A New Beginning

Chapter 33: His Return

Chapter 33: His Return

"Rose darling? Are you decent?"

Rose rolls her eyes and sighs to herself. "Yes, mother please come in..."

Ruth comes in to see her daughter in front of the vanity mirror, putting her red curls up into a simple bun.

"Rose, really, you should have Wendy do that for you..."

"Yes mother, I understand, but she is busy with her other chores and I don't want to bother her. Anyways, I can manage"

"Regardless..." Ruth begins but decides to leave it.

Ruth looks skeptically at her daughter. She was pleased that Rose's behaviour had changed significantly, making her seem like a proper lady and she seemed to have forgotten that third-class boy. She seems much more focused than ever before on their "situation" and yet...she is still showing signs of undesirable behaviour, especially in her words and her time spent in the kitchen and with the new maid. She has been told by Rose several times that she is simply learning what it takes to be a good housewife, but Ruth is still skeptical. That is the whole purpose of maids and servants; her daughter should be focused on looking gorgeous on her wedding day and becoming a high society lady.

"Anyways, the boutique just called, your dress has been shipped to the store. They would like you to try it on the day after next, as well as get the bridesmaid's dresses fitted. I will have Wendy place the calls to those in the party and we will make a day of it."

Rose forces a smile. Her stomach is threatening to become upset again, this baby was certainly active. But she knew she had to keep composed for her mother's sake. "That sounds lovely mother. What colour did we agree on for the dresses?"

"Royal blue, which will match the ties of all of Caledon's groomsmen as well as the Heart of the Ocean, Caledon insists you wear such a magnificent present on the best day of your life. I have spoken to the tailor and he will make sure everyone matches accordingly, I have also added white rose corsages to all the suits so they match the venue."

"Thank you mother," Rose says. "I really appreciate you doing all this."

This was the truth but for a different reason. As long as her mother was busy, Rose could continue preparing for her escape and helping Wendy with her schooling. However, Rose did feel some guilt in deceiving her mother into thinking that she was looking forward to the wedding, so much money was going towards the ceremony. She then reminds herself of Jack and it was only money going into the wedding, with no love or care and it especially did not feel like it was "her" celebration, only her mother's. This was not her life; she truly was "mailed to the wrong address" as Jack had put it.

Ruth smiles proudly. She had taken over most of the planning for the wedding, but it was the least she could do for her daughter as she recovered from the trauma of the disaster. Titanic had deeply affected Rose and Ruth was surprisingly understanding. Not only had they lost their beloved maid, Trudy, but apparently, the sinking had made Rose afraid of Caledon, for reasons only the two of them knew. That is why Ruth had suggested Caledon take some time away to allow Rose to re-cooperate and move along. Life did not stop simply because a ship went down.

Organizing for the ceremony also distracted Ruth from the disaster, which she was also traumatized from, many good people were lost aboard that vessel and she had much sympathy for the widows, especially Madeline Astor, who now carried John Jacob's heir and would be forced to raise it by herself. She herself had been a widow for quite some time and understood their pain, but again, life goes on and Ruth soon had much more to worry about learning of her husband's debts. She was working hard to ensure their family name remained intact and that Rose was taken care of. Ruth knew that she would not be around forever, her husband's death taught her that, so someone had to watch over her little girl and make her happy.