Rewriting Memory

Chapter 7

Now, Dagon Remiel Collingwood stood in front of her, wearing a red-and-black suit, the jacket of which even had gold buttons and tails. He had one hand on his hip and was grinning at Lysandra and Nereus.

"Lysandra, come now, what do you mean by running off with poor servants such as these?" he asked, gesturing to Nereus. "You cannot expect them to even understand a word of our speech, you know. Do you think Simon kept servants around so that he could walk with them and make conversation?"

Lysandra clenched her teeth to keep herself from shouting Shut up at him. "Hello to you too, Dragon," she said.

"And to think I don't even have a pet name for you," he said, his expression darkening. "What do you think? Would 'my little rebel' suit you well enough? Or do you need something more feminine?"

"Now, Remiel," a woman's voice said. A few guards emerged from the entourage to help an older woman swathed in fabrics down from the carriage. Lady Collingwood - Remiel's mother and, of course, the widow of the late Alexander. "There's no need to be harsh. We are guests in their house, after all."

"Harsh, my arse," Remiel muttered under his breath.

"Lysandra, would you be so kind as to show us the way to the house?" Lady Collingwood asked, forcing a smile.

"It's that way," Lysandra said, returning the smile and pointing up the road to the house.

"Of course," Lady Collingwood answered, her smile vanishing.

Without another word, Lysandra linked her arm with Nereus's and started up the walk. Remiel wasted no time in hurrying up beside her and trying to take her other arm. She repeatedly removed it from his grip.

"Lysandra," Remiel said. "You cannot possibly think you can hold the hand of a servant. Their hands are so - so - well, you know. They are tarnished by work."

"I needed someone to walk with me up to the house," Lysandra said calmly. "You hadn't offered, and Nereus here had already walked with me."

"Nereus!" Remiel barked, the name half a laugh and half a curse. "You would call him by his first name? Disgraceful! What do you think Simon would have said about that? Do you think he would have allowed you to address his servants that way?"

Lysandra let go of Nereus's arm only to open the front door of the house. She pretended she hadn't heard Remiel's accusation.

"Welcome," she said to the Collingwood entourage, showing them inside with a robotic wave of her arm.

Remiel stood outside while everyone else filed in through the front door. "Lysandra, I am so sorry. I did not mean to bring up your father. I just mean to say that he approved the marriage between you and me, not you and that servant."

"Yes, I understand," Lysandra said, swallowing hard. "But just because I walked with a servant does not mean I intend to marry him. There is no one else to accompany me through the gardens, and I did not want to walk all that way alone."

Remiel shook his head again. "I am deeply sorry. I promise I will not bring up the subject of your father again."

I doubt it, Lysandra thought. Instead she repeated, "I understand."

"Good." Remiel smiled tightly. He clasped one of her hands in his for a moment before hurrying on into the house.

Lysandra closed the heavy wooden doors behind her. Ismene and Vasu had taken their places in the foyer and were greeting the members of the Collingwood entourage. Along with the many servants they brought along with them, the Collingwood family also consisted of Lady Collingwood, Remiel Collingwood, and Remiel's little brother Ryder Collingwood. Ryder was even younger than Lysandra, around the age of thirteen, and easily distracted. He also hadn't picked up on the rules of court, disobeying them more often than Lysandra did.

"Come in," Ismene said, greeting them with a warm smile. Lysandra wondered what in Oblitus she'd have to do to get Ismene to smile like that at her. "We have food waiting in the dining room. Have a seat."

Lysandra dragged her feet on the way to the massive dining room, dreading sitting down between Remiel and some other member of the Collingwood entourage, perhaps Remiel's little brother. Or maybe a servant. Possibly Nereus - but no, he'd already told her he'd be hidden away in his room.

Despite what Remiel said, Lysandra sometimes thought she and Nereus were far more suited for each other than she and Remiel. She wondered if, had Remiel not been a servant, he could take Remiel's place as her suitor. But, on the other hand, she wondered if thinking about Nereus that way would ruin their friendship completely.

"Lysandra, my dear, you walk so slowly!" Ismene said, appearing from around a corner. "Please, hurry, the Collingwoods are waiting!"

"I was just - closing the door," Lysandra said, but Ismene had already gone into the dining room. Lysandra closed her eyes and blew out a long sigh.