From the Ashes

Chapter Fifteen

Richard seemed suddenly glued to the floor as she stared at him drinking her wine.

"Where are my manners?" Juliana said as she approached him. She took his gloves and cape from him. "Care for a seat?" she said motioning to the other small chair at the table where she had been sitting. She looked for someplace to hang his cape and hat but saw no place that was good so just carefully laid them on the floor.

"My apologies," she said. With a wave of her hand, she encompassed the room. "No furnishings," she added before taking in a little more wine.

Richard looked at her with amazement as she sat across from him at the table. "You said that you love me." He reminded her.

"No," Juliana said taking another piece of chicken. "What I said was I could not possibly love you," she corrected him. Juliana looked at the bottle of wine on the table she never remembered the wine at the Manor being this strong.

Richard brought her attention back to him, "Anna do not toy with me. This is my life you are playing with." Draining her glass, Juliana just stared at Richard and then out of nowhere she patted his cheek. "Poor Richard with no one to love him except of course the lovely blonde which he is going to marry."

Richard grabbed hold of her wrist, "I am not in love with her," he growled.

"No?" Juliana said. "Why that is just awful. How could you sleep with someone you are not in love with?" Juliana asked as she squinted her eyes to concentrate. "More importantly," she continued, "how can you marry someone you are not in love with?"

"Because..." Richard said, "she is the mother of my child."

Juliana knew that news should have bothered her but she had imbibed so much wine she really could care less. "Well," she told him, "that just serves you right for going through with the first question?"

"Her mind is dangerously coherent for all the wine she has drunk," Richard observed. His news did not even break her train of thought. Juliana stood up from the table and pointedly looked down at her wrist, which Richard promptly released. She went to remove the kettle from the stove. "Did you want tea?" she asked him.

"No," Richard replied. Not knowing what to make of Anna's state of mind. Did she mean it when she said she loved him, or that she would love him if he were not getting married?

Juliana did not want tea either so grabbed a blanket from the other room and her bottle of wine and her empty glass from the table. She spread the blanket in front of the fire and sat down on it and refilled her glass.

"Anna, you must tell me the truth, do you love me?"

"Poor, poor Richard," Juliana said turning to look at him once more. "Come, join me here on the blanket." She patted the spot next to her.

Richard did as she requested anything if it meant getting an answer from her. She was about to take another sip of wine but Richard placed his hand over the glass and lowered it from her lips. Juliana looked at him quite cross.

"Anna, I must know. It is my heart, my life, my very soul even that you are toying with. Please... answer the question."

Juliana smiled at Richard. "Did Alex and Willy... did they mention I tell them stories before bed?"

"Yes," Richard said not knowing where she was headed with this new topic of conversation. "Alex said you read to them."

"No," Juliana said shaking her head, "Alex says that because he learned that "telling stories" also means lying, but I never used a book to tell them an adventure."

"Anna, how does your telling stories to the children relate to my question?"

Juliana blinked long and slow for a moment and then drank the full glass of wine. "I tell good stories. Would you like to hear one? I think you will find it most interesting."