LOVE LASTS FOR ETERNITY
Chapter Sixteen
May 5, 1912
New York
Nathan's POV
It was just like any other day.
I'd fed the four remaining pups, the rest of which had been taken to new homes
not long after Honey, taken Rosie to the park for a morning walk, and come home
to a quiet and seemingly empty house. Selina had taken Lucy to nursery school
and gone into town to do the shopping, and the pups were upstairs in the spare
room. On the way in, I'd picked up the mail and sat down on the sofa to read
it, Rosie curled up on the floor beside me. I flicked through the mail,
separating it into two piles on the coffee table like I did every morning, one
pile for Selina, the other for me. I found a letter addressed to me in
handwriting I would recognize anywhere.
I opened Rose's letter and began
to read.
Dear Nathan and Selina,
Everything is going well here
in Chippewa Falls. Jack and I moved to Jack's parents' farm a few days ago.
It's a lovely place to live. It's a bit too quiet for a farm because we haven't
got any animals yet, but we are planning to buy some soon, once we've got a bit
more money saved. It's a lovely farm, with a small stable around the back and a
barn to keep cows and such. We've also got a chicken coop around the side of
the house and three reasonably sized paddocks. Jack and I have already decided
that neither of us could raise our animals to be slaughtered, so we've decided
to just keep a farm for the love of it, not profit.
Speaking of profit, there's
this dreadful man here called Mr. Thompson who owns the biggest farm in this
part of the state. I've seen his factory and farmland and I can tell you now,
it's awfully grim and unfriendly. I won't be buying food from him, and that's
final. Plus, he's an awfully stuck-up snob. He looks down his nose at anyone
who isn't a big, successful businessman. Nobody here thinks much of him, but so
far, everyone else here is lovely.
There's a charming Irishwoman
who runs the boarding house called Mrs. Ryan, who coincidently is the
grandmother of Tommy Ryan, a man we met on the Titanic, who sadly died. It was
horrible having to tell her about his death, but she had a right to know. She
was so upset about it.
Honey's doing well here, too.
She loves the country. She seems so much more relaxed in the quiet countryside,
but she still has a long list of fears! However, she loves riding on horseback!
Another thing--I can ride a
horse now! Jack showed me how to do it on my birthday and now I can do it
easily. It's so much fun riding a horse. It feels like flying. We're planning
to have a couple more horses on the farm soon in addition to Thunder, Jack's
horse who lived with another farmer called Jim for the past few years. He's
agreed to let us have Thunder back once we've got everything ready.
I've got more good news, too.
Jack and I are going to be married! We haven't set a date yet, but we'd love it
if you were there. It will be here in Chippewa Falls, and probably sometime
during the summer.
I hope you, Selina, and Lucy
are all well.
See you soon!
Love,
Rose
I smiled happily when I finished
reading the letter. I was happy that everything was working out for them. I was
especially glad that they had lost track of Cal. From what I saw of him, he
didn't seem like a good person to get on the wrong side of at all. I just hoped
that we had thrown him off the trail. If he found them, it could be with
horrible results. Luckily, it seemed that that was unlikely. Jack and Rose
hadn't seen Cal since that encounter, so it looked like all was well.
*****
Later that day, I showed Lucy and
Selina the letter, both of whom were pleased to see that they were okay. Lucy
was happy that Honey was enjoying herself; in the days following their
departure, she had pestered us non-stop with questions, saying that she didn't
think Honey was happy and she should come home. Now that she'd seen the letter,
she was satisfied.
"And no word from him?"
asked Selina. I shook my head, knowing who she meant.
"Who's he?"
asked Lucy innocently.
"Oh, no one," I said
vaguely. "Isn't it your bath time?" I continued, changing the subject
quickly. She nodded her head sulkily. Like any child her age, bath time was not
the highlight of her day.
"Come on then, Luce,"
said Selina, taking her upstairs. Lucy went willingly, but with a gloomy look
on her face.
Half an hour later, Lucy was
upstairs, playing in her room, and Selina and I were downstairs talking, as we
did most nights.
"So, they haven't heard
anything from Cal at all?" she asked, still worried for them.
"No," I said assured
her. "Not a peep. As for the police, no one has come forward saying
they've seen Rose. It looked like Cal's trail has gone cold. He hasn't got any
way of knowing where they are."
"Well, all the same, I still
don't think Cal is the sort of man who'll just give up like that. Remember,
he's a powerful man. He could probably order a national search if he named a
price high enough."
We stayed there talking about
various things when, at around 10:30, there was a sharp knock on the door. I
answered it and gasped. Staring back at me was a man in an obviously expensive
suit, hair slicked with pomade. He had bloodshot eyes, with a strong smell of
whiskey lingering around him. It was Cal. Cal, with a face like thunder. He
didn't waste any time at all.
"Where is she?" he
shouted right at me.
I stood my ground, unmoved by his
outburst. "Will you be quiet?" I shot back at him angrily. "Do
you know what time it is? My daughter is asleep upstairs."
