Beatrice was totally confused by Alexander's expression. His face was contorted with anger. She had never seen him this angry. Not even when he had threatened to have the healer give her a large dose of sleeping medicine. Alexander's anger now was something else.
Beatrice wondered what was ticking him off in her dress. It was a very beautiful dress, as beautiful as anyone could get, and it was decent too. It did not expose any part of her body that was not supposed to be exposed.
"I said, pull the dress off now! Didn't you hear me or have you lost your hearing function?" Alexander thundered again.
"What is wrong with the dress? Why should I have to pull it off?" Beatrice questioned.
"Do not ask further questions. Pull the dress off now or you shall face the consequences!"
Beatrice decided to do as he said. She still did not know why the dress seemed to piss him off, but she decided to obey his order. Lucia was not in the room anymore, so she had to get the heavy and layered dress off by herself. The task was cumbersome, and even with Lucia there to help her put it on earlier, it still took a lot of time.
Beatrice heaved and heaved, twisted and turned, pulled and dragged before she was able to get the beautiful white dress to slip off her shoulders and fall in a pool of fabric on the floor. Now that the dress was off, she was left in only her undergarments. Suddenly, she did not feel like attending the ball again.
Alexander took in her weary face and spoke. His voice had lost its harshness from before, and now a cool aloofness occupied it.
"It would not do well for you not to attend the ball after all the work you have put into organizing it. Put on a different dress and come and meet me downstairs."
"I do not wish to attend the ball again. I shall simply lie down here and sleep as it is already nighttime," Beatrice spoke.
"You shall attend it, and that is final. Put on another dress. I have to go downstairs now. It does not look well as both of us are not there to welcome the guests. If I do not see you there in another three minutes, I shall come and find you, force you into any dress and carry you downstairs to the great hall like a newborn babe. "
Beatrice turned her back to him. She waited for Alexander to acknowledge her, but he did not budge. He too turned and left the chamber. Finally, Beatrice turned her face to the door.
She was puzzled by Alexander's actions. This was the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. She was certain that it would be beautiful in the eyes of others too. Why then, did Alexander order her to pull it off? She turned to Nomar for an answer, but he did not give her any. He too seemed not to know anything about Alexander's strange behavior.
Suddenly, remembering that she had limited time to put on a dress, Beatrice headed to her chest and began to search for an appropriate dress to wear to the ball. She rummaged through all the dresses until she saw a sky-blue one that was exquisite in its way. She found that it was simple but elegant, and she liked it.
Beatrice put the dress on without wasting time because it was simple to wear. She also grabbed another pair of shoes from the pile in the far corner and slipped them on.
Before stepping out of the room, Beatrice put a smile on her face. She was determined to enjoy herself. She would not allow Alexander's strange behavior to put her mood down. After all, she was just here on a mission. Beatrice was confident that after the mission had been concluded, Nomar would find a way to get the portal open and she would go back home.
She left the chamber and shut the main door behind her. She made her way downstairs and into the great hall. All eyes turned to her as she stepped in. Some people were surprised at her simple dress since she was the one hosting the ball. Others admired her dress's simplicity, while a small percentage of people were unimpressed. She could dress any way she liked. It was her choice, and she couldn't afford an elaborate gown because she was the Marchioness of Ludlow.
Isaac, the person officiating the events, yelled as soon as Beatrice stepped into the great hall properly.
"Here comes Lady Beatrice, the Marchioness of Ludlow and the host of this ball. Welcome her with a round of applause."
The whole room applauded Beatrice. Alexander was watching from a corner. He had joined everyone to applaud his wife because it would have raised some eyebrows if he had not done so. He did not want any soul to know of their altercation. It was an issue that they would resolve by themselves when the time was right.
As soon as Beatrice was introduced, the events started in earnest. The guests were entertained throughout the whole night. They ate and drank their fill. The climax of the ball was when the town's famous orchestra group came to perform a soulful tune. All the couples in the hall executed a slow dance in unison.
Beatrice danced with Alexander during the group's rendition. She did not know how to do the slow dance of these people, but Alexander had led and she had followed, so it had gone well. It was a beautiful sight to watch, and many of the other couples admired them from afar, with longing in their eyes.
As soon as the ball was over, all the guests departed, weary from the multiple dances but full of excitement. Beatrice gave the maids orders to clean up the great hall while Alexander headed up the stairs and went to their chamber.
When Beatrice was done, she stood in the middle of the hall for a while and admired the portrait of the beautiful Lady. How mesmerizing she would have looked tonight had she worn the dress. She would have captured the eyes of everyone in the great hall till the ball was over. Alexander just had to spoil her plan with an order that did not make any sense to her. How had she worn the dress offended him? She did not know and she made a mental note to have a talk with him about his behavior before the ball. She just had to know why he had acted disrespectfully and rudely towards the person he called his wife.
As she finished climbing the flight of stairs, before she could take the first turn that led to their chamber, a dark-clad figure suddenly bumped into her and sent her sprawling to the floor. Immediately, the person rushed to her side to assist her. Beatrice looked up and saw that it was Annalise.
"Oh! I am so sorry, Lady Beatrice. I had so much on my mind, so I did not see you coming. Please accept my heartfelt apology," Annalise said while looking at Beatrice pleadingly.
"It is okay, Annalise. Do not worry about it. I have to be on my way now."
"By the way, I wanted to ask you about something since I saw you at the ball, but I did not have the chance. Lucia told me about the beautiful dress you had Miss John make for you, but I did not see you wearing it. Why was it so, Lady Beatrice?"
"I simply decided not to wear it because it was too cumbersome. If you would excuse me, I would like to be on my way now," Beatrice said.
"Alright, Lady Beatrice. Good night," Annalise cooed.
"Good night, Annalise," Beatrice said as she turned the corner that would take her to their chamber.
As soon as she swung the main door open, she saw Alexander sitting on the sofa in the living area.
"Why did you choose to torment me, Beatrice?" he asked in a calm voice.
"Torment you how? I do not know what you are talking about," Beatrice replied.
"If you truly regained your memories, as you said, then you would know about the woman in the great hall. My mother and Beatrice are the only people that know about her, and Beatrice only knew because I told her. If you are Beatrice, then you must know of this."
Beatrice took a while before she spoke. She waited to get her thoughts together before telling Alexander the whole truth. She knew someday would come when she would tell him of her time traveling and he would believe her. Now, the time was ripe for spilling it all out. She chose not to tell him about Nomar and her mission here.
When Beatrice finally spoke, everything came tumbling out. She told him of the book in the antique bookstore where she worked and about how she had read the spell that transported her here. She told him that since then, she had believed that magic existed. She also told him that the first time she had gone to the lake, as she put her feet into the water, she had gained some of the memories of Beatrice.
Alexander stood up and faced her. Truly, this woman standing in er. Truly, this woman standing in front of him was not Beatrice. She was another woman who had come to take the place of Beatrice. She had said it the first time she awoke in this chamber, but he had dismissed it as the ramblings of an ill woman. Now he was convinced that she had been telling the truth.
All these thoughts hit Alexander at once, and he collapsed onto the chair like a sack of potatoes.