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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 3904041" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter Two-hundred-thirty-two, “Dinner Conversation“, Sunday, June 18th, 5:45 P.M. He replies to Ruby’s comment about looking ravishing, "It is the very least you can do as a benefit to all of mankind." "All of mankind, eh? I like that. Someone once told me I was the most beautiful woman in the Arizona Territory and I was insulted. But all of mankind? That's more like it." Ruby sips at her beer with a smile that won't leave her face. "Do you think we should send something out for William, or tell him to come in and eat? He probably hasn't eaten all day and must be starving." George replies, "Hmm, not a bad idea. He normally wouldn't consider doing that out of respect for my role in society, servants not fraternizing with their employers and all. At home all three of my staff dine with me whenever we don't have any other company, which is most of the time. This place is informal enough that I should be able to get him to come inside to eat. I know he won't sit with us since we're in public, but there are plenty of other tables. Excuse me a minute while I go out and suggest it to him." "Absolutely," Ruby replies. "Don't worry, I won't run off on you while you go out and speak with him." Ruby watches George walk away and again sips at her beer. Seemed he was true to his word, about not liking society and all. He certainly didn't seem like an uptight snob anyway. George is gone a while and the waiter brings out a tray of mini-burrito style snacks that look like Dorita's but one bite tells Ruby is a very pale imitation. George eventually returns and sits down. "He'll be coming in soon, it took me a while to convince him." She says, "I'm glad he is coming in. He must be stubborn because he must be hungry! It's great that you found people who can count on and trust." George says, "Indeed. He is far more concerned about my social standing than I am. Although I suppose it reflects upon his status as well among his peers." Ruby answers, "True. I guess in some ways he lives through you. Well, no matter, it's good you can trust him. It very hard to find people you can trust and depend on. I find it hard anyway. To find people to trust." George states, "Ah, that actually isn't all that difficult to do Ruby. I can teach you a few pointers on how to go about it. One is to check references, second is to be trusting yourself and hope they follow your example and not betray that trust. Finally, keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut and you can usually find a person's trustworthiness through their own actions." She answers, "I wish it was that simple. But good advice and something for me to work on I suppose. It's just that... well, I end up with a lot of broken promises made to me and after a while any promise just loses it's gleam." George says in a serious tone, "Ruby, I will never break a promise that I make to you. I will always tell you the truth too. Most of the time that will be a good thing, but always being honest also means that you have to be prepared to hear the truth." Ruby lets George's words sink in before she speaks. "I hope that's true George. Sometimes people get mad about hearing the truth but I'd much rather hear the truth and be able to believe what is being said is real than always worrying that the words are false." She reaches for George's hand. "I am glad your promises will always be true. I hope I can also live up to your standards. I know in my heart you are different and I've never doubted you care about me." He grips her hand and says, "I know, and it took me a long time to realize it but you were right about what you said to me back in Promise City. The person who you are now wasn't the five-year-old memory that I was in love with. Perhaps I was in love with the prospect of love and had transferred those emotions on to you. When you add to that volcano of emotions caused by my jealousy over your other relationship and my cousin's not-so-subtle manipulations then it made for a explosive situation. But that is behind us. You are here now and I am getting a chance to finally get to see the person who you have now become." Ruby is hesitant to ask but does anyway. "And what do you think of the person who I am now?" “I like the person who I have spent time with thus far. My main reservation is..." he then lowers his voice..." that wizard magic. I said I would keep an open mind and I will but until I can research it myself I will continue to be uncertain." She says, "I'm... I wish I could do something to alleviate your fears. Is there something I can do George?" George says, "You can give me time. That lake that we looked out on today, Lake Ontario, forty or so miles on the opposite side is Ontario, Canada. Canada as a whole is affiliated with the wizard-fearing nation of Great Britain but Quebec was settled by the French. Southeastern Ontario is not far from Quebec and a