17 Snakes (3)

"It's our day off," Cara happily grabbed Annalise's arm. "This is one of the best days in the month for me. I have a dress I've been meaning to buy, and now I finally have enough money saved up. What do you plan to do today?"

"Walk around the market and see what catches my eye. I would like to buy some fruits to keep in my room and snack on at night," Annalise replied.

"Are you alright now? You had me and Jonah worried for you last night. At least you got the dirt out of the blanket. Waking up and washing a blanket on my day off was not in my plans, but I did it because I love you," Cara pinched Annalise's cheeks.

"I know I know. I promise to return you the favor when someone puts dirt-"

"The young master is coming," Cara covered Annalise's mouth with her hand and watched Rafael walk down the stairs.

"Why do we even call him young master? Shouldn't we call him sir?" Annalise mumbled against Cara's hands. The titles were starting to confuse her.

"His father was a low birth knight, but his mother came from wealth though she doesn't like to speak about it too much. He's not just a knight, but an heir to the fortune his mother does not want to take for herself. Mavis said we have to call him young master, but the knights call him Sir Rafael. He looks extremely handsome today," Cara sighed. It should not be possible for one man to be so dashing.

"Do you need a moment alone? My room is available-"

Screams in the distance interrupted Annalise's words.

All the servants who were off for the day, but waiting for a carriage to pass and take them where they needed to go, looked further into the home where maids ran out of a room.

"There's a snake!" A woman screamed out in the midst of all the panic.

"Snake? Why would there be a snake inside?" Cara wondered, pulling Annalise close so the bold woman could defend her. "It's a good thing we're off."

"It's a good thing we didn't leave before they found it," Annalise smiled. While others liked to play with worms, she was more fond of playing with snakes. They had to step their game up if they wanted to play pranks on her.

Annalise watched Laura and Tanya shake their dresses and reached behind themselves as if to get rid of something they believed to be on them. It was by some miracle that Laura and Tanya were not off today with Annalise and she knew one of the rooms they needed to clean. Laura and Tanya would serve as a good warning since they were like the leaders in the group of women under Mavis.

"I have to agree," Cara agreed, covering her hand to hide how entertained she was with seeing the women panicking.

"Where did you see the snake?" Rafael asked, going to the room all of the women ran out of. It wasn't odd for there to be a snake in one of the rooms after some of the knights spotted one. By now, the maids should be used to seeing one or two as he was aware they would go down by the river to bathe sometimes and there were a few snakes around those bushes.

"In there," Laura shakingly pointed to the guest bedroom.

'This is too much,' Annalise shook her head as she laughed. The snake wasn't that big for anyone to be making such a fuss. It was no longer than her arm. If she could have found a longer one, she might have been able to kill them from the fright. 'That would have been too much,' she thought.

Annalise watched Laura take deep breaths and screamed once more when Rafael walked out of the room with the small snake in his hands. "The snake merely saw other snakes in the room and wanted to say hi," she said.

"How cruel of you to be on the snake's side," Cara chuckled.

"How did a snake get inside of the room?" Laura asked, deeply confused since the windows and door were closed all night. Laura touched her chest to calm herself and looked around at the others watching her and the other maids. "You," she pointed at Annalise who waved her hand.

Rafael followed where Laura was pointing and it was no surprise that he found Annalise wearing a big smile instead of being concerned. He was quickly reminded of the fact Logan had warned her to stay out of the bushes last night because of snakes.

He couldn't exactly say that she was behind this snake inside of the room, but it was oddly convenient when a maid she didn't seem to get along with stumbled upon a snake the morning after she was seen in bushes where snakes were.

Rafael was giving her the benefit of the doubt that she was not so crazy to place a snake in a room to scare the other maids. "Be careful when cleaning the other rooms. The men will be searching for snakes and getting rid of them today. Make sure to keep all the windows closed if there is no one inside a room. I will speak to Mavis," he said.

Laura smiled sweetly as Rafael addressed only her in her mind. Once his back was turned and he started to walk away, her smile fell. "You did this," she pointed her finger as she walked to Annalise. She could see it in the smile that Annalise wore that this was her doing.

Annalise looked behind herself and Cara to see who Laura was pointing to.

"I mean you, Annalise. This could only have been you. Who else is so uncultured to put a snake inside of a room to mess with us?" Laura asked, keeping her voice low in case Rafael returned. She poked her finger in Annalise's shoulder and said, "Admit it now before I tell Mavis that it was you."

"You're accusing me? Honestly, I am hurt that you would make such an assumption about me. Tell you what. I personally think it's the same person who put beetles and worms in my bed. Should I stay home to help find these awful people? It won't take long. They are so close to us," Annalise said.

Laura gritted her teeth. Their harmless joke should not be met in retaliation with a snake. A snake was taking too far when all Annalise had in her bed were worms. "I underestimated how crazy you are. Never again," she promised.

"I maintain my innocence. Besides, you would think a house full of snakes would be able to handle seeing an actual snake. Perhaps the snake saw something in you and wanted to get close. You should feel honored. As much as I would love to stay here and help you figure out who could do an evil thing to you and the other maids, it is time for me to head to the market. Oh," Annalise remembered something before she turned to leave.

Annalise stepped closer to Laura and whispered, "Before you try to pull any more foolish games and try going into my room again, know that the snake the young master took away has a bigger friend who would love to meet you."