Ordained

Chapter Forty

Cassius tried his best to keep his poker face fixed as Emmeline joined them for dinner. She looked particularly lovely in a pale blue dress, her hair pinned back in a simple style that seemed far more tasteful than the elaborately pinned and jewelled styles that Ottilie favoured in the evenings. With her silvery hair and blue eyes, she looked like a winter sprite, positively shining against the drab reds and golds of the dining hall. 

Ottilie filled the silence, even when everyone was eating, with her inane chatter. Cassius saw his father's expression falter a little when she let out a particularly exuberate peal of laughter. It was satisfying, knowing that his father found her just as abrasive as he did.

"Cassius." She called, looking annoyed. Had he missed her calling him the first time? He had been working so hard to tune her out that he must have done.

"Forgive me." He muttered, wiping his mouth and facing her more fully. She lit up at the attention, before posing her question.

"I said, I wished to know more about the pairing. Miss Emmeline was unwilling to answer when I asked her earlier."

Cassius who had been only feigning attention fixed his focus fully onto his guest. Ottilie seemed to notice the difference, her smile faltering for a second before she continued. "I saw Miss Elva in the library and asked if we could discuss it but she refused. Isn't that rude Cassius?"

Glancing around Cassius saw that both his parents and Emmeline had frozen, their cutlery hovering in mid air for a few seconds before his parents carried on eating and Emmeline let hers drop onto the table. "I-" He began but Ottilie steamrollered over him.

"I only wished to know if the rumours about the examinations" she whispered conspiratorially, "- that happen during the pairing were true."

Emmeline sat a little straighter. "If you wish to know so badly, I am sure that his grace would be willing to tell you. I am sure the process was similar for us both."

Cassius felt a flare of pride in her for standing up for herself, the emotion quickly overshadowed by his growing indignation towards Ottilie. She was being rude, worse she was being cruel, and she knew it. This wasn't the first time he had seen her behave this way either.

Ottilie rolled her eyes, throwing him a sideways grin. "Of course I could ask Cassius, but I'd much rather hear about it from a woman's perspective."

Emmeline's expression looked hurt for just a fraction of a second before she pulled her mask of indifference back in place. It would've been easy to miss had he not been watching her so closely.

"Forgive me Miss Claude, but I do not wish to speak of it." It was a dignified answer.

Carmen and Victor appeared a little disappointed, their attention drifting back to their food. Cassius was outraged, had they really expected her to just casually talk over the indignities she had faced just over dinner, like it didn't matter?

"Well I do wish to speak of it."

Cassius felt his hand curl into a fist on his knee. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his father frown, but still he remained silent.

"There are a great many examinations that test different things." She aired vaguely, throwing a glance at Cassius' face. He met her gaze solidly, holding it for a few seconds. Did she sense his outrage? He tried to wordlessly communicate how appalled he was, but didn't dare speak out, not after his father's words about not favouring Emmeline over Ottilie.

It was true that what happened inside the pairing hall was a mystery to many. Only those that went through the pairing knew, and even fewer were still welcomed to be amongst the nobility. Fewer still talked about their pairing, for paired nobles still accepted into society, had often only remained so by rejecting their pair, and therefore did not like to dwell on the topic. He especially didn't wish to mention the pairing any more than was necessary, given the current situation.