AFTER TITANIC
Chapter Twenty-Eight
It was six months after the babies were born
when Eliza finally decided to go ahead with her wedding to Lee Conway, despite
her feelings for Maxwell Calvert. After much thought about her situation, she
decided it was all for the best. Since her mother was ousted from the birth of
the Dawson twins, she'd been doing nothing but going on about how much she
hated the Calverts. How they were going to pay for stealing her duty.
Eliza decided that her mother's disapproval
plus Lee's possessiveness was just too much to ignore. So with a final good-bye
to Maxwell while they were at dinner at the Dawsons, she decided to go ahead
and marry Lee, much to Rose's disapproval. Eliza could still remember that
conversation when she had told Rose that she was going to go ahead and marry
Lee.
*****
They were in the nursery at the Dawson house.
Eliza was helping Rose change the babies when she broke the news.
"What?" Rose exclaimed in shock.
"But why? Why would you want to marry that mean man when you have
Maxwell?"
"Rose...I can't marry Maxwell. Things
are much more difficult now than it was before. Mother hates Maxwell more now
than she ever did before. She can't stop exclaiming how much she hates him.
She'd kill me if I left Lee for him."
"But Eliza, this isn't what you want.
Plus Lee...he's violent. What if he goes too far someday and..."
"Don't think that way, Rose. That won't
happen. Lee would never go too far. He cares far too much about his
reputation." Eliza comforted her friend. "It's like I told Maxwell,
it's for the best. Me and him...it's impossible."
"So Maxwell knows your decision?"
Eliza nodded. "I had to tell him, Rose.
I had to tell him to go on with his life and not to bother waiting for me. That
he'll find love again with a girl he can have."
"Eliza...you're making a big
mistake."
Eliza looked down at the gurgling son of her
first love. He looked so much like Jack, those penetrating blue eyes innocently
staring up at her. "Well, Rose...it's my mistake to make. But promise me
that we're still friends. That my becoming a Conway doesn't change
anything."
"Of course it won't change anything,
Eliza." Rose picked up Molly in her arms and walked over to her friend.
"You're my best friend. The fact that you're going to marry an egotistical
maniac doesn't change anything."
*****
Eliza smiled at the memory of that day. Now
here on her wedding day, alone in the dressing room, she thought she was going
to need all of Rose's strength that she can get. Marrying Lee was going to be
the hardest thing she'd ever done in her life.
"Are you ready, Eliza?" Rose stuck
her head inside the door. "It's about to begin."
Eliza nodded, standing up from the vanity she
was sitting at. A couple of tears leaked from her eyes as she realized that
these next few minutes were going to be her last few minutes as a free woman.
"Are you sure you don't want to change
your mind? It's not too late, you know." Rose hugged her friend tightly
when she saw the tears.
"I'm sure." Eliza sniffed.
"Well, come on, then. I'll lead the
way." Rose led the way out of the door. Taking a deep breath, Eliza
followed her.
Rose looked out over the guests and spotted
her Jack sitting in the second row beside Molly and her mother. He had both
babies in his arms. As he spotted her, Jack smiled and pointed her out to their
children, who just cooed contently, happy to be in their father's arms. She
sighed as she realized that Jack was truly a wonderful father. She was so
lucky, unlike her poor friend Eliza. She'd do anything to change things, but as
of now, there was nothing she could do.
Up at the altar, the vows began. Eliza
mechanically recited the vows without any emotion. Her eyes shone with
unhappiness as she looked up at Lee.
She looked over at Jack when the priest asked
if anyone had any objections to the wedding, but it wasn't Jack who objected.
"I object! I object very much!"
Maxwell came through the door and ran up to the altar.
"What are you doing?" Eliza asked,
her eyes begging him to leave before he got in serious trouble.
"What is this?" Lee angrily
exclaimed.
"Eliza, listen to me." Maxwell took
her hand, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Don't do this. You don't
love him, and he doesn't love you. You're just a possession to him."
"What is the meaning of this?"
Marge Hathaway demanded, coming up behind Maxwell. "You weren't on the
guest list, Mr. Calvert. I demand you leave."
"That's not your decision, ma’am. It's
Eliza's." Maxwell turned on Mrs. Hathaway. Then, he turned back to Eliza,
who was openly crying now. "Eliza, please. Come with me. Don't let them
rule your life."
"Maxwell...I don't know." Eliza
sobbed. "I'm so scared."
"I have to insist that you leave now,
Dr. Calvert. You're upsetting my daughter on her wedding day." Marge
grabbed his arm. "Now you listen to me, Mr. Calvert..."
"No, you listen, Marge!" To both
Jack and Rose's surprise, Ruth stood up. "For once, listen to what your
daughter wants. Don't make the same mistake I made. Don't try to force your
daughter to marry someone she doesn't love. That's where I made my mistake, and
I nearly lost her. I'm just lucky she even talks to me now. Take it from
someone who knows. Let your daughter make her own decisions."
At this Marge Hathaway was silent, not
knowing how to respond to Ruth's sudden outburst.
"Eliza, make your decision now. Make the
right one. Come with me," Maxwell urged, holding out his hand to her.
Confused, Eliza looked out at Jack, who met
her eyes. She could see his approval at Maxwell's request. She then turned to
Rose, who simply smiled and nodded her head. They both wanted her to run away
with Maxwell, and be happy. She now knew what she had to do.
"I'm sorry, Mother." Eliza turned
to her mother, who had a mixture of shock and anger written all over her face.
"I have to do what makes me happy, for once."
With that said, Eliza took Maxwell's hand and
let him lead her to the door and out of the church, leaving everyone staring
after them.
"Eliza! Eliza, come back here right
now!" Marge Hathaway called after her daughter, running to the door, but
it was too late. She was gone.
"What just happened here?" Lee
exclaimed angrily.
"Looks like she dumped you." Jack
walked up and took Rose's hand. Rose looked and saw that her mother had the
children.
"This is your fault, Dawson. Somehow,
this is all your fault." Lee turned to Jack.
"Get off it, Lee. Jack had nothing to do
with this." Joshua laughed. "Eliza just didn't love you, and never
did. You were just too arrogant to see that."
"Come on, Rose," Jack said, leading
Rose over to her mother and Molly, who held the sleeping babies. "It's
time we got home. The kids are knocked out."
Taking one last look at the crowded church,
the Dawsons headed for home.