Chapter Four

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 A

had a bit of a loose mouth.

"She is alright, Mother. Beatrice is just having a bit of trouble adjusting to what she knows nothing about. I really hope her memory comes back soon."

" Well, that is good considering the circumstances. I know that she will be okay very soon. Beatrice has always been a strong young woman," Victoria said.

" Okay then, mother. I will like to be on my way. I want to prepare my chamber for Beatrice. She is feeling a bit lonely where she is at now."

" Go on, son," his mother waved him off.

Alexander went on his way. He took a left turn and then a right one before coming to a secluded hall. He got to the front of the only door there and stepped into a room. This was the Marquess's chamber. From the beginning of the Thomas lineage as the Marquesses of Ludlow, this chamber had always served the head of the kingdom.

The chamber comprised of five areas. The living area, the sleeping area, the washroom, the study and the library. The chamber was tastefully furnished. The walls were inlaid with precious gems like rubies, sapphires, opals and corals.

The living area held plush red coloured sofas and a table of marble in the middle. The bed in the sleeping area had been carved by one of the first wood workers in the kingdom, the master of them all. All the other pieces of furniture in the chamber had been carved by the same hand too. On the armoire stood a jar of the oil that Beatrice loved so much. The mirror attached to it was as clear as day. Some of her personal items lay on the armoire.

In the study was a desk and chair carved of jade and inlaid with ivory. In the library were great books of the ancients. There were also scrolls of papyrus and vellum there too. The washroom was fitted with a washstand, a basin, an ewer of water and a sunken stone tub. On a table lay an assortment of scented soaps and oils and a a stack of colourful wash towels. A stone toilet was also fitted to one side. This was the most beautiful room in the whole of Ludlow.

Back in that room, Matilda was utterly confused. She did not know what to do again. She had played her last card with Alexander and it had failed. What was she going to tell him again that he would believe? There was nothing, she concluded.

Alexander had already made up his mind not to take any statement that came out of her mouth seriously. Matilda was at a loss for what to do. She turned the issue in her mind over and over and came up with nothing. She regretted that moment she had read that spell. Had it been that she hadn't read it, she would still be living her normal life back at Oxford.

She finally decided not to mention any word of her life before now to Alexander again. She would try to convince him that she was his wife, Beatrice so that he would push all thoughts of her supposed mental illness away from his mind. She had to act like Beatrice would. Then when he had finally trusted her, she could tell him about her past for the final time and hope he would believe her. She told herself that this was the best solution she could come up with. She readjusted her posture on the bed waiting for whatever the next moment was going to bring her.

Alexander rearranged the chamber himself. He had not wanted to call a maid in to do it because they couldn't do it the way Beatrice liked it. In his mind, he acknowledged that he had not been gentle with her. He had treated her badly and named her mental to her face. While arranging the room, he made a firm promise to himself, a promise that he vowed to keep.

From this day onwards, he would treat Beatrice like she deserved to be treated. It wasn't her fault that she had lost her memory, he reasoned. It was just fate playing tricks on them. He would talk to her gently and answer her questions promptly. He would treat her with care, devote his attention to her and he would try to remind her with love, what her life had been like before.

Alexander vowed to never raise his voice at her again no matter what she said. Everything would be as it was the first few months after they got married except that she wouldn't be able to recall what those times had been like. He would only have to remind her.

In the sleeping area, Alexander pushed open the chest that held Beatrice's possessions. Her dresses, trinkets, headpieces, drawers, chemises, petticoats and corsets were all there. Her footwears were piled further down beside the left wall. He paired each dress with a headpiece, corset, drawer, chemise, petticoat and trinkets according to how she liked to wear them. He also laid out the footwear she liked to wear with each set of clothes.

Next, he set about preparing the washroom for her bath. He went out of the chamber, out of the secluded hall and hailed a passing maid. Alexander asked her to bring two buckets of hot water to his chamber. He jogged to the chamber, back to the washroom and poured a quality amount of a rare type of oil into the tub while he waited for the maid to bring in the water. He also placed a bar of soap on the washstand.

Not very long after, someone knocked on the door.

"Who is there?" Alexander asked.

"I have come with the water, my Lord," came the reply from outside.

"Bring it in then."

The door swung open and the face of a young maid appeared followed by two buckets of steaming water in her hands. She seemed unsure of where to go with them because she had never been in the Marquess's chamber before.

"Go to the washroom and pour it in the tub," Alexander told her and indicated the direction of the washroom.

The maid followed his directions and went to the door of the washroom. She put the buckets of water down and pushed the door open then she picked the buckets up and poured their contents into the tub. She left the washroom and bowed to Alexander in the living area.

"I am done, my Lord," she said.

"You can leave now," Alexander ordered.

When the maid had closed the door behind her, Alexander pulled the door to Beatrice's chest open and took out a night dress. He went to the washroom and placed it on the table there. The whole room smelt heavenly and was covered in a veil of fog from the steaming water. He was done here.

He left the chamber to go and fetch Beatrice for her bath. On getting to the room, he pushed the door open and found her still seated at the edge of the bed. He walked to her side, took her arm and pulled her up gently.

"It is time for your bath, my wife. You shall return to staying in our chamber."

Matilda didn't protest. She needed a bath so she allowed Alexander to lead her out of the room. They took a series of turns and came to an isolated hallway and then went through a door. They came to a stop at a living room and Matilda marveled at the beauty of it. This was the most beautiful room she had ever laid eyes on. There was no word in her vocabulary to describe the magnificence of it.

Alexander led her to a bathroom further inside and pointed to a stand on which a bar of soap was laid.

"There is the washstand, the ewer and the basin."

He poured a little amount of water from the ewer to the basin and directed her on how to use it.

"You will take one of those washcloths from that stack over there and dip it into the basin. You will then rub the soap on it and use it to wash your body. When you are done with that, immerse yourself in the water in that tub for a while. When you finish with your wash, there is a nightdress on the table. Take it and put it on. If you cannot manage by yourself, I can offer to assist you."

Matilda was not about to let Alexander see her nakedness.

"You can go on. I will be fine on my own," she said.

Alexander left the room and closed the door.

Matilda found the whole procedure rather strange but she soon discarded her clothes and took her bath. If you could call it that, she reasoned. She put on the night wear and stepped out of the bathroom.

When she got to the bedroom, the covers had been pulled back and Alexander motioned for her to lay down on it. She was already exhausted so she did exactly that. He pulled the covers up to her chin and kissed her on the forehead.

"Have a good night's rest, milady," he whispered.

Not long after, Matilda was already fast asleep.