CHAPTER TWELVE
Ruby
July 1965
Ruby sat on the front porch sipping lemonade. Daniel and Hester had just left for church, Hester departing with one of her smug “I’ll pray for you” exit lines. If there was a God, Ruby figured He wouldn’t need the likes of Hester to do His recruiting. She really had some nerve. Ever since the disastrous fund-raising tea, Hester had been parading around like the Dairy Princess at the state fair. And worse still, she and Daniel had set a wedding date for October, only three months away. Before the tea, Hester had been carrying on about how June weddings were a Fraser family tradition. Now she seemed to be in some great rush to the altar. Ruby knew it wasn’t for the reason that sent many a young couple dashing down the aisle while the bride’s dress still fit. No, Ruby knew it’d take a solemn vow—and possibly a crowbar—to pry Hester’s bony knees apart. It was, rather, Hester’s primal reaction to a territorial challenge.
Ruby heard the rumble of an engine and the crunch of gravel and looked up to see a car pulling into the driveway. Not just any old car, a convertible, tar black with cream panels, and chrome so radiant that Ruby had to fight the urge to fan herself. The driver pulled to a stop, climbed out of the car, and took a few loping strides to the porch steps. He paused with one foot on the second stair, one hand on his waist, and another stroking his chin.
“Would you happen to know where I might find Daniel and Hester?” He smiled pleasantly and had such a relaxed and unhurried air about him that Ruby didn’t mind one bit that he hadn’t bothered to introduce himself. He was tall with sleek brown hair and had the build of an athlete. The sleeves of his crisp white shirt were rolled to his elbows, exposing tanned and muscled forearms.
“They just left for church.”
“Bother,” he said. “Late again and now I’ve missed them.” He bent to rub a small scuff from the point of his wingtip. “At least I can rest assured ol’ Hissy will pray for my lost soul.”
Ruby had always found a certain charm in playful irreverence. “Hissy?” she asked with a small smile.
“Sorry,” he said. “Just a nickname I have for Hester.” He took two steps, mounting the porch steps, and extended his right hand to Ruby. “And here I haven’t even introduced myself. William Fraser, Hester’s brother.”
Ruby shook hands, but was so surprised by this announcement she could think of nothing to say. And then all of a sudden it made perfect sense. The features, which were so horsey and mannish on Hester, had somehow reworked and reassembled themselves on her brother so as to be pleasant, handsome even.
“And you must be Ruby. My sister has mentioned you.” He pulled his hand from hers and she instantly missed its dry warmth. “Of course she failed to mention you were the kind of pretty that turns angels green.” He winked at her. “Then again, I wouldn’t expect her to have much appreciation in that department.” He rolled his eyes. “An art major, no less.”
Ruby nervously brushed her pale blond hair back behind her shoulder. It was getting long and had a tendency to plump and coil in the humidity. “You could wait for them. They usually come straight back here. Would you like a lemonade or iced tea?”
He looked at his watch. “They won’t come straight back today. We’ve got a reservation at the Fairview for lunch. I suppose they’ll expect me, even if I missed church.”
“Oh.” Ruby was vexed. As Sunday was Cook’s day off, Ruby had, herself, assembled two cold plates of fried chicken, sliced tomatoes, and corn muffins. They were wrapped in wax paper and stacked neatly in the icebox. A small gesture she performed each Sunday above and beyond her stated areas of responsibility. Daniel could have at least let her know of his plans.
“Would you like to come?” he said.
“I beg your pardon?”
“To lunch. How would you like to come?”
Ruby colored. “Thank you, but I couldn’t.”
“Why not?”
She fingered the collar of her blue cotton blouse. “It wouldn’t be right. I wouldn’t be welcome.”
The brown of William’s eyes darkened to turf. “That’s a load of muck. Wouldn’t be welcome by whom?”
Ruby wished she hadn’t said anything. “I didn’t mean unwelcome really. It’s just Daniel’s my boss and—”
“So. I know he’s a little stuffy and Hester’s probably got him on a pretty short leash, but is he really all that strict?”
“No. He’s not like that at all. It’s probably me. I’d feel funny.” She squirmed in her seat and made a small gesture toward her form. “I wouldn’t even know what to wear.”
