Titanic ~ Unsinkable Love

~{ THIRTY THREE }~

Hello fellows! Here you go, one more update. My writing style seems to be changing a bit, so I'm apologizing in advance if you notice any difference on the next chapters.
I hope you enjoy it!

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~{ rose's pov }~

The scent of strawberry tea, sweetened with honey, was the only pleasant thing that evening. I appereled an elegant, white gown, made with muslin and a skirt embroidered with blossom lace, and my curls fell on my back gracefully.

It was a casual reunion, scheduled to happen once a month, with ladies from high society, to discuss their lives and give each other advice. But they didn't discuss only their lives, these were already planned and there was no emotion in living it, so they also discussed other people's lives and scandals - as known as gossip, but in an elegant way.

However, the scandal on the table had been me for the past four months. They couldn't shut up about my marriage with Hockley, or if Ruth was excited to be a grandmother, or if I was ready to be a mother. The ladies wanted to know everything and more, and I barely knew how I still hadn't lost my mind.

"Awh, we are so happy for you, Mrs. Hockley!" Sylvia exclaimed, pretending the happiness she felt for me. I gave them a smile, mixing the honey in my tea. "How much until your baby is born?"

I raised my stare, noticing that everyone's gaze was over me, again. I had to be the good girl to make things work out, so I answered politely, ignoring the judgmental gaze of most of them. "There are nineteen weeks until the baby is born."

Wrong. She was nearly six months old, but I had to pretend that as well.

"Is Mr. Hockley excited to hold his heir?" Another girl whose I didn't remember the name asked, from the other side of the table, her eyes showing how she willed to know more about this scandal.

I inhaled sharply, drained of acting the whole time. "Yes, he is."

Ruth, on the other hand, was delighted by the amount of questions they threw at us. "Rose is such a lucky girl. She survived one of the worst tragedies and she has built a life, with a kind husband and children."

The six ladies that composed the table smiled, and one of them said, "You are a great inspiration, Mrs. Hockley."

That name. Those people. The sickening feeling of being around them and the way they got me panting for air.

"Thank you, ladies." I smiled kindly, or at least tried to. "But now, if you excuse me, I will be back in a second."

I thought I would die if I stayed a few more seconds around them, so, I got on my heel, not gazing back at their faces, and walked quickly out of the dining room. I had to set myself free from them.

The garden became my safe place. I used to go there when I felt trapped. The birds made me remember how delightful it is to be free, and it felt like a reward that I would win when this come to an end.

I sat on a wooden bench, inhaling deeply and placing my hand on my swallowed belly, allowing the tension to dissipate for a while as I watched the clouds moving in the cerulean sky, three birds flying high adorning the landscape.

Jack and I had decided that, as soon as we get enough money, we would run away from this place, from this country. There was a safe in that house, with some good quantities of Dollars and jewellery. It sounded like our solution, but the safe's password had been changed. Jack himself couldn't get enough cash to take us out of the country, and that made the safe our only way out.