A/N: only one review : ( but I have more readers :'(

On a lighter note… THANK YOU SO MUCH CASSIE!! Seriously what you said honestly made my day XD and I'm not that good… I just write a load of crap :P

And now… much is revealed ;)

13. Revelations

That evening, by dinner time, all the guests had arrived. There were only two separate tables. One table for the older guests (and even that seemed to be split in two) the other for those below about thirteen.

Mary was fortunate enough to find herself situated between two of the thirteen year olds and therefore found the conversation more stimulating that it could have been had she been sitting with someone her own age. She was more fortunate still that the two were siblings and the boy was far more for females having an opinion than many boys of his age. Which was unusual.

Meanwhile, the seating arrangement at the other dinner table was quite different and somewhat political in some respects. At one end, Pierre sat at the head with Alfred on his right and Lily on his, mean while the lady Margaret Garland was sat, quite comfortably, towards the middle where most of the other older generation were put.

On the other end Jean Malfoy was at the head. Strangely Dylan had been put on his left, and on her left was her good friend Dominic Crehador. On Jean right, a move that most confused everyone at the table, was Cain Hargreaves, and again on his right was his friend Oscar Gabriel. Beside poor Oscar was a smiling Albert Sedgewell, and beside a little peeved Crehador was the scowling Sebastian Sedgewell.

Though Dylan suspected it was to demonstrate his heartfelt apology for what happened to them the few days previously. She personally felt she had the best seat in the house, what transpired between these two could only be very interesting.

All evening pleasant conversation could be heard up and down the table. While Pierre discussed politics with the men that surrounded him, the women gossiped. The older generation spoke of the 'good old days' (some things really never change). The younger generation on the other hand were far more preoccupied with what had been planned for the forth coming entertainment. The party was due to begin officially the next day, Saturday.

"Oh Jean, you can't leave us in suspense," pouted a girl, about the age of eighteen or nineteen, named Elizabeth, "that is simply just too cruel."

Dylan rolled her eyes, put kept her eyes on her soup, trying hard not to slurp it. Which was in fact a very difficult feat.

Across from her, Cain caught the exasperated look and tried his hardest not to react. Such comments from such a girl were not uncommon, but they seemed to offend Dylan greatly.

"But I must," Jean told her, "I know very little of what is to come, my father was in charge of the arrangements. Alas… I was left in charge of catering and invitations."

"I heard Lord Crehador was going to hold a séance," commented one young man, James Dylan thought his name was, "is it true?"

"Possible," admitted Crehador calmly, "but we shall see. Such things are forbidden."

"But that's what makes them fun," said Dylan demurely, "you can hardly hold a party without a little rebellion." She looked at Jean, "would you not agree? The fun would be all spoiled then."

A few nodded in agreement, but she noticed that Elizabeth looked less than happy at the comment.

"But rebellion can't really out step the law," she said, sounding haughty, she looked across at Cain who was smirking into his soup, "would you not agree, Cain?"

He looked up somewhat startled, then glanced across at Dylan before speaking. "Miss Elizabeth, the fact that you wish to follow the law proves you to be a most honest citizen," here he paused, allowing her to show a look of pride towards Dylan, "unfortunately, this also proves you to be a dull one at that."

The look on her face was that of utter outrage and embarrassment as the people around them laughed.

"Somethings I agree. we must follow the law. But satisfying one's curiosity… do you not think sacrificing such morals is worth it? Besides, morals here have very little to do with wishing to speak with the dead."

"Here here," someone said.

As Dylan lifted her glass of wine to take a sip she momentarily met his eyes and lifted the glass towards him before drinking. He did the same.

Elizabeth on the other hand was still seething, but she had very little to say. Dylan got the idea that she could be trouble later on. However trouble suited the young woman best.

As the main coarse was served, gossip seemed to the the topic best liked at the table, and all attention was suddenly fixed on Dylan. Something she was now used to, but when shared with another male… that was when she became uncomfortable.

"So, miss Dylan and Jean," said a girl (Lisa, Dylan was fairly sure that was her name), "when's the date?"

"Excuse me?" she asked, more curiously than anything else, "date?"