“I think you look just fine right now.” He dipped his head and pursed his lips. “Plus, I bet you could make an old dishrag look good.”
William fixed his eyes on the chair next to Ruby’s and nodded in its direction. “Tell you what. I’ll take that glass of iced tea you so politely offered and then I’ll wait right here while you change.” He lowered himself into the porch chair, stretching his long legs out in front of him.
Ruby’s breath got all tangled. She’d never been to the Fairview. By all accounts, it was very classy. Still, she recoiled at the thought of Hester’s face when . . . Then again, Hester’s face. Ruby’s mouth tilted up playfully. “What should I wear?”
William sat back and stroked his chin with long fingers. “Do you have a red dress, by any chance?”
She didn’t, but she had one of such a deep, fleshy coral that Sophia, one of the new girls, had once referred to it as “titty pink.” She cleared her throat. “Will something in the pink family do?”
He grinned. “It certainly will.”
Ruby rushed to her room and dressed in a flurry of nerves. She’d worn the dress to the home’s Easter party, but that afternoon had been unseasonably cool and she’d kept the matching jacket on all day, buttoned tight. She’d boil in the jacket today, so left it hanging in her small wardrobe. She looped a strand of pearls, the only possession she had of her mother’s, behind her neck and fiddled with the clasp. Checking the mirror, she was a little self-conscious of the fact that the dress, with its thin shoulder straps and heart-shaped bodice, accentuated her bust. From a drawer, she pulled an embroidered shawl of cream silk. It was frayed at the edge and some of the stitching was loose, but it would have to do. She wrapped the shawl around her tightly and hurried back to William.
He stood as she stepped onto the porch and then whistled low. “Well, hello again,” he said in a voice so heavy and slow Ruby thought he might need a winch to get to the next sentence. He shook some imaginary heft from his shoulders and said, “Now, that’s a dress.”
At the Fairview, William ushered her into the lobby and held out his arm for her to grasp. “Shall we?”
From her seat at the table, Hester was the first to spot them. From across the room, Ruby could see her mouth fold into a bitter pull. Daniel, whose back had been turned to them, pivoted in his seat to see what had caught Hester in such an awkward haw.
William eased Ruby into a seat facing Daniel and said, “Look what I found.” He bent to give Hester a cool peck on the cheek and then turned to shake hands with Daniel. “Sorry to have missed you at church,” he said. “I thought we were supposed to meet at Daniel’s place.” He nodded toward Ruby. “And then I got distracted by this lovely young thing.”
Ruby squirmed as she felt all three turn to regard her. She fingered her mother’s pearls with one hand and held the knot to the shawl with the other.
“Daniel, you never mentioned what a gem you’ve got holed up out there.” William took his seat and lifted the large black leather menu. “If I’d known, I’d have made more of an effort to get home for a visit.”
“I should have thought of the introduction myself.” Daniel’s voice was calm and controlled, but Ruby noted it was thicker than usual, as if having passed through something sticky.
“Probably too busy with wedding plans,” William said. “In any case, that would have taken all the fun out of today.” He uprighted the tall menu so only his cap of thick hair was visible. “How about a bottle of Riesling?” he said. “It’s early, but for some reason I feel like celebrating.” He lowered the leather folder to just below his eye level. “Must be the company.”
Lunch was wonderful. The room tinkled with excitement: the plink of wineglasses, the breathy murmur of important conversations, and the rich aroma of savory dishes. Ruby even loved the heft of the starched white linen napkin on her lap. She had been confused to find no prices on her menu and had at first cautiously ordered baked chicken with roast potatoes and asparagus. William balked at such simple fare and insisted, quite adamantly, that she have the lobster. Upon discovering she’d never tasted lobster, he had been as giddy as a carousel horse, standing over her, encircling her with his broad arms as he expertly demonstrated how to properly crack the tail and claws and quarry its succulent meat.
