IN THE ARMS OF A STRANGER
Chapter Twelve
Day of the Quilting Bee
Rose and Jack arrived right on
time for the quilting bee. The party was on its way. All they were waiting for
now was for the volunteers to take their seats.
"You're going to do
great." Jack smiled at his wife, who was growing more and more nervous by
the minute.
"Jack...I don't know....what
if I do mess up? What if Brianna's right?"
"She's not right, Rose. You
know that, and I know that. Besides, when you start to feel nervous or like you
can't do this...just look over at me and regain that courage. Okay?"
Rose just smiled and nodded.
"I love you, Jack."
"I love you, too, Rose, and
don't worry. You'll be all right."
"Rose, are you ready?"
Mrs. Nancy asked, taking a seat in one of the chairs.
"Yes, ma'am." Rose
nodded.
"Good luck, Rose. Remember,
look at me when you need courage." Jack kissed his wife before she took
her place between Brianna and Susan.
"You do know the movements,
don't you?" Brianna asked Rose.
"Yes, I do." Rose
nodded.
"And what's your pattern
going to be, dear?" Mrs. Nancy asked, looking past her granddaughter.
"A rose." Rose smiled.
"That was Jack's idea."
"How cliché." Brianna
rolled her eyes.
"And how about you,
Brianna?" Susan asked. "Hopefully it'll be a lot better than that
awful bird you quilted last year."
"I'm drawing a ship. To
commemorate the Titanic sinking." Brianna snorted.
"Well, let's stop discussing
the quilt and get to working on it." Mrs. Nancy nodded, sticking her
needle into the material.
Rose looked over at Jack, who
seemed to be deep in conversation with an elderly gentleman. Feeling her eyes
on him, Jack turned, glanced at the stage, and smiled encouragingly at her.
Courage and determination coursing through her veins, Rose began stitching her
design.
At first, everything was going
great. The green stem of the was rose was coming along quite nicely. It was
just when she got to the part to stitch the petals that Rose had trouble. No
matter what she did, she couldn't get the needle to go right.
"Having trouble?"
Brianna glanced over at Rose, a spiteful smirk on her face. "Quilting just
isn't your foray now, is it?"
Rose ignored her.
"Leave her alone,
Brianna," Susan warned.
"I just don't want to see
the quilt ruined, that's all. Let's face it, Rose. I was right the first time.
You're just a snotty debutante who doesn't know how to do anything and never
will."
Something snapped in Rose. The
thin thread of self-confidence and control of her emotions finally snapped.
Rose just burst into tears and darted out of the building. She didn't stop
running until she'd reached the house and collapsed on the front porch. Wiping
away her tears, Rose realized that she was home and immediately went into the
house and up to her room. She slipped into bed and buried her head under the
covers, shielding herself from the outside world.
*****
Five minutes later, Jack entered
the room and sat beside her still-sobbing form.
"Rose?" Jack
tentatively touched her shoulder. "What happened? Why did you run out like
that?"
"I can't do this, Jack. I
can't. Everyone's right about me. The only thing I know how to do is shop and
go to fancy parties. I can socialize with the snobbiest of high society, but I
can't handle myself in a small town quilting bee. I'm a fool for even thinking
I can fit in here!" Rose sobbed, burying her face in the pillow.
"Rose...do you mind telling
me what happened?"
"I kept messing up on the
rose, Jack. I tried and tried, but the needle wouldn't go right. Then Brianna
said what she said the other day, and I couldn't hold it together anymore. I
tried ignoring her, but I couldn't anymore!" Rose sobbed.
Jack sighed sadly and pulled Rose
into a hug. "I'm going to have a long talk with Brianna. She's going to
learn that she can't treat you like that and get away with it."
"Jack, no. Don't say
anything. She was just speaking the truth."
"No, Rose. She wasn't. She
was being mean, spiteful, and jealous, and I'm not going to take it from her or
anyone else in this town." Jack held her closer. "Besides, you can do
a lot more than hobnob with the rich folks back in Philadelphia. You can cook.
That lunch you made the other day was absolutely delicious."
"You really think so?"
Rose looked up at Jack.
"I know so." Jack
grinned, kissing her forehead. "Now, are you ready to go back to that
quilting bee?"
Rose's face paled, and she
immediately shook her head. "No, Jack. I don't. I already gave her the
satisfaction of seeing me cry. I'm not going to give her anymore
satisfaction."
"Rose...okay. If that's what
you want."
