A frantic knocking on the door startled Jack. He had been concentrating on a drawing, but now he had been disturbed. He hoped it wasn't Maria. The last thing he needed was her flirting with him shamelessly. Wiping his dirty hands on a piece of cloth, he went to the door to answer it, and almost died when he saw who it was.
“Rose?” His eyes widened in shock. She was the last person he expected to see. She stood in a less fancy dress than she had worn that afternoon, but nonetheless, she still appeared stunning.
“Mr. Dawson, I...”
“It's Jack, and come on in.” He held the door open for her and she hesitantly walked into the studio apartment.
“I'm so sorry for just turning up like this, Jack,” she apologized, not knowing what to say or do. “I just didn't know where else to go. I found your address in my purse, and...” The words fell from her mouth.
“Hey, calm down. It's all right. You don't have to apologize for coming here. It's what I gave you my address for.” Jack took a seat at the small dining table and indicated to Rose to sit. “How are you?” he asked, sensing something was wrong. All he wanted to do was pull her into his arms, but he knew he should tread carefully. This girl was strictly off limits to him. All he could do was be a friend.
“Jack, I…I really don't know what to do with my life.” Sitting forward, Jack listened intently to her words. “Cal asked me to marry him tonight, and when I said no, he started trying to guilt trip me. But Jack, I don't want to marry him. I'm just sixteen.” Tears finally came down her face, and she quickly wiped them away, feeling instantly awkward and self-conscious. She had never cried in front of another human being except her father.
“Oh, Rose.” Quickly, he took her hand in his and began to run his finger over it, and Rose was surprised by how much she was comforted by his touch. She raised her head so her eyes met his and saw the genuine look of concern on his face.
“He has no right to do this, Rose,” he spoke softly. “You have the right to choose what you wish to do with your life.” Rose wiped the tears from her eyes, feeling some comfort from Jack's presence.
“I promised him that I would marry him once school is over, but I can't, Jack. I feel like I am slowly suffocating,” she confessed, tears falling from her eyes once more. Caledon Hockley terrified her. He had power over her and he knew it.
“You cannot marry him. You've got a fire in you, Rose, and if you don't break free, you'll die. I can't stand by and watch that happen to you.” Rose was surprised by Jack's concern for her. They had known each other just twenty-four hours, but he seemed to understand her more than anyone ever had in her entire life.
“But what can I do, Jack? I have nowhere to go; I wouldn't know where to start. If Cal ever found me...” Rose trailed off, thinking of the consequences.
“Rose, he will never find you. I know places he wouldn't dream of looking for you. I will help you; if you want to break free, then I will be here. You can stay here...” Jack held out his hand, indicating the studio.
Rose glanced around. There wasn't much to it. Just a small dining table, a kitchen to the left, two sofas covered in blankets, and Jack's drawings laying out on the floor near the window. It wasn't much, but it was a roof over both his and Fabrizio’s heads. Rose thought for a moment. How she could even consider living with this man she had known for just a day? But as she looked into his eyes, she knew she could trust him with anything.
“But Jack, I cannot just disrupt your life like this.”
“You won't be.” Jack smiled. He wanted Rose to be happy, and even though he knew he could only ever be a friend to her, he wanted to help her to get away from her life and be free.
Rose stood and went to Jack's drawings. “May I?” she asked, finding his portfolio.
“Sure.” Jack followed her and they both sat themselves on a sofa. Rose opened the leather portfolio to the first page; the first picture was of a mother breastfeeding her baby. Rose glanced upwards at Jack, stunned by the realness and beauty of the sketch. It was obviously a very private thing to see in a sketch, but it was so real and right there in front of her. Jack indicated to her to proceed looking through the sketches. The next one was a small child in her mother's arms.
“These are amazing, Jack,” Rose said in amazement. Never had she seen such a talent as his.
A small smile appeared on his face as he watched Rose and her reaction to his drawings. “Thanks, but they don't think too much of them here.”
Rose turned to Jack, stunned. “But why? They're very good.”