And as William’s mirth and merriment increased, Daniel’s seemed to diminish. William drank the bulk of the second bottle of wine, whereas Daniel was temperate, blocking William from refilling his glass by covering his hand over the goblet. For her part, it was only Ruby’s second taste of alcohol. Last Christmas, one of the girls had snuck a bottle of cold duck into the house and they’d corralled in one of the upstairs bedrooms to pass the warm, sticky bottle around the small circle. The Riesling, by comparison, was crisp and cold, and Ruby liked the tingly sensation it awakened in her. And William was such an attentive date that she felt perfectly at ease; indeed, his effusive compliments and encouragements buoyed her overall good cheer.
Hester, on the other hand, did her part to tamp down the mood. She found two occasions to insert into the conversation the fact that William was waiting to hear about admission to law school and what a shame it was his stay would be brief.
“How about dessert?” William’s eyes locked onto Ruby. He had an impish quality to him that had kept her smiling throughout the meal.
“I’m stuffed,” she declared.
“Oh, come on,” he said. “We’ll have the circus cone.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Hester said. “That’s on the children’s menu.”
“So what?” William said. “It’s fun.”
“They won’t serve it to you,” Hester said.
“Sure they will. I’ve had it before.”
“When you were five,” Hester snapped.
William affected a child’s voice, “Don’t worry, Mommy, I’ll say please.” Turning to Ruby, he winked and smiled so endearingly she had to giggle, which caused Hester’s eyebrows to arch and converge in two angry gashes.
The circus cone was a bowl of ice cream with a scoop of vanilla as clown face, the upended cone as its hat, chocolate-chip eyes, a pecan nose, a maraschino-cherry mouth, and a ruffle of whipped cream at its neckline. Ruby ate the whole thing while Hester huffed over her cup of black coffee.
When they finally emerged into the heat of the late afternoon, Ruby was surprised to see it was still daylight.
Daniel stepped forward. “It makes the most sense for me to drive Ruby and you to drive Hester. No sense crossing paths just to double back.”
Hester made a sharp caw, as if something scratched to be said. Her darkened eyes flitted between Daniel and Ruby and then Daniel again. Finally she said, “Of course, it only makes sense.”
Daniel was quiet for the first few minutes of the ride, uncomfortably quiet. Ruby’s mind kept looping over the events of the day to make sure she hadn’t embarrassed him or compromised him in any way. She finally spoke first. “I really enjoyed myself. I’d never been anywhere so fancy before. The lobster was delicious. And William is so funny . . .”
Daniel cleared his throat. “Ruby, I want to talk to you about William.”
“What about him?”
He gripped the steering wheel with both hands, and his body posture was rigid. “It’s just . . . he has a bit of a reputation.”
“What kind of reputation?”
“As a player, a ladies’ man.” He turned to regard her. “Do you know what I mean by that?”
She couldn’t help the look of insolence that weighted her eyelids as she turned to look out toward her side of the road. It figured. Her most painful shards of memory had all begun as a sliver of hope. “Yes, of course I know what that means.”
He extended his arm straight out the window to indicate a left turn. The broken turn signal was one of several recent failings of his old Ford. She had overheard Hester chiding him to get a new car, but he’d shaken her off saying he couldn’t afford one. “He’s also known for not sticking to anything for very long, schools, jobs, towns, or girls. I just wouldn’t want to see you get hurt.”
She thought about the way Daniel had been so protective over Dr. Perry’s advances. Then she remembered Hester’s sharp knuckle wearing Daniel’s family diamond. Too late for Ruby not to get hurt. She tucked one end of her shawl into the other, retying its crisp knot. “We had lunch. That’s all. It’s not like I’m going to see him again.”
But she did see him again, and again. It started the next day with a bouquet of deep purple and blazing yellow irises and a card that stated, “For a real gem.” No one had ever given Ruby flowers before. She placed them front and center on her small desk and loved the way they spilled summertime all over her day. William stopped by later that evening in his shiny convertible to make sure she’d received the flowers and to invite her for a drive and picnic along the river the following day. Daniel hadn’t asked about the flowers, but then again, he had been quiet and standoffish all day.
