The walk from the park to the boarding house wasn’t very far, but Rose enjoyed walking in the afternoon sun. Jack had remained at the park, drawing, for the rest of the afternoon. The afternoon had been amazing to Rose. She had learned about Jack’s past and his travels and she felt his pain. But the words he had spoken to her—I want to marry you someday, Rose DeWitt Bukater—they had sent shivers through her entire body.
The yapping of a small dog interrupted Rose from her thoughts and she glanced down to see a small terrier jumping up and down at her feet. It was gray in color and it was panting, its tongue hanging out in the midday sun. The dog was followed by very tall man dressed in a black suit with a top hat and a walking stick. He approached Rose, and she assumed he was the owner of the terrier.
“Miss, I am terribly sorry. The mutt does not take a blind bit of notice.” He called to the dog, but it wouldn’t move. Rose laughed, finding the dog cute. She turned her attention to the gentleman, who had spoken to her in an Irish accent. He was around fifty years of age and appeared to be a very smartly dressed gentleman.
“It’s quite all right.” Rose smiled gently at him. She raised her hand to her face to shield it from the sun. “Is it male or female?”
“Oh, male. Very male. It has the yap of a female, though,” he remarked. They both laughed. “I’m Irwin Manning.” He held his gloved hand out to her.
“Rose DeWitt Bukater,” she replied, shaking his hand.
“My, my. You are a miss, I am assuming?” he asked, seeing she had no band on her wedding finger. Rose was confused at first before understanding his words.
“Oh, yes. I am not married.”
“A little young to be married, perhaps?” he asked her, leaning against a wall. He was intrigued by this young lady.
“Yes. I believe so.” She smiled at him. “So, are you from Ireland?”
“Yes, through and through. And you are American. Well, I can say I have never met an American lady before.” He grinned at her. “What brings you to this part of London?”
Rose thought before she answered. She couldn’t exactly tell this stranger her story. “I…um…well…I was at finishing school in Paris. I was taught Latin, French, Spanish, German, piano, and ballet. But then I decided that I wanted to travel a little more, so here I am.”
Irwin was stunned by her talents. “You speak five languages?”
“Including English, yes.”
Irwin gasped. Perhaps this young girl was what he had been looking for. “Say, Miss Bukater, how old are you?”
“I turn seventeen next week,” she told him, not seeing what difference her age made. Irwin thought for a few seconds. He touched his chin and looked her up and down for a moment, then decided he would proposition her. After all, she seemed to fit the bill.
“Miss Bukater, I am a teacher at St. Catherine’s School for Girls. Mrs. Emerson left us nine months ago, and since that time, we have been very understaffed with just two teachers for a few hundred girls. With your talents, I was wondering if maybe you would like to join us?”
Rose thought she was hearing things, or that she had gone crazy. This man she had just met was offering her a job as a teacher. She gasped slightly, taken aback by his offer. “Mr. Manning…I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes, and save me the stress of finding someone else who fits the bill.” He smiled at her, and she couldn’t stop smiling. She had well and truly landed on her feet.
“Well, then. Yes. Of course I will. Thank you so much.” She was stunned. She held out her hand to him.
“Good. Well, the school is past the church. You won’t miss it. Start Wednesday if you like. That will give you two days to prepare.” He shook her hand and nodded his head to her. Taking his terrier out this afternoon seemed to have paid off well. “Come on, you!” he called to his dog, who sat and didn’t move. Rose burst out laughing and Irwin rolled his eyes, knowing he could be there a little longer if the dog didn’t listen.
*****
“Jack! Jack!” Rose’s voice shouted. He heard her running up the stairs quickly, her voice loud and echoing throughout the building. Quickly, he jumped from the bed and opened the door to see her running up the stairs, holding her skirts with a big smile on her face. Opening the door wider, she almost jumped on him as she reached the top of the stairs. He couldn’t help but laugh. “Guess what?”
“What?” He was confused as to why she was so excited.
“I have got a job teaching languages at an all girls school!” she cried, clapping her hands together. Jack’s eyes widened in shock, but he felt his heart soar, seeing how happy she was.
“Holy shit! How?”
“When I left you, I met this Irishman, Irwin Manning. He is a teacher at the school and when I told him I could speak five languages, he asked me if I wanted the job. Apparently they have been looking for a teacher for months,” Rose said breathlessly. Jack picked her up in his arms and whirled her around several times. Feeling the rush of dizziness, he put her down, leaned down, and kissed her.
“I’m so happy for you,” he told her. She closed her eyes as he pulled her into a hug.
“What is all the fuss about up here?” Mrs. Brookes grinned, winking at Jack, who shook his head at her. Rose frowned, not understanding.
“Rose got a job,” Jack told Mrs. Brookes. She wiped her hands down her apron and clapped them together.