Shrugging, Jack picked up some which were laid out on the floor; they were several nudes which he had drawn the afternoon before at Mademoiselle Satine's. Maria was one of them, but whilst most people believed him to be in love with her, she was simply a good friend, although he had known for a while that her feelings for him ran a lot deeper than just friends. Rose watched as Jack picked up the drawings and placed them inside of the portfolio. She saw that they were nudes and almost didn't know where to place her eyes.
“Oh...oh…” she stuttered, turning one drawing so she could see it properly. “Is this Maria?” she asked in a tone of voice which did very little to disguise her slight jealousy.
“Yeah, it is.” Jack nodded, running his fingers through his hair.
Raising her eyebrows, Rose ran her fingers over the paper, examining the sketch. She was undeniably beautiful, and she couldn't help but think that maybe Jack was having a love affair with her.
“She is beautiful,” Rose pointed out. “You know, Jack, I think you must be in love with her,” she teased slightly, but Jack shook his head.
“No, no. She's just a lovely subject. As is Rebecca.” Jack touched Rose's hand and turned the sketch over to another nude, who was just as beautiful as Maria. Rose felt a little awkward looking at these drawings. She cleared her throat and Jack glanced at her, almost sensing her awkwardness. “Oh, there's this lady,” he remembered, turning the page again to a lady sitting on a bar stool, wearing moth-eaten clothes and a lot of jewelry. “She sits in the bar every night, wearing every piece of jewelry she owns, just waiting for her long lost love.” He shook his head and Rose studied the drawing. The woman looked melancholy and Rose could almost sympathize with her. The way Jack had captured her was amazing; it was like looking at a photograph. “Madame Bijoux is her name. See how her clothing is all moth-eaten?” Jack pointed and Rose nodded her head.
“Well, Jack, you have a gift. You really do.” Rose could feel Jack's hand still on hers from when he had turned the pages of the portfolio, and it seemed that all of her senses were heightened. She could feel his warmth sitting beside her and their faces were merely a few inches apart.
“I see you,” he almost whispered, and Rose smiled slightly.
“And?” She glanced just once at his lips and her heart beat fast. He seemed to be leaning towards her slowly, closer and closer. How had she gotten into this situation? But she was going to go with it. Suddenly, the door burst open, Fabrizio burst in with Maria, and Rose jumped, wondering what had caused the disturbance. Jack got to his feet, wiping his sweaty palms down his pants. He had been so close to kissing Rose and he could feel himself shaking.
“Hello, Jack.” Maria grinned, playing with his collar. “I've come by for my present.” She smiled. Rose stood, straightening out her dress, feeling dizzy and out of place.
“Of course.” Jack went to his portfolio, pulling out several drawings and handing them to Maria.
She grinned happily, examining them. “Thank you.” She gently kissed his cheek and Rose glanced away. Maria noticed the discomfort of this strange woman, and wondered who she was and what she was doing in the studio alone with Jack. “So, who's your friend?” she questioned Jack, crossing her arms and glancing at Rose.
“Oh, I'm sorry, Maria. This is Rose, and Rose, this is Maria, and that's Fabrizio in the kitchen.”
Rose smiled and held out her hand to Maria. She knew it was best to be polite. “Hello. Pleased to meet you,” Rose spoke.
Maria nodded. The girl looked very upper class. Everything from her clothes to the way her hair was pinned up screamed that she was some snooty rich girl. She had a thousand questions as to why Jack was with her. “So, will Rose be joining us tonight at the bar?” Maria asked, the question directed at Jack almost as if Rose was a child and couldn't answer for herself.
Jack looked at Rose and raised his eyebrows. “I actually don't know. Rose, will you be joining us tonight for some beers?”
Rose thought momentarily, glancing at Jack and then Maria and then the clattering noise in the kitchen, which she gathered was from Fabrizio. Standing up straighter, Rose raised her head slightly and nodded. She would join them for a drink. Why not? She had turned over a new leaf now. Jack was her friend and she would like to spend more time getting to know him. He had been good to her. She also knew her presence would annoy Maria further. Jack grinned happily. He was glad Rose was going to the bar with them; maybe it would keep Maria away from him.
“Good. It's all settled, then.”