friend-of-a-friend knows a French-Canadian on the opposite shore with a rather extensive library. This friend is crossing the lake today on my behalf aboard a steamship and should return tomorrow with the books that I need to read for my research on this subject." Ruby pulls her hand back. "No matter what happens then, I appreciate you looking into it and giving it some thought. Now, where is that dinner?" she says, trying to change the subject." The waiter soon arrives with the food. Even though the previous course wasn't up to Ruby's usual standards the steak and potatoes are excellently cooked. The corn bread, however, is a little on the dry side. Ruby states, "Dorita's corn bread is so much better than this. Hers is the best I've ever had, most of her food is the best I've ever had. Did you get a chance to enjoy it while you were in Promise City?" He replies, "Oh yes, the Figures family was one of the few good memories of that town." "They really loved you, you know. And they were very excited to give us an engagement party that night. They're like my real family. Them, Kate, Nanuet, Chester... my friends at the Lucky Lady..." She sighs. "I really wish you'd had a better picture of the city. I hate that you won't visit me there." He says, "We can work on that later, heading back to a town where the majority of the people there wanted to see me hanged isn't high on my list. But enough of that, let's talk about Rochester. What are your current thoughts about that garden party?" "That's not true... the majority of people in town misunderstood and just over reacted..." her voice trails off. She sighs. Suddenly afraid she was getting too close to George, the idea that he might actually get to know her and not want her, the whole magic thing, something she had no control over, she suddenly felt nervous and a bit timid. "If you want to go, we can. It would probably be fun. Who is giving the party? Someone you know well?" He answers, "Err no, I thought I told you, William and Alma West are the ones hosting the party. I don't know them very well, in fact my first contact with them in over three years was just last month with that business transaction I referenced earlier." Ruby throws her hand over her mouth and coughs. "Uh, I didn't realize that you meant my parents were giving the party. I'm not so sure that is a good idea. They may try to keep me here again." He says, "No, I won't let them, and they won't want to make a scene. You are an adult now Ruby, you can make your own decisions." She answers, "I'll never be anything to them but the child they were all disappointed in, and they never cared for George." She then asks, "What kind of business did you have with them?" He replies, "I purchased some property from them." Ruby takes a gulp of her beer. "What land did they sell to you?" He pauses and replies, "The lake." She exclaims, THE LAKE? The lake we used to go to as kids? The one I threw my ring in? The one you said was all different now? What did you do to it?" He replies, "I'll show you tomorrow. We can stop there on the way back from the factory." "I thought you wanted me to stay home... I'm really confused." He says, "That's right, I guess I'm confused too. I hadn't planned to talk to you about the lake until we were there." She sighs. "Okay, so tomorrow we're going to work, then stopping at the lake. Not going to the garden party, right?" He suggests, "How about this, I'll go into work, stay just a few hours, then come home. We can go out for lunch and then visit the lake. We do not need to go to the garden party." She runs a finger across the table a few times, stalling. Without looking at him she asks, "How long do you want me to stay?" He replies, "Please stay until I have had a chance to reach a conclusion about this magic thing. Once I better understand what this is about we can then figure out where to go from there." "Alright," Ruby nods. "I don't mean to be pushy about the lake thing, I am just confused over it's importance to anything. And I only asked about staying because I need to do some shopping. Perhaps you know someone who can bring some things in instead of me going out, if that is a problem. Either way, if I am staying any length of time, I need some other clothes. How can I impress you wearing the same dress everyday?" she teases. George says, "After Rosey and Al come back tomorrow I can have her take you shopping downtown. She knows the good shops. In the meanwhile I have no complaints about how you are attired." She replies, "That's because I've only been here two days! Believe me, after a few more days of the same outfit you might not be so pleased." Ruby quietly finishes her meal. They had talked about much and she was more nervous than she had been earlier. What if he really couldn't accept her for what she was? Things were much smoother and fun when they were lying on the beach kissing. "Do you still feel like going to the theater? I'm not sure I still want to go... what do you think?" He says, “Well, there is a show in town that I would