"I don't give a toss what
your daughter is doing!" Cal spat angrily. "I know you know exactly
where my fiancée and that good-for-nothing scum are, and I demand you tell me
right this minute!"
I admit he made me nervous.
Anyone confronted by a man like that would be, but I knew hell would freeze
over before I betrayed Jack and Rose's whereabouts to him.
"I haven't got a clue what
you're talking about," I said firmly, crossing my arms. "Now, please
leave before I call the police."
Cal laughed haughtily. "Fat
lot of good that'll do. I'm paying the police quite a sum of money to track
down and return to me what is mine, by any means possible." He emphasized
the last four words threateningly, drawing a small but still deadly pistol from
his jacket pocket. I stepped back, eyeing the gun warily. I knew that he knew I
was involved, no matter how much I denied it, and if I didn't give him an
answer, he would shoot. I was still solid as a rock. I would not tell Cal the
truth. No way. I was about to confront Cal when suddenly, I heard a little
voice behind me.
"Daddy? What's going
on?" came the tired, half-asleep voice of Lucy. I jerked my head around to
see her coming down the stairs in her nightgown, clutching her blanket and
teddy bear.
"Lucy, no! Go back
upstairs!" I frantically called. But it was too late. She had seen the
gun, panicked, and ran down the stairs as fast as her legs could carry her.
Selina leaped up, grabbed our daughter, and carried her to the furthest corner
from the door. She held our daughter tightly, shielding her tiny frame with her
own body. I was scared now, scared for my wife and daughter. I knew that Cal
would threaten them to get me to talk.
As I predicted, he pointed the
gun at them, looking like a cat with a dish of cream. He didn't have to say a
word. The look on his face said it all. Spill the beans or I shoot.
That was it. My decision was
made. No arguments about it. I would never put my wife and innocent daughter's
lives at risk.
"All right!" I shouted
at Cal. "I'll tell you where they are!"
Cal grinned wider, if that was
possible. "Finally, we understand each other. Now, where are they?"
he demanded, his voice husky.
I took a deep breath. "They
said something about going to California. To Santa Monica, the beach town.
That's where they are. They're in Santa Monica."
Cal looked pleased and pocketed
the gun, and I breathed a sigh of relief as he did so. He began to stagger back
down the walkway backwards, pointing a swaying arm at me.
"I'm glad we have finally
come to an understanding. Thank you for your cooperation!" And he walked
off down the street, swaying slightly, laughing in a way I assume was meant to
sound victorious, but to me it just sounded like a dying wolf, howling in pain.
I slammed the door shut quickly
and bolted it shut. Selina and Lucy finally moved from their corner and sank
onto the sofa, Lucy still scared and clinging to her mother, Selina shaking
violently, tears in her hazel eyes. I sat beside them and pulled Lucy up into
my lap. I rocked her back and forth, trying to calm her down. I hated seeing
her so scared. It made me want to tear Cal apart. The evil bastard, threatening
a woman and an innocent little girl like that.
"Shh. It's okay.
Everything's all right. You're safe now," I soothed, stroking her soft
brown hair.
She leaned into my chest, still
breathing heavily. "That man was so scary!" she murmured into my
chest, her voice shaking.
"It's okay, sweetie. He's
gone now. Nothing's going to hurt you. I promise."
"That horrible, evil
man!" Selina spat furiously, pure hatred gleaming in her usually calm and
gentle eyes, mixed with tears of fear. I pulled my wife into a hug, too, and
held them both tight, determined never to let them be put at risk ever again.
"It's okay. He won't bother
us again. I know he won't. We told him what he wanted. He can't ask for
anymore."
"Good thinking, Nathan,
sending him across the country. He's going to get a shock when he finds out
Jack and Rose aren't there."
"Yes. Well, I'd never tell
him where they really are. Never. That inhuman monster can turn up with an
arrest warrant and an army. I still won't betray them."
"Well, as long as he stays
away from both us and them, I'm happy."
"Daddy? Why did you lie to
that man?" Lucy asked. "You said that Uncle Jack and Aunt Rose and
Honey are in the countryside, not the seaside."
I hesitated, not wanting to tell
her the truth. "I didn't tell him where they really are because it's like
a chasing game, and he was cheating. I can't tell him where they really are, so
I gave him the wrong place to go to as a punishment."
"Oh, so it's like hide and
seek?" Lucy asked.
"Yes, sweetie, like hide and
seek."
"Oh, okay, then. He was bad!
He was cheating!"
I couldn't help but smile.
"Yes, he was. Now, isn't it time you went back to bed?" Lucy nodded,
rubbing her eyes and yawning widely.
"Come on, Luce. Back to
bed," Selina said, lifting her up into her arms and taking her back
upstairs.
We both went to bed ourselves not
long after Lucy had fallen asleep again. I lay awake for a while, thinking.
Yes, we had sent Cal as far away as possible, but that didn't stop me from
worrying. He had control of the police through bribery, and it was more than
likely that he wouldn't give up his search. I just hoped, for Jack and Rose's
sakes, that he didn't discover their true whereabouts.