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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 3879988" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter Two-hundred-twenty-four, “Richard’s Departure“, Sunday, June 18th, 9:45 A.M. Ruby hears a knock on the door in what she thinks is a few minutes later but upon waking up sees that sunlight is coming through the windows. Richard says, "Ruby, may I come in?" Ruby sits up in bed, rubbing her eyes. "Sure, come on in," she says in her throaty, just woke up sleepy voice. Richard enters and says, "I've been thinking over the events of the last day and realize that the Pinkerton Detectives may have been using magic, meaning that Jane could be in danger if they can see through her disguise. I will be heading out soon to get to Buffalo and check with the Lieutenant on her status. The newspapers have come out, clearing our identities, and your friend has arranged a police escort to the train depot just in case. I assumed we would both be going, but Mr. Eastman has made assurances for your safety if you should decide to stay. What would you like to do?" "Are you leaving, leaving? Or just checking on Jane?" Ruby swings her legs over the side of the bed. "I'm not sure how much George really wants me here." Richard replies, "I anticipate returning to Arizona, the sooner we get the documents out of New York State the better. That's an odd comment regarding Mr. Eastman, he gave me the impression that he definitely wants you to stay." Ruby replies, "Oh, I think he thinks he wants me to stay. But I would be such a distraction with his work..." Ruby rubs her eyes again. "I'm confused about him Richard. I wish I had someone to talk to. I'm not good at figuring things out myself." "Okay, so what you're saying is, you are going back to Arizona and you're willing to leave me here, if I wish. You'll take the papers with you?" He states, "I would take the ones that Jane has, yes. I could send here back here to be with you if that would help, or you could come with me instead. I'm not sure what else to tell you other than the fact that Mr. Eastman is an honorable man and with his connections to the local police I have no doubt that you will be safe here." She says, "Let me speak with George and I'll let you know. I feel like I'm not ready to leave but if I have to, I have to. I'll go speak with him now." Ruby wanders out of the bed room, still sleepy and clothed in her soft white nightgown, and looks for George. She finds George in the informal dining room with a mug of coffee with four newspapers and a technical journal spread out on the table. He looks up at her entrance with a smile and says, "I hope that your hangover this morning is better than mine. By your attire can I assume that you do not plan for an immediate departure with Richard?" "Hangover? Oh, I guess it's okay." She slides into the seat next to George. "Your pains probably have more to do with falling out of bed!" Ruby continues, "Richard just woke me, I didn't know he was planning on leaving. I came down to talk to you about it." Ruby glances at the newspapers and journals, pushing them with her finger. "Do you want me to stay? I'm... I'm not sure I'm ready to leave just yet." He exclaims, "Of course I want you to stay. I went all the way out to Arizona just to see you. Now that you've come all the way back to Rochester I'm not going to send you away if I can help it. I...I think without Richard around we will be able to have some more privacy." Ruby smiles at him. "As long as you're okay with a houseguest, then I will stay. And you promise to tell me when I've overstayed my welcome. I'm sure when the time comes I can find someone to accompany me home. Not that I can't travel alone, I mean, I was alone and took care of myself for many years." George asks, "But were those happy years? You indicated that they were not. You have found a friend again, you do not have to be alone any more." Ruby's cheeks turn rosy and she looks down at the papers again, folding the corner of one paper up and down. "No, they were not happy and you already know I don't like being alone. I just meant that I can get back to Promise City myself if necessary." She stands from the table. "I'll go tell Richard. And then I'll come back for breakfast. Well, coffee at least." She starts walking away but stops as she is passing George. "Thank you," is all she says before heading back upstairs to find Richard. Richard appears to be all packed. As he sees Ruby return he asks "Well? What have you decided?" "I'm going to stay. Promise City has done alright without me this long, they can wait a little longer. And I know I'll be safe here." Ruby sits on the edge of Richard's bed. "Thank you, for everything. You've become a friend this trip, besides protecting me and Janie. I hope when I return we can get together and finish some of the discussions we've started." Richard then asks, "And what about Jane? Do you want me to send her back here or continue on with me?" Ruby says, "If she wants to come back I suppose... Richard, after her confession to me, perhaps it's better that she goes home. I'm worried that I might hurt her and I don't want to do that. I would say, let her make the decision. If you think it's safe and she wants to return and is insistent... otherwise, let her go home. She's probably missing people from back there anyway. I'll be okay. I can always telegraph my teacher in Promise City and he can come and get me." Richard responds, "Or telegraph the Meeting Hall in Tucson. I will notify you if we return and about the status of the documents. I will have to be cryptic though, any reference to Aunt Flora will be about the documents in mine and Jane's possession, the ones that Eastman has mailed by Wells Fargo I will reference as Uncle Roderick." She says, "Alright Richard, that sounds reasonable." Ruby pauses and chooses her next words carefully. "Can you do me a favor please? Can you just make sure Jake is alright? I mean, I'm sure he is, why wouldn't he be. But just on the tiny off chance that something happened while I was away... I would