In The Beginning by Gail Daley (top 100 books of all time checklist .TXT) 📕

smiled down at Selene, "You have the look of your grandmother, as Rebecca does, young Draya. It is good to meet you at last. Are you glad to have found your family?"

"Yes, sir," Selene answered.

"And I'm glad to see you, Rebecca," Serle said, attempting to embrace her.

"Well of course it's always good to see old friends," she replied politely, and stepped back from him. As a young girl, Rebecca had considered Serle a handsome man. Somehow on meeting him again, he had lost much of his charm. Although there was no outward resemblance, she was uneasily reminded of Lazarus. Serle's well cut mouth seemed perpetually pursed in an expression of disapproval and the blue eyes looked predatory. His body looked—not exactly soft, his spare frame was too lank for that, but compared to Andre's stocky, muscled form, he looked weak.

"What's wrong with you?" Serle's voice was sharp. "This is not the behavior I expect from my affianced wife. In the future, I will expect better from you, despite being brought up away from civilization."

Rebecca stiffened. "Since I am not your affianced wife, my behavior can hardly be of concern to you," she said coldly.

"Nonsense!" he said. "It has been arranged since you were a child." He grabbed her wrist. "Come with me, we need to talk."

"Let go of me!" she said sharply, yanking on her arm. A piercing memory of being thrown to the ground by Lazarus flashed through her. Unconsciously, she conjured a fireball in her free hand.

Seeing the fireball, Lewys hollered, "Rebecca, Don't!"

Then Andre was there between them. He simply gripped Serle's wrist and squeezed. Rebecca heard Serle's bones grind together. Gratefully, she leaned her forehead against Andre's broad back.

"She said to let her go," Andre said mildly.

Serle dropped her arm, rubbing his wrist. He looked at Andre with angry disdain, but didn't attempt to renew his hold on Rebecca. "Tell your hired dog to go for a walk, Rebecca. We need to talk."

"I don't believe you've been properly introduced, Serle," Rebecca said, in a tight, icy voice. "This is Drake Andre Benoit, my affianced husband." She added, laying her hand on Andre's arm, "He seems to be laboring under a false impression and his death would upset Grandpa and Uncle Mort." Her gaze switched back to Serle, "I don't know where you got the idea we were to be married Serle. I certainly didn't give it to you, and I doubt Grandpa did. He would have told me if he had made a marriage arrangement."

The scene had progressed too swiftly for the older men to intervene. Now Lewys stepped forward. "Serle, it's true Mort and I had talked about what a nice thing your marriage to Rebecca would be, but it was simply idle talk. No arrangement was ever made. I apologize if you thought otherwise. In any case—"

"In any case, Rebecca has accepted me," Andre said. "I understand your old friend is a Cleric, Lewys. Perhaps now that he is here, Rebecca and I can have the marriage ceremony and be united in all ways."

"The date will be up to Rebecca," Lewys reminded him.

Deciding it would be best if she separated Serle and Andre, Rebecca said, "I hope my dress will be finished soon, so we can be married. We will leave you to have a nice cozy talk with your old friends, Grandpa. Andre, didn't you say there was a filly in the stables, you thought might do as a mount for Selene? Perhaps we could all walk down and meet her?"

Selene looked up at Andre with shining eyes. "Really? I'm to have my own unicorn?"

Andre smiled down at her. "You'll have to take riding lessons, but yes, she seems a good, gentle filly."

"What is her name?" Selene was fairly dancing with joy.

"Well, we thought you might name her," Rebecca said.

Tightlipped, Serle watched them go. A cheap Merc? That was who she preferred? The child too, how did they know who she actually was? To his mind, just because she looked a little bit like Rebecca didn't mean a thing.

He was yanked out of his unpleasant thoughts by hearing his grandfather mention his name.

"...very good with the older children," Corkian was saying. "I'm hoping you will give him a position here. It will keep him out of the eye of our local Proctor."

Rebecca made it all the way out to the stable and was able to watch as Andre introduced Selene to the filly before the shakes started.

"Rebecca?" Andre asked.

She turned her face into his chest and continued to shake. He folded his arms around her, rocking her as if she was a child. "Sshh, Darling," he said, stroking her back. "It's over. I'll make sure he doesn't touch you again."

"I—I'm sorry," Rebecca gasped out. "When he grabbed my arm, and wouldn't let go it was like Lazarus all over again."

"What's wrong with Rebecca?" Selene asked, looking up from feeding her new filly a handful of oats.

"Before we found you, she was attacked. Sometimes she has flashbacks," Andre said. "That asshole grabbing her arm brought one on. She will be alright, Hon."

"Attacked like I was?" Selene asked.

"Yes," Andre said. "Like you were. She escaped, but it was a near thing."

"I don't like him," Selene said, coming out of the filly's stall to pat her sister on her back.

"I'm sorry to fall apart like this," Rebecca told them ruefully. "There was no reason this time, because you were there to stop him."

"Yes," Selene agreed. "Andre will keep us safe. You don't need to worry."

"I know." She wiped her eyes and turned to her sister. "What did you name your unicorn?"

"I think I'll call her Sunlight," because she has such a bright color," Selene announced, willing to be diverted from adult issues.

Later, Rebecca and Andre met in the Warding alcove. "Lewys and the old man are still in the library," Andre told her softly. "I didn't see Serle."

"Are they awake?"

"I don't think so; they're both snoring," Andre said with a grin.

"Humm, well, I suppose Serle must have