A MAZE OF GREED

Ruth's heart became heavy looking at her worried friend. Thea didn't say anything, and Ruth didn't bother her. They both fell into silence, trying to come up with some way.

Ruth sided from her problem of getting followed after hearing Rees's disappearance.

'If only I could do something for Thea!'

As if her prey got heard by the heavens above, Ruth caught an unexpected person walking on the road, outside the park. Ruth and Thea had not sat in the inner parts of the park, and that made them had a good view of the road.

Looking at that person, the bulb in Ruth's head went off.

"Thea look!" She exclaimed excitedly.

It took Thea a moment to understand what her friend was trying to show with her outstretched hand. She turned her head to see many anonymous people walking on the street but didn't understand what Ruth was pointing at.

"Ruth what-"

"Come with me!" Not sparing her a chance to finish her words, Ruth pulled Thea towards the road with her wrist.

Her strides were long and speedy. Her hazel eyes trained on the sight in front of her.

"Ruth, where are you taking me? Ruth!"

Turning deaf to Thea's questions, Ruth manoeuvred through the evening rush on the street of Vincardine.

"Excuse me!"

"Sorry! Just a minute!"

She excused and apologised while bumping into figures and finding her way through the crowd.

"Ruth!" Thea hissed again, her face red with embarrassment as people glared at them for bumping into them.

A lady was not expected to run on the streets that way!

"Miss Fannie! Miss Fannie!"

Ruth called loudly, waving her hands and craning her neck to see the woman's back.

Thea watched the women ahead in confusion, and indeed a petite girl amongst them, younger than her and Ruth, turned after hearing her name.

"Here, here!" Ruth waved her hand frantically till people passed a weird glance in their way.

The unfamiliar woman looked puzzled but stopped nonetheless.

Dragging Thea along, Ruth was in front of Fannie in no time.

The young woman, who had decent clothing and a presentable look with her lips painted in pink tint, narrowed her eyes at the two women, trying to figure out who they might be.

"Good evening!" Ruth began.

Fannie gave a once over to Ruth from head to toe. "Did you stop me just to say that?" Fannie's arrogant tone didn't settle well with Thea.

But before she opined her thoughts, Ruth pressed her hand tightly that she was still holding and with a plastic smile on her face, again tried with polite words.

"Miss Fannie, I apologise to stop you this way. Do you remember me?" Ruth asked expectantly.

"I meet hundreds of people every day. I don't see a reason to remember your face." Fannie scoffed.

Ignoring her exaggeration, Ruth elaborated further. "My name is Ruth and this is my friend Thea. I was at 'the great manor' a few weeks back with Florence."

Florence's name made Fannie's eyes glint with the same jealousy that Ruth had witnessed on the day when she went with Florence to meet Edwin O'Dell. That glint was so familiar that Ruth had discerned the recognition in Fannie's sky blue eyes.

Fannie's narrow lips curled up in irritation. "Yes, I recalled your face. If you don't have anything important to ask then I have to go back to the manor. I have a lot of work and Young Master couldn't do a thing without my assistance."

Fannie didn't miss a chance to buff about her employers and make a false impression of her close association with Edwin O'Dell.

And after getting to know that Ruth was an acquaintance with Florence, she rubbed it on her face so that Ruth would tell Florence about it.

To Fannie's misjudge, these two women were not remotely interested in how close she was with Edwin. Florence was now only a painful memory in Ruth's heart. Ruth even cringed at Fannie's words and hearing the name of that despicable man.

By this time, Thea had concluded two things. One- Fannie was working in 'the great manor' and understood why Ruth stopped her. Two- the young woman was too arrogant and full of herself and needed to be put in her place.

"We will not have your much time. We just want to ask about Rees. He is your master's bodyguard. A tall man with brown-"

"Brown eyes, muscular built and handsome face. Yes, I know him. Who doesn't know the mortal greek god with brain, looks and valour?!"