William proved to be an attentive suitor. They swam at the country club; he took her to a jazz concert; and he gave her private golf lessons. Ruby had never been treated to so many special outings in all her life. She never knew what to wear and it took all the girls in the house chipping in with bits and pieces: a swimsuit borrowed from Mira, seersucker shorts from Tammy, and a shimmery robin’s-egg-blue scarf from Debbie. The entire house seemed to crackle with the news and gossip of Ruby’s every adventure. The excitement seemed to soften dour old Cook, who once even offered to pack a picnic lunch and chocked it full of her specialties: fried chicken, buttermilk biscuits, corn pudding, and two fat slices of her three-decker chocolate cake. She went so far as to tuck in a bottle of hard cider, admonishing Ruby with a “don’t tell” finger to her pursed lips.
No need to elaborate who wasn’t to be told. Daniel’s sour mood continued. He complained that two girls had skipped their appointments with the family services’ counselor. There was all too much wastage going on, lights left on all hours, food taken from the pantry without permission. And he begrudged every moment of free time Ruby requested. Ruby stood her ground. She had been working as Daniel’s secretary for almost two years and hadn’t taken a formal vacation day in all that time. And so what if it was all so rushed and last minute, and if she never gave him proper notice? Besides, she liked the way William referred to it as spontaneous.
Things continued like this for three weeks. William gave her driving lessons, taught her how to distinguish a salad fork from a dessert fork and a soup spoon from a teaspoon, and bought her a tennis racquet, tennis shoes, and a white tennis dress. They took bike rides and car rides, and swam and golfed, and ate at restaurants, and sometimes just sat in his car sipping champagne—real champagne, from France—straight from the bottle and listening to the radio. Whenever the charttopper “Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones came on, William would sing along and insist that Ruby join in. William was fun, and she liked just about everything about him: the way he groaned with pleasure every time he saw her, the way he never made her feel out of place or less than anyone else, the way he asked about her hardships and then held her closely, calling her a “poor angel,” and the way he reveled in her awakening to so many things. He told her, over and over, that he’d never met anyone like her and that he was sick to death of the vanity and vapidity of the girls he met at college or in his family’s circle of acquaintances. He also said she was the most disarming combination of child and enchantress he had ever met. It was the second of those two which had Ruby a little worried.
For the first two weeks he had been a perfect gentleman, content with deep kisses and clothes-on caresses. Just the night before, though, he had begged her to let him unbutton her cotton sweater, and then unhook her bra. He’d been so gentle and so appreciative, cupping and mounding and kissing her breasts, and groaning and literally heaving with pleasure. As much as he was slow and considerate, she remembered the way her nasty uncle had slobbered all over her and she wanted no part of that. It took a few minutes for the wolf man to exit William, and for normal breathing to return, and still a few more for him to cobble together a few coherent words. She could tell he wasn’t used to meeting with resistance, or persevering in the face of it, in any case. She remembered Daniel had called him a “player,” which she supposed meant he’d been with plenty of girls. And it didn’t look like it had done any of them much good.
She figured her only hope was to be different, completely different. Let people think and say what they like. God knows there were probably all sorts of rumors about her, especially since they’d been seen around town a lot. Now that Daniel and Hester had set a date, she was trying very hard to envision a future with William. She resolved to give him a fair chance, one free of contrasts and comparisons. Though she doubted his presence would ever untether her the way Daniel’s did, she confessed for William a genuine fondness, one she hoped would mature.
Her suspicions about rumors were confirmed later that week when one of the girls told Ruby that she’d heard from someone else that William’s car had been rocking something fierce over at the Moonlight Drive-in Theater last Friday. And some passerby had supposedly seen more than just the neon sign flashing. Ruby didn’t bother to deny it. She and William had been munching burgers and sipping Cokes at Joe’s Diner on Friday, clear across town from the drive-in. Surprisingly, this newest rumor had two interesting side effects. Hester was so clip and curt she could barely bring herself to utter the most basic of civilities in Ruby’s presence. Clearly, she felt William’s low standards reflected on herself and, most likely, their entire family. Even more interesting was Daniel’s flustered behavior around Ruby. He seemed jittery and could barely look her in the face. He also had dark owl-like circles around his eyes, and, indeed, she had heard him stirring late into the wee hours for several nights running. He had also taken to long walks around the pond. On more than one occasion it had seemed like he wanted to discuss something with her, something meaningful, but then he’d brushed her off with a “never mind” or “it wasn’t important.”