"The marriage date of coarse!" Lisa exclaimed, "what else?!" She paused as Jean and Dylan seemed to exchange glances of embarrassed confusion.

Unnoticed, Cain's body appeared to stiffen, his fingers grasping far more tightly around the glass in his hand.

"We're not… getting married," Jean said slowly, his cheeks red as Dylan started laughing, glancing across towards Cain without really meaning to.

"You're not?" Lisa sounded almost disappointed, Dylan on the other hand noted Elizabeth's look of triumph, "but I thought your father…"

"Lord Malfoy proposed a match, that's true," Dylan said kindly, Lisa seemed like a nice enough girl, "but to be honest neither of us want that. And unfortunately things like this develop like chinese whispers, don't take everything you hear seriously. Jean and I are simply friends."

"But I was so looking foreword to a wedding," sighed Lisa forlornly, her sweet face only made Dylan smile more. There was something about Lisa that reminded her most astonishingly of Gwen.

"You may still get one, Lisa," Cain said kindly, "there are many more proposals going around at the moment."

"Meaning yourself and miss Dylan?" asked another man, or boy depending on one's point of view, he was about nineteen, "that rumour has yet to die down as well."

Both he and Dylan froze on hearing this. Then laughed as the glanced nervously across the table.

"My my," Dylan covered her mouth a little, classic sign of feminine embarrassment, "I could have sworn that rumour disappeared long ago."

"So had I," admitted Cain, "but everyone is very much mistaken, Dylan and I, as she and Jean, are simply friends. Though admittedly I met her through my little sister. Mary and miss Dylan have been as sisters for years. Through her, Dylan and I met a few months ago and got on famously."

"Very true Cain," Dylan smiled, though only Cain, Oscar and Crehador could tell it was forced, "I think it was that night at the theatre that started that one…" she laughed, more trilled, gaily, "I trip and Cain helps me regain my balance and not a moment later, everyone has decided I'm getting married to him or pregnant with his child or some nonsense."

The people around them laughed along with them. All of them knew what it was like to be the butt off gossip from the slightest gesture of a sneeze to hugging someone the rest of society has yet to meet.

Cain and Dylan again looked across the table, accidentally meeting each other's gaze. While Dylan refused to look away, Cain simply smirked. She swallowed her pride and turned to engage Jean into a conversation about the right of the lower class. She hoped the simple gesture of turning to the man whom he had punched recently, supposedly to defend her, would be enough. It seemed to have the opposite effect. Cain's eyes had yet to leave her, and they looked far more triumphant that ever.

Later on in the evening, when the men and women had split up into different rooms, Dylan became bored. The girls about her age were still gossiping, and she had little time for it.

Mary seemed to have taken a couple of seven year olds under her wing and was teaching them mother goose rhymes. Margaret Garland was still shooting her disgusted looks as she and her daughter spoke to the other mothers of such things as suitors to daughters and sons.

Charmaine was having a ball! People were paying attention to her, and complementing her profoundly. Every girl she spoke to seemed to be interested in the same things she was.

Sighing, Dylan got up and told Mary to come to bed soon, she told Charmaine the same thing telling her she would have the entire weekend to talk. Finally she told Lily that she was going to bed.

"All right dear, are you all right?" she added.

"Just tired," yawned Dylan, "I must admit, mother, I have had very little sleep recently."

Lily looked momentarily worried, then kissed Dylan's forehead. "Good night, and I'll see you in the morning."

"Night mother," Dylan smiled, leaving the room almost hurriedly.

She honestly did not like the company of these upper class women. Recently she had forgotten why, this simple dinner had reminded her.

On the way to her room she bumped into Lisa.

"Dylan!" the blonde was surprised, "are you all right?"

Dylan nodded. "I'm fine, just a sleepy. I'm not very good at parties either."

"Me neither," Lisa admitted, "but if I don't go down and be social, mother will kill me."

"Annoying isn't it?" Dylan said, tiredly.

"Most definitely. But you get to bed, you do look rather pale. I do hope you feel better in the morning," Lisa beamed at her, "the party will be fun with you here, I can tell! Besides," she looked around, "we need someone who will cut Elizabeth Somerset down to size. She honestly can be a right… right…"

"Bitch?" asked Dylan.

