Once Ceidre was properly placed at the multi-aged party, her parents left. Her parents were suspicious of why they were invited there. The part was one of the Melleno�s. The Melleno�s were a neighboring couple with two children, Anthony and Cynthia. Anthony was 3 and Cynthia, 5. Ceidre�s father had spoken many times with the male head of household of the Melleno�s. The Melleno�s wished to betroth Ceidre to Anthony.
Ceidre�s fathers wouldn�t have minded, but knew that the Melleno�s were working themselves into debt. If Anthony and Ceidre married, they together would carry the debt. Eventually, Ceidre's inheritance would be used to pay her husband�s debt. Ceidre�s parents didn�t want that. They denied the Melleno�s often. Their titles were equal but moral�s different.
As it turned out, the Melleno�s invited Ceidre Mallorie and her parents only to beg them for the children to marry once again. Jezebelle collected Ceidre and was pulling her out the door as her father, Derack, was behind. The guards let them out willingly. They glanced over Jezebelle many times though. Her figure was the same as Ceidre�s would be, slim and perfect; Her skin a flawless ivory.
As the Mallorie carriage pulled away all the guards were called in. A loud male voice, a Melleno voice, would be heard but the words couldn�t be distinguished.
When the Mallorie�s arrived home, Ceidre quickly changed to a light, older, faded blue gown. Her mother didn�t mind as Ceidre entered her chambers, sitting on the edge of the bed watching her mother slip from her peach moderately cut gown.
Jezebelle had just slipped into a nightgown with a daringly low cut when Ceidre asked what the noise she heard was. Jezebelle became worried as she heard the sound too. She heard a man scream then. �Derack!� she whispered under her breath. She turned to Ceidre. Ceidre could tell something was wrong, her mother�s face already drained of colour she could see as she turned to Ceidre. �You stay here!� she said in a commanding voice. Ceidre�s mother had just gone down the hall when she hurried back in. She picked up her young daughter, kissing both cheeks.
�Momma, What�s wrong?� Ceidre asked curiously.
�Hush, Ceidre. Just get under Momma and Papa�s bed and grab the box there. Keep it close all your life. As your cousin Dylan grows, he too will see its importance. Stay there no matter what. Please.� Her mother replied in a scared and pleading voice. Ceidre nodded as her mother set her down and she climbed under the bed. Jezebelle stood at her dresser as normal, picking up her brush running it through her copper air. A minute later, the doors opened and Ceidre�s mother was not surprised to see Melleno�s guards.
�We were only assigned to kill him, snoop� The head of the group said to her.
�Duchesse Logau-Mallorie to you,� Jezebelle snapped back. One guard came over grabbing her arm. Another, doing the same quickly with great ease, they threw her to the ground. They stripped her of the gown quickly, although she fought a battle well.
�Yere lucky yere gorgeous, lady� the first man said as he proceed to have his way with her. The others followed suit. When Jezebelle just about took one of their knives to stab herself, one of the guards took his, stabbing her squarely in the lower back. Jezebelle had almost no reaction time before her eyes shut in a silent death. Ceidre wanted to run out and stop them, but logic told her not too. The guards left quickly. As soon as they left, the wide-eyed child climbed from beneath the bed.
�Momma?� Ceidre cried out as she shook her. �Momma! Get up, Momma!� She fell down against her mother, sobbing retched tears that no child should have to. She hugged her mother more fully, her hand slipping down the young mother�s back. The slice of skin was soft sounding, and subtle to Ceidre�s crying. Ceidre�s hand had slipped on the side of the dagger in her mother�s back cutting a long slit down the middle of her left palm. It was morning before Jezebelle�s best friend, better known as her brother, came to visit only to find his �sister� and her husband dead. In addition he found a child, crying with a hand covered in blood, which in the agony of her mother she hadn�t tried to stop or clean.
Rian sat on his knees and kissed Jezebelle�s cheek. Ceidre sniffled and looked to the stranger.
�Hello. What�s your name dear?� Rian said in a soft voice. The same one he used on his daughter.
�C�Ceidre� she sniffled out.
�Hello, Ceidre. I�m Uncle Rian. Do you want something to eat? Are you hungry?� Rian asked.
�Je suis faim!� Ceidre said in loose French. Not only was she hungry, she�d told him, she was starving. Rian laughed. He then stood up and the child just looked up at him.
�How old are you, Ceidre?� Rian questioned.
�Three� she quietly replied. He nodded and picked her up carrying her over to the bowl and pitcher of water. He pulled a chair over and instructed Ceidre to stand on it. Pulling her hand over the bowl, he poured water on her hand and cleaned it softly to see the cut. He found a light bandage, wrapping her small hand in it. He brushed his hand in the water and over her tear stained cheeks. A tiny smile came to her lips. He took her other hand and together they headed downstairs for food. After that, Rian collected Ceidre�s belongings and some of her mothers, including the box that Jezebelle had said to keep close and headed out.
�Where�Where are we going, Uncle Rian?� Ceidre questioned.
�To your Aunt Brigid�s house. My sister,� he replied. Ceidre nodded. She sat back in the soft velvet seat of the carriage and drifted off. Off to a new life, a new memory with her Aunt Brigid. Soon she�d call her mother and understand herself into society with Brigid Siqueland-Landon as her mother. She, on the other hand, would be the second Duchesse Ceidre Jacqueline Logau-Mallorie. She vowed always to keep her mother�s maiden name in hers. She vowed much more as she dreamed of revenge with the sugarplum fairies of childhood.