Serenity

Senseless

Upon returning to the house, Ruth wearily approached the sitting room where she and Rose, Elizabeth and Cal had argued just hours before, sensing some disturbance. The afternoon's events had left her thoroughly shaken, and although she had taken leave of the house, a sense of dread lingered within her stomach at what she could face upon her return. Ruth was never a woman to arrive unannounced at anyone's home, but there was a need to take a brandy with Nathan Hockley to discuss the upcoming wedding, which she was assured would still occur. Nathan had confided that his son needed a wife and that wife would be Rose, regardless, and so, she had left feeling somewhat relieved. Upon finding the sitting room in some sort of a dishevelment without so much as an attempt to be cleaned up, she gasped, hand on hip, at the sight of Cal, who had taken it upon himself to consume every drop of her late husband's brandy.

''What on Earth has happened?''

Cal turned on his heel to face the woman who could have become his mother-in-law but who now never would.

''Your daughter has left, Ruth."

Ruth narrowed her sharp eyes, observing the mess in the sitting room. Clothes were discarded about, and a pack of playing cards was askew. She trod carefully so as not to stand on the shattered glass.

''I beg your pardon?'' Ruth begged, "What do you mean you allowed her to leave? Where is Elizabeth? I do not understand..."

''No, you wouldn't. She left with that...Dawson..''

''Left for where?'' Ruth glanced about before settling her gaze back to Cal, ''He is dead, is he not?''

''No, do not be stupid to believe what your daughter told you about his apparent death.'' A small, almost unnoticeable red mark sat above his right cheek, but the rest of him was covered in dry blood, appearing bruises, a ripped shirt... ''Your youngest daughter then went to fetch Jack Dawson, of that I am sure.''

"I do not understand." Ruth glanced at the shambles of a sitting room. "Is he the one who caused this? We must call the police at once and have him arrested!"

Dodging her question, he pulled Rose's sparkling engagement ring from his pocket. Realisation seemed to set in Ruth, and her eyes narrowed as she wrung her hands against her stomach.

''This was on her vanity unit in her bedroom. She has not worn it for some time, or so it appears."

''Oh, what an utter fool she is.'' Cal sensed Ruth was about to whittle herself into a frenzy as she generally did when something too large to swallow could unsettle her. One had called for the doctors on more than one occasion, and his father couldn't help but think she was something of a hypochondriac; either that or she had very little in her life to think about other than the fashions of the latest season the décor of her sitting room.

Ruth valued her daughters' outward image, and Cal took great delight in informing her that not only had her daughter caused this entire charade and was to blame, but she was far from the budding bride she had been made out to be. This news should have made his callous heart swell with happiness but failed to ignite even a tiny spark.

Cal sat forward in the plush chair, his eyes focusing on Ruth, the woman he had simply put up with for months to ensure that Rose was his, that she would marry him, and that the life he had planned for them both would go ahead.

''This is ludicrous! She must be found and returned.'' Ruth sat upon the opposite wingback, pulling herself together as she did. ''Just where is Elizabeth, too?''

''Both of your daughters have left with Jack Dawson. I do believe Rose to have been unfaithful to me, too, perhaps even whilst aboard Titanic.'' The latter was untrue, to his knowledge, but how could he know? Lovejoy had not trusted Rose from the start, and now it was apparent why. Maybe his judgement had been correct.