like to see but it is playing for another week so we will have other opportunities to attend. We can go home if you would like. I could maybe show you some of my photographs from Santo Domingo." She says, "Yes, that sounds like a better idea right now, let's do that. And we can eat chocolate ice cream with strawberries and cream instead of being brave here and testing their desserts." Ruby looks down at her plate and decides she is finished, saving room for their dessert later. "I wonder if William is done by now so he can take us home." George gets up a looks then sits back down. "He still seems to be eating. I'm sure he would take the rest of his meal to go if I asked him to, but I would just as soon allow him another ten minutes or so to finish. So, did this help or are you still homesick for Arizona?" "Well, this isn't really like Arizona...," she says hesitantly. "I guess I just miss my friends. I missed doing the play and feel badly about that." She pauses. "I'm just worried about what you might, well, if you change your mind and decide you don't like me." She perks up, "But I'm having fun with you. Today was an awesome, almost perfect day." He says, "Ruby, I will always like you. It's just some of your....hobbies that I need to be more sure about." She says, "I understand that George, but what would you do if you were me? I mean, you start to like someone, really like them and then they decide some of the things you can... do... makes you not worth being with any more?" He replies, "Ruby, please, allow me time to research this on my own. It won't take me long, I will obviously make it a priority. Regardless of what I find I will always want to remain close to you, I...I just have uncertainties about exactly what each others roles will be in each of our lives." She states emphatically, "I AM allowing you time and I'm not trying to pressure you. But you have to allow ME my own worries about it. I can't help it that I think about it. That I'm all the way out here away from my home, in YOUR home, doing crazy things." She pauses. "You know what, fine, we won't talk about it anymore." She takes her time and finishes her beer, rolling the glass in between her hands. Suddenly she blurts out, "It's not fair! I'm not supposed to feel this way. I'm not supposed to be worried about what you might think!" She pouts, and refuses to look at George. George is uncertain how to react. William however caught the public outburst and comes to his reprieve, approaching the table and stating, "I am ready to go whenever you are sir. I will be out at the carriage." Ruby waits a few moments in the uncomfortable silence before she says softly, "I'm... I'm sorry. I'll meet you outside." She walks out of the restaurant, giving George time to pay for dinner. She waits by the carriage, the small cool night breeze being of little comfort. She refuses William's offer of help, preferring to wait for George to help her himself. George arrives is short order and helps her into the carriage. William goes up front and gets the carriage moving on its way back to George's house. They sit in more uncomfortable silence for a while until Ruby finally looks at George. In an almost timid voice she asks, "Are you terribly angry with me?" He replies, "No, but you need to learn to be more patient. Ruby, I'll have an answer in another day or two, this is just something I know nothing about and am worried about. I realize you would like me to just tell you what you want to hear, but I will not do that, I am going to be honest and truthful to you as I promised before. You might be unaccustomed to that from other men but that is what you get from me whether you like it or not." Ruby tries to keep her lips from cracking into a smile, but the corners of her lips betray her. She picks at some invisible string on the coach seat. "Well, that's uh, a good thing. What I asked for right? As long as you're not angry with me... I was, um, am, just frightened, is all." She looks at him, "But we said we weren't going to talk about it anymore, right? I won't bother you about it, I'll let you take your time and make your decision." "Will you still show me your photographs tonight? And share dessert? And after...," her voice trails off and she doesn't suggest what comes after. He replies with a smile, "I will be happy to show you my photographs. The trip to Santo Domingo was truly an eye-opener for me. I saw people and things that I would not have thought possible. I shot close to 300 photographs, you will probably be bored by the time I am through showing them to you." Perhaps," she says, sliding closer to him. "Perhaps you will be an amazing storyteller and keep me enthralled. You maybe you won't show me all 300 pictures tonight," she laughs. "What you told me in Promise City about your trip sounded very exciting and adventure full." He says, "It is an amazing place. Do you know much about Santo Domingo Ruby?" She replies, "Only what you've told me. Tell me about it again, I'm interested. Where exactly is it?" He