Page 75 of Under A Sicilian Sky
Jules widened her eyes. ‘But your hair is your signature look! I don’t want to be responsible for you losing that.’
Ruby placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder. ‘To be honest, I don’t care about my signature look any more. I just want my natural colour back. I should never have agreed to have it dyed in the first place. I have to fight this thing head-on, not hide behind disguises for the rest of my life.’
Jules smiled. ‘You’re braver than you realise, Ruby.’
Ruby smiled in response. ‘Keep reminding me of that and I might believe you, eventually.’
They went through to the kitchen and Jules prepared the paste that was to be applied to Ruby’s hair.
‘So, was everything okay when you got home after our drinks last night? We were all so drunk. I can’t remember the last time I was so out of it.’
‘Yes, apart from me having to get Mitch to help me out of my coat and boots.’
Jules burst out laughing. ‘Oh god, not you too? When we went to bed, I had to get Reid to take off my jumper. I kind of got stuck with it half over my head and panicked. He could hardly do anything for laughing. It’s a good job I love him, the ratbag.’
Ruby laughed at the mental image. ‘I wonder how Caitlin coped. She had Grace at home. I can’t imagine what the poor kid must have thought when she saw us all rolling around like loons.’
Jules shook her head. ‘Caitlin can handle her drink way better than either of us. She may have felt crappy this morning, but at least she didn’t have to be rescued from a fight with her own clothing.’
* * *
A couple of hours later, Jules was blasting Ruby’s hair with a hairdryer. ‘Crikey, it’s definitely lighter. And the intense conditioner has done the trick too. I don’t think it’s back to your truly natural colour, but my guess is it will fade quite quickly now.’ She paused and tilted her head to one side. ‘Has anyone ever told you you’re the spitting image of Kate Winslet? Only with the red hair she had inTitanic.’
Ruby nodded. ‘I’ve been told a fair few times. I don’t see it myself. I just see me.’ She shrugged. ‘But my agent said that it was my similarities to Kate Winslet that drew her to me. I was very flattered. Oh, to have her talent.’
‘Nonsense,’ Jules said with a scowl as she handed her a mirror. ‘You’re every bit as talented as she is.’
Ruby smiled and examined her reflection. The dark brown had almost gone, and her hair was now a deep shade of auburn. She loved it. ‘That’s very kind of you. And thank you for helping with my hair. It’s so much better and I definitely look and feel more like me again now. I really appreciate your help. In fact, your whole village has been amazing.’ She felt a lump of emotion form in her throat. ‘I don’t know what I would’ve done without this place and its people. In the short amount of time I’ve been here, it’s felt like the closest thing to being at home.’
Jules squeezed her arm. ‘You’re very highly thought of. Extremely highly by some, if you know what I mean.’
Ruby cleared her throat. ‘If you’re talking about Mitch, I think you may be wrong.’
Jules shook her head. ‘Hey, I’m useless at spotting attraction for myself, but somehow I can see it clearly in others, and believe me, there’s definitely something there.’
Ruby shrugged her shoulders and with a sad smile, said, ‘Maybe in another world. In another lifetime, but not in this one, I’m afraid.’ A sinking feeling inside told her how disappointed she was by the fact.
* * *
Mitch was nowhere to be seen when Ruby returned to Glentorrin House at eight, but Shelby was there in the hallway as if she was waiting for her.
She gasped when she set her eyes on Ruby as she stepped through the door. ‘Oh my god! What have you done? Are you trying to draw more attention to yourself?’ The look of horror in her eyes wasn’t to be missed.
Defiant, Ruby stood her ground. ‘I’m not hiding any more, Shelby. I’m opening the hall for the kind people of this village, and I’m doing so as me. I’ve done nothing wrong, so I refuse to behave like I have.’
Shelby’s nostrils flared. ‘Valerie will be so pissed—’
‘I don’t think you have any room to talk about pissing Valerie off. This whole mess should have been sorted out ages ago. But Valerie chose to take a rain check on dealing with it. So, as far as I’m concerned, I am facing things head on from now, and in my own way. Then, when the truth does come out, which it will, I will just carry on, only I’ll be stronger, and I’ll know I never lost belief in myself because I’m innocent.’
Shelby narrowed her eyes. ‘You tried things your way before. Am I the only one who remembers how that turned out? And I think you’re being unfair to Valerie. She doesn’t deserve this.’
Ruby scoffed. ‘Do you really want to go there?’
Shelby huffed. ‘Well, for the record I think you’re making a mistake, but it’s your life.’
Ruby nodded. ‘Yes, it is.’ She turned to walk away.
‘You do realise the matter is not even close to being cleared up, don’t you? There are still posts going around about you. People don’t believe you’re innocent and may never accept that you are. Have you considered that fact?’
