THE HEART GOES ON
Chapter Fifteen
December, 1912
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
Jack
It was drawing near to
Christmastime and the season was changing to be wintry and cold. There would be
ice on Lake Wissota before long. Time was just slipping away before our eyes.
The doctor came down the stairs
after examining Rose and asked to see us all. She was getting near to her due
date and we wanted to make sure all was well.
We faced the gray-haired local
man, Dr. Forester, with quizzical looks.
"How is she, doctor?"
Aunty Janette asked. William grunted behind her.
"Mrs. Morgan, Mrs. Dawson
needs to take things quietly. The pregnancy is reaching its advanced stages
now. The baby seems healthy, despite what you have informed me has transpired
to her and her extreme youth."
The doctor seemed skeptical of
the story of going down on the Titanic and Cal and the drama that had unfolded.
The fact, in his eyes, was that we were a mismatched young couple. A steerage
class farm boy married to an extremely young, obviously well-bred woman was
odd, I supposed. It did sound like a bad novel, to quote Gerard. Sleepy
Chippewa Falls did not normally have such exciting events happen here.
The doctor flashed me a
condescending look. I stiffened. Aunty laid her hand on my arm.
"So, Mrs. Dawson should have
a normal labor and a healthy baby," she summarized.
"I presume so, a most
resilient baby. I would keep Mrs. Dawson resting until the delivery. I am
afraid, however, that the baby could still present itself early, delayed shock
and all that."
"Thank you, doctor."
Aunty handed him some money.
The doctor tipped his hat to us
as he left. "Please engage Mrs. Brown, the midwife, when contractions
start. She is most capable." As he picked up his bag, he turned to me and
addressed me most coldly. "Oh, Mr. Dawson, I would not advise any more
children for a while. Mrs. Dawson will need time after the birth to
recuperate."
I flushed and started forward.
Aunty restrained me as we bid good day to the pompous man.
"Leave it, Jack. He just
thinks he’s a cut above. Little does he know of our family connections."
She giggled, referring to the Tremaine link.
William laughed, and it diffused
the tension.
"I am so glad Rose is okay.
The last few months have been very difficult," I said.
Difficult! That was an understatement.
After being kidnapped at gunpoint by a furious Cal and his valet, intent on
dragging Rose back to be Cal’s bride so Cal could carry out his father’s
wishes, the fact that Rose was married and heavily pregnant had somewhat
thwarted Cal’s plan.
We had to thank Gerard for
thwarting the valet and giving me the chance to disable Cal. I must say I
landed him one hell of a punch. It was very satisfying, and I was not a violent
man. Once both aggressors were out cold and Gerard had them at gunpoint, he had
me go for the police, and because of Gerard and his high class, the police had
arrested Cal and the valet on attempted kidnapping charges and we had all stood
and watched them being carted off in a police car.
Cal, once he came around, was
stunned into silence. The aggression he had shown was gone. His face was
bruised. He just stared at Rose with haunted black eyes, the sorrow in them
clear to see. Rose stared back at him with unashamed hatred. To see Cal in
handcuffs was sobering. How the rich had fallen. Images of me marched out of
the plush staterooms on the Titanic in handcuffs, accused of stealing, made me
wince.
We made eye contact briefly. He
knew he was beaten. The arrogance was gone. Oh, if you knew what I know
about our families, I thought.
I felt pity for him now, knowing
about his childhood. Nathan must be a monster to have demanded so much of his
son. Cal knew he had crossed the line.
Rose spat at him. "Don’t
come near us again, Hockley!" she screamed. "Scum!"
Cal’s brow crinkled in agony and
pain. I think he had loved Rose in his way, but they were two different
spirits. Oil and water. He would have crushed her, and she would have rebelled
and fought him every inch of the way.
His lips moved as he neared me,
dragged by two policemen. Our eyes met in a brief, mutual understanding. He
knew that he had not won. He knew Rose was lost. As he passed me, he whispered,
"Sorry."
