HEARTS WILL GO ON
Chapter Seventeen

I knew I’d hurt her when she recoiled from my touch.

"Ma…I…I’m sorry I…"

"I’ll just leave you to your thoughts, Josephine," she said coldly, and flounced from the room. I looked down into my lap until I realized I wasn’t alone in the room. A small frame was in the doorway.

"You’re mean!" Jamie said, glaring at me. I looked at him apologetically.

"I know, Jamie…I’m sorry," I said quietly as he invited himself to sit next to me.

"I miss Daddy, Jo," he said quietly. "Nothing has been the same since Dad died. Mama’s lonely all the time and I just wish she were happy again." I sighed and put an arm around his shoulders. He was almost ten years old now and wise, full of questions.

"I miss him, too. Sometimes I don’t know who I am anymore," I said softly.

Jamie stared at me.

"Daddy wasn’t really your Dad, was he, Jo?" I looked down at him, surprised.

"Oh…he was…in every way he could have been, but no…he wasn’t my biological father. Mama was married before…and my real dad died before I was born." I opted for the easy explanation.

"What is a biological father?" I gulped, knowing this conversation had taken a turn.

"Um…I don’t…when a mother and father decided to have a baby, it’s the dad who decides to make the baby with the mom," I answered dumbly. He shrugged.

"Okay…I’m going to go play with Luke," he said, and left. I thought of Mom, who really was lonely, and the way I had spoken to her. I decided to go talk to her.

I found her reading in her room.

"Good book?" I asked cautiously. She looked up at me and stared for a moment before nodding. She showed me the cover. Les Miserables.

"I’ve read it five times, but I’ll probably read it five more," she replied. "How are you, Jo?"

"I don’t know. Tom’s gone," I said, sitting on her bed. Her eyebrow raised.

"What do you mean…gone?"

"I went to his studio today, and there was a For Lease sign on the window, and it was empty and dark." My lip began to tremble again as I remembered how much I would miss Tom.

"I’m sorry, sweetheart," she said, touching my hand.

"It’s okay…I just…wish he would have said good-bye. I mean, he said he would be back, and he just leaves for good?"

As fate would have it, the telephone rang, and Olivia was out with Grant.

"I’ll get that…" Mom said, leaving the room. I heard her answer in the hall.

"Hello?" She paused and barely above a whisper said, "Who is this…? Oh! Tom! Of course! Yes…no, this is actually Jo’s mother. Yes!" She laughed. "Oh, wonderful…she’ll be so glad to talk to you. Yes…she went by the studio today and was a bit distraught…oh, of course!" She giggled…my mother actually giggled. I got up and met her in the hall.

"Are you seriously flirting with my teacher?" I asked and heard Tom laugh on the line.

She said, "Here she is…yes, quite the joker. All right…nice talking to you, Tom. Take care."

I heard him say, "Good-bye, Rose." She kissed me on the forehead as I took the phone.

"Hello?" I said, and I heard Tom’s familiar chuckle.

"Hey, kid! Sorry about the scare…but don’t worry. I will be back. I’ve just checked into more stable living conditions. I had some business up in Boston, but I’ll be back in a few days." I breathed in relief.

"That’s great!" I said, but my voice was still a bit down.

"What’s wrong, Jo?" he asked, now sounding concerned. I sighed.

"Nothing, Tom…it’s just been a strange day. I’ll tell you when you get back," I replied. I heard him breathe.

"All right, then…you just take care of yourself, Jo…everything will be fine."

"Thanks…oh! Tom! I love the necklace you gave me."

"Sure…I saw it and thought of you…see ya, kid."

"Yeah…bye, Tom." I hung up, feeling half-better.

"Well, he’s nice…" she said as I joined her again.

"Yes," I replied. "You certainly seemed to enjoy talking to him…you minx!" I laughed, and her cheeks turned red.

"W-what did you say?" She asked in shock. I grinned.

"You’re some vixen, aren’t you, hitting on my art teacher? He’s handsome, too, Ma…tall, blond, you know…good-looking. And he’s only forty," I teased as she waved me off.

"Oh…you…" she said, but there was a smirk playing at her lips as she resumed reading.

"So…what’s happening in your book?" I asked, and she looked genuinely surprised.

"Um…Fantine just died."

"Oh…pleasant…" I joked. She just smiled.

"I…Mom?" I asked. She made a noise of acknowledgement as she read. "That wasn’t the only place I went to today."

"Oh?" She looked up again, and I bit my lip.

"I saw Jonathan Hockley today. He came upon me crying on a bench over Tom, and asked me to his house for dinner."

"Well, that was nice of him, wasn’t it?" she said, though something in her eyes told me she knew there was more to it. "How is his family?" I thought of telling her that they weren’t there, but something about the worry in her eyes told me not to.

"Oh, they’re…well."

"Good…I’m glad," she said, but she did not press me for anymore information.

"Well…good night," I said. She smiled.

"Good night, Jo. Get some rest, why don’t you?" When I closed her door behind me, I decided to go talk to Dave. I knocked on his door.

"Dave? Are you up? Listen, I need to tell you something. I…Dave?" I knocked again. "I know you’re still upset about Gloria…but…Dave…" When I heard nothing, I tried the doorknob and crept in. "Dave?" I said again. The lamp was lit on the table and there was a note under it that said Jo. "Oh, shit…" I muttered, and unfolded it.

