present at all our family discussions now?
'Sit down,' Daphne ordered, nodding at the chair beside Gisselle. I took it quickly.
'Is Paul gone?' Gisselle asked.
'Yes.'
'Quiet, the two of you. I didn't gather you here to discuss some Cajun boy.'
'He's not a boy; he's a young man,' I said. 'And the manager of his father's factory.'
'Fine. I hope he becomes king of the swamp. Now,' she said, putting her hands on the arms of the chair, 'the two of you will be leaving early in the morning, so I wanted to get some matters straightened out and some business conducted before I retire to my suite. I'm exhausted from all this.'
'Then why do we have to leave tomorrow?' Gisselle whined. 'We're exhausted too.'
'It's settled: You're leaving,' Daphne said, her eyes big. She calmed herself again and continued. 'First, I'm cutting in half the amount of money your father was sending you. You have little or no use for spending money while you attend Greenwood anyway.'
'That's not true!' Gisselle countered. 'In fact, if you give us permission to leave the grounds—'
'I'm not about to do that. Do you think I'm a fool?' She glared at Gisselle as if she expected an answer. 'Do you?' she taunted.
'No,' Gisselle said, 'but it's boring having to stay on the grounds, especially on the weekends. Why can't we take taxis to the city, go to a movie, go shopping?'
'You're there to study and work, not vacation. If you need more money for some emergency, you can phone Bruce at the office and explain what it is and he'll see to it the money is delivered—taken from your trust, of course.
'Neither of you need anything new in your wardrobe. Your father overindulged you both when it came to clothing. He insisted I take you shopping when you first arrived, Ruby. Remember?'
'I thought you wanted to do that,' I said softly.
'I did what I had to do to maintain some social dignity. I couldn't have you living here and looking like a runaway Cajun, could I? But your father didn't think I had bought enough. There was never enough for his precious twins. Between both your closets, I could open a department store. Bruce knows our bills. Isn't that so, Bruce?'
'Quite true,' he said, nodding and smiling.
'Explain the trust to them simply and quickly, Bruce, if you please,' Daphne told him.
He pulled himself up and gazed at some documents on the desk. 'Quite simply, all your basic needs are provided for: your schooling, your travel expenses, necessities, and some money for luxuries, gifts, et cetera. As it is required, it is drawn out when Daphne signs for it. If you need an extra stipend, put it in writing and send it to the office, and I'll look into it.'
'Put it in writing? What are we, employees now?' Gisselle demanded.
'Hardly employees,' Daphne said, her voice hard, her smile faint and sardonic. 'Employees have to work for what they get.'
She and Bruce exchanged a look of satisfaction before she turned back to us.
'I want to reiterate what I told you about your behavior at Greenwood. Should I be called by the principal because of some misbehavior, the consequences will be dire for you, I assure you.'
'What could be more dire than having to stay at Greenwood?' Gisselle muttered.
'There are other schools, farther away, with rules far stricter than the rules at Greenwood.'
'You mean reform schools,' Gisselle said.
'Gisselle,' I said, 'stop arguing. It's no use.'
She gazed at me with her teary eyes.
I shook my head. 'She almost had me committed once. She's capable of anything.'
'That's enough,' Daphne snapped. 'Go up and pack your clothes and remember my warnings about your behavior at school. I don't want to hear a bad word. It's enough that Pierre went and died and left me to be guardian over the offspring resulting from his wild indulgences. I don't have the time nor the emotional strength for it.'
'Oh, you have the strength, Daphne,' I said. 'You have the strength.'
She stared at me a moment and then put her hand on her chest. 'My heart is beating a mile a minute, Bruce. I have to go up. Will you see to it that they do what they're told and the limousine is here to take them to school in the morning?'
'Of course,' he said.
I rose quickly and pushed my sister out of the parlor. Maybe she realized it now; maybe she understood that when Daddy died, we had become orphans, albeit orphans from a rich family, but poorer than the poorest when it came to having someone to love and someone to love us.
12
Dark Clouds
