JACK'S ROSE
Chapter Forty-Four
When they woke in the morning, both were
wrapped tightly in the linen sheets and clinging to each other as if neither intended
to ever let go.
"Good morning," Rose whispered
softly, smiling at William.
He returned her warm smile and kissed her
forehead. "Good morning." He paused and smiled slyly. "Sleep
well?"
Rose sat up, pulling the sheets over her
chest, and laughed. "I didn't sleep all night, dear."
"And why not?" William teased as he
pushed himself up with his elbows.
"You're an evil person, Will!" she
taunted playfully, grabbing a pillow and gently hitting him with it.
"Oh, is that right, little angel?"
William rolled over, pinning her down, and smiled at her lovingly.
She laughed again, almost girlishly, and then
struggled up to kiss his cheek.
"I'm quite sorry to disturb you two, but
the sun is up, and people are in the store," Ralph said from behind them,
badly startling both Rose and William.
William's cheeks immediately filled with
crimson as he rolled back to his side of the bed, and Rose struggled to conceal
herself once more with the sheets.
But Ralph just smiled understandingly and
left the room again, closing the door behind him.
The couple looked at each other, then burst
out in laughter and quickly dressed as the sound of movement downstairs became
louder and louder. When they finally slipped down the stairs, they found two
families and Henry already in the store.
"Rose, we need to talk," Henry
said, immediately scurrying toward her before even Ralph could greet her with a
"Good morning."
Rose looked at him skeptically, but she
finally agreed, hesitantly saying, "All right then. William, Ralph, excuse
me."
"Of course, Rose," Ralph said,
smiling.
She glanced at William as she left the store.
He smiled supportively at her as he tied his apron around his waist, and she
shut the door behind her.
*****
As they walked through the heavy, black iron
gates of the graveyard, Henry wheeled around to face Rose. "She never
should have said what she did, Rose. I will never forgive her for that. And I
don't expect you to either. But please, Rose, don't stay away from the rest of
us because of her. Don't cut your ties with the girls or Nathan. That's what
she's trying to do. She's trying to get you to just stay away so she can claim
Nathan and Cora as her own. But I won't let her." They were now standing
above Mary and John's grave. "In a few years, when he's old enough to understand,
I am going to tell Nathan—"
"No, Henry. No. Don't do that. He—I left
him. And that was my fault and my choice. It would be like betraying him. That
would be telling him that his entire life was a lie."
"But, Rose, he's your child!"
"Not anymore. He's your child. You've
raised him, Henry. You've kept a roof over his head, food in his stomach, and
you've given him your love. He ceased to be my child the day I left him."
"You left him because you had to, Rose.
You had no way of taking care of him. You didn't even know how you were going
to take care of yourself. And if you'd taken him, your entire life would be
different now. In the end, everything turns out the way it was meant to be,
Rose."
She glanced at Henry. "Thank you,
Henry." He smiled sadly at her. She inhaled deeply, then let the breath
out slowly. "I should be getting back now, though. William and I are
leaving in three days. Tell Cora and Lilly not to stay away from the store
while we're still here." They gazed at each other for another moment. Then
she leaned forward and gently kissed his cheek. "Good-bye, Henry."
"Good-bye, Rose. I give you my best
regards on your marriage."
"Thank you, again."
Henry nodded and smiled at her again. Then
Rose turned and quickly left the graveyard—never to return again.