Lisa flushed red and giggled. "Oh yes most definitely! Well I hope you sleep well, see you in the morning."

"Yeah," nodded Dylan, "see you."

Watching the girl leave, Dylan shook her head. Lisa may have been a little introverted, but she had a lot of energy and a very kind heart. She could tell that already.

She arrived at her room, and slipped inside quietly, not even bothering to turn on a proper light. She shut the door with a sound click and leaned against it, tugging at the blue dress. She loved the materiel, but the corset was killing her.

Moving away from the door, Dylan found her way to her bed side table and picked up the box of matches beside the candle. She struck a match stick and lit the wick of two candles. She knew once she was in bed, she would not be bothered to get out again.

She reached around the back of her dress, attempting to try to undo it when-

The door locked with a click. She stopped for a fraction of a second, turned her head very slightly. Out of the corner of her eyes she could make out the figure of Cain standing by the door, his hands in his pockets.

She chuckled as she went back to fighting with the zip.

"Good evening, Earl, what brings you here?"

"I should be asking you that," he said coldly.

"This is my room," she responded, getting frustrated with the dress, "I have more of a right to be here than you surely!"

"Don't get sassy with me, girl," he said coldly, "you know what I mean."

She turned to him. "What are you doing here, earl, I do mean my room. Shouldn't you be at the party? Discussing things with the men?"

There was a hesitation before he replied. She studied him closely. He was no longer wearing his blazer. His tie was untied and was draped under his collar loosely. His top couple of buttons were undone, as were his cuff buttons. He looked entirely different to how he had done at dinner. He seemed almost relaxed. The strangest thing of all, was that Dylan was beginning to feel drawn to him again. Again she pulled back. She did not need such emotions.

Before he could reply she turned her back to him and pointed at the zip.

"You couldn't help me here could you? It's just I didn't want to drag Mary or Charmaine away from having their fun."

"Mary?!" Cain sounded startled as he moved towards her.

"Oh yes," grinned Dylan, "she was ripping into a boy when I left, about… about the age of twelve? Thoroughly entertaining really. He didn't know what hit him! I think she now has a few fans and admirers."

"Well," smirked Cain, as he brushed Dylan skin pushing her hair away from the zip, "she is after all my sister."

"I suppose," she shrugged, "hurry up would you, I want to go to sleep."

Scowling, Cain unzipped the back quickly. He was about to turn away when Dylan spoke again.

"I know I'm taking advantage now, but the corset? Please?"

"Do you have no shame?" grumbled Cain quietly.

"You've seen me in less," laughed Dylan, "or are you getting embarrassed?"

"No," he stated, "of coarse not."

He fiddled with the knot, finding to his shame that his hands were in fact shaking. Getting angry with himself, he undid the knot and loosened the string holding her in.

Letting out a gust of air, Dylan smiled. "You have no idea how good that feels."

"Yeah…" Cain had turned away from her and was staring at the wall obstinately.

"Jeez someone's turned virgin on me," Dylan laughed, "all right all right, stare at the wall, but talk to me as well. I mean… that's why you're here isn't it? To tell me off for something or another."

"You can read me like a book miss Dylan," Cain grumbled.

"All right, come on, give me the lecture," she complained, the dress slipping to the floor, rather noisily.

Cain was blushing by this point and was incredibly glad that she could not see his face.

"I know you didn't want me to do any research on your fiancé, but I was hardly going to let you tell me what to do."

Dylan paused. She had bent beside her draw to pull out a pair of pyjamas. She sighed and let him continue.

"Crehador was ahead on me on that one, he started his research on the family three days before I asked for his help. Together, with a lot of Oscar's snooping as well, we managed to piece together quite a bit of information. I hate to tell you this… but Jean Malfoy and Pierre Malfoy are both fully paid up members of Delilah."

Standing up Dylan removed her corset, a grin on her face. She mock gasped. "Really!"

Yet Cain was far too involved with telling her what he knew to notice the sarcasm.

"Yes really. Lord Pierre and my father met in France, when they were students. It appears Pierre is something of the head of a branch of Delilah in France, which just goes to show Delilah is far more influential than we thought."

"Oh really," said Dylan, sitting on her bed watching him as she did up her buttons.

