THE LAST TIME TITANIC EVER SAW DAYLIGHT
Chapter Three
Rose held steadily onto Jack's hand as he
helped her down from the railing. Her heart was racing, but the warmth
radiating from his eyes showed her the truth of their situation. He smiled at
her. "Won't your mother want to know why I'm with you again?"
"Why should it matter to her?" she
questioned, still unaware of the lengths her overbearing mother and possessive
fiancé had gone to ensure Jack would never see her again.
Jack realized he should tell her. He wasn't
telling her to make the others look bad, but to let her know how much he had to
overcome in order just to talk with her in the gym, hoping she would see how
much she meant to him. "They had that valet or whatever he was keep me
away from you."
Sighing, Rose took his hand, leading him
toward the first class entrance as she spoke. "Both Mother and Cal tried
to use furious gestures to convince me to have nothing to do with you, but I
couldn't anymore."
He could imagine Cal's anger and harsh temper
as he made it perfectly clear to Rose to worship him. The thought slowly
enraged Jack, but he drew in a deep breath to block the emotions. Nothing was
going to ruin their happiness now. When his mind came back to the present, he
noticed Rose's clear eyes staring into his with wonder. "And, you're
engaged."
With a laugh, she responded, "Really? I
didn't think I was anymore."
Her laughter spread to Jack as his mouth
dropped in awe. She slid the diamond engagement ring from her finger and
prepared to throw it off the side of the ship. He watched her, expecting her to
at any moment, but instead, she gazed into the jewel for a moment as if
mesmerized and he saw the sadness well up in her eyes.
"Are you all right, Rose?"
Her brow furrowed as she turned the ring from
side to side, examining every facet of the diamond. "I can't part with it
just yet." She saw Jack's surprise. "My father bought it for my
mother when they were engaged. Mother allowed Cal to give it to me, but now
it's all I have left to remind me of my father." A tear slowly rolled down
her cheek, and Jack quickly hugged her, loving the feelings that emerged
through him at their contact and wanting to comfort her.
Rose's arms encircled him in response. She
hadn't said she would be giving up everything to be with him just yet, and Jack
knew he couldn't ask that of her right then anyway. It was completely
unreasonable to expect anyone to give up their world entirely at one moment.
"Then maybe you should keep it someplace special, but if you're not
engaged you might not want to wear it on your finger."
The fire in her eyes and the smile of
mischief returned as she gazed up at him. Jack took a deep breath. God, she was
beautiful! Every emotion he just felt on the bow was slowly building in him,
and he prepared to lean in to kiss her again. However, Rose shocked him by
raising herself onto her tiptoes and kissing his lips. "It feels so good
to have someone who actually understands how I feel," she shared.
"Come with me."
He obeyed her request, slightly laughing and
feeling tipsy even without the presence of alcohol. Just being near Rose sent
him walking on the clouds. "Your wish is my command," his voice
teased her. "What will await us there? More surprises?" And plenty
more opportunities for them to be together, he silently hoped.
"Jack, I have an enormous favor to ask
of you," she began, as the idea dawned on her. There grew something
special and unique in her heart toward Jack within those last two days, and her
mind flowed over every ounce of their conversations. The one that remained the
most dominant was the one in which they discussed his special gift. Rose wanted
to experience his eyes upon her as they had been while declaring he saw her on
the deck again. She wanted to create a moment they both would never forget in
their lives together and at the same time, a memento to always remind them of
it. "Please, make a portrait of me."
His hand grasped hers harder and he began to
sweat with nervousness. More than anything he would love to stare at her and
display the wealth of beauty she possessed on paper. His artist’s mind analyzed
her features and tried to think of a specific pose that would do her appearance
the justice it deserved. "Nothing would give me greater pleasure," he
answered her, his emotions almost bubbling over the surface.