One single word. The valet heard
and started shrieking that we had blackened the name of Hockley and we would
pay. Cal shouted for the valet to shut up.
Gerard stood pale, watching his
elder brother taken away. No word was exchanged between the brothers. A gulf as
wide as the ocean that had taken the Titanic had sprung up between them.
The wagon left as we stood
staring after it. Rose was sobbing hard in my arms.
"Thank you, Gerard. I can
never thank you enough," I said. "I must get Rose home. Will you help
me?" We picked up our stuff. I picked up the necklace and put it back in
the hamper. The necklace had foiled Cal. Its opulence had dazzled him and given
me a split second’s advantage. Rose was exhausted, and Gerard and I carried her
between us.
"I’ll have to find out what
will happen to the pair of them," he said in low voice. "I am so
sorry, Jack. Cal brings nothing but chaos. I will have to speak to the police
and Father."
I felt sorry for Gerard. We
slowly walked to the farmhouse and tried to take in what had happened.
*****
The last two months had been
quiet. Rose and I spent time talking and reflecting. Gerard had left to go home
after we agreed to keep in touch. Our kinship made us fast friends.
Our baby was slowing Rose up and
tiring her. She spent long days with Aunty, who was showing her how to cook and
clean. We laughed at her early attempts at burnt cakes and bread.
Slowly, the color returned to her
cheeks and she and Janette became closer. There was warmth between them that
she and Ruth had never had.
I helped William around the farm
and got used to manual work. I can’t say I enjoyed it, but I liked coming back
to Rose in the evening. We all sat and ate as a family. It was nice. We joked
and laughed. It was something both Rose and I had missed in our lives for a
long time.
We were a family.
December, 1912
Christmastime
Crosswinds
Philadelphia
Gerard
"Now, Gerard." My
father was standing in his mahogany study, smoking a cigar and looking pensive.
"You know Caledon is coming home today. He has been living out with the
Faulkners while on bail these last two months, and everything’s been cleared
up." He cleared his throat. This business with Cal was making him
uneasy--unusual for him.
When I arrived home on the back
of the telegraph informing him that Cal was in a lot of trouble, he was
actually initially speechless to hear that his son and the valet were under
arrest.
We had our first argument as he
defended Cal to the hilt. He was shocked to hear that I had been there and
started questioning why. I told him I had heard him instruct Cal to retrieve
Rose at any cost. He shouted back that he meant bribes and a bit of persuasion,
not murder! What sort of man did I think he was? I said nothing and let my eyes
talk for me.
I had learnt a lot about my
family. My father’s influence was everywhere, and not a benign one, either. I
was even short with my mother. The news was that my father had pulled many
strings and knew people meant that he got Cal off and the charges dropped. I
threatened to testify against Cal.
My father raged at me, and I saw
the true man and did not like what I saw. He said I was a Hockley and should
behave as one. I shouted back that he had made Cal jump through hoops all his
life like a performing dog, and I would not. I would marry whom I chose and
live my life being fair and decent. He blanched and stared at me. No more words
were needed. The gulf between me and my father and brother had grown, which was
to last a lifetime. The only measure of happiness was me looking forward to seeing
Emily, but she was not answering my letters, and when I called around, her
staff said she was not able to be contacted presently.
Therefore, my mood was tense and
short.
The smoke from the cigar rose in
the air. My father coughed.
"I know you are not happy
with the turn of events." The words fell heavily in the air.
"Oh, you can be sure I am
not, Father," I retorted bitterly.
"I am not too happy myself.
What can I say? Caledon has overstretched himself," he muttered.
"No excuse, Father," I
said to him boldly. All my life I had kept out of his way and been subservient
to him. No more! He just could not believe my truculence towards him, and he
did not verbally tongue-lash me as he would Cal. "Overstretched
himself," I mocked. "You were not there. Caledon had taken leave of
his senses. Pulling out guns, acting like a gangster. That bloody valet had the
young lad down on his knees with a gun at the back of his head. Rose was
heavily pregnant and Cal pointed a gun at the woman he was supposed to adore!"
