The Heiress

Cam and Jules sit in the formal dining room with Nelle, Ben, and Libby. Cam knows that the family is aligned against him. As promised, Libby lent Jules a dress but instead of one of her own, she gave Jules one of Ruby’s dresses, the one she most often wore to dinner. Jules looks beautiful, but it makes Cam uncomfortable, as if he’s stepped back in time to dinner when he was younger and Ruby was still alive.

Ben brings out champagne, “the 1959 Dom Pérignon Rosé” (197). It was Ruby’s favorite, and Cam again is reminded of his youth. As Ben toasts the family, Libby throws a file folder on the table. Cam doesn’t open it—he knows what’s in it. He explains to Jules that the file has DNA results that prove Ruby wasn’t a McTavish. Her real name was Dora Darnell.

The chapter closes with a letter from Ruby, dated March 29, 2013. In it, she tells the story of her fourth marriage to Roddy Kenmore. She met Roddy when she was still grieving. He was 26 years old, handsome, fun, and so rich that Ruby began to feel that she could leave her family behind. However, Roddy also had a serious substance use disorder, and Ruby soon tired of their lifestyle.