Curse of Rose de Winter

Chapter 7

Blanche was sole heiress now—so I had to act this part for as long as the family knew I had the fortune the moment a wedding band was on my finger.

When I stepped outside the room Dylan and Vaughn told me they had important things to discuss and therefore were gone with their own ploys. I was left wandering around as Blanche.

Scarlett and Claribel were catching up alone in the parlor room so I went to the room Ruby was. She was there, playing cat's cradle with Calvin. They both looked up when I knocked.

"Hello," I said. "May I join?"

The two didn't seem mad or jealous although I was named sole heiress and Calvin was even excluded purposely. They nodded eagerly and made way for me to sit in the middle.

"That was scary, wasn't it?" Calvin asked, as Ruby nudged me to play cat's cradle.

"I don't like Aunt Scarlett," Ruby muttered. "And mum."

"Yes, but to tell the truth, I've cooled down. I bet they are saying bad things about Auguste, and of course I agree with everything they say, but I'm happy for you, Blanche." Calvin grinned.

"How can you be?" I whispered. "I don't understand. He specifically made Dylan and you—" I paused, "well, unable to retain any rights to receive his money."

"Well, what if that man was lying and you are his daughter, or he's not that sure?" Calvin tilted his head down to look at me. "If we looked at it this way, we can avoid something bad. Anyways, you are a wonderful sister to Ruby, sibling or not."

"Am I?" I looked at Ruby. "Would you like to be my sister, even if we aren't blood-related?"

"Yes. I feel calm with you." Ruby smiled, eyes still on the cradle. "You don't think I'm dumb or wrong in the head."

"Why? Has something said that?" I couldn't hide the shock in my voice.

"Of course." Ruby looked up at me in the similar fashion Calvin did. "That man."

I watched Ruby do intricate patterns with with nimble, quick fingers, and then she stretched out a bridge horizontally. She was shy, but wrong in the head? I see now, Auguste didn't care for her at all because of this.

She hummed a song as I tried to pinch strings together and not let the bridge collapse.

"One white dove, one red sparrow, and one black crow, but the crow was gone. Catch him, catch him, said the dove from above. Catch him, catch him, said the sparrow with her arrow. Catch him, catch him, they said, but the crow had died of sorrow," Ruby sang softly.

"Is that a nursery rhyme?"

"My nanny sang it when I was small." Ruby's face changed. "I sing things sometimes. I don't notice."

"That's a nice habit. I suppose it's better than me, I fumble my hands and chew my lips when I'm nervous," I said.

And the three of us sat there, Ruby singing softly, as though she were putting a spell on the red strings against our white skin.

"Catch him, catch him, they said, but the crow had died of sorrow..."

***

Dinner was a quiet procession. Until Austen drank his wine and became quite upset.

"He always looked down on me!" he began to murmur loudly, when he was shouting. "I don't care about the money or house, but Olivia would be livid!"

"Calm yourself, Uncle," Dylan said.

"Oh, poor Angel, too, she had a boy she wanted to marry but we had no money. I shall have to work, again, as always. How would I pay for her and Connie's ballet classes and university?"