Ruby had always been a determined individual and willing to work on skills where she knew herself lacking. Swimming was no exception. She had been embarrassed at William’s club, having no more confidence in the water than the splashing toddlers. The home’s spring-fed pond offered an opportunity for practice. Its farthest edge, a finger-shaped inlet, had a sandy beach and was surrounded by dense trees providing privacy.
Ruby finished her work one unbearably warm evening and hurried to the pond. Knowing the sun would soon tumble behind the thick canopy of trees, she did not waste time running upstairs for a bathing suit. She stepped to the shoreline, already unbuttoning her dress. It fell to the grass. The water felt like smooth glass against her calves and she luxuriated in this before venturing farther, until the water lapped gently against her thighs. She looked down at her panties and bra. She’d need to walk back to the house after the swim. The pleated skirt of her dress probably wouldn’t cling, but a wet bra would soak the thin bodice. She unhooked the eyelets at the back and, wadding the fabric into a ball, threw it onto the grass with her dress. Just as she was turning back to the water, a movement in the trees caught her eye. She and Daniel locked eyes for a moment before she covered her breasts with crossed hands. She then dipped down to her knees to conceal herself in the murky water.
Daniel did not mention the event after returning from his walk, or all the next day. Finally, a few days later, as Ruby was sitting on the porch swing listening to a transistor radio and waiting for William to pick her up, Daniel eased himself into a rocker. He sat with his hands hanging between his knees.
“What on earth are you listening to?” he asked.
“The Rolling Stones. They’re William’s favorite,” Ruby said. “You don’t like them?”
“They’re interesting; I’ll give you that much,” Daniel said with a shake of his head. After a long pause, he asked, “Does he make you happy? If only I knew you were happy.”
She hardly knew how to respond. What if she said he didn’t? Was there a wrong way to answer this question? Daniel’s sober tone had her confused.
“He makes me feel special.” It was an honest reply.
Daniel stood abruptly. “Good. I’m glad to hear it. You deserve as much.” He took a few short strides toward the front door. “Have a good evening, Ruby.”
The next night, just as Ruby was pulling the last of the day’s letters from the typewriter, Daniel came out of his office and leaned against her desk.
“How’re you doing for a front crawl?” he asked.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Your swim stroke. Has anyone ever given you a proper lesson?”
“No.” William had proclaimed her deficiencies in this area “distressing,” but had capitalized on her weakness by dragging her into the deep end, where he knew she would cling to him, powerless and at his mercy.
“That won’t do. You’ll need a proper backstroke, too.”
“I guess.”
“Tell you what.” He checked his watch. “Meet me at the pond in twenty minutes; we’ll have you swimming in no time.”
She was bashful at first, skittish to disclose the full extent of her inexperience. His initial demonstrations, the way he knifed through the water with speed and agility, did little to settle her nerves. But he was such a patient teacher that she soon relaxed. Instead of teasing—as William had with her tennis serve and golf swing—Daniel was encouraging, if a little sober. After a spate of “head down” and “kick” commands, she’d splashed him, willfully provoking his smile, and a return faceful of water.
Daniel’s technique of teaching the backstroke—one of holding the small of her back as she flutter-kicked and windmilled her arms—made it difficult for Ruby to concentrate, never mind coordinate body parts. It must be, she thought, what floating on a cloud felt like, a weightless suspension of time and place. She found herself staring into his eyes, which were much brighter and more playful away from the responsibilities of work. It was better, at any rate, than staring at his bare chest. He wasn’t burly like William, but for such a thin frame, he was surprisingly ropy.
She hated when tumbling darkness pulled them from the water. During the short walk back, Ruby had sensed him growing quieter, more aloof. When the house came into view, he straightened, as if yanked upward—and painfully—by some invisible force.
“Thank you for the lesson,” she said as they walked up the flagged path.
“You were a natural.”
“See you in the morning, then.” She hesitated on the porch, hoping for an excuse to linger.
