A MAZE OF GREED

After talking with Thea, she and Ruth had decided to start afresh. Now the gloominess and guilt in Ruth's heart had disappeared, but the stains remained, which would be cleaned only after talking with Rees.

After giving her thoughts some time when Ruth looked back at that day in 'the great manor', she realised how wrong it was on her behalf to jump on to the conclusions. Rees didn't even get a chance to explain himself.

Now only Ruth realised, why he did not want her in 'the great manor'. He knew his master. He knew how arrogant man he was. But Ruth couldn't understand him then.

She needed to talk with Rees, or she would never forgive herself. But she didn't dare to face him.

With those thoughts running in her mind, she reached her apartment building about the time, the Sun bidding goodbye for the day. She had promised Mrs Payne to prepare tonight's dinner. Also, she was eager to see Mr Payne and see, if there was any improvement in his condition.

Climbing up the dusty stairs while pulling her dress up a little, she breathed through her mouth when she came short of breath. She heard loud giggles near the second floor. The sounds were familiar. Before Ruth could place a name on the memory, she saw two young women laughing at something in the corridor.

Instinctively Ruth's steps halted at the sight of the woman whom she had not seen over the past few days. The laugh seized as the two women sensed Ruth's presence and turned their heads in her direction.

Ruth shrunk under the scorching stare of two pairs of eyes, but the brown hazel one made her insides turn upside down.

They held a look of disgust and condemnation. She had never felt that before. She was used to seeing warmth in those eyes, but today that warmth didn't feel welcoming, instead, it burned her skin.

"Good evening, Ruth!" Claire's sugar-coated voice held the bitterness underneath that Ruth didn't miss.

But she replied anyway. "G-good evening." Her voice came weak and stuttering.

She tried to cast away her gaze from the piercing brown hazel ones, but the other person was not buying her avoidance at all.

"You are late today Ruth." Claire's voice held accusation of something that Ruth could never imagine doing in her life.

"Y-yes." Ruth didn't feel to elaborate her answer.

She was already late and was worried for Mr Payne. And standing at the receiving end of the negativity by the two women was not something she needed at that time.

"I assume Mr Cooper must be very impressed with your work. Why else he would make you stay behind even after the working hours?" Claire snarled.

Ruth's eyes snapped up in her direction, her ears burnt with the heat of the accusation she had received.

A loud fit of laughter that came from both the women made her insides churn. Her eyes shifted to see the square-faced woman who once held empathy towards her.

"Oh, no, Claire! How can you say such thing about the epitome of modesty?! Ruth would rather die than considering such a sin."

Ruth couldn't believe that the woman was the same Florence, who once admired her for the same virtue. She couldn't believe that the person who once supported her in her difficult times was now seeking enjoyment in her misery.

'Was I that wrong in analysing her? I thought I knew her.'

"But Florence, is it possible to earn enough money to live your life and take other's responsibilities too?" Claire asked as if she genuinely had this doubt in her head.

Florence didn't waver her gaze away from Ruth's teary eyes. She got the relief that she was asking for days.

"Hmm… I have never thought about it. Ruth, tell me your secret, please. I do the most condemned yet profeetiring work in Vincardine. Yet I barely manage to survive. Then how do you manage to live your life and take responsibility of Payne's too?" Florence's eyes bore holes in Ruth's face.

"Yes, Ruth, please tell us. We promise to keep your secret safe. Is there any special way you have discovered to earn more money? I am sure you have or else how come a poor seamstress like you can do so much, that not even a man with a good job can't do?"

They both again burst into fits of laughter like hyenas. But Ruth… she was shocked, embarrassed, angry, frustrated and hurt. She had never expected such behaviour from Florence.

She knew that their friendship was damaged after their fight. She had seen her other side that people warned her about. She knew that they would never find a middle ground after that day. But she had not expected Florence to humiliate her in this way.

Ruth's eyes stung with the unshed tears, her body shook partly because of anger and partly because she just wanted to bolt out of there and lock herself in her room to never face the world again.

