LET’S LEAVE THE PAST BEHIND
Chapter Ten
Jacquelyn and Rose were at the
market, grocery shopping for the rest of the week, when they ran into Linda and
Kimberly Smith.
"Kimberly…Mrs. Smith…what a
surprise to see you here." Jacquelyn crossed her arms. "At the market
with us ordinary folks."
"We just came by to make
sure they have all the ingredients for the cake right. I reckon that your
father has your brother helping him in the fields today?" Mrs. Smith
asked.
Jacquelyn just nodded.
"Good thing my Kimberly is
marrying into an influential family. Not as rich as the Philadelphia Hockleys,
mind you, but my daughter will never know the drudgery of farm life."
"Was that supposed to mean
something?" Jacquelyn put her hand on her hip.
"Mother, really, this
gloating is out of hand." Kimberly sighed, her face apologetic.
"Jacquelyn, please forgive my mother. She doesn't know how to watch her
tongue."
"Well, it's a heck of an
impression she's making on Rose here. Oh, yes, have you met my brother's new
wife, Mrs. Smith?"
"We haven't been formally
introduced, no." Mrs. Smith looked Rose up and down. "You do look
awfully familiar. Have you been in the papered before? The society pages,
perhaps?"
"I don't think so."
Rose shrugged, beginning to feel uncomfortable. She wanted to escape from the
market and sink into the safety of Jack's arms.
"I don't know…I swear I've
seen you before…oh, yes! You're the exact image of that poor girl who went down
with the Titanic…what was her name, Kimberly? She was engaged to be married to
Nathan Hockley's son, Caledon."
"Rose, Mother. Her name was
Rose DeWitt Bukater. It was reported that she had gone back into the ship for a
necklace Caledon had bought her and she was never seen again."
"Oh, really?" Rose
asked, avoiding their eyes. Both women would be surprised to know that they
were holding a conversation with the recently deceased Rose DeWitt Bukater, and
it wasn't the necklace she had gone back for. Plus, that hadn't been the last
time she had seen Cal. The last time had been when she and Jack were fleeing
from his gunshots. "Well, you know what they say. Everybody has a
twin." Rose laughed nervously.
"That poor man. To think,
Rose, if you were of a mind to, you could be a very rich woman by posing as his
deceased fiancée. He'd be none the wiser, I don't think." Mrs. Smith
laughed.
"Well, she won't be doing
that because she's married to my brother. Now, if you'll excuse us, we must be
getting back." Jacquelyn grabbed Rose's hand and led her away, noticing
how pale she'd gotten. "Hey, are you okay? You look like you've seen a
ghost."
"I'm fine. It must be the
heat. You don't mind if I go upstairs and lay down some when we get home, do
you? I know I'm supposed to help with the cooking, but I'm really not feeling
well."
"Oh, of course I don't mind,
and neither does Mom. When we get to the house, head straight upstairs to bed
and I'll send Jack up there to check on you at lunch. Okay?" Jacquelyn
squeezed her sister-in-law's hand.
Rose forced a smile and nodded,
wondering how she had gotten so lucky to marry into such a wonderful family as
the Dawsons. She really didn't miss Philadelphia or her mother at all. She
couldn't care less if Ruth thought she was dead or not.
"Come on, Rose. Let's
go." Jacquelyn led her down the road leading out of town and towards the
house.
Rose lay in bed, thinking about
the news that she was listed as dead in the newspaper and that Cal had had the
audacity to make up such a lie. She was so deep in thought that she didn't hear
Jack come in. She jumped when she felt his warm hand pressed against her
forehead.
"How are you feeling,
sweetie? Jacquelyn said you got sick at the market." Jack sat on the edge
of the bed.
"I feel…I don't
know…strange. I just heard from your friend Kimberly's mother that my death was
in the paper. I went down with the Titanic because I went back for that stupid
necklace Cal gave me. Nothing about the truth, Jack…about what really
happened."
"What else did the paper
say?" Jack asked curiously.
"As far as I know, that's
all it said. Rose DeWitt Bukater lived, got engaged, and died because of a
selfish need to get a necklace. How typical for Cal to do that to me."
"Rose, we know that's not
true. You were not selfish in the least. Refusing to get on that lifeboat to go
free me was a selfless act."
"But no one knew, Jack. They
all feel that I was the selfish fiancée and that Cal was the heroic gentleman!
If only they knew the truth!"
"But we do, and that's what
matters. Let Cal have his honor while he can. Sooner or later he'll mess up and
lose it all…just like he lost you."
"Oh, Jack…I wish that Cal
would just disappear off the face of the earth and we'd never have to hear
anything about him again!" Rose crossed her arms.
"Rose…just let it go. Okay?
Let Rose Dewitt Bukater die with that ship. She'd lived her life unhappily, and
she's in a better place now, while Rose Dawson has recently been born, happy
and free."
Rose smiled. "Since when
have you become so good with metaphors?"
"Since I met you." Jack
laughed and moved behind her as she sat up, wrapping his arms tightly around
her. "Rose…everything will be all right. The worst is over. We can go on
with our lives now."
"I know, Jack…it's just
these memories…"
"I know. But let's leave the
past behind us, Rose. That's where it belongs now."
Rose smiled and nodded as her
eyes grew heavy. "All right. I love you, Jack."
"I love you, too,
Rose." Jack smiled as he watched his wife drift off to sleep. Smiling, he
lay her back down and went rejoin his father so they could get back to work.