A New Beginning

Chapter 29: A Surprise

Chapter 29: A Surprise

"Rose...?! Rose darling?!"

Rose sighs. It's been two weeks since the disaster and Rose has been doing her best to raise the money she needs for her escape. She's been acting like the lady her mother expects her to be, which frustrates her even further. She began coming down for breakfast again in the mornings and eating a bit more than before. She doesn't say much to her mother, but Ruth is busy with the wedding plans anyways. Rose decides it would be best to let her mother take over everything, keep her busy and out of Rose's hair for as long as possible. She knows Ruth loves to take control of everything and since Rose doesn't plan to be around for the wedding, she lets her mother make all the decisions. One would think that Ruth was the one getting married.

Rose's new façade is painful and tiresome. She wears all the dresses her mother picks out for her; corsets, petticoats and all, she sits most of the time in the library or in the garden, under supervision, reading boring books and merely staring out into space. She feels sick to her stomach most of the time, she feels like she is betraying Jack, being the prim and proper doll that he hated. She keeps reminding herself that she will break free, eventually. It's the only thing that keeps her from screaming out at the top of her lungs.

"Yes, mother..." Rose grumbles.

"Can you please come here, we need to pick out centerpieces for the tables."

Rose bites her lip and gets up to do so. She puts down a frightfully boring book about William the First of England, which she was forcing herself to read for the sake being the "perfect girl."

She goes into the kitchen and sees her mother with the florist looking at several pictures/designs for the centerpieces for the wedding.

"Now I like this one the most..." Ruth was saying as Rose enters. "White roses are indeed very romantic for such an important occasion."

The florist smiles. "Yes ma' me, I will keep your opinion in mind, but it will be your daughter's final say."

"Of course, it will be," Ruth says sternly. "I just like my opinion to be heard."

We all know that! Rose grumbles in her head.

The supposed young bride to be sits down and looks at the different layouts in front of her. The sketch work of the flowers reminds her a lot of Jack's artwork, which causes a lump to form in her throat. She examines each centerpiece carefully, all of which are beautiful in their own way. She knows it seems rather pointless to be looking at things like this, since she doesn't plan to be around for the wedding anyways, but she knows she must bite her tongue for now.

Rose particularly likes the Lily place setting, it has always been her favourite flower; her namesake came in a close second, but Rose knows that in order to gain her freedom a bit more, she has to agree with her mother at every chance she got.

"I think they are beautiful, but...the white roses suit the venue the most."

Rose can hear her mother sigh in satisfied relief and takes the designs back and gives them to the florist.

"White roses it is," Ruth says proudly, feeling very happy that her daughter was seeing sense now.

The florist gets up to leave.

"I'll be back tomorrow with the bouquets," he says.

"Thank you very much," Ruth says. "Wendy will show you to the door."

Wendy was the new maid for both Rose and Ruth to replace Trudy who died in the disaster. Rose could tell that Wendy was eager to please her new mistresses. She was young and inexperienced, something Rose could tell quite often as her mother was constantly scolding Wendy when she did something wrong. Rose felt sorry for the girl, to be working for her mother and yet she wanted to get to know Wendy better. Trudy had been her friend and confidant when she needed it most and Rose was sad to lose her as well as Jack and Emma.