it off?" Beatrice questioned." Do not ask further questions. Pull the dress off now or you shall face the consequences!"Beatrice decided to do as he said. She still did not know why the dress seemed to piss him off but she decided to obey his order. Lucia was not in the room anymore so she had to get the heavy and layered dress of
Alexander wanted to talk but he did not even know where to start from. His mind was reeling and an ache was already starting to bloom in his head. This information was truly too much to process.Beatrice on the other hand, simply stared at Alexander, gauging his reaction and wondering how he was taking the information. From the look on his face, he seemed to be taking it badly. She knew he was at a loss for words.Alexander dragged air into his lungs through his nose to calm him down before he spoke."I have pondered on all what you said and I know that it is true. It is baffling me how you could come here but as you said, it was through magic. However, I do not believe that magic still exists in these parts." He cleared his throat and continued. " As for your presence here, you shall continue to stay in the keep and act as Beatrice, my wife and the Marchioness of Ludlow. I will not ask any sexual favours from you and I will be good to you. What do you say to this proposition?" Alexan
Alexander looked at Beatrice through sweat drenched eyelashes in suprise and disbelief. He was shocked by Beatrice's words. Was she lying? He did not think so because he saw the sincerity of her words in her gaze. If she truly loved him, then they could make it official by having a private marriage. He wanted to think about how the marriage would be when he realized that he was getting ahead of himself. He had not confirmed her words first before going ahead to think about marriage.Beatrice could see the disbelief playing on Alexander's face. She too did not believe that she had said it. The admission had just come out of her mouth because she was tired of keeping her feelings at bay. Now that she had admitted her feelings there was no going back."Beatrice, are you serious about this? Do you truly love me? I need to know."" Alexander, I am serious about my statement and I say this from the bottom of my heart without any doubt whatsoever. I love you so much, Alexander."Beatrice fix