Remember Then

XXXV. Fiction

"This is unfair," Violet whined, curled at the end of the couch beside her twin who was sniffing and wiping her tears.

"Not fair at all," Valerie choked. "You only talked about how Nick rescued Sophia from Rock'oles. There was no mention of a brother. And the wedding happened!"

Fiona Trilby shared a mournful look with her husband. "This is why I wrote the fiction," she uttered.

"How much of them is fiction, Gram?" Violet asked. "Which book did you start weaving the fiction?"

It was their Gramp Eddie who answered. "Nicholas' story, I believe."

Valerie groaned in her tears. "Then how much of Ralph's story is true?"

Their grandmother cleared her throat, looking guilty. "I merely wrote the fun parts."

"What!"

She raised her hands and said, "I left out the horrid ones but the fun parts are true."

"And Emma's?" asked the twins in unison.

Edmund Trilby sighed. "I believe we must make more tea."

Violet buried her face in her hands and groaned in frustration.

"Emma's story is almost entirely fiction, I am sad to admit," their grandmother said.

Valerie turned to her twin. "I do not think I can hear more of this."

"We've been living a lie," Violet said in exaggeration.

Fiona Trilby merely chuckled.

The twins threw her an accusing look. "You are enjoying our misery."

"No, but I am quite ecstatic to see your reaction once you know what truly happened." She looked at her husband. "Go make that tea, Eddie. It is about time we tell these girls my true story before your turn."

"Urgh," Violet groaned. "There's more?"

Edmund simply chucked as he stood up.

As their grandfather went to the kitchen, the twins continued to look at their grandmother. "Why, Gram? Why change the last three books?" Valerie asked.

Fiona looked over her shoulder where her husband was before she smiled at the twins. "Because, my dears, I meant to preserve your grandfather's family."

Valerie scoffed. "Why? They did not really care about him. We know he is not like the rest of them, Gram."

Fiona nodded. "Perhaps I will never be able to explain why I changed the stories. Maybe I did get too carried away. A writer always does, see?"

The twins sighed. Violet counted with her fingers as she started to summarize the facts. "Ben, Levi, Maggie, Ysa and Max got their happy endings. Maxine is really a Trilby, right?" Their grandmother nodded. "Okay, so that is a fact. Good. Osegod is real, right? Because I am hoping he is not."

"He is real, my dears."

Valerie groaned with frustration. "Then it was him. It was him who took Sophie."

"So Sophie did not have the wedding we read about," Violet continued. "But what about Aurora, Gram? Did she really get caught and disappeared? Never heard of again? Was that fiction or not?"

Their grandmother's face turned grim. "I am afraid, my dears, that it was worse than that."

Violet jumped to her feet. "Gramp, I'll help you make two kettles of tea. We are in for a very long storytelling."

*****

The Everards did not correct everyone else's assumption that Nicholas Everard's bride ran away on the day of her wedding. In fact, none of them even bothered to argue with anyone about the rumors.