CAL’S STORY
CHAPTER TWO
When the steward delivered the
news that Rose had been involved in an incident on deck, his heart sank to the
pit of his stomach. His darling Rose, whom he would give his life to protect;
he could not bear to think of her coming to any harm. He saw the scruffy youth
and became incensed at the idea of him hurting, even touching, his beloved
fiancée.
"What made you think you
could lay a hand on my fiancée?" he yelled. Unfortunately, those
around him deciphered his reaction as one of possessiveness and of indignation
at the thought of someone touching his property, rather than concern for
his fiancée’s welfare. He did, of course, feel some sort of ownership over her.
She was the first thing in his life which had met with his father’s approval.
He had actually seemed proud of his son for the first time. Losing Rose would
bring condemnation from his father, no matter what the circumstances. Cal
thought back to the death of his mother when he was just twelve years old. She
had died of cancer, but Nathan Hockley still managed to make his young son feel
responsible. He still had the mental and physical scars to remind him…
"Stop crying, boy! No
wonder your mother fell so ill, having you as a son! You are a weak child, and
you sucked out all of your poor mother’s energy. She probably died as a result
of the shame she suffered for having a weak child for a son. Look at you,
acting like a sniveling little girl. I will have to teach you a lesson
now…" Being locked in the cold dark cupboard for the next few hours was a
relief after the unbearable beating he’d had to endure…
As it transpired, this young chap
had actually come to Rose’s rescue and saved her from falling off the ship. A
deed which Cal felt obliged to reward with an invitation to dinner the
following evening. He smiled at the idea of this third class chap looking like
a fish out of water in the grand opulence and sophistication of the first class
dining saloon.
On returning to their suites, Cal
desperately needed to show Rose how he truly felt about her.
"The diamond!" he
whispered to himself. He had bought Rose an extremely rare blue diamond, once
owned by Louis XVI, which had now been cut onto the shape of a heart. He had
intended to present it to her at their official engagement gala the following
week, but he couldn’t think of a more elaborate way of showing her the extent
of his feelings for her, which he wanted to do right at this very moment. So he
decided to give it to her there and then. Rose looked at the overwhelming piece
of jewelry, which Cal had gently and lovingly fastened around her delicate
neck. Cal had sincerely meant it as a sign of his love, but all the ever
cynical and growingly suspicious Rose could think to herself was how this was
like some kind of identity tag an owner would attach to his pet: a badge of
ownership.
This is so typical of Cal! she thought to herself. He thinks he can
buy anything he wants! Even me!
Cal looked at her longingly, but
as Rose gazed ahead at her reflection in the dressing table mirror, his heart
began to break as he realized he was losing her.