"Further more, Jean is most definitely aware of Delilah's existence and even carries out some of the missions. And they are both aware of… my father…" he paused and turned to look her. She was sitting on the bed, a large grin on her face dressed in her too large men's pyjamas gazing up at him quite innocently. "Still being alive- Why are not sounding surprised and not lashing out at me for thinking such things?" he asked curiously, coming towards her.

That was when she could no longer hold it in. She burst out laughing. She was positively in uncontrollable hysterics.

"Cain," she said through her giggles, "oh Cain, poor sweet innocent Cain." She paused, then a fresh lot of laughter engulfed her again. "Not so innocent Cain!"

"What?!" he complained, coming to sit beside her, "you can't just start-"

"I knew," she spluttered, "I knew!"

He stared at her, then grasped her arms. "You what!"

"I knew!" she beamed, "from pretty much the word go I knew. Well… I was rather taken by Jean the first time I met him, he was adorable. But there was something sinister about him. He was too nice, too generous and too embarrassed the whole time. It was kind of annoying. And when you learn to force a blush, you can always tell when someone else can as well, trust me. If you pay enough attention anyway."

"You knew… and yet you let him become so close to you?"

"Close to me?! Oh Jesus fuck Cain, give me some credit! They say hold your friends close but your enemies closer for a reason. Remember what I told you? The first time I cam to stay with you?"

He remembered. All too clearly as well.

He released her arms, looking away. This was the first time anyone had been a step ahead of him.

By now she had calmed down quite a lot, even her grin had gone.

"That was kind of why I did not want you to get involved. You need to sort the bigger picture. You need to sort Alexis out and if someone like me can start pecking at the cracks, then your job will be easier.

"Jean is a small fry, I don't intend on taking down the family. I never planned on marrying him, I had planned on exposing him. But if it came down to marriage, well," she smirked, "I reckon I'd be more useful on the inside don't you?"

"So… so is that why you pushed me away?"

"Yah-huh," Dylan rolled her eyes, "you should listen to a girl sometimes."

"So why didn't you just tell me?!"

"Well to begin with I really was angry with you, the whole 'oh maybe if I kiss her she'll forgive me' thing kinda pissed me off. But it didn't get to me half as much as you getting annoyed about me and Dominic being friends, then you seeming to think that we had half a chance together! Something like that… well let's just say I'm definitely not that optimistic. But I still got over that. When I got home."

Cain just looked at her.

"All right, a little after I got home, I had more or less planned on swallowing what pride and dignity I had left and say sorry to you next chance I could. But then father brought up the thing with Jean, I met him, became suspicious, used a few connections and had the whole thing sussed. Unfortunately, I also figured I needed to get you as far away from me as possible, so I decided to be rather mean to you… as you could see."

"But… that time outside Carlie's-"

"I… I missed you. For a minute I thought that maybe… just maybe I could let you back into my life and it wouldn't mess with my plan. Then you brought up Jean, and it went a bit belly's up. So that's why I blew up at you a bit more than I really had to. I guess I kinda hoped if I got pissy with you you wouldn't want to get involved… and I had forgotten how closely affiliated with Dominic you had become." She shrugged. "Ah well… considering we're now on the same page… maybe you can help me out."

"Maybe…" he paused, "that doesn't explain why you insisted that I not look into your family-"

"I stick by that," she said firmly, then relented, "that's a lie… there's something else I should tell you. It's about Margaret Garland."

"Your grandmother?"

"Step" sighed Dylan, "you need to keep up with this."

"It's hard enough trying to figure out my relationships with the rest of my own family, Dylan… yours seem to be getting just as complicated."

She chuckled a little. "I'll agreed with that."

She pushed herself up on her bed and against her pillows.

"You can get on too if you take off your shoes," she grinned.

Feeling like a little boy again, Cain took off his shoes and climbed onto the bed sitting opposite her again. Was it just him… or did it feel like some sort of 'story time' scenario?

"Margaret Garland, as you found out rather prematurely, looked after my mother from when mum was about five till about seventeen eighteen, there abouts. Lily Garland never really liked mum that much growing up, but there was never really any major feud, apart from maybe 'that's my dress' type of thing."

