A TWIST OF FATE
Chapter Seventy-Nine
Jack paused at the top of the stairs and felt
his pocket again. He looked down at the papers he held in his hand. They
contained something he had only dreamed of, and now they were of life and death
importance. He smiled, a strange ironic expression crept across his face. What
another twist fate had dealt. He hoped Rose would think so.
He knocked at the door.
"It’s me. Jack."
Maria opened it and peered round. Seeing it
was Jack, she backed away from it and let him enter.
Rose was seated at the table, writing it
seemed. She looked anxiously up at Jack.
"What happened? Is everything OK?"
she asked, putting the pen down.
Jack strode over and pulled a chair out.
"Everything is fine. I finished at
Joe’s, he paid me, and I went down to the pier."
"And?" Rose thought the wait would
strangle her. Her stomach was turned over as it was. They had barricaded
themselves into the apartment whilst Jack was out. Fabri had to go to work. He
had no choice. It wasn’t just that he got no pay if he didn’t work, it was a
family business and both Jack and Rose knew he was torn in two leaving them and
Maria. They had reassured him they would be safe and Jack would be as quick as
he could. Besides, people were in the kitchen in the restaurant below. So they
weren’t exactly alone.
Rose felt strange, almost in limbo. She was
neither afraid nor content, almost as though she had switched off her emotions
to avoid feeling anything at all, except the nausea of worrying about Jack. Now
he was here, the key to her future, if not her life, in his hand, literally.
"There is a ship leaving for Europe
tomorrow at twelve. I got us a second class cabin."
"Tomorrow?" asked Rose, taking the
papers Jack offered. She glanced up at him and then down to look. "That is
so soon."
"The sooner the better, I figure. The
only problem is the ship. I hope you don’t mind." His voice trailed away,
unable to gauge Rose’s reaction.
Rose looked at the ticket and put a hand to
her mouth.
"It was that or nothing for a few days.
Time we don’t have," he explained.
"But the Mauritania," she protested
and closed her eyes. "You know what happened the last time I was on that
ship."
Jack took her hand and tilted her chin to
make her look at him.
"The last time you were on that ship you
were with him, returning for your wedding. Now you are on that ship with me, and
the rest of it is history. See, Mr. and Mrs. Dawson are traveling. Is that OK,
Rose? Can you bear to be on that ship with me?"
"Jack, I could bear to be anywhere, as
long as I was with you."
"That’s the only answer I wanted."
He kissed her head. "Everything will be fine. He’ll never find us now.
He’ll not look for Mr. and Mrs. Dawson."
He looked down at what Rose was writing.
"What’s this?"
Rose sighed.
"It is a letter, stating my position
with Cal."
It was Jack’s turn to look puzzled.
"It is to say that I have left him for
good and is addressed to my solicitor. If, somehow, Cal was ever to find me,
took me away, it proves that as far as I was concerned the marriage is over and
I was taken against my will. I hope to God I never need it, but it is my
insurance policy. I have put a few details in there…well. I have no need to
discuss it. It’s all here if I need it. Maria is going to keep it for me."
Jack nodded.
"It is almost done now, I think."
Rose wrote another line and signed it. She called Maria over and asked to sign
and date it too. Then she folded it and popped it in the envelope. From her
purse she took her wedding and engagement rings and put them in the envelope,
too, and sealed it up.
"There, it is done," she declared
and leaned back on the chair, as if a great weight had been lifted.
"Here you go, Maria." She handed
the envelope to her. "That is the end of my marriage, forever."
Their last evening together was a solemn
affair, although Jack wished, as they all did, that things could be happier.
Maria was sad at losing her friend, Fabri was sad to see to Jack go, and in
such circumstances. He was torn in two. Rose was sick with fear and excitement
and picked at the meal Maria had helped herself to from the kitchen with her
uncle’s permission. He knew very little about the friends Maria and Fabri had
stay, other than this was their last night and as he was so fond of his niece,
he did not refuse her request to make the evening special, although he was
puzzled as to why they ate upstairs and not the best table in the house he
offered.
Jack proposed a toast to their good health
and happiness. It was almost too much for Rose.
Then it was time to finish packing the things
they bought. They had also purchased some cases as all proper travelers needed,
which was a new thing to Jack. It was also new to Rose, packing herself and
having to carry the luggage.
"I shan’t sleep tonight. I won’t."
She managed to smile to Jack through her sadness.
Jack hugged her. "It will be OK, Rose.
Honestly."
"We’ll see tomorrow," she replied.
Tomorrow seemed an eternity away.