just like to know is all. If it is how I think it is, then there is no need to wire me. I just want to be certain..." Richard says, "Alright, but you may find out yourself before hand. According to the newspapers Wyatt Earp goes on trial in Promise City tomorrow for ten counts of murder and it will be covered by the national press. If there were any other trouble in Promise City simultaneously it would most likely get mentioned as well." "What??" Ruby's mouth drops open in shock. "They caught Wyatt and he's on trial for murder? Well, the Judge has been busy while I've been away." She says, "Someone like Jake might not be news worthy. I'm pretty sure I'm right, I think I would feel it if something actually happened to him. I just want to be sure...Anyway, have a very safe trip. You know where I'll be and I'll wire you in Tucson if I need you. Come on, I'll walk you downstairs." Ruby stands and as they walk she asks, "Anything else I should know before you leave?" He slips Ruby a metal flask and says, "You might need this. It is an Elixir of Forgetfulness. If you spike a person's drink with it they will forget everything that transpired for a certain period of time. The flask has enough for four-hours worth of application, meaning you could make one person forget four hours, two people each forget two hours, four people each forget one hour, or any other such combination." "I hope I don't need it," she laughs. "But it seems very useful. Have you ever used it on me?" She asks with a smile and a raised eyebrow. He doesn’t respond to her question, saying instead, “It is a staple item among European wizards so that when people who oppose that type of magic accidentally witness it they don't create problems. Unfortunately you also then have to cover why they have acquired a memory gap if the passage of time is noted." Ruby stops suddenly. "Richard! When did you use this on me?? And why? I want some explanations!" He says, "On you? Never, although I will admit that there have been times when I have been tempted. I did plan to use it on Mr. Eastman yesterday if things did not go favorably at the factory, but the way things turned out that was not necessary." Ruby calms herself down. "Whoa. I thought you were saying, well, never mind." She shakes her head and laughs. "Let me put this away. George still has a lot to learn about magic." Ruby quickly drops off the flask in her room and meets Richard downstairs. "I'll say it again, have a safe trip home. Don't go getting mistaken for Deadeye again!" Ruby softly kisses his cheek. "Thanks for everything." "Thank you. Good luck to you Ruby," Richard gives her a brotherly kiss on the cheek. The police carriage arrives and George walks Richard out, introducing him to the pair of police officers. They depart. Ruby waves as Richard drives off then returns inside and waits for George. When he comes back in she asks, "Everything okay?" He has an odd look on his face and replies, "Perhaps? Did you have a good time in Switzerland?" She states, "Whh...what? Switzerland?" He says, "Two of the newspapers identified by name the woman who was mistaken for the outlaw Mae Clarke. One calls you Ruby West with no other mention of you. The other, however, names you as Constance Grace West the daughter of William and Alma West. The reporter apparently contacted your father who is quoted in the paper as saying that you have just now returned home after five years away at a private school for young women in Switzerland." A laughs escapes Ruby's lip but she not smiling. "Ahh, my fate had I not run away. I wonder George, would you have liked that girl better?" He says, "I like the girl who is with me just fine. I have no doubt that story is what they have been telling people for years. You do realize what this means don't you? They have now relinquished control of this situation to you. For the first time ever the Wests actually need you, not you personally, but they need for you to not contradict this fiction that they have now put in print for all of the society columns to read." She exclaims, "You're right, I had not thought of it that way. You are very smart AND wise," Ruby says, taking his arm and walking him back into the informal dining room. "You know, Richard mentioned they caught Wyatt Earp and there will be a trial in Promise City. I guess I've missed a lot. Anything else interesting in today's papers? And what's a girl got to do to get some coffee around here?" He says, "I will pour your coffee, how do you take it?” "Today I'll take it sweet, cream and sugar please. Most days I just drink it straight but I'm feeling particularly sweet today," she smiles. He says, “I had William pick up all four papers, both Rochester ones as well as Albany's and the New York Times. All four had the story of the Douglas sighting being a false alarm but only the local ones mentioned you. I did see the story about Earp in the Times and one of the local papers. They have been printing that man's exploits for quite some time, so I am not surprised his trial has become national news. Not much else to note in the papers other than the Baseball scores which I enjoy following. The two top teams this year, Providence and Detroit, continue to battle for the lead spot." She replies, "Baseball huh? I'm afraid I don't know much about it, the sport. I've only gleamed bits and pieces here and there. As for Wyatt, I've had many runs in with him and don't know how to feel about his trial. He's been nice to us and he's been means I'm on the fence I guess. I am surprised he got caught though." Sitting in the chair next to George Ruby pulls her knees to her chest. "So then, what's our plans for today? Now that I'm not a wanted criminal anymore that is." He replies, "I don't know, whatever you want to do I guess. William is at church and won't be back for another hour or so. Once he returns I could have him take us for a ride if you would like." She says, "Sure, we could go for a ride, see the old sights. I still want to go to the lake too, that's probably what I'd most want to do... walk through the woods like we used to as kids." She drifts