"What? You don't have anything to say Ruth? Or you don't want to share your secret with us?"

"Is this secret very special? Or your knight in shining armour has told you to not let anyone know about it?"

Their hideous words fell on her ears to reach and get imprinted in her mind. She wanted to close her ears and scream at them from the core of her stomach. Her mind even came with a thought of slapping some sense into their wicked brains.

But she didn't!

Ruth knew how she tried to defend herself, explain her actions, the world was not going to understand it or believe her. The world would keep pointing a finger at her, put wrong allegations against her, try to weaken her till she breaks into two.

But this was not a time to mull over these things. Two people on the higher floor were waiting for her, for her support. They needed her morally, emotionally, economically and physically.

She had promised them that she would take care of everything. She would make things better. She couldn't break her promise… never… at any cost!

Not wasting another moment to hear their taunting laughs, Ruth turned then started taking two steps at a time speedily.

She reached her floor with panting breaths. Some treacherous tears had rolled down on her face, her heart beat loudly inside her chest. She looked at the closed door of Mr and Mrs Payne's room, which made her eyes watered more.

She stood in the middle of the corridor for some minutes, till her breaths became normal. She wiped her eyes with the sleeves of her dress, and after inhaling a deep breath, she plastered a small smile on her face again.

"Ruth, you are here!" Mrs Payne's face relaxed visibly seeing the woman in her door.

"Hello! Is Mr Payne awake?"

"Yes, Ruth... come in." She heard the old man's voice that made her heart relieved.

She sat beside him and checked for his temperature. "Hmm... it is better than the morning. How are you feeling?"

"I am fine, my child!" Mr Payne answered with a weak smile. He didn't look fine at all, but Ruth decided to trust his words for the moment.

"How was your day, Ruth? You came late today." Mrs Payne asked.

Her eyes didn't miss the smile on her face which didn't reach her eyes at all. "Are you okay, dear? Your face looks dull."

Ruth bit the insides of her cheek to stop the tears from spilling out. She couldn't tell them what happened two floors below.

"Yes, I went to see Thea."

"Thea? What happened to her?" Mr Payne asked.

"Honey, she is also feeling under the weather. She is not going to the shop for the last three days. How is she now, Ruth?" Mrs Payne asked.

"She is better now, even her skin glows more than before. It was hard to believe that she was sick." Ruth's mind again wandered to that thought.

But the old couple shared a knowing look, Mrs Payne's cheeks turned pink.

"What? What is it?" Ruth didn't miss that look they shared. She wanted to know what it meant.

When she asked Thea about the glow on her face, her reaction was also suspicious.

Mrs Payne stopped her husband before he said something. "Oh, nothing. It was nothing, my dear."

Ruth narrowed her eyes at them. They were clearly hiding something from her, and now her curiosity spiked up.

"No. I want to know it, Mrs Payne. Please tell me. Why did you look at Mr Payne like that? Is there something that you know but I don't? Thea also didn't tell me anything." She complained.

"Ruth, are you sure that Thea's health is not well and there is no other reason for her absence at work?" Mr Payne asked even after a warning glare from his wife.

Ruth scrunched her brows in thought. "Erm... yes. That is what everyone told me." She had no clue what they were hinting at.

Ruth watched them expectantly with clueless eyes.

"Ruth, that glow might be because of something personal that Thea didn't want to share or must be shy to share." Mr Payne hinted, but that didn't go through her head.

"Wha- Oh my god! Is she having any serious health problem?" Her eyes went round at that thought.

Her reaction made Mr Payne burst out laughing as if he had seen something extremely funny. Mrs Payne also joined her husband, shook her head.

"Oh, my dear Ruth. You are such an innocent soul! Don't worry Thea is fine. That glow on her face might be because of Rees." She said.

Now Ruth was utterly confused. "Rees? But how?"

It was Mr Payne who explained her through his loud laughter. "When a man and woman get on some adventure, the result is-"

He couldn't get a chance to finish his sentence because before that happened, Ruth had already bolted into the kitchen to prepare dinner with wide eyes and blush creeping her neck.