Jo,

I’m sure you’ve realized I am not here by now. I’ve gone to see if I can convince Gloria to elope with me. I’m sorry…I wanted to do this before there wasn’t time for you to find another fiancé. I will call you when we get out of town.

Your best friend,
Dave

Little did Dave know that Mr. Edwards had been counting on just that sort of thing.

David Christopher Stirling

As I stared at the trellis leading up to Gloria’s balcony, I realized this was it. I was going to get her or die trying. I thought of Jo, who was probably reading my note this very minute, and my heart clenched at the thought of her worry. She was the dearest person in the world to me, besides Gloria, but I could never build a life with her when I knew Gloria loved me back. We’d begun meeting just after that first dinner party. I sought her out and begged her to meet me at a small café in town. She’d come just as I had nearly given up hope. The next meeting took place in the park, and I’d kissed her for the first time. I never wanted to kiss another woman again. After that, we’d met in her parents’ carriage house. She pretended to be ill and I stole away to be with her. It was one of those nights that we’d made love.

Now, as I stared up that trellis, I knew that we were meant to be together and it was tearing me apart as to why she’d let her father bring her back to this place. I knew he manipulated her using her mother’s health. Mrs. Edwards suffered from tuberculosis and had nearly recovered before relapsing. She was sometimes bedridden for days. It devastated Gloria, and she’d cried to me in the carriage house. I’d stroked her long, buttery blonde hair and told her that no matter what she would never have to be alone. I’d never felt love before. It was wonderful, but it hurt me. I told her on Christmas Eve that I loved her at the ball and had begged her to tell her father that we were in love. She resisted, but the next day she had showed up at Jo’s aunt’s and told us that she had done as I had asked. It was my fault she was in this situation, and I was going to get her out of it.

So I began the climb up that trellis, and though I nearly slipped, I managed to throw myself onto her balcony and tap lightly at the glass on the French doors. A light went on, and I saw her silhouette through the filmy curtains. Meekly, she opened the doors, and hope filled her blue eyes.

"David!" she whispered in horror. "You can’t be here…please…go before he finds out."

"No…I’m not going anywhere without you," I replied, crossing my arms.

"He told me if I didn’t get rid of you, he would…" she pleaded. I breathed.

"He said that?" She nodded, clutching her robe around her. "I don’t care…I love you, Gloria, and I’m not going anywhere."

"Oh, David!" she cried, and launched herself into my arms.

I tried to reassure her, and she seemed to be convinced I was right and began to pack a few things.

"You can’t bring much, only what you need…" I said, and she nodded.

"Do you think he’ll do anything to Jonathan if I leave?" There was real concern in her voice. I didn’t know what to say.

"You’re going to elope with me, and you wonder if he’ll be okay?" I asked, only joking, but her face remained grim.

"You don’t know what he’s like…he’s so much worse than I ever imagined…" A key clicked in the door and it swung open, bathing the hallway in light.

"She’s quite right, you know," Keegan Edwards said, staring at me with murder in his eyes.

"Don’t you touch her," I said, making sure she was safely behind me.

"Do you want to try me, boy? Or shall I tell you some of the things I’ve done?" When I didn’t answer, he laughed and stepped into the room. "Well, let’s start with how I ruined Cal Hockley so I could buy most of his steel mills. You see, being in the auto industry, it is convenient to have so many steel mills at your service. I pulled a few strings with some crooks I knew and they made sure Hockley went bankrupt." I glared at him, not standing down.

"You are sick," I said, and he shrugged.

"Hockley was an idiot, always thinking of others, and so is his son."

"Gloria, go on…I’ll hold him off…" I said, clenching my fists, fully prepared to fight. She grabbed her slight bag and began for the trellis.

"Oh, Gloria, dear…I wouldn’t do that just yet. You see, the police are on their way…to arrest Mr. Stirling here."

"On what charges?" I asked, looking at Gloria’s tear streaked face.

"Kidnapping," he said. "You tried to kidnap my only daughter."

"Bullshit! You know that’s not true, and so does she! Who would believe that?" Edwards laughed again, maniacally. "Oh, you stupid, stupid boy…the police are under my checkbook."

Moments later, true to his word, the police arrived and put me in handcuffs, ignoring Gloria’s pleas.

"Don’t worry…I’m going to find a way for us to be together…" I said as they pulled me away from her. She shook her head.

"I won’t have you ruin yourself for me…find another girl…be happy. You don’t need this, David," she said, and I stopped resisting.

"You mean, stop fighting for you?" I asked, and she nodded.

"If it will keep you safe, then yes! I’ll marry Jonathan Hockley…marry Jo! Have babies…just get as far away from all this as you can!"

I couldn’t hear anything else she said because I was shoved into the back of a police car. I watched her silently as it pulled away. She sobbed into the night, helpless against her father’s rage. An hour later, I was sitting in a cell with no light but the slight moonlight through the clouds.

"Who do you want us to call?" an officer asked. I shrugged, not caring what happened to me anymore. "You’re that Stirling man who is engaged to Dawson’s daughter!" I vaguely heard him phone Olivia’s house.

"Hello? Who is this? Yes, I need to speak with Josephine Dawson…yes, I am aware it is well past midnight. Thanks." He waited a moment before Jo obviously got on the phone. "Yes, Miss Dawson? This is the Philadelphia police…we have your fiancé in custody."

Chapter Eighteen
Stories