off into her thoughts before smiling again. "Of course, just staying in with you is okay too." "Oh." There is a long pause and he says, "Well, we could do that. Now that you're not a wanted criminal let's take a walk out to the back yard. I own around two acres and my gardener and groundskeeper has planted an interesting variety of flowers, most of which are now in bloom." She says, "That sounds nice. You want to go right now? I'm still in my nightgown and while it's okay with me, I don't want you worrying about giving your neighbors the wrong impression of me." He says, "You should go change, there is no reason to shock the neighbors or to embarrass William when he returns from church." "Why, I'm covered up?" She sees the look on George's face and knows she shouldn't argue this one. "Alright, I'll be down in a little while. Don't miss me too much," she teases then hurries upstairs to dress. She goes through her bag, which isn't all that big, and decides to again wear her grandmother's dress. <a href="http://crawfordmanor.com/cecily.html" target="_blank">http://crawfordmanor.com/cecily.html</a> Perfect for walking through the gardens, she thinks. She leaves her hair down, but pulls back one side with a matching pink flower clip. She doesn't bother to put shoes on. She floats back downstairs, "I'm ready for my garden tour Mr. Eastman," she says, arriving in the dining room. "I must say though, if I'm going to be staying for a bit I need to do some shopping. I don't have that many dresses with me. I hope that's alright, the shopping part that is. Then again, we don't really know how long I'm staying, right?" She quickly sees that his 'garden' is far more than just a garden, but an entire botanical museum. He has hundreds of different varieties of plants, each of which has a wooden stand with engraved metal plate before it noted the plant's name in both English and Latin, place of origin and a few sentences about it. He explains that they have plants from all six continents. She holds tightly onto George's arm as he shows her around his "garden. This is really amazing, you've put a lot of love and care into this. I'm not sure I've ever seen anything so beautiful." He says, "Don't give me too much credit, it is my groundskeeper who is primarily responsible. The only thing we haven't been able to do is raise tropical plants due to the New York climate. If I ever do build that mansion we will definitely have to put up a heated greenhouse." She replies, "But it was you who asked for all this beauty, no? You have a lot of plans for this mansion of yours. You seem to get by with this lovely house as is... Not that mansions aren't fabulous. What else will you fill it with?" He replies, "Well, I haven't ruled out filling it with you and whatever you desire." Ruby looks down and blushes. "George, I...," she stops walking and looks up at him. "That's sweet. And perhaps I'll take you up on that offer, if you ever really do decide to offer it, that is." She keeps eye contact with him and a gentle smile on her face. "This may be a good time to bring up last night. I meant what I said you know. About not wanting to mess things up, do it right for once." He says, "Well, to be totally honest, I'm a little fuzzy about what we spoke of last night, I had a bit too much to drink before that. I think I remember you saying something about having a nightmare and not wanting to be alone because of your friend Jane going back to Arizona." Ruby starts them walking again, mostly so she doesn't have to look at George as she speaks. She sighs, "I don't like to sleep alone, I get lonely. I had been hoping you'd let me stay with you last night, I guess I wasn't ready to go to sleep and was, well, I don't know, looking for company. I had been okay this trip because I had been sleeping next to Janie. But I also told you that I don't know what's happening with us, how I feel about you, being my friend and all. I mean, we are friends. But if I'm being totally honest," she pauses and stops walking but keeps her gaze forward, "Totally honest, it feels like maybe it could be something more. And if it is, I don't want to do something to mess it up and ruin it. Unfortunately I'm good at ruining things. The problem is, we are so different, I don't know what is what, which way is up or down. Or what the right thing to do is anymore. No one turns me away George, like you did last night." He pauses and says, "I see.....I am not like most people Ruby. I would think that most men look at you and all that they see is the beautiful woman that you have become. They don't see the inner person, your positive qualities and the spark that makes you special. And their first and foremost priority is to obtain a physical relationship with you. I would be lying if I didn't say that I had no thoughts along those lines as well, but to use your own quote, 'I don't want to do something to mess it up and ruin it'. You are here now, I want you to stay, and I did not and do not want to do anything to make you want to pack up and leave. It was thoughts along those lines that raced through my inebriated head last evening. As for our differences, haven't you ever heard the expression that opposites attract? We've each been attracted to the opposite sides of the country to be with the other, doesn't that say something about our relationship?" Ruby smiles, her eyes gazing up at him with adoration. "Yes, it says a lot. All I want is to be loved and have someone who would really come for me, to be true to their word." She takes George's hand in hers. "It hasn't happened yet but perhaps I've been looking in the wrong place." "I've... I've never done this before. So you're going to have to be patient with me. I promise to do the same for you. The rest we can just take as it comes. Deal?" He leans over and gives her a soft short kiss across the lips, parts, and says, "Deal". Ruby squeezes his hand gently in hers and smiles at him. Just looking in his eyes was making her belly flutter again. Could he really be what she was hoping for?</blockquote>

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