Chapter 21 Amelia Ridley
Amelia Ridley
For the first time in years, she had the estate all to herself.
The boys were out in Chinatown, Adesua was in Harlem, and Kavita was with Franklin.
She would always say how much easier her life would be if she were an only child.
Amelia knew in her heart she didn’t like being alone.
Even if they were a nuisance to her, her siblings were her responsibility in some way, giving her more purpose in life, which she hadn’t imagined possible when she lived in France.
Amelia planned on spending the whole day tending to her horses, especially Mya. All she desired was a day of peace and quiet. She was going to get it by being far, far away from the—
The phone rang. She kept putting on her socks, then put her boot on her right foot.
It rang and rang. What was the point in having servants if they couldn’t do a job as simple as picking up the phone?
She guessed they were all taking it easy for once too.
Father and Mother were still in the Hamptons while Father recovered from supposedly being overworked.
She answered when the incessant ringing kept going.
“Ed, where have ya been, honey? We miss you over—”
Amelia slammed the phone back on the hook. Everyone knew Father’s cheating ways had never stopped. He’d just gotten better at hiding it over the years. The phone rang twice more. She was going to give this lady some choice words. She picked up . . .
“Miss Amelia Ridley and her siblings are expected to show tonight at eleven p.m., or secrets will be spilled.” The voice paused.
Amelia dropped her other boot to the ground, scrambling to get paper and a pencil to write down everything she heard.
“Masks are required. Come to Surf Avenue near Coney Island and give the secret code words Leave your secrets at the door to the Merriweather Co. antique store.”
Amelia sighed. So much for having a day to herself.
Somehow or other, Amelia was able to get in contact with all her siblings for them to be home in time to get ready for the secret masquerade ball.
Maybe, just maybe, they would be able to find out who was really behind this, if they all had the same game plan.
What secrets had to be left at the door?
Why must they all be there? Maybe this had something to do with the file that was missing? If that was the case, she must attend.
Amelia didn’t have to convince anyone to join, as they were all currently walking down the path with ridiculous costumes and masks on.
The boys all had a laugh about it. Amelia and her sisters were the only ones who considered coming to an unknown location as a potential threat.
The “Merriweather Importing” sign looked like it was one nail from falling down.
A crate of globes and antiques filled the small shop.
An elderly man with a magnifying glass pretending to look at something pepped up when they entered.
They were pointed to a pavilion that was filled with already drunk guests waving money in the air.
There was an auction going on. She noticed art pieces that had been in Jamison’s home from his travels.
She put her head down as she realized he hadn’t been lying; his family really did need money.
Amelia had forced herself to believe that Jamison’s way of going from so loving to quickly isolating her had to be simply because of his recent issues with money.
Now she felt remorse for him. It felt like he was a clown putting on a show for the rich.
They walked in the direction of the pavilion heading to where the party was.
One thing did bother her, though: the meaning behind all the dress protocols and the secret key words being so secretive.
“The princess has escaped her castle, I see.” Jamison came up from behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.
Wei made an expression as if he were going to be sick. “Not too handsy with my little sister.”
Amelia walked off with Jamison to get away from the noise.
“Why are you so happy, then sad, acting as if we couldn’t really work together knowing both of our families have issues?”
Jamison looked up in the sky, inhaling a deep breath of air.
“I was being weak like my father. I have to pick up his slack and unwillingness to do whatever it takes to get our family back to where they need to be. At least my mother and siblings. I have made some investments that are coming to fruition. But Mellie, I just don’t know yet.
Having this party was for all of us. Everyone that’s been picked apart by the gossip columns just because we were born into this world.
I made sure no press had word of it. So you don’t have to worry; I am not like your father. ”
Amelia let go of the breath she had been holding, stifling her hope that she wouldn’t hear the wrong answer.
Finally, it was the words she wanted to hear.
He did this for them, or “for us,” as he said it.
That was more than enough for her. She kissed Jamison because maybe this time he would choose her.
She sure as hell didn’t want to let anyone into her family’s never-ending world of games.
At least Jamison knew how it was to be front and center of the gossip columns.
“I am going to go by the water for a moment. I promised myself some time alone today, but I thank you and I love you.”
Amelia hadn’t said those words to him in a very long time. She meant it. Not because of the distress she and her family had been through, but because he’d kept fighting for her even when she didn’t think he was.
“I love you too, Mellie.”
He kissed her on the top of her head. She walked over to the pier to sit and stare at the moonlight. A woman approached her, smiling, wearing a red dress and mask. Amelia was really starting to hate the color red, all that it reminded her of.
A red letter.
“Some lady told me to give this to ya; it’s for a fun game. Have a nice time, toots!”
The woman handed her the letter and then galivanted back to her posse, laughing. Amelia knew it couldn’t be from her, as she seemed just as clueless as she was. Amelia was frantic as she read this letter.
One more chance to come clean with your secrets. Those masks can only hold for so long.
If only life were as easy as sending bribes, but whoever the mystery person was didn’t demand money, but instead for them to admit their transgressions.
They seemed to want only one thing: the downfall of their family.
That was their prize. It wasn’t that the letter was any worse than previous ones, but more so that, this time, it felt even more serious.
Something so short and confined meant their patience had run thin.
She could tell all her siblings had been in an uproar since Dale’s death.
Perhaps things were all amiss because they were receiving letters just like she was.
Amelia ran over to them, lifting up the card.
Henrik and Diego put their heads down as soon as she showed it.
One by one, their faces looked away in disbelief over this never-ending secret-letters fiasco. Kavita, in her ever-so-dramatic way, started cursing left and right.
“We should have never come here, Amelia. This was all Jamison’s grand idea anyways. He has to know something!”
Jamison eased his way into the group after hearing his name, thinking it was about something pleasant because of how well the party was going, but to his surprise, it was the opposite.
“You all go home. I am going to handle this with Jamison alone,” Amelia said sternly.
Wei and Omar almost interjected, but it was no use when it came to Amelia.
She was going to get her way just like Father.
Kavita and Adesua gave her a kiss on the cheek and made sure once again that Jamison would take Amelia home.
As she saw each of them pass the Merriweather shop, she knew she was in the clear to say what she felt to Jamison without one of them sneaking up behind her.
“Jamison, I have been keeping some things from you . . . I want to be honest with you like you were with me. Dale had a lot of secrets about each of us, but for me, it was that I am Edward’s biological child. None of my siblings know this.” Amelia wiped a tear from her cheek, taking a breath.
“Father kept it from the public because he figured it would ruin his credibility and the family’s allure of having seven children adopted instead of owning up to having me with a Black French woman.
It would harm my mother and further deepen the problems with my brothers, since I am to be the next head of the company. ”
This was who she was. Whether he took it well or not wasn’t something that concerned her any longer. Jamison was the first to hear the full truth. It felt good taking her bottled-up feelings and expelling them onto him. He took a few moments in silence, taking in every word.
“I hear you, Mellie. I really do, but—”
But. That was the one word in the English dictionary she despised the most. Because anything after the word all but negated every word he’d said before it.
“But all I am hearing is that you all had a secret that Dale was going to tell the world . . . You all didn’t kill him, did you?”
Amelia’s eyes welled with tears again, and it wasn’t because of red letters this time.