"But if you want to go back
to the party, you can. There's no need for you to miss out on seeing your
friends again because of me." Rose pulled out of the hug. "In fact, I
insist that you go. I want you to have fun."
"Rose, how can I have fun
when you're here miserable?" Jack asked, stroking her hair.
"Because it's what I want.
Please, Jack. I feel bad enough already. Your missing this party will only make
me feel worse." Rose sniffed and wiped away the few remaining tears.
"Please."
Jack sighed in defeat. He couldn't
argue with her. "Okay. If that's what you want. But I'm not going to have
fun, and I'll be home in two more hours."
"All right." Rose
nodded. "I love you, Jack."
"I love you, too, Rose. You
just try to feel better. Okay?"
"Okay." Rose smiled.
She waved to him as he left, then sank back down onto the bed, her depression
returning. What was she going to do? How was she going to survive when Jack
learned just how useless she was and left her? Sighing deeply one last time,
Rose fell into a troubled sleep.
*****
"There you are!" Susan
ran up to Jack as he reentered the party. "Where's Rose?"
"At home. She refuses to
come back." Jack sighed. Then his blue eyes darkened with anger.
"Where's Brianna? I have a few choice words for her."
"Jack, don't." Susan blocked
him from going any farther. "Confronting her now, especially in front of
her friends, will only make things worse for Rose."
"She went too far,
Susan."
"I know. I know she did, but
confronting her will not help anything. Just let it go. For now, anyway. What
all did Rose say, anyway?"
"She's a mess, Susan. I
never saw her like this before, and I don't know what to do. I would've stayed
home with her if she hadn't insisted that I come back."
"You want me to stop by and
talk to her on the way home?" Susan asked.
"Would you?" Jack asked
hopefully. "Maybe you can cheer her up."
"Where's your young
wife?" Mrs. Nancy appeared behind Susan. "Were you able to bring her
back?"
Jack shook his head. "She's
really upset, thanks to your granddaughter."
"Don't worry. I scolded
Brianna for her harsh words. I sincerely apologize for my granddaughter."
The elderly woman shook her head. "Tell Rose I'm sorry and I hope she
feels better soon. I'd like to ask her to be on the committee for the annual
picnic. She's such a lovely girl."
"I'll tell her that."
Jack smiled gratefully.
"See? She's fitting in
already." Susan smiled up at Jack.
"Yes, she is. But we only
have to make her see that."
"Don't worry, Jack. We will.
We will." Susan squeezed his shoulder.
*****
The house was dark when Susan and
Jack arrived at the Dawson home. Jack went upstairs to find Rose standing at
the window, looking out over the fields.
"Rose, I'm home." Jack
came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She sighed with
pleasure and laid her head back on his shoulder.
"I missed you, Jack."
Rose sighed.
"Not as much as I missed
you. Susan's here. She wanted to check on how you're doing," Jack said.
"You feel like talking to her?"
Rose wanted to say no, and she
would've, if it hadn’t been for the pleading tone in Jack's voice. He was
worried about her, and it was up to her to put his mind at rest. "All
right." Rose left his arms and headed downstairs, where Susan was lighting
a lantern.
"Susan? Jack said you wanted
to talk to me." Rose appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
"Yes. I wanted to make sure
you were okay. Jack said you were really upset. I was concerned." Susan
smiled.
"I'm fine. I don't know why
I broke down like that. It's really not like me. I've been like that for the
past couple of weeks. One minute I'm incredibly happy, and then I'm an
emotional wreck."
"Really? Rose...when was
your last monthly?" Susan asked, motioning for them both to sit on the
couch.
"It was supposed to be three
weeks ago, but it didn't...oh, my God. You don't think I could be..."
"It's possible. It's too
early for you to get sick in the mornings, but those mood swings could be the
perfect sign. I suggest you go visit Dr. Calvert right away. Jack could be a
papa this time next year." Susan laughed happily, hugging Rose. "Oh,
Rose, how wonderful if my suspicions are true. A baby is always a cause for
celebration here in Chippewa Falls, and a Dawson baby...that alone is a cause
for celebration. We all thought we'd never see another Dawson baby again."
"A baby." Rose's voice
was full of wonder. Oh, if it were true...it'd be wonderful. The she got an
idea. "Susan...I don't want Jack to know yet. If I am pregnant, I want it
to be a surprise, but I don't want to go to the doctor alone. Will you go with
me?"
"Sure. If you like. Oh,
Rose. This is so much fun!" Susan hugged Rose again. "Don't worry. I
won't say a word to Jack."
Rose grinned happily, hoping
against hope that she was with child...Jack's child.