Curse of Rose de Winter

Chapter 11

I stayed in bed that evening, but Ruby snuck away from dinner for me. She had Irene and Julie bring our dinner up.

"I don't feel like eating," I said softly as I stirred my beef stew aimlessly, occasionally the orange of carrots or white of onions flashing into view. There was even green, from the minced broccoli.

"It's good," Ruby whispered.

I sighed. "Thank you, Ruby, but you should eat, you're often sick, right? I'm sure the beef would help."

Ruby gave a one sided sardonic smile before looking at her stew.

"I'm not sick." I looked at her. She seemed to not be lying, but the family said she was. "I only s-stutter. I have to th-think very hard before I s-s-speak, or I s-say words like this. It's emba-embarrassing for mother."

I looked at Ruby in awe. It was the most she ever spoke, and she spoke slow but it was something that felt raw, close to heart.

"So you aren't sick at all. They made you out to be sick?"

"I haf-haf-have a fear of men, too, because a man se-ser-servant touched me." Ruby had on the same dry smile and made a sound like a sigh before continuing. "S-since then, that man disliked me, and he never acknowledged me as a daughter. Mother al-also j-just lis-listened to him and wanted me out of the hou-house. Calvin was the only one who was by my side."

Ruby sipped from her spoon before turning to me. "Tha-that's my sto-story."

"They pretended you were frail, that you had to be kept away from others and had people you were scared of. So it was this. Men really only care about appearances and how to control women, don't they?" I leaned back on my pillow and threw my spoon into the bowl.

"Yes!" Ruby was enthusiastic for once. "They had Abraham driven to the police for violating a woman, and V-Vaughn might be your lawyer if they haf-have a trial."

I chuckled, making her look at me. I saw how pretty her hair was, like threads of fine silk, swaying as she cocked her head to face me, and I was so relieved.

"I'm glad, Ruby. Not of him going to jail or of being rescued just in time, but to know you, Ruby. I didn't know how to talk to you but now I know—complaining about men!" I laughed, and she joined in, both of us leaning forward into each other, grins on our faces.

"Besides Calvin! I love him! He's done so much for me, that's why he fought wi-with him."

"Your father," I said for her. "He sounds like trash, too. All men but Calvin, then, and Dylan. Or do you dislike him?"

"He is fine," Ruby said, slowly, as though in thought, "but Vau-Vaughn scares me."

"I agree!" I cried in relief. "He's just so gaunt and spidery." Ruby bursted out laughing, so much I had to hold on to her tray and then I found that funny, and laughed too.

When we both fell back on the pillows, head on our bedside, we spoke again.

"I'm happy you trusted me. I thought I was dreaming when you agreed to share a room with me, and I think Claribel was jealous."

"Don't worry, it's fine. She doesn't have st-strong opinions." Ruby tried to explain. "You see, she used to be perfect for her husband, but now she doesn't have anyone she tries to please anymore."

"I wonder why we have to need men to please." I thought of Dylan, and shook my head. "Or maybe it goes both ways, like Calvin protects you. Dylan also protects me."

Ruby didn't say anything, and picking my spoon up again, I drank the beef stew. Even though it was cold, the taste was good, and it reminded me of years before I ended up in such a state, years when I had a mom and dad.