Cain snorted. He'd never really understood sibling rivalry.

"But from a young age, Fredrick Garland took a liking to mum, and when she was about fifteen, they began a sort of relationship.

"Margaret was pleased, she liked my mother quite a lot. But when mum was sixteen nearly seventeen I think, Fredrick was diagnosed with a disease… I'm not sure what it was, but it was a product of meningitis. When he was sick with meningitis, it was mum who cared for him day and night. When was had gotten over it, the doctors discovered his brain had been infected."

He didn't know what to say to that. Sounded as though Natalie O'Toole did not have an easy life.

"Fredrick later on called off the relationship between himself and mum, because of it, saying he could never do such a thing to her. Mum was eighteen at the time, and in love with him, but nothing could make him change his mind. So… so she left the house. At the time Fredrick was twenty six."

"Quite an age gap."

Dylan smiled. "I know… but there was a bigger one between mum and father."

"What does this have to do with you and Lady Garland."

"Margaret loved my mum, she was present there when I was born, and promised mum that I would have a good life, and that she would help look after me. She was there at the funeral when my mum died, and, though my family doesn't know it, it was her that made father aware of my existence."

"So she doesn't really hate you? Why does she act like she does!"

"It's partly because she and I have the same power, the ability to speak with animals. It sort of helps to cover it."

"The other part?"

Dylan paused. "The other part is a little more complex… Maybe we should discuss it another time. It's late and Mary and Charmaine could come up at any time."

Cain glanced at the clock. It really was late, nearing midnight. The the adults would go on speaking for hours, the younger generation would be coming to bed soon.

"Understandably," he nodded.

"Cain," Dylan said suddenly before he could move.

He looked at her, she was leaning towards him.

"Can you forgive me?"

"What for?"

"For trying to cut you out of my life… I didn't mean to hurt you, I was just desperate and-"

He shook his head. "It's fine. You did what you thought was necessary. I would have done the same."

She smiled, "good… I would have hated it if you couldn't."

"Dylan…"

She looked up at him.

"I'm fairly sure there is nothing you could do to make me hate you."

"And that's good too," she smiled.

"Except maybe join Delilah or get involved with Oscar," winked Cain.

Dylan tried not to giggle, but her grin was very clear to read.

It was here the two realised the distance between them had almost closed. When had they started to lean towards each other? Neither could really answer that. Neither of them particularly cared. This was when both leaned towards each other, to close the gap entirely. It was the one thing they both knew they sincerely wanted.

Which was when someone started hammering at the door. They sprung apart as they they had been electrocuted.

"Dylan?!" called Charmaine, "are you in there?"

"That's my sister!" hissed Dylan, in a panic as Cain slide off the bed.

"You'd better not be asleep!" added Mary.

"That's mine!" moaned Cain, "she'll kill me!"

"They'll kill the both of us!" she glanced around the dimly lit room, "ok… ok… calm…"

"DYLAN!" they yelled.

"I'm coming!" she replied, "one minute!" An idea struck her. "Get under the bed."

"What?!"

"Get under the bed! You can sneak out of here later… right now they can't know you're here."

"You've done this before," he grumbled, as he dropped to the floor.

"You can tell," she rolled her eyes kicking his shoes after him.

As he grunted in pain, Dylan pushed back her sheets and ruffled her hair as she answered the door and admitted the two girls in.

"Sorry," she yawned, "I dozed off."

"We noticed," Charmaine rolled her eyes walking round to her bed, pulling out her own night gown, "normally you're pretty quick to answer the door." She walked into the ensuite.

"Why didn't you stay?" asked Mary, kicking off her shoes, pulling out her own night suit.

"I got bored," Dylan replied, getting back into bed, "the girls were mostly talking about suitors. Seems to be the only thing that occupies their minds now. I have no idea why."

"That's only because you have one!" called Charmaine, "can someone help me with the corset?!"

"Coming!" called Mary.

"Thank you!"

Mary walked into the bathroom and Cain tried to crawl out from under the bed.

"You know, you were quite the topic tonight!" called Charmaine.

"Oh really?!" Dylan replied, pushing Cain back under the bed with a warning look, shaking her head.

He mouthed at her 'why not?!'