*****
Mr. Burns was an American businessman who owned most of the businesses in the area. He was a very wealthy man and his club was well-known for boxing. Every night, men challenged each other to bare-knuckle fights for money, while Maria and seven other girls danced. Mr. Burns thrived on seeing the fights and paid a lot of money to the winners. Joseph Donnelly, an Irishman, was currently the champion there. Although he was just five foot seven, he was strong and toned and could fight men twice his size.
Fabrizio and Rose sat at a small table with a Swedish fighter, Sven, and his brother, Olaf. Jack was at the bar getting their drinks and Maria was onstage, dancing with the other girls. Her outfit was something Rose had never seen before. Her breasts were shoved upwards, spilling over the top of her corset, and her lips were ruby red. Rose turned her back to them and engaged in conversation with Fabrizio. She found him to be a gentleman.
“Rosa, where are you from?” he asked, yelling above the fighting yells. Fabrizio had at first been stunned by the appearance of this beautiful lady in his home, but Jack had assured him she was a friend in need of help, and any friend of Jack's was a friend of his.
“Philadelphia.” She smiled. “Which part of Italy are you from?”
“Naples.” Fabrizio smiled proudly. “My whole family are from there. Mama and Papa met in Florence, though, when they were very young.”
“I was lucky enough to explore parts of Florence when I went to Italy in 1909 with my father.” Rose glanced around as she saw Jack coming towards them with beers in his hands. He had a serious look on his face as his floppy blond hair fell into his blue eyes.
“It's ‘a beautiful there.” Fabrizio grinned, obviously very proud of his background. Jack handed Fabrizio a beer before sitting on a chair next to Rose and handing her a beer, too. “Jack and I met in Naples about a year ago,” Fabrizio continued, slapping his friend on the shoulder. They were obviously more like brothers than friends.
Jack sipped his beer before glancing towards Rose. She had gulped about half of it and Jack and Fabrizio stared at her in disbelief before laughing. As she saw the grins on their faces, she, too, began to laugh before placing her beer on the table.
“What? You think women can't drink?” She laughed Jack shook his head.
This woman certainly was full of surprises. Taking another sip from his beer, Jack turned his head to glance at the men fighting in the center of the bar and then at Maria, who was at the back of the room on the stage, cheering the fights on, then back to Rose, who sat quietly, simply staring into her lap. He wondered if it was a good idea bringing her here, but when the fight was over, the band played music and he was sure that would put a smile back onto her face.
Leaning towards her, he placed his left hand on the back of her chair and spoke into her ear closely. “Are you all right?” His voice was concerned and he didn't like seeing her so quiet, and her mind seemed preoccupied.
Glancing upwards, her eyes met with Jack's, their faces a few inches apart. They both remembered the moment they had shared before Maria and Fabrizio had walked in earlier, and neither of them was sure if they hadn't been interrupted whether they would have kissed or not.
“I'm fine, thank you.” Rose smiled, and then so did Jack.
Fabrizio removed his cap from his head, feeling it irritate him after wearing it all day. He ran his fingers through his jet black hair as he noticed the closeness of his friends Jack and Rose in front of him. He wondered how he had become involved with a beautiful redhead like Rose.
“So, where did you two meet?” he questioned.
Rose glanced at Jack. “Um…”
“In the park,” Jack answered quickly. “She admired my work and we realized we were both Americans. Right, Rose?”
“Yes, that is right.” Sipping her beer, she avoided glancing towards Fabrizio, not wishing to let him see her face in case it showed any indication that she was lying. She hated not telling him the truth, but she did not want anybody else knowing of her situation with Cal. She trusted Jack with anything.
Moments later, a loud whistle came, followed by guitar strumming and a harp playing. Turning their heads, Rose saw that the band was playing, indicating the fight was over. Three men covered in blood passed their table and Rose grimaced slightly.
Jack got to his feet, removing his brown jacket and throwing it on the chair. He drank what was left of his beer and held his hand out to Rose. She glanced up at him, confused. “Come on, Rose.”
Hesitantly, she took his hand. “Come where?” she asked, getting to her feet but trusting him completely.
“Come dance with me.”