THE AFTERMATH
Chapter Five
Rose’s head hurt like nothing
else when she awoke. She was in a stateroom in a soft bed. She saw her mother
sitting next to the bed, looking very concerned. Rose sat up much too fast, and
everything came rushing back, including the blood to her brain. "Jack..."
she groaned. "What did they do to him?"
"That ragtag, foul-mouthed,
spitting young man with whom you were so infatuated?" Ruth DeWitt Bukater
scoffed. "He was taken through the gate immediately and put in jail. His
trial will be soon, of course, but you won’t be going. Besides," Ruth
continued, "there is someone who is most anxious to see you."
A knock sounded on the door and
Cal entered. "Hello, darling. Are you all right?"
"As well as can be expected
after a snake of a first class gentleman tripped me," Rose said icily.
"I didn’t trip you,"
Cal scoffed. "You must have tripped over a rope."
"Your perfectly formed dress
shoe is a rope now, is it?" Rose asked coldly.
"I didn’t trip you."
Cal insisted. "By the way, Jack’s trial is tomorrow, but if you agree to
carry on with our engagement as if nothing ever happened, then I will drop all
charges against Jack, with the agreement that you two will never see each other
again. Jack will be sent back to England, and you will stay here with me. If
you refuse, I will make sure," Cal continued, "that Jack rots in
prison for the rest of his life. Believe me, Rose, I can make it happen. You do
not want to trifle with me anymore."
Rose gasped. "Fine,"
she said. "I’ll marry you as long as you let Jack walk away a free man and
let him stay in America." Rose figured that she would work on marrying
Jack instead of Cal later.
"Good." Cal smiled.
"I knew you would come to your senses. Jack can stay here, I suppose, but
you will never see him." Cal helped Rose to stand and led her out of the
stateroom.
"Where is everyone?"
Rose wondered.
"Oh, they’ve all left the
ship. Your mother decided you were too delicate to move to a hospital. Right
that way to go through the gate, darling."
Rose cringed at being called such
a name. "Cal, would you mind not calling me that? It is a bit uncouth
before our wedding."
"Well, Rose, if that’s the
way you want it, that’s all right with me. Anything to make you happy."
Cal wrapped his arm possessively around Rose’s waist.
"Cal, please!" Rose wriggled
out of his grasp, bowing her head slightly. "It is improper."
"I am so glad you are paying
attention to the rules of etiquette, Rose." Cal sounded pleased.
*****
Hours later, Ruth, Cal, and Rose
were finally on shore. Cal hailed a cab and one stopped beside them promptly.
"To Grand Central Station, driver," Cal commanded, not even saying
please. The cab driver nodded and started driving. Soon they were at the train.
"Three tickets to Philadelphia," Cal told the man at the window. The
threesome boarded the train.
The entire train ride, Rose was
planning on how to get out of marrying Cal. She went over several scenarios in
her head, but each had more than one flaw in them. She needed everything to be
perfect and leave nothing to chance. Rose looked lost in her thoughts, and Cal
noticed it. "Dreaming of wedding plans, Rose?" Cal smiled and took
her hand. Rose nodded demurely. It wasn’t a lie; she was dreaming of wedding
plans, but none involving Cal Hockley.
*****
Meanwhile, Jack was sitting in a
dirty cell, thinking about Rose. He couldn’t stop; he repeated her name over
and over so many times in his head that he started saying it aloud. "Rose.
Rose," he chanted softly.
"Shut up!" a guard
passing by ordered. Jack returned to repeating the chant in his head.