Leda

Leda - Chapter Two: Introductions

Leda was drowsing when the train finally shuddered into the sixth stop. She had walked so much that day and was worn out from both her worries and the bizarre turn her day had taken. What the hell am I doing? she kept asking until it became a refrain in her mind, lulling her half-way to sleep. Accepting a job as a maid in an English manor house? You Leda, she chided herself, have read Pride and Prejudice a few too many times.

Did Mr. Vallian say “carriage”? She was supposed to take a carriage to the manor? Surely not. Leda wondered briefly if any of what had happened to her that day was real. Maybe I’ll wake up in a few minutes, she told herself. This has to be a dream.

“Sixth stop, Miss.”

Leda shook herself out of her sleepy reverie and stood unsteadily to her feet throwing the porter a tired smile of thanks. She tossed her bag over her shoulder and clutched the scroll in her hands as she made her way out of the strange train and onto the small platform outside. It was dusk now and the English sky was showing its colors. Leda had no idea where she was although she was certain that the train had brought her north. She heard a sound over her shoulder and turned to see a black carriage. It was strangely ornamented, detailed with elegant silver inlay in the pattern of two intertwined serpents. The only feature more usual than its appearance was its conspicuous lack of horses.

Very eccentric aristocracy, Leda decided. This must be one of those ancient families that still practices inter-marriage. She rolled her eyes at her own bad joke and ambled tiredly to the carriage. She peeked around the back of the carriage but spun around sharply when she thought she heard the sound of pawing hooves. Leda crept toward the front of the carriage but jumped slightly when the carriage door abruptly swung open.

Definitely a dream. Leda no longer had any doubt.

Well, since this is a dream, she thought, I might as well go along for the ride.

She clambered into the carriage and settled into the luxurious black and crimson interior. With a jolt, the carriage started out and although Leda wanted to enjoy the ride, dream though it may be, she was asleep in minutes.

When she woke up, she was surprised to find she wasn’t back in her room in the hostel. She was even more surprised to see the door of the carriage swing open to reveal a scene that could easily have been from one of Leda’s many outlandish dreams. It was night now, and the manor she stood in front of was like something from a Gothic nightmare. Black, twisting turrets jutted into the bleak sky and the manor itself seemed to go on forever.

Okay, she thought staring at this majestic monstrosity of a house, we are not in Pemberley anymore.

And that--Leda determined as she looked up to see a man dressed entirely in black with the most stunning mane of blond hair she had even seen--definitely isn’t Mr. Darcy.

He was descending the huge stone steps leading from the massive front entrance toward where Leda stood gaping at the scene before her, still holding the scroll in her hands. The man, whoever he was, wore a long, black cape and carried a black cane, tipped in silver. Leda shook her head and forced herself to close her mouth. She blinked a few times and finally noticed that the blond man was being followed by another man, much shorter and far less impressive, presumably a servant himself, who somehow managed to walk while bowing and scraping at the same time.

What did Mr. Vallian say? Don’t ask any questions when you get there. . .

The two men didn’t seem to notice her at all. As they came nearer to her she could hear the blond man giving terse instructions to the servant. Leda couldn’t decide whether to say something as they approached the carriage or just wait for them to finally see her. She took a few deep breaths and tried to will her heart to slow its wild beating.

The blond man continued rattling off orders until the moment they were both nearly on top of her. Suddenly, Leda realized that the topic of their conversation had turned to her.

Without even looking in her eyes, the blond man came to her and took the scroll from her hands.

“Aquila, it appears that Vallian has finally lost his mind. I shall be quite surprised if this one lasts a week.”

“Oh yes, Sir, Master Malfoy, he must have lost his mind,” the servant, Aquila apparently, agreed obsequiously, nodding his gray head with vigor.

Despite the rude assessment of her, Leda couldn’t help but be fascinated by the man in front of her. He appeared imposing from a distance. Up close, he was simply magnificent. His white-blond hair that fell far past his shoulders was accented with blue eyes that flashed only once in her direction but left her feeling as if she had been slashed by a knife. He was both beautiful and terrifying. Even his strange clothes, the relentless black, the flowing cape, the silver serpent pin at his neck, didn’t detract from his fierce presence. And his voice, impatient and proper, vibrated with thinly veiled menace, almost a hiss.

Don’t ask any questions when you are there. . .

“Well, take her in, Aquila. Give her the tour of her duties.” Leda saw the man, this Master Malfoy, move toward his carriage as he mindlessly untied the black ribbon from the scroll.

“Regular quarters, Sir?” Aquila asked as he grabbed Leda by her elbow, ushering her toward the steps.

“Of course.”

Leda was flabbergasted. Was he not even going to speak to her at all?

She threw him a cold stare before letting Aquila lead her away. She opened her mouth to say something to her escort but swallowed her words when she heard Malfoy speak.

“Stop.” His tone was insistent as ever but Leda was certain she heard a note of surprise.

“Sir? Master Malfoy?” Aquila said, turning back to face Malfoy.

“Bring her here.”

Leda swallowed hard again, suddenly scared. Malfoy was standing next to his carriage scanning the now open scroll.

Aquila gripped her hard by her arm and led her back to stand in front of him. She gasped in surprise as Malfoy reached out and grabbed her right hand, holding it in the warm grasp of his black leather glove, as he studied her palm.

Keep your head down. . .

Leda forced herself to remain silent as Malfoy continued peering into her hand. But she did inhale sharply as his blue eyes snapped up and captured her gaze with his.

“Tell me your name,” he ordered, slowly releasing her slightly shaking hand.

“Leda Raines, Sir,” she answered, trying to suppress the shaking that had now moved to her voice.

“Leda. . .of course. It seems Vallian hasn’t quite lost his touch after all,” he raising his head to give Leda an appraising stare. “Lucius Malfoy,” he said by way of introduction. “Aquila?”

“Yes, Master Malfoy?” Leda jumped in response to Aquila’s sudden jump at the sound of his name.

“Send Mr. Vallian his fee. No-triple it. And take Leda to her new quarters. I believe she’ll make an excellent personal servant.”

Leda felt the hair on the back of her neck raise as Malfoy lingered over the word “personal.” She saw Aquila blanch at the word himself.

“Personal servant, Master Malfoy?” Aquila stuttered, obviously shocked by this change of plans. “So she’ll be staying--”

“Yes, Aquila. Escort her in, please.”

Leda saw Aquila stare blankly at Malfoy for a moment before nodding again. Leda kept her eyes trained on Malfoy even as Aquila began pulling her away again. She wanted to say something, anything but couldn’t find any words.

“Aquila?” came the insistent command again.

“Yes, Master?”

“I will give her the tour.”

Leda glanced back over her shoulder and saw Malfoy enter the carriage she had just abandoned. She thought she saw his eyes dart once in her direction again before the carriage door shut of its own volition again and started out. When the carriage was out of view, Aquila turned his own dark stare to her as they stood poised outside the grand entrance.

“Who are you?” he asked, his voice suffused with awe.

“I’m Leda,” she answered with a shrug, too shocked now to even be scared anymore. He looked at her another moment before relaxing his grip on her arm. They walked side by side into the cavernous entryway and Leda found herself, open-mouthed and gaping again. She could barely take the scene in--floating candles, ancient, monstrous tapestries festooned with mythological scenes, black draperies, an infinitely extending spiral staircase, and everywhere she looked, she saw the emblem of the silver serpent.

“Well, Leda,” Aquila sighed, gesturing to her new home, “welcome to Malfoy Manor.”