The Arrival
The bumpy road shook the carriage and pushed the riders into each other uncomfortably. The carriage traveled down a low, lonely road, and drove towards a wide, white manor. In it, there was a girl named Ruby, only 19-years-old, who sat and stared out the window, wondering if this ride, and the life she was about to start, were simply a dream. Next to her sat a man named Edward, her husband. He was much older than she was, though such a thing was not uncommon at the time. He was making light conversation, over the sound of cracking reins, to the final passenger. This was a man named Andrew, Ruby’s father. He was only five years older than Edward, a fact that Andrew recognized, but had decided to ignore. A week before this ride, he said to Ruby, “I have met a man who can help us. You will marry this man.” And so, she did, without any complaints. She knew her father would not listen to her. She doubted that Edward would either.
Finally, the driver declared, “We’ve arrived, my lord,” and the carriage slowly came to a stop. A few moments later, a servant opened the door next to Ruby, and she was gestured to come out. She took the servant’s hand, slowly stepping out of the carriage. Edward and her father followed her. Edward went over to the servant and began to give instructions. After receiving his orders, the servant walked into the manor. Andrew stood next to Ruby. He opened his mouth a few times, before deciding what he wanted to say.
“This will be a good place for you, I promise. We won’t see each other for a while…I’ll be back as soon as I can. I love you. This will all work out, you’ll see.”
Ruby stared at the stone pavement. She wanted to say many things: I hate you, how could you, I love you, don’t leave me. She said none of these. She simply said, “Goodbye Dad. I hope it helps.”
The servant returned with a leather pouch and handed it to Edward. Edward peeked inside, then drew the bag closed and walked to Andrew.
“This should be more than enough,” he said. “If she still needs more medicine after this runs out, let me know. I can send more.” He pressed the pouch into Andrew’s hands, and the gold coins within jingled softly.
“Thank you, my lord.” Andrew began to bow, but Edward stopped him.
“You’re very welcome. And please, you don’t have to call me ‘lord’. You’re my father-in-law now.”
Andrew smiled, turned to Ruby, and kissed her on the cheek. She gave him a kiss and a hug in reply. Then Andrew gave directions to the driver and stepped back into the carriage. The driver cracked the reins and off they went.
“Come with me, my dear. Let me show you around.” Edward said, taking Ruby’s hand.
The manor, though filled with servants, felt empty to Ruby. The halls of her new home were tall, and cold. While the outside of the manor was white, the inside was almost entirely blue. The walls, curtains, and even the floor shared in the color coordination. Ruby realized then that Edward’s coat was blue as well. Blue’s a lovely color and all, but could you mix it up a bit, Ruby thought. Portraits of long-dead ancestors hung from the walls, painted in such a way that the eyes seemed to follow you. Edward, of course, paid no mind to them, but Ruby found herself staring at the portrait of a young woman, only a year or two older than herself. And Ruby found that the young woman was staring back.
Edward showed Ruby all the places he thought would interest her. She saw a sprawling library, which contained more books than Ruby had previously thought existed in the whole world. It too had blue walls, but the browns and blacks of the book covers made the blue more tolerable here. It was connected by a short hallway to the dining room, almost empty except for a long white table. The blue walls were more oppressive here than in any other room in the house. It gave the room a shrinking quality, as if the walls would close in on you if you didn’t keep your eye on them. Close by were the large French doors that opened to the garden. What a lovely garden it was, filled with every flower Ruby knew, and about twice as many that she didn’t. The best part was that there were no walls at all. The only blue was from the evening sky. Ruby decided she would have to spend an afternoon there soon. Finally, Edward took her up the stairs, and opened the door to Ruby’s room. Thankfully, it was not blue. Every wall was red, a beautiful red: a ruby red. A vase filled with roses sat on Ruby’s dresser.
“Hold on a moment,” Edward said, reaching his hand into his coat pocket. He pulled out a necklace, the front of which housed a deep red ruby. “I thought I’d give you this. A ruby for my Ruby.”
“I…it’s beautiful. Thank you.” Ruby stared at the gem. It was, by far, the single most expensive thing she had ever seen. It was also the most beautiful.
“I’m glad you like it. Let me put it on you.” Edward slid behind Ruby, pushed her blonde hair to the side, and fastened the necklace around her neck.
“For my dear Ruby, may our love shine forever,” Edward said, as he closed the clasp. It was quite tight on her, and Ruby wondered if it was meant to be tight, or if it was simply made for someone with a thinner neck.
Edward took a step back to admire his handiwork. “It looks even better on you than I had thought.” His eyes were drawn into the ruby, and he stared a few moments before collecting himself. “Dinner should be at seven tonight. I hope you’ll wear the necklace then. Elizabeth will be your handmaid; she should be here soon. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask. I…realize you did not have much of a choice to come here, but I hope your stay will be enjoyable for us both.” With that, he gave Ruby a kiss on the cheek and left the room.
Ruby stood alone for a while, taking in the room, before a short, middle-aged woman entered, and introduced herself as Elizabeth. She got to work immediately, preparing Ruby for dinner. She wove flowers into Ruby’s hair, and took a silk dress—blue of course—and fitted it on Ruby. She dabbed a bit of blush on Ruby’s cheeks, as well. Finally, Elizabeth said, “you’re ready, my lady”, and she was out the door. Ruby didn’t get the chance to correct her. She wasn’t a lady, not really.
At 6:45, Ruby entered the dining room. Edward was already sitting at one end of the table, and he invited her to sit at the other. Ruby sat nearly fifteen feet from her groom at a long, white table. The servants brought out platters of fresh fruits, and placed a lit candelabra in the center of the table. Soon the main course was served: steak, baked potatoes, peas, carrots, green beans, and bread. Ruby watched Edward cut into his steak; it was red on the inside, nearly as red as Ruby’s necklace, and clearly raw. It bled as he cut into it, and it bled as he chewed. A small dribble of blood escaped his lips, as he stared intently at the necklace. He sat there, just chewing and staring, chewing and staring, as if he were eating the ruby itself. He wiped his blood-covered lips with his handkerchief, and returned it to his pocket. Ruby avoided eating the steak that night, having only the vegetables and bread.
