A MAZE OF GREED

Ruth stood outside Edwin's office with slightly trembling hands. Inhaling as much air as she could, she knocked on the door. She waited with a smile on her face to hear his deep voice.

She knocked again but did not get any response. Frowning, she opened the door and peeked inside. She was greeted by an empty room with no trace of him.

"Where is he?" Ruth mumbled.

He must be in his private chamber if he was not there. Ruth shut the door and walked towards his private chamber. She was nervous to go inside as she knew that he did not allow anyone in his private chamber. Even his family and friends rarely visit him there.

She was about to knock on the door when the guard outside stopped her.

"Miss Ruth, are you here to meet Young Master?"

"Erm... yes. He must be inside waiting for me." Ruth told.

"He is not in his private chamber."

Ruth frowned. "What? He is not in his office either. Then where is he?"

"Pardon me, but I do not know where he is." The guard said.

Ruth only nodded and returned from there. She could not help but worry for him. Where did he go when he knew that she would come to meet him the first thing in the morning.

Ruth searched for Edwin all over the place but could not find him. Defeated, she went to Elsie's chamber. Perhaps she knew where her cousin went.

"Good morning Ruth!" Lady Elsie and Ida greeted her.

Ruth noticed how their eyes widened at the sight of the blue earrings she wore. They gave her a knowing look that made the blush creep on her face.

"Ida, is not Ruth looking more pretty today?!" Elsie said while smirking in Ruth's way.

"I agree, My Lady. But I wonder why?" Ida tapped on her chin as if she was thinking about it seriously.

Ruth cleared her throat to save herself from their tease.

"Good morning both of you! And thank you for the compliment." She said.

"Ruth I see you are wearing very beautiful earrings. Where have you bought them?" Ida asked although she knew very well.

Ruth fidgeted with her uniform, not knowing how to answer them. When she wore those earrings, all her mind could think of was Edwin and how he would react. She did not think about others teasing her and asking her questions.

"Or is it a gift from special someone, hmm?"

Elsie burst into laughter along with Ida as they enjoyed Ruth's shyness.

"Oh look Lady Elsie, our Ruth knows how to blush! And I thought she had no such bone in her body."

Ruth took a napkin from the table and threw it at Ida, which she dodged successfully while laughing her heart out.

"I am taking the laundry," Ruth grumbled as she found a way of escape from their tease.

The rest of the day, Ruth kept working as per her routine while stealing glances at Edwin's building. She hoped for his one glimpse, but all she got was a disappointment.

She dared to ask Elsie about him, but she also did not know where he went.

Ruth's heart was beating in worry. Many negative thoughts started making their appearances in her mind.

Was he alright? Was he in any danger? Why did he disappear like that? Did he not think about her even once? He could have told her something at least or left a message. She would not have minded it then.

And the worst possibility that her mind came up with was- did he disappear intentionally? Was he avoiding her? Or was all his act was a joke?

Ruth shook her head. No, that could not be true. He would not do anything that would hurt her.

Sensing her distress, Elsie tried communicating with Lester but could not reach him.

She tried consoling Ruth and assuring that Edwin would be there any minute. But as the day progressed, that restlessness intensified in Ruth's heart. Something was wrong, she could feel it.

Her intuitions told her that something was terribly wrong. Ruth could not concentrate on anything. All her mind could think was about Edwin. She prayed that he was safe and would come back to her as soon as possible.

Thea, as his head maid, was able to get some information on him. Edwin and Lester had left 'the great manor' in the early hours of the dawn in hurry.

They did not take anyone else with them and did not inform anyone about their departure.

Ruth became more worried after knowing that. She felt like she would burst into tears any moment, so she avoided people.

She was looking out to his building while standing in the corridor of the parallel building when she heard the sound of shoes hitting the ground. She turned around with hope to see Edwin. But saw Lord Augustus walking her way.

She instantly stepped aside and put her head down.

She had never interacted with him, and he ignored her existence entirely all this time. Ruth did not even know if he recognised her.

So she was taken by surprise when he stopped near her.

"Good evening My Lord!" She bowed in respect and kept her eyes cast down.

She did not hear his response for a minute as Augustus was observing her from head to toe.

"What is your name?" He asked then.

"My name is Ruth Moore, My Lord!" Ruth was confused at his question. He must know her name after Elsie had presented her case against Fannie to him.

"What are you doing here? Elsie's chamber is in another building."

If Edwin intimidated her, then Lord Augustus frightened her. His sharp piercing grey eyes and edgy voice could send chills to anyone.

"I... I was just... I was waiting for Ida. She told me to wait here for her."

Ruth cringed inwardly for the lie. She hoped it would not create any problem for Ida.

He did not say anything immediately. He could hear her heartbeats changing their pace. Augustus was smart enough to know that she was lying. He turned his head to look at Edwin's building on which her eyes were trained before, then shifted his gaze back on her face.

She was nervous!

"How are you Miss Moore? After the attack on you in the woods?"

