Reaching Out To Sir Gerim

It must be a dream. It certainly must be a dream. Certainly, her father wouldn't think of marrying her off to a stranger. No, he wouldn't, not when he knew, not when he knew where her heart lay, not when he knew who she was in love with. Annabel muttered to herself as she ran up the stairs back to her room.

The servants who walked past her gave her a confused look as they greeted her. She didn't hear a word of what they said. The faraway look on her face silenced them and prevented them from meddling.

She didn't even realize that she was crying already.

She walked to her room door and rested her head on it for a few seconds before placing her hand on the doorknob. As she was about to open it, the door swung open and Eunice, who was about to walk out of the room with a basket full of dirty clothes, was startled as her heart jumped to her throat. She realized who it was before she could scream in fear and her face twisted in confusion.

"My lady? Is there a problem? You're crying." Eunice asked as she placed her hand on her chest.

"Eunice," Annabel called pitifully as she walked past her into the room and headed for her bed, her voice barely a whisper.

She landed on the bed heavily, pushing her face into the newly laid bedspread. She wailed.

The confused Eunice, who still stood at the door, looked outside as if she was trying to see who or what was making her mistress cry.

It was odd. How could someone run out of this room happily a few minutes ago only to come back in tears? Did something happen to my lord? She wondered as fear also rose in her heart.

She gently shut the door, placed the basket on the floor, and walked back to Annabel.

"My lady, did something happen?"

Annabel didn't respond; she only continued to cry her heart out.

"My lady, if something happened you have to tell me. Remember what they say, a problem shared is... a problem solved?" Eunice struggled to remember the proverb that was frequently used by the learned, but even the proverb didn't earn her Annabel's attention.

"Did something happen to my lord? Does he have a terminal illness?" Eunice rambled on, "My God! Is he going to die?" Eunice asked as her eyes widened and fear rose in her heart.

She was so sure that whatever made her mistress cry had to be from Sir Thomas. After all, wasn't it Sir Thomas, her mistress, had gone to see this morning?

If Sir Thomas died while Annabel was still single, all the servants would most likely lose their jobs, unless, of course, Annabel could get married within a year, but even then, the number of workers would be reduced in number, as her husband would have workers of his own. Unless, of course, Annabel marries a man of the lower class.

"No, it's something worse than death!" Annabel retorted, drawing Eunice out of her train of thought.

Eunice looked at her mistress, whose eyes and cheeks were red and puffy while being peppered with streaks of tears here and there. She had been so lost in thoughts that she didn't even notice when Annabel sat up to face her.

"Worse than death?! What could be worse than death, my lady?" Eunice asked with fear; it was obvious without a doubt that something really bad had happened.

"Father is marrying me off!" Annabel declared, and tears spilled down her eyes like an unhindered drain, but Eunice didn't quite understand.

Isn't this what her mistress always wanted... to get married?

"Isn't this good news then, my lady? Sir Gerim has finally asked for your hand in marriage. You will be with the love of your life!" Eunice said with an awkward smile while Annabel looked at her. Her heart only clenched more when Eunice mentioned Sir Gerim.

"No! My father is marrying me off to a stranger!" Annabel shouted at her angrily.

"Ha!" Eunice gasped, "Certainly, my lord would never!"

"Yes, he would, and he has! I heard them myself! He's marrying me off to a brutish man who didn't even show him any respect when he asked for my hand. He just informed his father as if I was some commodity waiting to be sold!" Annabel ranted, tearfully shocking Eunice, who finally realized the full extent of the situation.

"Oh, my lady!" Eunice said as she went to sit beside Annabel on the bed, taking her hands into her own. The comfort Annabel received only made her eyes teary, so she continued to cry her eyes out.

A few minutes passed, and Annabel rested her head on Eunice's shoulders as she sobbed.

"What do we do now, my lady?" Eunice asked with uncertainty. Hearing this news, for some reason, made the future seem very bleak.

"I won't marry him. By God, I won't! I won't, even if I have to die!" Annabel shouted.

Eunice sighed in despair; she wasn't foolish. In fact, neither of them was. It was obvious that no matter how much Annabel wanted to refuse, the moment the wedding was agreed upon by Sir Thomas, she wouldn't have much of a say, especially if the suitor was a powerful person. Unless, of course...

Eunice's eyes brightened up and she turned to Annabel, who still had her head on her shoulder, "my lady! I have an idea!"

Annabel lifted her head swiftly and looked at Eunice with bright eyes. "You do?"

"Yes! How about we write a letter to Sir Gerim and tell him about the situation? I'm sure he would rush down from London and have the lord go back on his words. He is going to claim you as his future wife and his betrothed." Eunice explained with excitement as she held onto Annabel's two hands tightly.

Annabel smiled happily. She was very pleased with the idea.

She had met Gerim, a noble knight, at the New Year festival in London three years ago. They had both fallen in love at first sight. Shortly after, he received a promotion to become the king's personal guard, which was an honorable profession. He had promised that he would soon return to ask for her hand in marriage, and they had written letters to one another frequently over the years.

Eunice was right; if she sent him a letter, he would come running over; he wouldn't let any other man take his woman, right?

"Quick Eunice, go get me a quill and some paper! I am going to write a letter to Gerim, so that way he will hurry over and stop the wedding. We never know, he might even make the wedding ours!" Annabel sighed dreamily, her mood changing just like that.

Eunice nodded happily and rushed out of the room, mostly excited that she could be of help to her mistress.

She had met her mistress when she was eight years old. Her mistress and the lord had come to do business with her father when her poor family decided to sell off the little pig farm they owned.

When Annabel saw her, she took a liking to her and the lord had asked her poor parents to send her over to work as a servant in their home. Her poor parents were more than elated. Ever since then, she and Annabel had grown up together and Annabel had treated her more like a friend than like a servant. She too saw Annabel as her sister, just one from a different class.

Eunice soon returned with a small wooden tray containing an inkhorn, a quill, and some paper.

She found Annabel chewing her lower lip and pacing nervously around the room when she arrived. Smiling, she hurriedly placed the items on the writing table before excitedly rushing to her mistress's side.

"My lady, I brought back the items." She said with a grin, but Annabel only gave her a worried look.

"Eunice! I don't know, what do I do if he doesn't reply? Do I have to marry that brutish man? I can't, I certainly can't!" Annabel said, shaking her head as her eyes began to tear up again.

"Of course, he will, my lady, he certainly will reply!" Eunice reassured.

"Mama told me that men in love are more protective of their women; they wouldn't let any man covet them, not to talk of taking them away in marriage," Eunice explained, but Annabel wasn't convinced.

"You know how Gerim is, he hardly ever replies to my letters. All these years I have written over a dozen letters to him, but he only replied twice! What if he doesn't reply this time?" Annabel lamented.

"But whenever he replies, he tells you that he read the other letters and that he loves you. Look, even in the last letter, he said to wait patiently for him as he would certainly marry you. Did he not say that?" Eunice asked Annabel, who nodded.

"He did say that, but...."

"No buts, my lady, this is a very crucial moment. You can't afford to be negative. Come," Eunice led Annabel to the writing table, which was made of expensive dark mahogany wood, and pushed her to sit on the wainscot-armed chair.

When Annabel hesitated for a few seconds, Eunice quickly spread out the paper, opened the inkhorn, and gently placed the quill in it.

"My lady, you should have faith in Sir Gerim," Eunice said when she was done. "I believe he will show up."

Annabel glanced at her, then sighed and began to write the letter.