Angel in Scarlet (Bound and Determined #4)(92)

Ruby took one last look out the snowy window and then moved to the mirror to check her appearance.

Dark red wig in place, tonight’s curls were not quite as bright as on some evenings, but that suited her somewhat dismal mood.

Lips, crimson.

Eyes, lined in kohl.

Dress of deep purple satin, far more fitted than fashion dictated, but it suited her, and she was a woman who had always chosen what suited her.

Ear bobs, still on her dresser.

She picked up the heavy sapphire bobs and held them up to the light. How many more times would she wear them? For years, ever since she had become Madame Rouge, they had represented who she was; every night she put them on and thought about her mother’s life and everything that had led her to this place. But the heavy jewels had no place either in the life of Emma Scanton, granddaughter of a textile merchant, or that of Mrs. Derek Price, wife of a Rhode Island sea captain. No, the ear bobs were part of Madame Rouge, not of either of the women Ruby might become. With a deep sigh, she picked them up and threaded them through her ears, their familiar weight transforming her.

Madame Rouge had arrived.