They entered the first class decks as the
subjects of incredulous stares and gasps. Jack was actually getting used to
them since meeting Rose. Only at one point in their relationship had they
ceased, and that was the previous night's dinner. However, that completely
unimpressed him, if not for the way Rose looked while walking toward him from
the staircase, or the deep and flirtatious glances they exchanged through the
meal. Now, he seemed undisturbed by them, more intent on his moment with her
and on the fact they were arriving at a room to which she removed a key.
"Is this the proper thing to do?"
he asked, suddenly feeling nervous and hesitant.
She smiled. "Trust me."
"Promise?"
As she opened the door and led him in, her
smile transformed into laughter that rolled over Jack like a warm, autumn
breeze. "It's quite proper, I can assure you," she teased as he
followed her in, his eyes awestruck by the splendor of the decor. "This is
the sitting room."
Jack's mind was reeling. Everything about the
situation was becoming more and more amazing. He suddenly felt insecure about
how Rose must have interpreted the decor of third class the night before as he
caved into the opulence of first class. The sitting room alone was three times
the size of his room that he and Fabrizio shared with the other two men. His
eyes surveyed the room, inspecting it and finding not one trace of dust.
Incredible, he thought.
"Will this light do?"
Her words startled him momentarily.
"What?"
Rose's eyes showed her concern. "Don't
artists need good light?"
Now, he remembered what she was alluding to.
The scene around him had made him temporarily forget the favor she asked of
him. Still, his playfulness emerged while teasing her about her living
conditions. "Zat is true, but I am not used to working in such orreble
conditions."
Apparently, she understood his humor better
than Fabrizio ever had, but his attention was suddenly focused on a painting
across the room. He moved to it, astounded by the fact Rose owned a work that
would cost him his life. "Oh, Monet!"
The exuberance in his words was equally
matched in her tone. "Do you know his work?"
"Of course. Look at his use of color.
Isn't he great?"
"I know. It's extraordinary."
Even their taste in art was the same.
Finally, they both found someone who adored the same passions and shared the
same traits.
Rose had moved into a bedroom and Jack's eyes
continued to absorb the room. He heard the clunk and heard her laugh softly,
obviously recalling something that amused her. "Cal insists on carting
this hideous thing everywhere."
That was when he noticed the safe, harsh in
the room's starchy atmosphere. Still, the mention of Cal reminded him they were
in a place that wasn't just for Rose. She shared it with that other man who
could probably care less about any Monet painting, not to mention any concern
or feeling of the unbelievable woman he watched. Fearing the tyrant's arrival,
he searched for possible escapes as she reentered the sitting room.
"Should we be expecting him anytime soon?"
"Not as long as the cigars and brandies
hold out," Rose sneered, annoyed, as she handed him the huge blue stone
she carried with her.
His eyes gazed in awe at the gem as the light
reflected in it. "That's nice. What is it? A sapphire?"
"A diamond," she replied very
dully, which shocked Jack. "A very rare diamond." He sighed,
mesmerized by the enormity of the stone. For a moment, Rose waited, forcing her
nerves to grow calm again and attempting to squelch the butterflies in her
stomach. This was why she had invited him to her room, what she wanted them to
remember the night by. Still, it was something she had never done before, and
her heart was beating with wild fear. "Jack, I want you to draw me like
one of your French girls." There, she said it. His French girl had looked
so beautiful and languid, the way she prayed Jack saw her, the way she hoped
she appeared. But she knew Jack would be curious how the diamond came into
play, so she quickly added, "Wearing this."
To Jack, the request seemed simple enough.
The diamond might as well have been a crown since he felt like a peasant in the
presence of a magnificent princess. His mind's eye tried to visualize her
sitting demurely on the divan, looking straight ahead. He hadn't heard the
statement really about the French girl. "All right."
Oh, no, Rose thought. He didn't fully understand exactly how she meant for him
to draw her. This time there was no way she could look at him without blushing
as she repeated her request with slightly more emphasis this time.
"Wearing only this."