Chapter Seventeen

The meal they were served was delicious and filling. There was roasted pork filled with greens and carrots. There was also apple pie and apple cider. At the end of the meal, a sweet wine made from blackcurrants was brought to the table and everyone marveled at the taste of it. It was different from any other wine they had ever drank. The taste was sharp as it was sweet. The cooks had been experimenting with different types of wine making recipes when they had decided to try this one out and it had turned out a very sweet wine which was to the liking of everybody.

Everyone had made small talk as they ate the food on their plates. Suzanne had talked about the state of everyone in Chester and Beatrice had also supplied information about Ludlow and its people. Alexander and Isaac had gotten into a debate about the profits and losses of farming and Victoria and Joshua had compared the prizes of some basic things in each other's town. Annalise had also given her opinion on some topics and Mark had supported some of them. The only person who had not contributed much to the discussions going on around the table was Sarah. She had just sat there, eating her food and observing the expressions of everyone around the table.

Sarah had found Alexander a little bit arrogant and Beatrice kind with a hard willed heart. She had refused to budge in an argument with Suzanne who had acquisised to her. Suzanne was kind and friendly and she had just given in out of peace. She had found Mark to be a good but boring old man and Victoria a sweet old lady. Isaac had been charming and witty and Annalise had been friendly but Sarah had sensed that underneath all the friendliness was just an unkind person. She also sensed that Annalise's kindness was just a facade that could have deceived anybody into thinking it was true.

The dinner had gone well and everyone was satisfied after it was over. Even Sarah who was normally unpleased about being in gatherings like this had not complained even once. She had not just smiled.

After the meal, Beatrice left Sarah and Joshua to occupy themselves with something while she gave Suzanne a tour of the grounds of the keep. She showed her sister the beautiful garden and Suzanne marveled at it. The garden was truly beautiful with a burst of colors from the different flowers planted in it. There were red and whites roses, hibiscuses, tulips, daffodils, daisies, chrysanthemums, poppies and many other bright coloured flowers. Birds of different types and sizes were in the garden sucking the nectars of the flowers and creating a fitting song for the beautiful atmosphere. This was nature at its best and the sisters were in awe.

They walked to the fountain and when Suzanne looked at it in detail, she praised the intricate stone work and the time she was sure had been put into carving it. The water was a bit warm when she splashed her hand in it for a little while.

Finally, Beatrice took Suzanne to the lake side and they both sat down at the edge of it, the coolness of the lake permeatimg into their bodies and contributing to the soothing ambience of the whole place .

"We should take off our shoes and put our feet into the water, " Beatrice suggested.

She and Suzanne loosened the straps of thier foot wears before dipping thier feet into the water at the same time. The water cooled Suzanne from her skin into her bones and she felt relaxed. No wonder Beatrice liked this place, she thought. It was as Beatrice had described it and more. Words could not even capture the soothing nature of this place.

"I love this place, " Suzanne said. "I wish I could stay here till the sun sets. "

"You could if you wanted to. I too want to stay here. Both of us should remain here and talk about things that we could not say in front of others. This place is certainly the best place in the keep for a private discussion, " Beatrice said.

Beatrice thought about telling Suzanne that she had lost her memory after the fall. Alexander had not informed them after the former Beatrice first had the accident. He had not wanted to cause them to panic. At the end of her delibrations, she decided to tell Suzanne. This was certainly the best time for it. She would not tell her about her main identity and Nomar. She could not trust anyone well enough to tell them about that. Furthermore, Nomar had even sworn her to secrecy.

Suzanne talked about her difficulty in finding a suitor. As she spoke, that was the first time Beatrice had seen a bit of sadness in her sister. Still she did not wear the sadness on her sleeve. She concealed it with her smiles and outgoing nature. This was the way Suzanne was, hiding her pain and comforting others even though she was hurting. What a kind person with a good heart she was.

Beatrice comforted Suzanne as best as she could. She lifted her spirits up and the discussion continued in a light hearted manner. They engaged on different topics and laughed their hearts off before Beatrice finally decided to tell her sister of her experience.

