A DEEP OCEAN OF SECRETS
Chapter Seven

It was late at night. Rose sat in her room alone, perched on the vanity seat. She was dressed in a beautiful night dress, made of a darkened white fabric. Her curls cascaded around her shoulders, glowing in the light from the ceiling.

Rose sat in front of her vanity, putting the last of her jewelry away. Her jewelry box played a soft melody as it sat open, while Rose carefully put away her priceless jewels. There was a knock on the door, and as Rose looked up, she saw Cal open the door in the mirror. He was holding a blue velvet box.

Cal shut the door quietly, and said, rather gently, "I know you’ve been melancholy. I don’t pretend to know why." Rose tilted her head to the side, watching him and listening. Her eyes were unemotional, mixed with confusion at why Cal had suddenly come into her room. He shut her music box and leaned against the side of her vanity. He took the box from behind his back, and said, "I had intended to save this for after the engagement gala next week, but I thought…" He slowly opened the box. "…tonight."

Cal revealed a large blue diamond, cut into a heart shape. It was on a chain of smaller white diamonds—fit for royalty. The jewels sparkled and danced in the light, beckoning Rose to put on the expensive necklace.

Rose touched the side of the box in astonishment, not really knowing if it was real—it looked…real. "Good gracious!" she breathed.

Cal chuckled. "Perhaps it’s a reminder of my feelings for you." He didn’t say this with much enthusiasm, but Rose didn’t notice—she was staring at the necklace in awe.

"Is it a—"

"Diamond? Yes," Cal replied, smiling. He took the necklace out of the box and slowly placed it around her neck. "Fifty-six carats to be exact…" He stepped back and admired her in the mirror for a moment. "It was worn by Louis XVIII, and they called it le Coeur de la Mer, the—"

"The Heart of the Ocean." Rose finished Cal’s sentence, staring at the necklace around her neck.

"Yes." Cal smiled, in a bit of shock, Rose knew.

Rose touched the heart-shaped diamond, feeling the cold stone. "It’s overwhelming," she concluded, letting her hand drop.

"It’s for royalty," Cal said simply, gazing into the mirror at Rose’s reflection. His voice suddenly dropped, his breath hot on his fiancé’s neck. "We are royalty, Rose." Cal looked thoughtful for a moment, then crouched down next to her, his chin resting on his hand, which was perched up on the vanity. "You know there’s nothing I couldn’t give you. There’s nothing I would deny you…if you wouldn’t deny me. Open your heart to me, Rose."

Cal’s last comment sounded more like a plea to Rose. He gazed up at her. Rose looked down at him, then back into the mirror, and touched the diamond thoughtfully.

*****

"Of course, his gift was only to reflect light back onto himself, to illuminate the greatness that was Caledon Hockley. It was a cold stone, a heart of ice."

*****

Rose looked at Cal. "Thank you, Cal."

"You’re welcome, Rose." Cal kissed her cheek. "Good night." He stood up.

"Good night," Rose said softly, and he left her bedroom.

Another diamond from Cal was something she didn’t need. She thought about throwing it in the ocean, but Cal would certainly wonder where it was, and if he found out, probably kill her. She touched the cold blue stone again, her fingers grazing it. Cal had certainly given it to her to show his wealth and power, and didn’t care a bit about how Rose felt herself.

"Rose, stop it!" she told herself forcefully, and quickly unclasped the necklace chain and nearly threw the necklace into its case. She snapped the lid shut and stuck the velvet box in one of her vanity drawers. No doubt Cal would want it in the safe, but it was a good enough spot to hold it for the moment.

A little while later, Rose was sitting on her bed, staring off into space, lost in thought about what Cal had just given her. The bedroom door opened, and Elisabeth stepped in, closing the door softly behind her. Her cheeks were flushed red from the cold, wearing the blanket from on deck over her dark blue dinner gown. Her bun had fallen out, the curls twisting around her shoulders, and she took off her gloves and threw them on the bed carelessly, making her way over to her vanity.

"Where have you been?" Rose asked.

"Nowhere," Elisabeth lied. Her face had already started to turn red from the lie. She opened her jewelry box.

"Really?" Rose didn’t believe her.

"I got lost. This ship is so big, and I’m so small. Wrong turns, wrong decks. Who knows where the entrance to B-Deck is. I sure don’t. I think I’ll have to take Mr. Andrews up on that."

"Are you sure you’re so small?"

Elisabeth’s jaw dropped, but then she bursts into smiles and threw one of her pillows at her sister, hitting her square in the chest. She fell back onto the bed, laughing.