Ruth looked up at him in surprise. She tried studying his face. Was he genuinely concerned or had any ulterior motive?

"I am recovering well, My Lord. Thank you for your concern!" She replied steadily.

"I have heard many things about you, Miss Moore. It has been only a few months that you came into 'the great manor' and yet you have managed to create many scenes here."

Ruth could not decipher if he was condemning her or was just asking out of curiosity.

"I apologise for the inconvenience I have caused to everyone. But that was not my intention. I am and will be more careful with my actions My Lord!"

Augustus was intrigued by her. Although he could tell that she was nervous, she was answering his questions steadily and confidently. Something about this young woman made him curious.

He should have met her earlier.

"I see that you have achieved quite a favouritism from my family members."

That made Ruth realise his intention. He was there on behalf of his wife.

"My mother used to say that if you behave well and stick to your values, people naturally tend to like you," Ruth replied, looking straight into his eyes.

Augustus narrowed his eyes at her. His hands were crossed behind his back.

"Your mother must be a wise woman, Miss Moore." He commented.

"She indeed was the best mother and the wisest woman I have ever met My Lord!" Ruth said proudly.

Augustus nodded his head slowly. "See you around Miss Moore! And we pay our servants for doing their job and not lingering around the manor."

He said, then walked past her. That was how Augustus was. He preferred to study his target, interact with it, to know about it bit by bit before he make a final impression.

Ruth released a sigh of relief. Her very first interaction with Lord Augustus was intense. But that was not her priority at that moment.

The evening turned into night, and the Sun waved good night for the day.

"Ruth, do not worry! I am sure brother Edwin must be busy with some urgent work. I am sure he will be back by tomorrow." Elsie assured her before Ruth left at the end of the day.

As she walked to her home, she thought about the morning. How excited she was then!

She did not imagine her day to be turned out this way. She halted in her steps as her eyes fell on the stone made pathway lined by birch trees by both sides. Before her mind could think, her legs carried her on that path.

Soon she found herself standing outside the wired compound. Ruth's mind walked down the memory lane that led her to the night when she sneaked into 'the great manor' for the second time.

It was the same place where she had felt the things she had never felt before. She looked ahead at the old building that looked abandoned and in bad shape from outside.

But she knew that the insides were contrary to its external appearance. After all, she had spent days inside there.

Ruth walked through the small broken metal gate of the compound and sat on the third stair of the building. She tried listening to any sound coming from inside but heard none.

"He is not in there." She told herself.

Now that alone and in the silence of the night, her dam of patience broke down into tears. She had tried composing herself all day, but now she was crumbling like a house of cards.

At that moment, she did not care what Edwin's answer would be. She did not care what she meant to him. All she cared about was his presence by her side.

She was thirsty for his one glimpse. She wanted to make sure that he was safe.

"Where are you? Please come back!" Ruth hide her face in her palms and made a way for her tears. Her shoulders shook as she cried audibly.

She did not realise when minutes turned into hours, yet her tears did not dry.

She stilled then slowly looked up when she heard a shuffling sound around her. The darkness had prevailed, engulfing everything in its embrace. There were no torches, and the dim light coming from the crescent moon did not help much with the visibility.

She heard the same sound again, and now her senses were on alert. She slowly stood up, squinting her eyes in the dark to see ahead.

"Wh-who is there?" Ruth asked, fear was evident in her voice.

She again looked around to find there was no one to help her.

She held her dress in her hands in case she needed to break into a sprint. The colour on her face drained when she saw a dark silhouette coming her way.

She could tell that it was huge and, taller than her. Then she heard the sounds of heavy breaths as if the person was having a difficult time breathing.

"Who is there?" Ruth asked again in a low tone.

Her heart jumped out of her chest when the dim moonlight fell on the person's face making it slightly visible.

She stifled the threatening scream in her throat when she found the familiar cerulean blue eyes staring back at her.

All the overwhelming emotions washed on her together, and she ran down the stairs like a madwoman. She flung herself at him and hugged him to her chest, clenching her eyes shut.

She could tell only by his touch and his scent that it was her blue-eyed monster. Streams of happy tears flooded in her eyes as she tightened her hold around him. But then she realised how he scared her to death by disappearing.

Ruth pulled away from him and began hitting his chest with her fists.

"Where the hell did you go? Do you know how scared I was? You told me to meet you and you just disappeared. I hate you! I hate-"

Edwin held her wrists in his hand then moved her hair behind her ear with his other hand. The blue stoned earrings sparkled in the moonlight.

Ruth looked up at him through her teary eyes to see his dim eyes. She sensed that something was wrong. Before she asked him anything, she found his body going limp. She gasped and tried holding him, but he was too heavy for her to hold.

"What is happening? Open your eyes. Please open your eyes!" She screamed in alarm.

But Edwin had already closed his eyes completely, with a small smile on his lips.

She had worn his earrings!

Ruth patted his face, but then she froze.. She slowly turned her palm towards her to see it was covered in red.