"Suzanne, I have something to tell you, " Beatrice started. "Alexander did not tell you about it after it happened because he did not want you all to panic upon hearing the news. It was good as he did not inform you because everything is back to normal now. "

"What is it, Beatrice? You are keeping me in suspense, " Suzanne said.

'When I fell down the stairs, I hit my head on a stone table at the base of it and lost my memory. I could not remember anything about my life after I woke up. "

Suzanne gasped at what she was learning from Beatrice. What a shocking piece of news. So her sister had been in a dilemma like this and she had not known? None of then had known. She was puzzled as to how Beatrice seemed to recognize she and their other siblings so she decided to ask her.

"If you truly lost your memory, then how did you recognize me, Sarah and Joshua? How did you know of those things back home in Chester?" Suzanne questioned.

"Alexander and this lake helped me greatly. When I came into consciousness after being unconscious for days, I started saying some delirious things and I could not even remember that I had a husband. Alexander briefed me of some things about my life hoping to jar at my memories but they did not resurface. "

Beatrice drew in a deep breath to cool her insides before she continued. "The next day I found some free time and started wandering around the keep and its grounds. That was when I discovered this lake. Alexander had told me that I liked to come here so I had to find it. When I sat down on this very edge which I am sitting on now and dipped my feet inside the lake, all my memories came back at once, filling me with the magnitude. I was stunned but happy at the same time. When Alexander came to find me later that day at the lake side, I told him about my memories coming back and he was overjoyed to say the least. Since then, we have lived happily and peacefully. That is the whole story, my dear sister. "

Suzanne did not say anything at first. She needed some time to take it all in. What miracle had happened that had made Beatrice to regain her memories after losing them? She was really happy for Beatrice at the outcome of events. What would have happened had that miracle not come in? Beatrice would have still been confused about her self and her life in general and Suzanne would have lost her dear sister in whom she confided in. It would have been tragic.

Finally she understood Alex ander's decision not to inform them in Chester about the development. They would have panicked and rushed over to Ludlow. In the span of time it took to journey from Chester to this place, Beatrice would have regained her memory. They would have panicked and when they arrived in Ludlow, Beatrice would have recognized and remembered them. Their mother would have even thought that Alexander had lied to them or pranked them. She would even have distrusted him. It was as if Alexander had known that Beatrice would still regain her memory in a natter of a short period of time. It was quick thinking on his part.

"Beatrice, " Suzanne called out taking Beatrice's hands in her own. "I am devastated to hear that you lost your memory but at the same tine, I am also happy that you have gained them back. It is good news for me. I thank the forces behind this lake that made you to gain back your memory. "

Suzanne pulled Beatrice up and hugged her tightly as if clinging on to her for dear life. This was her sister whom she loved so much and anything bothering her would have affected Suzanne too if she knew of it. She was almost in tears when she thought of the space of time that would pass before they would see each other again.

Both of them walked towards the direction of the front doors of the keep happy at their reunion and the chance to talk privately. They found Joshua at the garden talking with the gardener of the keep about plants in general . He seemed to be engrossed in the conversation and both Beatrice and Suzanne chuckled as he payed rapt attention to what the gardener was saying. Joshua had always loved plants and he kept a garden back in Chester in the Henry family house.

The three siblings went inside and found Sarah wandering around the large kitchen apparently undisturbed by all the maids and cooks around her. They had not bothered to approach her because they knew that she was the Marchioness's sister and even her countenance seemed unapproachable. She did not smile and did not even offer a greeting to any of them in the kitchen. She just stood, looking at how they were preparing the evening meal and how they carried out their functions in the place.

**********

Two days later, at the crack of dawn, Suzanne, Sarah and Joshua climbed into the carriage which had brought them here. It was stacked with enough provisions to last them a week even though Ludlow to Chester was just a two day journey. Beatrice had given Suzanne a gift of one of her dresses as they hugged each other earlier, tears in their eyes. Beatrice had also given Sarah a rare type of trinket and Alexander had given Joshua a short dagger. As the carriage moved far and far away from the keep, Beatrice wiped a tear away from her face and turned, falling into Alexander's waiting arms.