Elisabeth took off her white diamond necklace and took the diamond studs from her ears. "How rude."

"Cal gave me another diamond," Rose said.

Elisabeth slammed her jewelry box lid closed, the sound echoing through the room. "What was it this time?" Elisabeth asked dully, brushing her hair again. Rose didn’t need more diamonds from Cal. "God knows how many you have from him."

"A diamond. A very rare diamond, worn by Louis XVIII. Le Coeur de la Mer."

Elisabeth looked up. "The Heart of the Ocean," she translated. "Let me see it." Rose got up from her bed and opened a drawer in her vanity, pulled out the velvet box, and walked over to her sister at the vanity seat. Rose opened the box carefully and watched Elisabeth’s eyes grow wide.

"Good heavens!" Elisabeth cried softly to herself, and touched the heart-shaped blue stone. "How on earth? That is le Coeur de la Mer!"

"I know."

Elisabeth gaped at the gem. "I want to know how he got his hands on that."

Rose shrugged. "Must have gotten it in Paris."

"Why did he give it to you now?"

"It was for the engagement party next week, but for some reason, he felt as if he needed to give it to me tonight."

"Is there some special occasion?"

"Not that I know of." Rose closed the box, hiding the diamond, and put it back in the drawer. Elisabeth turned back to the mirror and Rose began to braid her hair for the night.

"Maybe because he nearly lost you," Elisabeth said thoughtfully. Rose tugged on a piece of her hair to untangle it, and Elisabeth winced.

"Sometimes I wonder if Cal really, truly loves me." Rose sighed. "I feel like I’m going to die, or lash out whenever he speaks to me. I feel as though he’s… "

"Owning you?" Elisabeth suggested.

"Yes," Rose admitted softly.

"Break free."

"That is what I try to do every day, Elisabeth." She tugged on another tangle.

Elisabeth turned to face Rose, stopping her from braiding. "Maybe you should give Cal another chance. You did just lie to him about trying to kill yourself, and then he gives you this…overwhelming necklace, showing how much he cares for you."

"It’s a heart of ice."

"But it’s beautiful. Maybe Cal truly loves you…in his own way."

"I feel like it was an act of possession. When he clasped the chain around my neck, I felt as if he was sealing my fate." Elisabeth didn’t say anything, but touched her collarbone slowly at her sister’s words. "Do you understand why I don’t love Cal? I am just a pawn to show off to the crowds. His little toy that he brags about. He loves the idea of me, not me."

Elisabeth sighed. Her point of view and opinion were slowly being changed. "Well…" She trailed off. "He seems to treat you well around other people."

Rose finished Elisabeth’s braid and secured it with a ribbon at the end. She wrapped her arms around Elisabeth’s neck and leaned her head onto her shoulder. "Rose…" Elisabeth smiled. "…don’t mope. You’re better than that."

Rose leaned up. "Cal puts on an act. He thinks he can be horrible to me alone. But he can’t." Rose pulled her hair over her shoulders and climbed into her bed. Elisabeth turned the chandelier light off overhead and climbed into her own bed. The only light was the faint glow of the dim lights on the desks. Each desk held one small lamp, and both were lit, casting eerie glows and shadows on the walls.

"You were listening to everything I said, weren’t you?" Rose asked quietly in the darkness.

Elisabeth, who was already starting to doze, mumbled, "Of course I was." The steady rumble of the engines was like a lullaby.

"You really are a wonderful companion."

Elisabeth’s mumble was softened by the pillow. "Hmm."

"You listen to me and tell me everything."

"Hmm."

"I trust you, and even as naïve and stubborn as you can be, you listen and give advice. You tell me what I haven’t figured out for myself."

"Hmm."

"And I listen to you, and you tell me everything. Even though it doesn’t seem like it, I listen."

"Hmm."

"You know I love you, don’t you, Elisabeth?"

"Hmm."

Rose sat up at her sister’s mumbles. "Elisabeth?"

"Hmm."

Rose pulled the covers away and got up out of the bed. She made her way across the room and peeled the covers away from Elisabeth’s face. Her eyes were closed peacefully; her breathing soft and shallow. She looked like an angel to Rose. One cheek was on the pillow, her arm raised next to her head. She was already asleep.

Rose leaned down and kissed her baby sister on the cheek. "I love you, Elisabeth."

She turned both of the desk lamps off and climbed underneath the sheets into a peaceful, dreamy sleep.

Chapter Eight
Stories