Rose whirled around as Jack burst into the bathroom. His sudden entrance made her forget her dress was still unbuttoned and the speed with which she turned her body caused it to fall from her shoulders, exposing the white silk camisole underneath. For a moment, Jack could do nothing but stare, the need to warn her about Cal forgotten. He actually saw very little since the camisole ended just below the neckline of her dress, but to Jack even the hint of cleavage it revealed was overwhelming.
Rose just stood there, paralyzed by his gaze. The flicker of desire in his eyes made her stomach flutter wildly. She knew she shouldn't, but a part of her wished he would go on looking at her that way forever.
Another knock from Mary, louder and more insistent this time, brought Jack back to reality. "I—I'm sorry," he stammered, his cheeks burning. "I—I didn't mean to stare. I didn't even mean to come in here. It's just Mary's outside. She says Cal's asking to come up."
The fear in her eyes when he said Cal's name only lasted a few seconds, but it was impossible to miss. "Will you help me button this?" she asked, doing her best to sound calm. He simply nodded in response, not trusting himself to speak. The last thing he wanted was for her to hear anger in his voice.
"Thank you," she said quickly, turning around. "It would have taken me ages without your help." He nodded again and smiled weakly. She hurried over to the mirror. "Can you see it?" she asked.
He didn't need to be told what it was. "No," he said flatly. "I can't even tell it's there."
Mary's cries had become almost hysterical by the time Rose opened the door. "Are you all right, Miss?" she asked.
"I'm fine," Rose said. "I was just dressing."
Mary gave her a confused look. "By yourself, Miss?"
Realizing her mistake, Rose searched frantically for a believable explanation. "I just wanted to see what it would be like," was the best she could come up with.
Mary nodded. Rose's curiousness was a popular topic of conversation among the servants, and this only confirmed what they said about her. "Of course, Miss. Mr. Hockley wants to know if—"
"If he can come up," Cal said as he rounded the corner. Both Mary and Rose were visibly startled by his sudden arrival. Mary recovered first. She gracefully stepped back as Cal stepped into her place in front of Rose. "Forgive me for coming up here uninvited," he said smoothly, lifting her hand to his lips. "I was too worried about you to wait any longer."
I'll bet you were, Rose thought sarcastically, repulsion washing over her as Cal's lips touched her skin. "That wasn't necessary," she said, plastering a bright smile on her face. "I just needed a little time to rest after last night," she added, a slight edge coming into her voice.
Cal chose to ignore the implications of her comment. It was too early to be playing those sorts of games with her—especially in front of the help. "Will you be down for breakfast?” he asked.
"I've already had my breakfast," she said.
A look of disappointment crossed his face, but it was gone so fast that Rose wasn't even sure it had been there at all. "Would it be too much to ask if I can take mine with you, then?" He pressed his hand against hers. "I only came here this morning because I wanted to see you."
Rose's palms began to sweat. Calm down! There has to be some way to get rid of him. But, in fact, there wasn't. She had just said she wasn't ill, which left her without an excuse as to why she couldn't spend the morning with him. And as much as she hated to admit it, even to herself, she was terrified of doing something to cause his anger to rain down on her head again—especially since the severity of his outbursts seemed to be escalating. Jack was only a few feet away, but that didn't make her want to be any less cautious. In fact, it only increased her desire to keep Cal happy and calm. If he doesn't know Jack's alive, she told herself, he won't know where to start looking when he realizes I'm gone.
"I don't see any reason why not," she said, making sure there was an acceptable amount of eagerness in her tone.
He smiled and took her by the elbow. "Bring something up for me," he said, motioning to Mary with his free hand. Rose's heart filled with dread as he turned her around and led her back into her room.
Jack watched through the cracked bathroom door. He knew there was a chance Cal would spot him, but he didn't care. It wasn't enough to hear what was going on in the other room. He had to see it, as well. If she looks scared for even a second…
Rose's heart pounded in her chest as she sat down at the small tea table in the corner directly opposite the bathroom door. It was mostly a decoration piece. She hadn't actually used it as a place to eat since she was a young child. She resisted the urge to look around the room for a clue about Jack's whereabouts. You'll just draw attention to him. Look straight ahead. Keep your eyes on Cal. A moment later, Mary returned with a tray much like the one she had brought up for Rose. She carefully set it down in front of him and then hurried from the room. Rose folded her hands in her lap and focused all her energy on bringing her heartbeat back down to its normal speed.
She heard herself respond to his attempts to engage in conversation, but she didn't actually know what either of them was saying. As she watched him eat she couldn't help but wonder if he wasn't eating even slower than usual on purpose. Stop that! You're just being paranoid.
"I hope you will feel up to accompanying me this afternoon," he said. "I did get the invitation for you. God knows I don't care to spend three hours wandering through a maze of bad paintings."
Rose lowered her eyes. "I don't know if I will," she said quietly. "I'm really not feeling like myself today."
Cal frowned. "Perhaps you should have a physician in to make sure that, whatever this is, it isn't serious." He seriously doubted there was anything wrong with her—physically, that was, but he didn't want to take any chances. Women, in his experience, had a way of allowing their emotions to get the better of them so much they actually did eventually make themselves sick. It was just one of the many reasons they couldn't be relied on to make a rational decision. Especially a girl like Rose. She was nothing but hysterical nerves, as far as he could tell.
"Oh, no. That's not necessary," she quickly assured him. "I should be fine by the afternoon. I just need a few hours of quiet. That's all."
His face brightened. "Well, I'm certainly glad to hear that."
Doesn't he notice the way her smile never reaches her eyes? Jack thought. Can't he see she's pretending? Or was it that he just didn't care? But how could he not? How could it be possible that he could ask her to marry him if he didn't even know her well enough to see when she was unhappy? Jack shook his head. It just didn't make sense.
You're just a sappy romantic. This is how the world really works.
But that doesn't make it right.
Rose had hoped once the breakfast things had been cleared away Cal would leave, but he seemed to have other plans. She stood up and crossed over to the window. "I suppose you have a lot to do today," she said, hoping he would suddenly remember that yes, he did have a lot to do that day. Unfortunately, he interpreted her statement as being one of regret at the thought of his departure. "Nothing I can't put off," he said, laying his hands on her shoulders.
She fought the urge to wrench herself free of his touch. "Oh," she said. "Well, I wouldn't want you to have to inconvenience yourself on my account."
"If I were to inconvenience myself for anyone, it would be you," he said, placing a kiss on her neck. He didn't see the look of disgust that crossed her face.
Neither did Jack, but unlike Cal, he knew it was there. Stop touching her! he screamed silently. His hands balled into fists at his sides.
"That's sweet of you to say," she said, flashing him a quick smile over her shoulder. She turned to move past him, but he stopped her. "I have something for you," he said, reaching into his jacket's inner pocket. He pulled out a box and flipped it open.
Rose gasped as her eyes fell on a large emerald ring. It was breathtaking. If only it were coming from someone else, she thought. Cal smiled and slipped it on the middle finger of her right hand. "I knew you'd like it," he said, sounding pleased with himself.
Jack stifled a gasp of his own when her hand came into sight. A fresh wave of anger washed over him. Is that supposed to make whatever he did to her last night okay? Is that how things work in his world? He consoled himself with the thought that any gifts he ever gave Rose in the future wouldn't be the result of guilt. Though whatever I give her, it'll never compare to that. He was too caught up in his thoughts to notice Cal steering Rose toward the door by her elbow or the desperate glance she threw his way.
The dull click of the door closing behind them brought him back to reality. "She's gone," he whispered, his heart filling with shame and dread.