ELUDING DESTINY
Chapter Sixteen
Out of habit, Rose ran her hands
through her hair and thought briefly about putting it up, then cast that idea
away. It didn't matter how presentable she looked.
She grabbed her shawl off the
back of the chair in front of her dressing table and hurried from the room,
draping it over her shoulders as she went. Ruth, still sitting on the loveseat
in the sitting room, glanced up as she came in. She rose to her feet almost
instantly.
"Rose, what on earth are you
doing?"
"Going to find Jack,"
Rose answered flatly without stopping, intent on the doorway.
"Are you mad! You can't go
after him. This is dangerous, Rose, and I forbid it--" But Ruth stopped
abruptly, staring vacantly, and then slowly ran a hand over her eyes. Rose had
paused at the doorway and spun to face her mother, her mouth opening to fire
back a sharp retort.
"Go," Ruth said, so low
that she had to strain to hear her. "Go. Do what you wish." Rose
stared for a moment, then nodded and disappeared into the hallway, and Ruth
sank back down onto the couch. In that moment she had finally let her daughter
go. And although their past relationship had been anything but normal, what she
was feeling were the pangs of every grieving mother who has at last sent her
child away from the protection and shelter she has always provided. But she
also felt pride at what kind of person Rose had grown up to be, so brave, so
determined...and so deep was her love for another that she was willing to
sacrifice anything for him.
"You know, James," she
murmured, tears shining in her eyes, "after all this time...maybe I did
something right after all."
*****
Rose found her way to third
class. She heard the band playing as she neared the stairway to the common
room, and prayed that she'd find Jack out on the dance floor, whirling the
little girl around again, and all her worries were for nothing...
She hurried down the steps. As
people caught sight of her, they smiled and waved, recognizing her from two
nights previous. She smiled distractedly back, and scanned the room in search
of a familiar face.
"Rose!"
She jerked her head around at her
name being called and squinted into the throng of people on the makeshift dance
floor. Then a movement caught her eye, and she spotted Tommy Ryan pushing his
way through the crowd. Even across the room she saw that his face was strained,
and her heart did a twist as a sudden terror cut through her.
"Tommy!" She left the
stairs and met him at the edge of the dance floor. "What is it? Where is
Jack?" she asked anxiously.
He shook his head grimly. "I
haven't seen him all day," he said in his lilting Irish brogue. "I've
been looking, but he isn't in his cabin. He isn't anywhere. A couple of hours
ago, two men came in from first class. They were looking for him, too."
Rose sucked in her breath.
"Was it Cal? My fiancé--he's tall, handsome, dark hair--"
Tommy was nodding. "Yeah,
that sounds like one of them," he said. "He did all the talking. The
other--he didn't say anything, just watched."
"Lovejoy," Rose
murmured, putting it together instantly. So, they'd come looking for Jack. But
a couple of hours ago he'd still been with Rose. Had they found him, then,
after they'd separated? And what had they done if they had? Why had Lovejoy
been watching them at dinner? Where were they now?
Unanswerable questions reeled in
her mind. She closed her eyes briefly and prayed for Jack's safety, prayed that
she'd be given some sort of sign or clue as to what she should do.
"Rose?"
The new voice broke in and Rose
opened her eyes, recognizing it instantly. Fabrizio had paused beside them, his
dark eyes worried.
"You seen Jack?" he
asked her, catching her eye. Even with the thick accent, there was no mistaking
the strain in his voice.
"I left him an hour
ago," Rose answered, trying to focus.
"Where?" Tommy wanted
to know.
"The first class stairway,
near my stateroom." Rose paused. "I assume he started back here right
away, and he probably went by way of the boat deck. I was just up there and
there was no sign of him, but I'll need to search thoroughly. He may have just
stopped somewhere out of sight."
Wishful thinking, Rose, a cold inner voice told her. You know
what happened to him.
Rose pushed the voice away and
struggled to remain calm. "Let's split up and search this area
first," she said. "Fabrizio, can you check the cabin, see if maybe we
missed him and he's just back there?"
Fabrizio nodded and headed for
the doorway. Tommy studied her with his dark eyes. "I'll look
outside," he said, nodding toward the door that led out to the third class
deck. "Then we'll all go up to the boat deck."
Rose nodded and watched him
shoulder his way through the crowd. She was suddenly glad to have Tommy and
Fabrizio. Their determination to find Jack reassured her.
After scanning the room, Rose was
certain he was not at the party. She began approaching people, asking if they
had seen a man with blond hair who carried a sketchbook with him. Most of them
knew Jack and promised they'd keep an eye out for him. She was grateful for the
help of these unselfish people, and at that moment, unconsciously ceased to see
them as any different from herself.
Fabrizio came back, shaking his
head. "He's not in the room," he said. "His sketchbook is still
where he left it this morning."
Rose bit her lip, then nodded.
"Let's go get Tommy," she urged.
"Rose." Fabrizio's
voice stopped her, and she turned back.
"Yes?"
"I need to say..." He
paused, struggling through the language barrier for words. "I resent you
at first. I think you too--too good for Jack. But he really too good for you. I
look out for Jack, he look out for me--like brothers, no?" He hesitated.
"But now I see that you care about him." He smiled at her. "And
I understand why he lost his head over you."
Rose smiled back, understanding
what he meant despite the shaky English. "Thank you, Fabrizio," she
said gently. "Thank you for telling me that."
"Now we go find him
together, no?" Fabrizio smiled grimly, gesturing toward the door, where
Tommy was just entering the common room--alone.
"Yes. Now we’ll go find
him." Rose led the way towards Tommy, praying that she'd see Jack again.