“Oh, that’s good news.” She bounced. “Perhaps Jack will take you out to celebrate tonight.”
Jack rolled his eyes at Mrs. Brookes, knowing what she was suggesting. “I don’t know. Do you want to, Rose?”
“Of course she does. You should take her dancing, or to the bridge down by the river. It’s a lovely spot for a picnic. In fact, that’s where Larry asked me to marry him.” She winked at Jack, who only smiled.
“That sounds great.” Rose pulled away from Jack. “What do you say, Rose? Pack a picnic?”
Before Rose could reply, Mrs. Brookes had left the room and was scurrying downstairs. “I’m on it!” she shouted to the couple.
*****
Pouring the rest of the wine into a glass, Jack handed it to Rose. It was a perfect night as they sat on a small strip of grass beside the river. The bridge was overhead. It was an old railway bridge which had ceased use in the late 1800s. The stars loomed overhead and the moon was full and shone down brightly, casting a beautiful glow over Rose’s face. Jack couldn’t stop looking at her. He was in awe. The whole day had been amazing, from their talk in the park to Rose getting a job. Their new life here was something worth celebrating. Even though they were surrounded by poverty, they were happy.
Rose sipped some of her wine. She felt as though she could sing with happiness. She noticed Jack’s eyes fall on her every few moments and knew something was on his mind, but what, she didn’t know. Mrs. Brookes had been awfully keen for them to come to this spot for a picnic, and she was right. It was lovely. She had packed them several ham and cheese sandwiches, a few pieces of chocolate cake, and a bottle of wine from the icebox.
“Isn’t it magnificent?” Rose leaned her head back, taking in the entire sky, the clearness, the stars and moon.
“Yeah.”
“So vast and endless.” She spoke as though she were in a dream. She felt transfixed by the beauty of the sky. Suddenly, a shooting star went flying through the sky like an angel, leaving a silver trail behind it, almost like magic. “Did you see it?”
“Yeah, I did.” Jack leaned his head back. “You know, Pa used to tell me it was a soul going to heaven…” Jack remembered his father. How he missed him and wished he was here to meet Rose.
“I like that. Aren’t we supposed to wish on it?” she asked, standing up and walking around. Still looking at the sky, she stopped to lean against a railing next to the river. Jack came up beside her and put his hands on her waist, not taking his eyes away from her.
“Why? What would you wish for?” he asked, almost in a whisper.
“Nothing,” she replied, becoming lost in his eyes. “I have everything I’ve ever wanted right here.”
Jack felt his stomach churn, knowing what she meant. God, he loved her so much. He would do anything for her and he knew she returned his love, but…
“Actually, there’s one thing I want…” He backed away from her slightly, and she looked down at him, taking her attention away from the sky. As her eyes found his, he slowly bent down on one knee, as if in slow motion. It took a few seconds for her mind to comprehend what was happening. He wanted something. Cupping her hand around her mouth, she felt like she was dreaming everything.
“Jack?”
“There’s one more thing I want, Rose…” He smiled at her, but tears shone in her eyes. He held out his hand to her and she shakily she slipped her hand in his, feeling nervous. She couldn’t believe this was happening. Was he going to ask her to marry him?
“I want you to marry me.”
As he spoke the words, tears finally escaped her eyes and she felt dizzy. A smile came across her face, and she knew there would only be one answer to his question. He felt inside his coat pocket and pulled out a small box. Carefully, he opened it to reveal a small ring sparkling inside.
“Rose, will you marry me?”
Rose hesitated. Jack hoped with all his heart that she said yes. He knew they were young, but she was all he wanted in his life. He closed his eyes for a moment, and Rose got down on her knees. She touched his face with both of her trembling hands, seeing how nervous he was. “Jack…of course I will marry you,” she whispered to him. Shakily, he pulled the ring from the box and hoped that it fit her finger. To both of their surprise, it did. It wasn’t anything grand, just gold with a small diamond, but it was all she needed.
“Oh, Rose…I love you so much.” He, too, felt tears prick his eyes. He leaned forward and kissed her, slowly at first, but then she put both of her arms around his neck and together they fell onto the grass, wrapped in each other’s arms.
“I love you, too,” she whispered back to him.
She lay in his arms silently for a few minutes. She had never felt so close to anyone as she did Jack. “Are you happy, Rose?” he asked her quietly.
“Of course I am. Why would you think I wasn’t?” Worry tinted her voice, though her eyes sparkled.
“I just wanted to make sure marriage was what you wanted.” Jack smiled a little. “I told Mrs. Brookes earlier that we weren’t married, that I wanted to ask you.”
“That’s why she was so determined for us to come here.” Rose playfully tapped Jack before laying back down in his arms. She did feel happy, and marriage was what she wanted. She was sure of it.