replies, "East of Cuba, around 500 miles from the southeast of the Florida Keys. It occupies the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, discovered by Columbus in 1492. His ship the Santa Maria ran aground there and so he had a fortress built from the remains of the ship, the first European settlement in the new world. Spain occupied all of Hispaniola for the next two-hundred years then lost a war with France and ceded them the western third of the island which the French renamed Haiti. The French brought in thousands of ogre slaves from Africa to cultivate sugar cane on their part of the island until the slaves revolted and killed their masters, taking over not only Haiti but then the Spanish part of the island as well by the beginning of this century. The native Dominicans successfully revolted against their Haitian overlords less than forty years ago. They had an uneasy time of creating a Government. During the American Civil War they feared that either the Union or Confederate would take advantage of their weakness and conquer them to create ports and fortresses, so invited the Spanish back in to govern and protect them. The Spanish left afterwards but continue to support the struggling young nation, comprised mostly of poor farmers and fisherman in the largest city, Santo Domingo." She says, "And why did you decide to visit there? It sounds dangerous." He says, "I was invited there as part of a job. An associate of mine received a grant to go there to do research and he needed a photographer. I think he asked a dozen people before he got to me, they all turned him down, spending several months in a poor, hot tropical land among the natives doesn't sound all that appealing to most. But to me it sounded like a once-in-a-lifetime ppportunity." She takes his hand in hers. "That's because you have the heart of an adventurer. You don't regret it, right? I would have gone and worn coconuts!" she laughs. He says, "Well, there were plenty of coconuts there. Without them and being able to catch fish I think most of the local populace would have starved." "Well, I wouldn't have worn their food then." She drifts into her thoughts briefly before returning to George. "I've been poor and hungry, I know what that's like. But it sounds like there were a lot of poor and hungry people. It's sad." Ruby quietly contemplates that George's trip wasn't fun and games and she should be more respectful of that. She stays quiet, in her thoughts. They soon arrive back home and William lets the two of them out in the drive before going to deal with the carriage. They enter the house and George suggests "Take a few minutes to spruce up and I'll then meet you in the study to look at the pictures." Ruby wishes William a goodnight at the carriage, assuming she won't see him again. Once inside under George's direction she heads upstairs to use the bathroom and refresh herself. She is amazed that even after swimming and sunning and napping she doesn't look all that bad, her hair just a bit wilder than she normally keeps it. She takes her time and washes her face, splashing some cool water on it. She knew she had to keep herself together better and not let all her emotions rule over her, but this waiting on someone else was not something she was accustomed to. Yet she didn't want to be pushy or do things the way she did before, so she scolded herself with the thought that she just had to wait and that was that. She stops in her room to fix her hair. Instead of leaving it down she brushes it throughly then uses some clips to put it up. It was a bit messy, curls falling all over, but it would keep her cooler to have her neck exposed. She considers putting her nightgown on but again doesn't want to make anyone uncomfortable. Of course the men didn't understand how uncomfortable it was at the end of the day for women, after wearing high heels and tight corsets and stockings that made your legs warm and big poufy dresses that dragged around all day... Ruby sighs. At least she could take off her shoes and stockings. Leaving them behind in her room she gives herself one final glance before leaving the safety of her room. She heads back downstairs to the study to meet up with George. George has out a pile of three leather-bound photograph albums. She notes that he has had the description of album content's marked on the binding and cover of each album in gold lettering. She notes that he appears to have cleaned up some himself and left his suit jacket and vest up in his room, although he still has on his dress trousers, suspenders, dress shirt and necktie. "Don't you get tired of wearing that tie?" she asks as she curls up next to him on the couch. "Oh, I suppose so," he states. He very carefully removes the tie, folds it over one, and sets it down on the corner of the desk. He also unbuttons the top shirt button. He picks up the first of the albums and sits down on the couch. After Ruby sits beside him he opens to the first page.</blockquote>

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