With Daniel holding the door open for her and girls’voices wafting from the staircase, Ruby knew that now was another time to heed that “head down” command. Its complement, “kick,” was also on her mind. She wanted to. And scream. Instead, she reminded herself of the futility of such thoughts. Daniel was her boss. Her engaged boss. Anything more, anything familial, would be of the married-into-the-same-family variety.
When, a week later, William invited her to a family dinner in honor of his mother’s birthday, Ruby sensed it was a corner turned. By his own admission, he hadn’t introduced a girl to his parents “in ages” and crowed that she would “make their wait worth their while.” She was aware, through Daniel, that they were great travelers, particularly since the father had retired. They had just returned from some grand trip and the gathering would also be the first formal assembly since Daniel and Hester had set a date. When Ruby had asked William what she should wear, he had cheekily responded, “Show ’em what you got.” It had not been the reply she had anticipated.
Finding Hester, the following day, on the phone in Ruby’s office was also unexpected. Hester always used Daniel’s office. Ruby was, however, relieved to overhear Hester instructing someone, presumably a dry cleaner, that she simply had to have her red Christian Dior gown by Sunday. Hester recradled the phone and nodded to Ruby.
“Sorry. I hope you don’t mind my intrusion. You were away from your desk at just the moment I remembered something which simply could not wait.”
“No problem,” Ruby said. She smiled to herself, grateful for the tip-off. Hester wouldn’t leave her looking dowdy and underdressed a second time.
Ruby coaxed a stubborn curl into submission and stepped back from the mirror for a full-length view. She had slept all night with sponge curlers and had a head of springy coils to show for her efforts. One of the girls had loaned her a formal dress with a fitted strapless bodice in black taffeta and a full ballerina-style skirt of cream tulle that hooped over a tight taffeta underlayer. Dressed as she was, Ruby felt like she could spin right into a dance number with Fred Astaire. She hurried from her room to the foyer-pacing William.
“How do I look?” she asked, descending the last step.
He pulled at his lower lip. “Perfect.”
“Not too much?” She adjusted her mother’s pearls.
“Not for me.”
The Frasers lived on High Street, known for its elegant homes. Ruby marveled at the manicured lawns, chiseled topiaries, lush flower beds, stately columns, commanding brick facades, and above all, the trees. A column of towering silver maples, some close to one hundred feet tall, lined the boulevard, creating a sentry both imposing and impressive. William parked behind a hunter-green Bentley.
“Are you ready?” he asked. “Not nervous?”
“Why? Should I be?” Something in his tone made the bottoms of her feet itch.
“Of course not,” he said. “Just remember, being different is what makes you special.”
He was out of his seat and around to her side of the car before she could ask what he meant. With urgency, he rushed her up the front steps and quickly dispatched her shawl and purse to a nameless maid. He then escorted her into a very large sitting room, one for which she was sure the family had a formal title, like the drawing room or grand hall. Her eye, which had first been pulled to an ornately carved marble fireplace, quickly found the two other women present. Everything in Ruby—her heart, courage, confidence, breakfast, and lunch—keeled and capsized. She felt she might have even let out a small gurgle. Drab, dowdy, and demure were the first three words that popped into Ruby’s head, quickly followed by damn. William’s mother and Hester looked like they had just returned from a librarians’ convention, at which they’d been the ho-hums of honor.
William cleared his throat. “Mom, Pops, I’d like you to meet Ruby.” His voice was high and clear. He was obviously enjoying himself. “Ruby, these are my parents, Harold and Regina Fraser.”
They both stood, he from one of the wing chairs at the side of the fireplace, and she from an overstuffed chintz armchair. Regina wore a smoky-blue linen skirt and gray silk blouse buttoned high with a fussy little scarf further sealing things off. She was tall and thin with her gray hair screwed tightly into a bun at the nape of her neck. Harold wore tan corduroy pants and a crisp white shirt. They both shook Ruby’s hand mechanically. When Regina’s eyes wandered down to Ruby’s dress, her face pinched in obvious discomfort.
Harold spoke first. “Very good to meet you, Ruby.” He gestured toward an open spot on the sofa. “Please be seated, there next to Daniel and Hester.”
