Ruby (Landry 1)

to leave me there as a patient," I said. "I was tricked

and locked up like some mentally disturbed person." "You were?" Her eyes widened.

"A nice young man helped me escape. I've

already told Daddy what she did."

Gisselle shook her head in disbelief.

"I can't believe she would do such a thing." "I can," I replied quickly. "Because she's not

really our mother."

"What?" Gisselle started to smile, but I stopped

her and seized her full attention when I reached out to

take her hand into mine.

"You and I were born in the bayou, Gisselle.

Years ago, Daddy would go there with our

grandfather Dumas to hunt. He saw and fell in love

with our real mother, Gabrielle Landry, and he made

her pregnant. Grandpere Dumas wanted a grandchild,

and Daphne couldn't have any, so he made a bargain

with our other grandfather, Grandpere Jack, to buy the

child. Only, there were two of us. Grandmere

Catherine kept me a secret and Grandpere Jack gave

you to the Dumas family."

Gisselle said nothing for a moment and then

pulled her hand from mine.

"You are crazy," she said, "if you thinkI'll ever

believe such a story."

"It's true," I said calmly. "The story of the

kidnapping was invented after I turned up here to keep

people believing Daphne was our real mother." Gisselle wheeled herself back, shaking her

head. "I'm not a Cajun, too. I'm not," she declared. "Cajun, Creole, rich, poor, that's not important,

Gisselle. The truth is important. It's time to face it and

go on," I said dryly. I was very tired now, the heavy