A TWIST OF FATE
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Rose got very little sleep that night. It was
a relief to see dawn breaking through the drapes. The bag was packed and hidden
in Trudy’s room. She knew what she had to do. It was a waiting game, and it
made her feel ill.
She could hear the noises of the household
stirring. When she heard Cal’s steps pass her room, she felt like hiding under
the covers for fear he would enter the room. But he did not, like a coward
avoiding a confrontation.
In those waking hours, she had thought hard
about what she was going to do. Her life as she knew it had ended. There would
be no more servants, no more fancy clothes. She thought of the way the family
of the little girl she had rescued had lived. She did not want to live like
that either. Maybe she would get to travel around Europe. Jack would help her
get started. Somehow, somewhere.
She did not know what was the worst fear. The
fear of being alone in the world, or the fear of what Cal would do. Again and
again she went over in her mind what had happened since her father’s death. But
she gained no conclusions.
There was a gentle knock on the door. Trudy
entered carrying her tray. The same routine as normal.
"How are you, Miss?" Trudy asked,
opening the curtains.
"Afraid, excited. Oh, Trudy, I don’t
know how I feel." Rose sighed. "But I am not hungry."
"You will eat, Miss, you have to,"
Trudy chided.
Rose picked at the tray.
"Is Cal at breakfast?"
"He is, Miss. It is just another day
downstairs. I assure you, no one suspects anything."
Rose pushed the tray away. "I can’t eat,
Trudy."
"Very well, Miss. I have put your
clothes out. I will be back as soon as the Master has left."
Rose bit her lip. It was going to be a long
day.
*****
Trudy waited until the breakfast dishes came
down from the dining room. Carrying some towels, she slipped up to the hall to
check if Cal had left. He had gone. She then walked calmly up the stairs to
Rose’s room.
"He has gone, Miss. Would you like to
dress now?"
Rose felt sick to her stomach. As she dressed,
she went over with Trudy what she had placed in her bag. She could think of
other things she would have liked to take, but space was limited.
Once dressed, it was time to go to the safe.
Trudy went down first to check where everyone was. She then proceeded to
rearrange the flowers that were in the hall, nodding to Rose upstairs. Rose
stood at the top. For a moment her mind flashed back to the last time she stood
there. It was a blur of shouts and colors. She closed her eyes and shuddered.
This was the end of it. Never again. With a deep breath, she crept down the
stairs and over to Cal’s study. As she approached the door, she realized she
had not planned for it to be locked. What if it was? What would she do?
She slowly turned the handle. Much to her
relief, it opened, and she slipped inside, glancing to Trudy, who had moved to
her line of vision. Rose wasted no time in going over to the safe. As she
clicked at the dial another thought occurred to her. What if Cal had changed
the combination? She cursed herself again for not thinking ahead.
Almost too scared to do it, she tried the
handle. It opened with a reassuring ‘clunk’. Rose peered inside. There were
some bundles of notes that she grabbed and put into her purse. How much was
there, she did not stop to count. There were some jewel boxes, too, which she
opened. Some of the pieces she also put in her purse, simple pieces which she
could sell. When she saw the Heart of the Ocean, she quickly closed the box
before its blue light could hypnotize her. It was worthless to her, as she
could never hope to sell it without being found by Cal.
Satisfied she had enough, she closed the door
quickly and peered over the top of the desk to see if Trudy was there. She was
not. Cautiously, Rose peered round the edge of the desk. Still no Trudy.
Rose stayed down and listened hard. There was
a voice, the sound of one of the staff approaching. Then the door to the study
was closed. Rose stayed very still, hardly daring to breathe. Someone had come
past and closed the door. At least they had not come in. She was safe where she
was.
Rose tried to get comfortable in her crouched
position. She was unused to being out of bed, and she felt a little strange.
Her heart was beating so loud she thought the whole house would hear. She
looked at the floor and tried to concentrate on the tile pattern, to take her
mind off her precarious situation.
The door opened again. Rose’s head shot up,
alert.
"Miss Rose?" whispered Trudy.
Rose peeped out.
"It’s OK. Edward has gone."
Rose struggled to her feet, supported by the
desk. She did not feel too well at all, but thoughts of that had to be put
aside.
"Quickly!" whispered Trudy,
watching over all the entrances to the hall. Rose slipped past Trudy and
hurried up the stairs as fast as possible, pausing for breath only when she was
safely behind her door. Trudy was following at a more sedate pace, when someone
called out her name. Rose heard Trudy’s steps fade away and muffled noises.
"What on earth is going on?" Rose
gasped.