Hester, who had clearly known the dress code, wore a long fitted pencil skirt in camel, a brackish-brown short-sleeved cotton sweater set, and flats.
Ruby wanted to turn and run. Feeling ridiculous and exposed, she took in a sharp, piercing gulp of air. “I’m overdressed.” She looked imploringly at Hester. “I thought I heard you say you were wearing a ball gown.”
Hester rolled her eyes. “You overheard me with the cleaners. I said I needed my dress by today. I packed for New York this morning.”
Daniel’s eyes flitted from one to the other. “You’re not leaving for New York until Friday.”
“Yes, but I packed today. You know how I hate to put things off.” Hester gave a small snort of a laugh. “I didn’t realize you were listening to my conversation.” She shook her head. “Pity. If you’d only asked.”
William cut in, “You look marvelous, Ruby. Puts a little instant sparkle into another one of these drab evenings.”
Regina’s eyes snapped like kindling. “Drab?”
“Don’t start, William,” Harold said.
William ignored them both. “What is it we’re drinking?” He walked toward a bar cart. “Ah, sherry. I should have guessed. Oh well, it’s better than tea and crumpets.” He raised the bottle. “Ruby, can I pour you one?”
“No, thank you.” The last thing she needed was to get tipsy, fall off her high heels, and spill out of the stupid strapless contraption. Ruby was beginning to pick up on the dynamics of the family. And William’s fleece was darkening by the moment.
William proceeded to drink more than his share of the sherry and then the white wine served with dinner. He became loud and churlish and somewhat rude. In his defense, his parents made no effort to include Ruby in their conversation. They went on and on about their recent trip to “the Continent.” Ruby figured there were enough of them that you should be specific. It was as if Asia and Africa and the others didn’t count. Just as she, a little backwoods wayward, didn’t count either. No one asked her anything about herself. Or her travels. Or her friendship with William. Though it wasn’t like she had anything to offer regarding the divinity of the Sistine Chapel, or the serenade of a gondolier, or the majesty of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. William, if he wasn’t listing his own ports of call, was being inappropriate. When Regina had hailed the Eiffel Tower as a modern wonder, William had roughly clasped an arm around Ruby’s shoulder and said, “You can keep your Eiffel, I got my own eyeful right here.”
Hester was in high form. She had spent a college semester in Paris studying art history and could match her mother tit for tat on museums, cathedrals, and the best streets for shopping. She announced she would get Daniel “abroad” in the very near future, even if it killed her. Ruby liked the sound of that, Hester laid out in a coffin with her cold, bony fingers clutching two stampless passports. And whereas the parents made no effort to include Ruby in the conversation, Hester seemed to go out of her way—at just the wrong moment. When the topic turned to artists, Hester pointedly asked Ruby her favorite. When Ruby replied Norman Rockwell, Hester laughed out loud, proclaiming with that uppity clack of hers, “Of course he is.” Ruby looked around at the family’s collection of modern art. A donkey and its tail could do better, Ruby thought. As could she. And she would someday, dammit, without a fancy degree either.
When the topic turned to sports, Hester asked Ruby what she played. Hester knew full well Ruby didn’t have time to “play” at anything. Ruby had replied, “Nothing,” to which Hester clucked her disapproval.
“You really should take something up.” Hester looked Ruby up and down appraisingly. “You have the type of figure that will go flabby.”
At that moment Ruby thought she might like to “take up” a baseball bat, or a croquet mallet, but not in the name of good sportsmanship.
For his part, Daniel seemed to grow moody as Hester grew chatty and William drunk. Daniel was clearly irritated with Hester and had given her a sharp “Hester, really” after her comment about Ruby’s figure. Hester had shrugged him off with a simple “It’s true.” Yet even before that, he had seemed out of sorts. Ruby had no idea what he was normally like around the family, but in her opinion he wasn’t himself. His usual air of quiet and reserve, which she normally found calming, came across tonight as aloof and withdrawn.
After dinner they retired to the drawing room, as Ruby now knew it was referred to. In honor of Regina’s birthday, Harold served champagne and Hester rolled in a towering birthday cake with enough candles to torch a small village. As soon as the dessert plates were reduced to crumbs, Ruby asked William to drive her home. Daniel overheard the request.
