Rejection Runs Deep (The Canleigh Series, book 1: A chilling psychological family drama), Carole Williams [ebook reader 8 inch .TXT] 📗

She so envied Richard who had tried so hard to help and advise her.  He was definitely in the correct profession for his particular talents but unlike her parents, he wasn’t blind to the fact that there were many other careers which could be just as fulfilling and worthwhile.  They had talked endlessly about the problem, Richard plainly setting out all the pros and cons to make Ruth’s final decision easier.

He was a good friend and Ruth knew that friendship was all it ever would be between them.  Although he was handsome and brilliant and what most of his contemporaries considered a good catch, he was too engrossed in his career for a real relationship to be successful and added to this was the fact that a spark between them just wasn’t there.  Ruth was perfectly happy with their purely platonic friendship, positive Richard felt the same way and anyway, he would need a far grander, more mature partner to bring to Canleigh when the time came.

It was plain that he loved Canleigh very much.  “I’d love you to see it, Ruth,” he had exclaimed enthusiastically when he invited her for this weekend.  “It’s a grand old place, a really beautiful building surrounded by even more beautiful, peaceful countryside.  It’s just what this doctor ordered, Ruth.  A weekend away from Oxford and the hospital … give your head a chance to sort itself out.  We can swim and ride and walk or you can just laze about in your room, by the pool or in the gardens with a good book if you so wish.  Whatever you would like to do.”

“But aren’t you going home to get ready for your sister’s wedding?  Surely your family won’t want me cluttering up the place,” she had replied, alarmed at the prospect of spending time in the ancestral home of a Duke.  He was bound to be grand and forbidding and Ruth found the prospect of meeting him somewhat daunting.

Sensing she was anxious, Richard had hurried to allay her fears.  “You’ll enjoy it, Ruth.  I promise you.  The family aren’t a frightening bunch.  Father is an old softie, although he can be firm when he likes.  You’ve met Vicky, you get on great, and that just leaves Delia ... and Philip of course.  Delia is a law unto herself, can be terrifically bossy and temperamental but as she is on the point of marrying Philip, who she has been inseparable from since they were kids, she will be so excited and wound up about the wedding she will be easy to get along with.  Please say you’ll come, Ruth.  It’ll be so nice to have your company on that long journey up to Yorkshire.  You’ve no idea how boring it can be on your own.”

So, Ruth acquiesced and here she was, still pondering on her ‘problem’ amid the splendour of a fabulous Georgian stately home … and what a stately home it was.  Ruth thought of the east wing with its truly wonderful décor and artistic treasures, the delightful gardens, the promise of a swim in that fabulous pool in the morning followed by a ride around the estate and then an evening stroll by the lake.  She almost hugged herself with happiness.  Richard had been right.  She really was enjoying it.  At least some of it … she felt very sad for Delia and couldn’t imagine how she must be feeling, especially after the dreadful display she had put on this evening.  It had been so embarrassing for them all but in a way, Ruth could sympathise.  Delia’s heart was broken and she was lashing out with pain and anger.  It was understandable and no doubt she would feel embarrassed and would apologise to everyone tomorrow.

Footsteps could be heard on the tarmac path leading up from the stables towards the Hall to the right of Ruth’s window, interrupting her train of thought.  She shivered.  Richard had said nothing about ghosts, although there must be one or two in a house as old as this.  She sat still and watched, waiting for a sign that the footsteps belonged to a live person who should emerge from the dense shrubbery, hiding the path from view, at any second.

Ruth sighed with relief when Delia emerged, her figure instantly recognisable in the subtle moonlight.  She must have been riding as she was wearing trousers and riding boots.  Delia grew closer to the Hall and looked up towards Ruth’s room.  Although not sure if Delia could see her, Ruth raised a hand in greeting.  There was no response.  Delia put her head down and strode out of view around the side of the building.

Feeling rebuffed, Ruth sighed, hoping the ride had made Delia feel a little better.  Charles, mortified by Delia’s outburst, had apologised for his daughter’s behaviour following her dramatic departure from the library and though all of them sympathised with Delia’s plight, they hoped there would be no more such scenes during the weekend.  Charles, Richard, and she then decided it was time to retire while Vicky and Barrie elected to take a stroll down to the lake.

Ruth wondered how poor Vicky had dealt with the flirting between Delia and Barrie.  Admittedly, Delia had been the instigator but Barrie had done very little to discourage her.  Ruth remembered how vulnerable and sickly Vicky appeared when they first met, slowly recovering from the debilitating anorexia.  It was a pleasure to see how well she looked now with her sparkling eyes, beautifully clear skin, and a lovely little figure and Barrie had contributed a lot to Vicky’s wellbeing, boosting her self-esteem and confidence.  Ruth hoped Richard wasn’t right in his opinion that Barrie was a libertine and only interested in Vicky for the wrong reasons.  It would devastate her if Barrie let her down, with every chance that the illness would take over again.  It was a depressing thought.  She wondered what Charles