My father blinked. "It’s so
inconvenient. Everything was fine until the Titanic," he said, his dark
eyes unashamed. The man had no idea of what Caledon had done, and to my kin,
and would not see things any different.
"Bah! The Titanic!" I
said heatedly. "From all accounts, the girl was coerced into an engagement
with Caledon beforehand under duress from her mother and you! I also hear in
certain circles that your son behaved less than gentlemanly on the ship."
"What are you
implying?" my father countered, eyes starting to flash and the quick
Hockley temper on the rise.
I was not afraid of him. I would
not be ruled. Even if he cut me off, I did not care anymore. My mother would
always support me. This made me more headstrong and willful. I could not give a
toss for the name Hockley anymore after seeing the close family bonds of the
Dawsons. My own family was cold and distant.
I thought of them speaking of
Demelza Hockley, my father’s first wife, treated badly from all accounts,
married off to my father at sixteen, a gentle creature, no match for my
father’s ways and iron will.
The dislike wrote itself on my
face. Father’s eyes narrowed even more. "I will not have you speak to me
like this, Gerard!" he barked.
"I will say what I wish to
you!" I shouted back. His face reddened. He stubbed the cigar out roughly.
"You will have to tell Caledon that Rose DeWitt Bukater is off limits now.
You will have to stress that she is married and with child. You will have to restore
his money to him, Father. That’s was all he was looking for."
Father was silent. He coughed
again.
"Come on, Father. You have
sorted out all the trouble he was in!" I yelled. "Now, let him sort
himself out. Give him what he wants and let him leave Rose and her family
alone. You were the instrument that brought about all this! You’ve made Caledon
the man he is..." My voice rose. Father stood up and tried to interrupt.
"No! You will listen for once. You rule us all. Caledon acted like a bastard
and you excused him. You are a control freak. You…you..." The words stuck
in my throat, loathing making me shake.
"Gerard," a soft female
voice beside me said. My mother touched my arm. It diffused the argument.
The words faded away. Father and
I faced each other, staring angrily.
"Did you hear how Gerard
spoke to me?" Father asked.
She looked at him steadily. She
was a strong woman. Even my father could not rule her. That was why he
respected her.
"Nathan, Gerard is right to
a point," she said in a smooth voice. My father started to bluster, but
she silenced him.
"We have all done things
that we are not proud of," she said pointedly to him, and the two
exchanged a look. "You have pushed and pushed Caledon. I know he is not
easy, but now you must restore his portion to him and make it clear that his
ex-fiancée is off limits. This will help things."
My father blew out heavily, as if
hearing the facts for the first time.
"Oh," he said. "I
weary of all this conflict. I just wish Gerard to marry as soon as possible and
make his own way. He can run the Virginia side. Caledon will have his portion
restored, but he must marry to achieve this."
"Nathan," Mother said.
Father held up a hand and stopped her.
"We will find a new bride
for him, one more suitable," he said cuttingly. "He can receive his
dues when he marries, minus the cost of that necklace, and he can stop chasing
the Bukater girl, as you say. Now, be quiet!"
Father shot us both a look and
walked, stony-faced, out of the study.
Mother and I looked at each
other. Her warm brown eyes fixed on me, and she stroked my head as she had when
I was a child.
"You are brave to speak to
your father like that, but you must rein in your woes with him now, Gerard. He
has stated what must be done. Do not push him anymore. We will deal with
Caledon."
"Mother," I simply
said, and hugged her.
"Gerard, you have become a
very wonderful gentleman. I am so proud off you," she whispered as she
held me. "Emily is a lucky girl."
"Mama, you are wonderful,
too," I replied.
At least Father had agreed to be
sensible. I was dreading seeing Caledon again. I must let Jack and Rose know
what had transpired. At least Cal would stay away from them now, I hoped, and
they were forever out of his reach!