Chapter Three

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 lips since she had woken up in this place. She could do without food for a few days but not without water. She was feeling dehydrated already. Matilda thought about it further and decided on a course of action. She would wait for Alexander to come back from wherever he went to and ask him to have a taste of the food and a sip of the water. That would convince her that neither of them had been poisoned. This is a good idea, she concluded.

As soon as Alexander left the room, he had locked the door. He did not have any pressing matter that he needed to attend to. He just told Beatrice that because he had wanted to get out of the room to think and clear his head. He paced in front of the room with different thoughts running through his mind.

Beatrice seemed alright to the eyes. She was okay except for the words that came out of her mouth. She didn't sound like a mad person but her words had no meaning. The healer had also said that nothing was wrong with her except that her temperature was quite high. Richard was a trusted healer and he had been practicing the trade since before Alexander had been born. His examinations had always been correct and Alexander had never had any cause to doubt him even for once. Why was he doubting him now then?

He did not believe that all what Beatrice said was the truth. He refused to even consider it. It could not be true. She was Beatrice, his wife whom he had been married to for a year. There was nothing about her appearance to suggest that she was not his wife. He had already concluded that Beatrice was slowly loosing her mental functions and the only person that had noticed it was him because he was the only one around her. The healer had not noticed it because he had not heard Beatrice's ramblings and he could not believe that someone like Beatrice, the Marchioness of Ludlow, could go mad.

Alexander wondered what he could do to make Beatrice see reason with him and accept that she was his wife. He ran through many options but none of them seemed worthwhile. He would just tread with care and take each day as it came.

With the way things were going, it would take a long time before Beatrice would be able to step back to her role as the Marchioness. Tongues would start wagging once she had not been seen outside in a months time, that he was sure of. He needed to find a way to to keep Beatrice out of the public eye for now. Her mental ailment would have to remain a deeply guarded secret. Infact, only few people in the keep would know of it. She had to remain in a room that was far from the eyes of many. A room like that would surely do.

Alexander thought of no other room suitable for this purpose than his chambers, the one they had shared before her fall. Perhaps, moving her to the room would jar her memories and she could begin to remember what her life had been like before the fall. His mind was made up. He would relocate her to his chambers.

Back inside the room, Matilda had dozed off while waiting for Alexander to come back. When she woke up, she looked around and didn't see any sign of him in the room. Surely, he was supposed to be back by now. She really needed to quench her thirst but she could not drink the water for fear that it had been poisoned so she needed him to take a sip of it.

Matilda was tired of waiting for Alexander. She went to the door and tried the handle. It was locked as she had expected it to be. She began to hit it with her fists in the hope that someone passing by might hear the pounding and decide to make a dash for Alexander.

Alexander heard the pounding on the door and stopped his pacing. What is wrong with this woman? he thought. He had told her that he had an urgent matter to attend to. Surely, she should realize that he was not meant to be disturbed. He walked to the door and unlocked it. Alexander stepped into the room and fixed his gaze on Beatrice.

"I told you that I had an urgent issue that I needed to attend to. Didn't it occur to you that I did not need to be disturbed?"

Matilda fixed him with an equally steely gaze and spoke.

"I could not be sure that the food and water had not been poisoned. I am also in doubt of the medicine the healer asked that I use which you sprinkled on the food. I want you to take a bite of the food and a drink of the water so that I can eat without any fear whatsoever."

Alexander was amazed. What went on in Beatrice's head? Shouldn't she know that he would never hurt her? Then he realized that he had not been exactly gentle with her.

"This is absurd! Why would you think that I or anyone for that matter would want to poison you? What does anyone stand to benefit from your death?" Alexander questioned.

"I do not know about that but I need you to comply with my request. I am already feeling symptoms of dehydration and I need to quench my thirst very soon." Beatrice replied.

"Alright then. As you wish, milady," Alexander concurred.

He walked towards the table, took a bite of the food and after chewing, took a sip of the water. He carried the tray to the bed and placed it on Matilda's lap.

"You can eat it now," he said.

"When I am done, I would like to speak to you."

" You have said that before. Just eat the food and I shall listen to whatever you have to say. I hope it will be meaningful this time."

Since Matilda was thirsty, the first thing she did was to take a sip of water from the cup. She took another sip and set it down carefully. She skeptically took the first bite of the porridge. She was in awe. It tasted really good and it was not like any other porridge she had ever tasted. This one also had fresh fruits like apples, cherries and grapes in it. Before long, she was done with the food. She walked over to the table and placed the tray on it. She turned to Alexander and spoke.

"Are you ready to hear what I have to say?"

" Yes, I am. Hurry up with it because I have some rather important things to do before the night sets upon us," he replied.

Having been given permission to speak, Matilda thought of how to phrase her words. She had to put them in a way that could convince Alexander. This place did not suit her and she needed to go back to her world. She was not even sure if they took their baths or brushed their teeth. She also needed a bath because she was beginning to emit an offensive odour and she said as much to Alexander when she finally cleared her throat and started to speak.

"Alexander, you need to listen to what I have to say. I have been saying this and I would still say it again and again. I am not Beatrice, your wife. I have never even been married before. I live in Oxford and staying here will be hard for me. I am not used to this lifestyle of the old times. I simply cannot survive here. It would be dangerous to my health."

She adjusted her position on the bed and continued to speak.

"As far as I can tell, you people here do not take your baths with a sponge and soap and you do not brush your teeth. Also, these clothes I am putting on do not suit me. They are too constricting and I do not feel comfortable in them. Please, I really need to get back to Oxford. I cannot go on like this."

Her voice had been laced with emotion as she spoke and she took a deep breath when she was done.

Alexander stood up and spoke to Matilda.

"I had thought that your words would be reasonable. How wrong it was of me to think that. You seem to have begun your mental ramblings. I have important things to do with my time than listen to this."

With those words, he left the room and slammed the door after him.