The Knight's Mysterious Maid-Chapter 220: Sign (2)

Annalise looked out the carriage window during the entire trip to the orphanage. She answered when Beatrice spoke to her and then turned her attention back to the window. The way she felt now made her wish she had left with Thomas so she wouldn’t be feeling confused and experiencing this awkwardness.

Annalise sighed in relief when Beatrice said that the orphanage was in view. She couldn’t wait to get far away from Rafael who sat beside her. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

Despite the strange air around them, Annalise was looking forward to seeing the orphanage River grew up in until he was adopted by the knight named Nicolas. She had yet to learn more about Nicolas and the Callahan name.

Rafael only spoke of his parents and grandfather Nicolas, but where were the other Callahans? Was it only the four of them? Was Nicolas also an orphan?

Annalise exited the carriage with River’s help since he offered his hand to her after he helped Beatrice out of the carriage.

"Thank you," Annalise said and then she got out of the way so she wouldn’t block Rafael’s way out.

Annalise looked around at the home which was a bit bigger than the one she was staying at with the Callahans. There were children of different ages running around on the outside and a few stopped to look at who had come to visit them.

Annalise took two steps back when children started to run toward where she stood with Rafael and his parents. She went back into something and looked up to find Rafael staring down at her. She didn’t know that he was so close behind her and she wished he wasn’t so she could get away from the children.

Rafael held her so she wouldn’t try backing away from the harmless little children. "Scared of children?" He asked.

Annalise looked back down at the children surrounding them. "No, but all came over here at once. Is there something you need to say or give to them?"

Annalise didn’t know what to make of the children smiling at her and pulling on her hand like they wanted to take her somewhere. She was good with the children at home, but it was normally one or two to approach her at a time. Right now, nearly ten children surrounded them. Each one had something to say and Annalise was unable to listen to everything they said.

"Isn’t it obvious that they want to play with you? You play with snakes and whatever deadly creatures you can get your hands on, but you back away from children. They won’t hurt you, Annalise. Some of them won’t," Rafael added since there were a few who liked to be too rough when they played and some who liked to bite whatever they could get their hands on.

Annalise let the children pull her to whatever they wanted to show her. She felt bad because having to pay attention to so many children all at once made her think of holding off when she would have children of her own. She was not here for long, but she knew when she closed her eyes tonight she would still hear children laughing.

"River Callahan!"

Annalise watched River get out of the crowd of children and walk to a frail woman who had children hiding behind her.

"Thelma," River greeted her with a hug.

"Look at you. What are you eating to be so tall?" Thelma asked as she patted River’s back. It was always good to see the children she took care of for years return to the orphanage with their families. "And what are you feeding that boy? Look at him."

"It is in his blood to grow tall like his father. He is taller than me," River said, letting go of Thelma so Rafael could hug her.

Thelma was like a mother to River since she was here at the orphanage from the time he was found as a baby, floating down a river. She was a mother to many children who stepped into the orphanage for whatever reason.

Thelma remained at the orphanage for years even now when she found it hard to keep up with the children. Thelma could not walk away from the house where all her children were. As long as there was some strength in her body, she was going to stay here to care for the children. This was her home now.

"I am not that old," Thelma said, smacking River’s hand away when he tried to help her walk to Rafael. "This old girl can still get around. You should stop growing so we all wouldn’t have to break our necks to look up at you. You are growing tall like the tree in the yard. Come down a little bit."

Rafael leaned down as Thelma requested so she could hug him. She was smaller than he remembered last year, but she remained so full of life. "I cannot help that I continue to grow."

"And who is this? Did you finally bring a wife?" Thelma asked, pushing Rafael to the side so she could get a good look at Annalise.

Annalise smiled, waiting for Rafael to answer that she was just the maid. When it came to grandmothers, Annalise became like a mouse because her mind was filled with memories of her grandmother hitting her in the head with a stick when she said something wrong.

"Annalise is a maid from my manor-"

"Why did you bring a maid and not a wife? Have you not taught the boy properly to not show up with a woman unless it is his wife to be? How long are you going to make me wait to see the next generation of Callahans? Come inside to play with the children," Thelma said, a little bit upset that Rafael didn’t bring a woman for her to meet.

She had a box that Nicolas left behind that she wanted to pass on to Rafael when he got married. River already got a few personal things belonging to Nicolas when he married Beatrice. Thelma wasn’t getting any younger so she wanted Rafael to speed up his marriage so she could give the box to him. She was protecting it this long under Nicolas’s request.

Annalise remained at the back while everyone walked ahead. She looked around the outside of the orphanage and not far from where she stood, she saw a little girl swinging on a rope by herself. The little girl stared at Annalise and sat up like she wanted to come over to her, but as the other children circled Annalise, she sat back down.

Annalise wanted to go over to see why she was all alone when the other children were playing with each other, but first, she had to tell Rafael where she was going.

Annalise walked toward the inside of the orphanage, but before she could make it past a small wooden gate that blocked off the children from running to where the carriages were parked, something caught her eye. Something that she was quite familiar with.

"This," Annalise said, touching a marking that she had seen at home.

It meant a safe place to her people. It was used to tell the children that the area they played in was safe so the Castro guards would never harm them.