Fannie was not an admirer of Rees but was the exact opposite of that. She was caught by surprise when Ruth asked about Rees. That was unexpected. But she purposefully used those adjectives to describe him to show those women that she knew Rees very closely.

She expected both the women to feel jealous of her, but Ruth looked no more than uncomfortable as she stole a side glance at her friend, while Thea looked as if she was ready to strangle Fannie if one more word had left the maid's lips.

"Yes. I am talking about the same person." Ruth broke the uncomfortable tension while holding Thea's hand as tightly as she could.

"Why are you asking about him? How a man like Rees is related to you?" Fannie asked curiously, arching her brow.

"I am his friend. He has not come home for the last six days. Do you know why it is that? If you give us any kind of information about his whereabouts then it would be very kind of you." Ruth did all the talking while Thea kept throwing daggers at the smirking woman in front of her.

"Friend, huh? It looks like you have got some special criterion for making friends. Florence, Rees… hmm."

With every passing second and every taunting word leaving Fannie's mouth, Ruth's patience had also started to run thin. But she maintained her composure for the sake of her friendship with both Thea and Rees.

"Well? Do you know anything?" She asked impatiently.

Fannie pouted her pink-tinted narrow lips and tilted her head while narrowing her eyes. She tapped her pointed chin as if she was trying hard to think.

"Ummm… now that I give it a thought, I have not seen him around these days. Last time I saw him… oh yes, he was with a maid in a secluded corner of the corridor. Maybe he has asked for a leave to Young Master. Because, I have not seen that maid either."

Ruth and Thea were stunned at Fannie's words that they couldn't see through her lies. Ruth's heartbeat accelerated hearing that, and instinctively her eyes moved to look at Thea's hardened face.

Fannie, on the other hand, enjoyed getting on the nerves of these two women. Some people get the excitement in other's discomfort, and Fannie was no exception to that.

After a brief pause, Ruth cleared her throat awkwardly. "Erm.. thank you for your… time. We would take your leave now." Ruth used the word time instead of help because she didn't know if Fannie's words had helped their situation or not, but they had surely done some damage to Thea's trust in Rees.

"Sure! I am glad that I could be some help!"

Ruth felt how empty Fannie's words were as she stared at her retreating form. After a deep sigh, when she turned to face Thea, her eyes widened.

Thea's whole body shook with anger, her eyes moist at the corners.

"Thea…"

"I have to go." Thea abruptly changed her mood, and now her face was set in determination.

"Go? But where?" Ruth sounded alarmed.

"To Rees!" Thea pulled out her wrist from Ruth's grip and took a step ahead, but Ruth was quick to block her way.

"Thea calm down! Listen to me first. Fannie is not a trustworthy person. You know she was just trying to provoke us. Are you believing her words and doubting on Rees?"

"I don't believe a single shit she said, Ruth. I know that Rees could never cheat on me- willingly or unwillingly. But I have to go to him. I have to see with my own eyes that he is safe." She again tried to walk past Ruth, but Ruth held her.

"No, Thea. You can't just march through the gates of 'the great manor'. Try to understand."

With teary eyes, Thea glared at Ruth. "What do you want me to understand, huh? I haven't seen him for days. I don't know if he is safe or not. I don't know why he has suddenly disappeared. And you want me to act like an understanding person?"

Ruth still tried her best to stop Thea. "I know that you are worried about him, Thea. But at least wait for two days. And if you hear nothing from him then-"

"Would you have stopped if you were in my place?" Her calm question initiated a cyclone in Ruth's heart.

Ruth bit the insides of her cheek, unable to answer Thea. How could she answer her question when she had never fallen in love with a man?

She didn't know how it feels to be in love. She didn't understand the yearning of the heart to see and be with the lover. She couldn't comprehend Thea's worry. She didn't know any of that, then how could she answer that question?

Both the women matched each other's gazes, and Ruth was the one to give up between them.

"Fine! You can go to the great manor' to see Rees." Ruth said.

Thea was relieved hearing her. "Thank you for understand-"

"But I am coming with you!"