Ruby (Landry 1)

but I will need your full cooperation and obedience. If

you have any problems, and I'm sure you will in the

beginning, please come directly to me with them.

Don't trouble Pierre.

"All I need," she added, more to herself than to

me, "is for something else to depress him. He might

just end up like his younger brother."

"I don't understand," I said.

"It's not important just now," she said quickly.

Then she pulled back her shoulders and stood up. "I'm going to get dressed and then take you

shopping," she said. "Please be where I can find you

in twenty minutes."

"Yes, madame."

"I hope," she said, pausing near me to brush

some strands of hair off my forehead, "that in time

you will become comfortable addressing me as

Mother."

"I hope so, too," I said. I didn't mean it to sound

the way it did--almost a threat. She pulled herself

back a bit and narrowed her eyes before she flashed a

small, tight smile and then left to get ready to take me

shopping.

While I waited for her, I continued my tour of

the house, stopping to look in on what was my father's

office. He had placed my picture against his desk

before going up to Gisselle. There was another picture

of his father, my grandfather, I supposed, on the wall

above and behind his desk chair. In this picture, he

looked less severe, although he was dressed formally

and was gazing thoughtfully, not even the slightest