Curse of Rose de Winter

Chapter 19

"A murder attempt?" Austen shouted, echoing my thoughts. "That's impossible! It must've been before my family arrived!"

When was this?

How do I act?

I looked to Dylan, who ignored me, and Vaughn only looked at me in mock pity.

"Poor Blanche, I felt this matter must be known to the men at least. You see, it happened last night, when Olivia and her daughters, were here too."

He was lying!

My wide eyes at him were taken as very realistic anger at him spilling my secret and Calvin nodded in understanding. Irene and the maids also went to the big windows behind us to let down the curtains, falling down and being drawn as though we were behind a stage.

"What happened?" Austen asked.

"It cannot be said in case this escalates," Dylan interjected quickly. "We want to keep Blanche's privacy most of all."

"I see, so it's that bad," Calvin mused.

I swallowed and looked at my whiskey in guilt and to act the part of a heiress with a murder attempt. I learned enough from Ruby to twiddle awkwardly with my drink as Austen and Vaughn took big, long sips. Dylan took a small sip. I watched the ice move in the glass.

"Oh, I don't know what to say. You mentioned only a female could do it?" Austen asked.

"Well, you could, technically," Vaughn said as he rubbed his chin in thought, "and maybe even Calvin, as he could always say it was for Ruby."

"What? I'd never hurt Blanche!" Calvin shouted.

"What if Ruby hurt Blanche?"

"No! It'd never happen—"

"Then what if one day you witness it?" Vaughn asked, eyes growing cold. "Your mother, sister, maybe even wife or daughter. You see them, they have a handgun, it's pointed to Blanche's temple. Blanche is tied to a chair, they are overpowering her. What will you do?"

"If it's Claribel I would jump and pull her back," Calvin said quickly.

"No! It's Ruby!" Vaughn's eyes were strange, mad yet calm. "And for you, Austen, it's your wife or daughter. Forget Scarlett." Austen sitting next to him stiffened.

"No, that wouldn't happen!" Calvin argued. "Not Ruby!"

"Nor my family!"

Vaughn leaned forward to Calvin, then to Austen. He point a finger to his temple and the man's eyes grew in fear.

"But they are in this scenario," Vaughn continued on, voice growing speed, words merging. "Blanche is tied to a chair. They suddenly want to kill her, jealousy, or maybe a misunderstanding, they have a gun and point at Blanche. You are too far to do anything, if you run she'd shoot. She had the gun and cocks it. Now what!"

"No, no way," Austen whimpered.

"Calvin! Austen! It's happening, she cocks the gun." Vaughn pointed the metal tongs at me. "But you have a gun yourself, and you're aiming it. She doesn't notice because she's busy looking at Blanche. Three, she's in position, two, she is ready to pull it, and—"

"I will shoot!" Calvin spoke before Austen, who still doesn't.

Calvin sobbed, shaken by Vaughn's constant eye contact, and Austen placed his head in his hands.

"I don't know! I can't, they are my family! I can't kill them!"

"Austen, you won't do anything? Even if they killed, let's say, Dylan?" Vaughn's eyes could've killed, it was full of disgust.