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The rest of the house--minus Julien--seems to be awake now, and as Ruby climbs the stairs, she passes Banks, who looks a little worse for wear.
"Good morning, ma'am," he says, nodding at her and pressing himself closer to the wall so that they can pass easily in the narrow stairwell.
Ruby is at once aware of how it must feel to be Banks in this bizarre scenario. He's been tasked with essentially following other humans everywhere, looking out for their well-being, and keeping their secrets. It must all take a toll on him.
Ruby stops and turns around so that she's facing him as he reaches the bottom step. "Banks," she says.
He turns back to her. "Ma'am?"
"Ruby," she reminds him. "Are you okay?"
Banks gives a single nod, but there's an almost imperceptible pause before he does. "Of course," he says, avoiding calling her eitherma'amorRuby. "I had a hard time sleeping, but I'll be fine."
Ruby gives him a long, hard look as she assesses him. "I'm going to shower," she says. "There's coffee in the kitchen. I'll see you in a bit."
* * *
The entire trip is essentially a chance for Etienne to wine and dine Ruby and convince her that investing in Julien is in her best interest. She knows this. It's still a fraught visit between two women who shared the same man (one unknowingly), and therefore it's difficult to relax and to truly enjoy the beauty of Bordeaux.
But itisquite beautiful. For the afternoon, Etienne has arranged an excursion by car to Saint Émilion, a nearby city with far more amenities than tiny Castelmoron d’Albret. The streets are narrow, and it feels as if their driver is barely clearing the buildings on either side of the car, but he does, and as he makes a sharp turn, he comes to a stop and drops them off on a cobblestoned main street that looks like it was taken straight from a movie.
Within seconds, a couple across the street has stopped and turned to stare; Ruby knows this sensation well.
"I think you've been spotted," Banks says, stepping in closer and standing next to Ruby.
"Seems that way." She smiles at the couple across the street and turns to walk, but before she can, a man with an iPhone comes right up to her.
"Ruby Hudson?" he asks in an American accent. "Wow! This is insane. I'm so--I just--" He's breathless, and he puts a hand to his chest. "Oh my god."
Ruby smiles patiently, hoping that she looks pleased to meet a fellow American on the streets of a quiet, ancient French village. "Hello," she says. "How are you?"
The man spins around and waves a hand frantically at another man. "My husband and I spotted youimmediately," the first man says. "And I was like 'That's Ruby Hudson!' He didn't believe me, but I knew it was you. You're so gorgeous in person. Icannot believethat I'm meeting a First Lady. I'm just..." He fans his face, which is quickly growing pink with excitement. His eyes are shining. "I'm such a fan. You are so classy," he says, leaning in close like he's telling her something secret. "No matter what happens, Ruby Hudson is poised, confident, secure," he says, turning to his husband, who nods in agreement. They are both dapper, sleekly dressed men in their 30s. "You're our queen."
"Oh!" Ruby says. She puts one of her hands to her chest and looks at them both. "I don't know about that. But I'm so happy to meet you both."
"Do you think we could get a picture with you?" the first man asks, looking at Ruby hopefully.
"Of course." She turns to Dexter, who is standing off to the side, watching the whole scene with amusement. He's spent plenty of time with Ruby and by now has seen her get approached by strangers in several settings. "Would you mind taking a photo for us, Dexter?"
He reaches out for the man's phone and gets into position as Ruby stands between the two men, one arm around each of them. "Is this good?" she asks. "I feel like I might be a little jet-lagged and I'll ruin your photo with the bags under my eyes," Ruby jokes.
"Never," the husband of the first man says, grinning at the camera. "We think you're perfect."
After Dexter has snapped a few photos and handed the phone back, the men thank Ruby repeatedly and wish her a good visit to Saint Émilion. They go on their way with a wave and Ruby watches them as they talk excitedly and relive their brush with the former First Lady.
Etienne and Julien are standing by a shop window, huddled together. Etienne looks concerned and Julien looks green around the gills. If Ruby didn't know better, she would guess that Julien spent the night in a pub and skipped out on sleep, but he'd come down from his room that morning with hair sticking up in every direction and dark circles around his eyes, so she knows that he wasn't outallnight.
"A frequent hazard of being in public, I assume?" Etienne asks, walking back to Ruby as Julien leans against the wall of the building for support, looking uncomfortable.
"Always," Ruby says, waving the whole scene away. "But I'm used to it. How is Julien? Is he alright?"
"Mmm." Etienne frowns in the direction of her son. "I'm not sure. I think he might be coming down with something, but he says he's fine."
As Ruby watches the boy he bends forward at the waist, putting his hands between his knees. Banks walks over to him and says something that the women can't hear.
"If we need to cut the day short, just let us know," Ruby says. "Honestly. It's no fun to be forced to sightsee when you're under the weather."
"Actually, I think I'm going to take him into that pharmacy over there," Etienne says, pointing across the street, "and then to get something to eat or drink to settle his stomach. Then we'll see how he feels. Would you mind if we met up with you all later? That way you can see Saint Émilion without us slowing you down."
