The Heiress

Things are tense between Cam and Ben, so when Ben wants to take Jules on a tour of the grounds, Cam is hesitant but agrees. Ben and Jules walk one of the trails that run through the nearby woods. As they walk, Ben tells Jules about a number of people who have died or disappeared in the woods and on the trail. Jules refuses to be frightened or intimidated, as he clearly intends her to be. The trail is run-down and somewhat dangerous, and Jules realizes how isolated they are. When they are close to the falls, Ben confronts Jules, saying that he did his part in getting Cam to Ashby House and asking when she will do hers.

The chapter closes with a letter from Ruby, dated March 24, 2013. In it, she tells the story of meeting her third husband, Andrew Miller. Andrew was a painter and the only man that Ruby married for love. They met in Scotland, and when Ruby first saw Andrew, love was the last thing on her mind. He was untidy and sad-looking, but they talked endlessly. Andrew offered to paint Ruby’s portrait, and as she sat for him, they fell in love. In an interview with Painter’s Quarterly, Andrew admitted he never imagined himself living in the US on the Ashby estate. He assured the journalist that Ruby was a vibrant, fascinating woman, very different from the way she was portrayed in the media.

Cam is surprised by how quickly he falls back into life at Ashby House, and he can tell Jules loves it. He finds her in Ruby’s study and sees an old photo of himself and Ruby. He is surprised by how happy and relaxed he looks. When Jules begins imagining spending Christmas at Ashby House, Cam is tempted to tell her the real reason they can’t stay but stops himself.

In the entryway, Cam runs into Nelle. She has a problem with Jules exploring the house, and Cam reminds her that he owns the house, and Jules can go wherever she likes. Nelle says he’ll be sorry he came back. After she leaves, Cam looks up at Ruby’s portrait and remembers when Ruby told him about his inheritance at 16.

He goes into the kitchen and sees Libby. She tells him that Ben went into town to talk to another lawyer, and Cam wonders why. Then, Libby asks if Jules knows about what happened between them when they were teenagers. Cam feels shame and guilt, but Libby claims that if they’d ended up together things would’ve worked out. All they did was kiss, but Cam always felt ashamed, especially when he learned that Howell sent Libby to his room to seduce him. Now, Libby tries to kiss him, and when he pushes her away, she storms out. After she leaves, Cam gets a call from his lawyer. He remembers Ben’s trip to the lawyer and feels a twinge of foreboding.

Jules speaks directly to the reader, wanting to explain the scene with Ben. She claims that she has good reasons, and her actions are for Cam’s benefit. She always knew she couldn’t force him to go home and waited for him to suggest they go to Ashby House, but he never did. When Howell died a few months ago, she again thought they would go to North Carolina, but Cam never raised the possibility.

A few weeks after Howell’s death, Jules opened Cam’s email and read Ben’s and Howell’s emails. She decided to reach out to Ben—he is clearly envious of Cam’s inheritance, and his identity as a McTavish is very important to him, so she used that as leverage. She told Ben that she would convince Cam to turn over the bulk of the inheritance, even though she has no intention of doing so. Jules grew up in a trailer park in Florida and has lived with financial instability; she has no intention of giving up the inheritance. She also knows that Cam deserves it.

Now, Jules goes into Tavistock to go shopping and runs into Libby in a store. Libby insults her, and after she leaves, a woman introduces herself to Jules as Beth. She tells Jules that the whole town hopes Jules and Cam stay, and Jules reflects that Beth’s comments justify what she is doing.

Back at the house, Jules and Cam are talking in the kitchen when Nelle comes in. After insulting Jules, she tells them that they are having a formal dinner that night. Neither of them has anything to wear, and Nelle promises to have Libby lend her something.

The chapter closes with the fifth letter from Ruby, dated March 25, 2013. In it, she continues the story of her marriage to Andrew. One day, Ruby told Andrew the truth about Duke’s abuse and his death. Andrew was sympathetic and because of that, Ruby felt emboldened and confessed to Hugh’s death as well. When he heard that story, however, Andrew’s face changed, and Ruby realized that she crossed a line. Andrew distanced himself from her but didn’t leave or confront her. She realized that he would never love her again and believed he was staying with her because of her money. She began to poison his morning tea.

Andrew got sicker and sicker. Ruby waited for him to confront her, but he never did. She wanted him to stop her, but he didn’t. After a year, she stopped poisoning him, but his body was too ravaged to heal, and he died. Ruby again used the McTavish wealth and influence to avoid rumor and investigation. The next year, Ruby donated a new art center to Tavistock in Andrew’s name.