"There's been so many rumours about you, mostly with men, that everyone wanted to know the truth. Mary and I know you pretty well so we sorted them out."

"Thanks!" She turned her attention back to Cain, 'they'll catch you, wait!' she managed to get across.

"There were quite a few questions about you and Jean," Mary added, "but we told them that you two were just friends- hey Charmaine, can you help me with the dress? My aunt wanted the bow to stay precisely in place and she's a demon with knots."

Cain slide back under the bed looking irritated.

"Oh, sure, here," Charmaine sounded pretty cheerful, "then there were questions about you and Earl Hargreaves."

As Dylan threw a book under the bed to keep Cain occupied, it seemed the two had the same reaction; sitting up quickly. Difference was Dylan had the space to straighten out quickly and Cain hit his head.

"WHAT?!" she complained, covering up for the quiet curses of the male under her bed.

"But we straightened them out," Mary reassured her, "thank god. They would not give it a rest."

"People kept swearing that there was going to be a marriage between the two of you," added Charmaine, laughing, "though the way the two of you were glaring at each other from across the table I wouldn't be surprised if you hated each other."

"We don't hate each other," Dylan said calmly, "we just had a disagreement. I'm sure we'll resolve it soon."

"I bloody well hope so," Mary told her, walking back into the room, her dress much looser, "I hate seeing the two of you arguing."

Charmaine re-entered the room as well, now dressed in her flimsy night gown, her hair brushed out. She frowned at her sister.

"Are you all right?" she asked, "you look a little strange."

"I always look strange sweetie," Dylan smiled, "but I'm just tired."

"Well don't put out your light until I get into bed, I don't want to get bruises from searching for my bed."

Dylan laughed.

About two hours later, when the clock struck two and the girls were breathing deeply, hopefully signifying sleep, Cain pulled himself from under Dylan's bed. He looked around. Unfortunately he had not gotten used to the dark having read by candle light under the bed (the candle had been but a stuck and so there was hardly any danger of fire).

He grabbed the matches on Dylan's bedside table and lit the candle, hoping to get a better look.

His sister was dead asleep, he could tell because she had her mouth slightly open and was snoring a little. She didn't know of this habit and therefor was unable to fake such a trait.

It appeared that Charmaine was fast asleep as well, her breathing was gentle and even.

Finally he turned to look at Dylan. Her face was screwed up into a little stubborn frown, her mouth was slightly parted for it. The coal black of her hair fanned out beside her, looking like feathers.

He tilted his head sideways to Dylan appeared to be the right way up. It was strange to think only a few months ago he suspected her of dealing on the side of Delilah then learning, albeit slowly, that she in fact hated them possibly more than he.

Somehow looking at her still hurt. He wasn't quite sure why or when that started. But now it just seemed that to be able to see her up so close hurt in some way, but also the simple fact that he could see her elated him.

He shook his head, he was being stupid, reading in too deep about his own emotions.

Pushing her dark hair away from her face, he contemplated on whether or not he would get kicked for kissing her or not. That was when he realised her eyes were in fact open.

Stifling a scream, he jumped back, only to have Dylan sit up, shoulder's shaking with unstoppable laughter, though no sound escaped her mouth.

"Your face!" she gasped, "oh jeez… your face was utterly priceless!"

"Oh yes very funny," he retorted, standing up, brushing himself off.

"Did you want something?" she asked, looking at him properly, her smile still playing about her face.

He shook his head. "No," he turned away from her, "I'll see you in the morning."

He walked towards the door, but just as his hand touched the door handle he heard "wait…"

"What?" he asked, without turning around.

A hand touched his shoulder. He was startled, he hadn't expected that. He turned to see Dylan standing behind him, she was smirking her signature smirk again.

"What?" he repeated.

She shook her head, and the next thing he knew his back had been pushed up against the door and Dylan had kissed him hard. Yet just as he realised what was happening and was able to react, the kiss stopped.

"Get out," she whispered in his ear, her breath tickling his neck. The door opened with the smallest of clicks and she pushed him out into the hall, closing the door immediately afterwards.

For a moment he stared at the closed door, then shook his head. As he walked back towards his own room, he wasn't even aware of his own enormous smile.