“I’ll drive Ruby,” Daniel said. He stood and rattled the keys in his pocket. “Tomorrow’s a busy day. I’ll need to be up early.”
“No, no, I’ll take her,” William said. “She’s my date after all.”
“Don’t be silly.” Regina turned to William. “You’re in no condition to drive. Let Daniel take her.”
“I’m perfectly able to drive,” William said.
“The hell you are,” Harold said. “I bought the car. I pay the insurance. And I’ll be damned if I’ll see another one end up in a crumpled heap. Daniel will drive the girl home.”
After an entire evening with the family, Ruby was nothing more than “the girl.” All the more reason to go. And better with Daniel than William after his performance all night. Good-byes were perfunctory. William was angry and sullen. Only the maid who returned her shawl and purse gave Ruby anything resembling a come back soon.
The car ride home was quiet. They were almost there before Daniel finally spoke.
“Are you all right?”
At that moment it all clung to her like cold, wet clothing. She had made a colossal fool of herself. She wore the wrong thing, had nothing to say, and was obviously the dead mouse the family’s rangy alley cat delighted in dropping at their feet. William would probably be done with her now, having played his prank. And Daniel had witnessed the whole thing. She began to cry softly until she could no longer contain herself and her body racked with loud sobs.
He pulled off the country road and put the car in park. “Ruby,” he said with alarm. “What is it?”
“I feel like such a fool,” she said through tears. “They hated me. I don’t know what I was thinking. I will never be good enough for people like them.”
Daniel’s voice was firm and clear. “You have nothing to be ashamed of.”
“I was an idiot,” she said. “I dressed like one, and I sounded like one.”
“Listen to me. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You were polite, and dignified, and the only one who I saw making an idiot of himself was William.”
“They didn’t like me.”
“There aren’t many they do.”
“They like you,” she said.
“They tolerate me. In truth, Hester could do better.”
Ruby let out a small laugh. This was the Daniel she knew and liked. “I’m simple,” she said. “A small-town country bumpkin compared to them. Not at all William’s type.”
“Hey.” He reached his right index finger across the space between them, turning her chin toward him. “Don’t ever let anyone make you question yourself like that. You are a catch, Ruby. An absolute catch. You’re smart, and beautiful, and funny, and could have any guy you wanted.”
“No, I couldn’t.” She looked at him squarely, tears clung to her lashes.
“Sure you could.”
“I can’t have you,” she said.
It sounded as if something balled in Daniel’s throat. He finally scratched out a barely audible “Oh, Ruby.” She braced herself for his rejection. It would be kind and gentle, but still firm. She closed her eyes and steadied herself for more humiliation. He released her chin. His hand, warm and strong, cupped the nape of her neck and, then, his mouth was on hers. He kissed her softly, and with such tenderness she thought she might begin to cry all over again. His breath, a mixture of sweet and spicy, whispered over her until she opened her own mouth under his. Daniel moved closer to her side of the car’s commodious bench seat. He nuzzled her chin and throat and she arched closer to him in response. When he took her face between his hands and gazed upon her with longing, her breath caught in her heaving chest.
“Ruby, I’ve been an idiot. Seeing you with William these past few weeks, it’s been driving me out of my mind.” He kissed her all along her neckline. “What you just said. It gave me hope you had feelings for me.”
“I do,” she said, ducking her head into another one of his kisses.
After a moment, he broke free again. “This isn’t a game to me. You know I wouldn’t do that to you.”
“I know. You’re not like that.”
“Oh, Ruby,” he groaned. “I can hardly believe what’s happening.” He pulled her into him and then lowered her onto her back. She lay beneath him, his kisses smothering her from her mouth, to her throat, to the flesh of her cleavage that spilled precariously from the strapless dress.
“I’ll break things off with Hester tomorrow.”
“I’ll do the same with William.”
He raised himself, gazing at her. “Hold fast,” he said in a teasing tone.
“What? Why?”
“I don’t know how she’ll take it; we could be in for a real squall.”
“I don’t mind,” she said, figuring she could withstand any storm with Daniel as her port.