The Ruby Locket Read Online Free Page B

like at amusement parks. But somehow I doubted that.
                  Wordlessly, Mom and I entered the room and began to circle the buffet table like vultures. I hadn’t said much to her this morning. I had to admit, when I’d gotten up to go to the bathroom last night, I passed by the balcony and overheard Ivan and Mom talking, in intimate murmurs. Pausing just outside the door, I’d listened to Ivan give a speech about being trapped and Mom being the key to his release or something like that. While the words were dripping with sugary sentiment, something about them seemed almost…rehearsed. But my mom—who doesn’t have a drop of skepticism in her blood—latched onto it. I could hear it in her voice. The voice she used to use only with my dad.
                  As the conversation on the balcony heated up, I had slunk away, my heart sinking. I would do just about anything to see Mom happy, but this was going to be harder than I thought. Everything was going to change. It already was changing.
                  I grabbed a Danish from a silver platter and took a bite. Warm apple filling burst in my mouth. Perfection. Maybe not all the changes would be so bad. At least my daily breakfast menu would no longer include stale bagels and coffee out of a can.
                  After Mom and I piled our plates with food, we sat at a large dark oak table, which as situated by a mammoth window overlooking one of the gardens. We ate in silence—or really, I ate. Mom just picked at her food, pinching grapes off the stem.
                  When I’d washed down my feast with a glass of orange juice, Mom glanced at me. “So, what you are thinking, Anne?”
                  “About what?”
                  She gestured at the luxury around us. “All of this.”
                  “Well, it’ll take some getting used to.” I pushed a lone raspberry around my plate. “Living this way will be a little strange. But hey, I’m a little strange.” I gave her a lopsided smile and she giggled. It was good to hear her laugh. “What about you? How do you feel about being mistress of this mansion-on-steroids?”
                  Mom sighed, her smile fading a little. “I must admit I’m overwhelmed. Ivan definitely downplayed his wealth—which I guess is a credit to him. But I chose him for a reason. He’s a good man. And he has such a way with words.”
                  As a dreamy look seeped into Mom’s expression, worry began to prick at me. Did she actually know the man she was going to marry in only a week or did she just fall in love with his honeyed words? Was Ivan manipulating her in some way? Mom could be so trusting. But maybe I was just being paranoid. I’d need to actually be around Ivan for a while to get a good read on him.
                  “So when am I going to see Ivan—er, Mr. Helsburg?” I asked.
                  “He dropped by last night,” Mom said, blushing, “and told me that we would all eat dinner together tonight, in the main dining room.”
                  “Oh okay, good. It’s about time I sit down with this young man of yours and see if he’s good enough for you.” I jutted out my chin like a stern father, and I was rewarded with my mother’s smile.
                  Done with our breakfast, we rose from the table. I felt weird not cleaning my dish, but I had no idea where the kitchens were. I supposed some servant would swoop down from the eaves and clear it away. 
                  Walking back through the arch, I pointed to my left. “I think I saw a library this way. Would it be okay if I checked it out?”
                  “Sure. I think I’m going to go back to the guest house. If I can find my way, that is.”
                  I grimaced. “Good luck with that.”