A New Beginning

Chapter 63: Under Watch

Chapter 63: Under Watch

The next few weeks to follow are relatively uneventful except for the changes as the winds of summer gave way to early autumn breezes. Ruth leaves after rebuilding some of her relationship with Rose and promises to visit when she can. She also gives her communication information to Mr. Calvert so they can keep in touch. Emma prepares for the results of her classes and is still working on the wedding plans. Jack, Peter and Emma work hard at their jobs and at home as Rose is less and less able to be on her feet for long periods of time. Her recent doctor visit says that everything is healthy and the baby is responding properly, much to the couple's delight. Dress shopping, however, has become a bit of a challenge.

"Come on Rose it can't be that bad," Emma calls from the front. She, Rose, Holly, and Sybil have gone out to look for dresses for the wedding. This errand, however, has raised several problems, one of them being that many dress shops are turning away Rose due to her condition of conceiving out of wedlock. The owners also did not approve of Emma and Holly's status as "working class" women and the prices of the dresses in general. They had walked all over Sacks Fifth Avenue and most of downtown Manhattan looking for a place that did not emphasize these problems.

This was the tenth shop they'd tried and everyone was becoming tired, especially the pregnant bride and the infant of the group. Emma was searching for new materials to repair her mother's old dress, finding something for Holly to wear as a bride's maid and for Sybil. Rose was looking for a dress that fit and wasn't crazy expensive.

The most recent dress was meant for women of a larger body size and made her look like a pumpkin from all sides. The sleeves made it look like Rose had wings and could take off like a great white bird and the veil was so thick, Rose could not see where she was going.

She stumbles out in front of the others and both Emma and Holly do their best not to laugh. Rose looks at herself in the three mirrors of the boutique and can't believe the giant white monster staring back at her. She begins to laugh and soon all three are laughing very hard at this atrocious dress.

"It seems so fruitless," Rose sighs heavily, doing her best to keep the thick veil out of her face as she sits on the platform erected to allow the brides to feel as if they were the star of the show to rest her feet. "No one wants a bride of a shotgun wedding and they only have very high prices for custom-made dresses. I may as well get married in the lavender dress I wore on Titanic."

"No Rose, you saw what salt water did to my dress, can you imagine what yours must be like," Emma says, not ready to give up hope. "Besides, I can't believe I sound like your mother, but it's your wedding day and you deserve to look beautiful."

"If everything wasn't so expensive," Rose mutters.

"Come on, there has to be something here you like," Emma says. "I can make the alterations of the dress myself and for no extra cost."

Just then Sybil begins to cry and Emma goes to tend to her sister. Rose sighs and goes to change out of it. On her way, she notices one of the boutique ladies carrying something very shiny and elegant through the back.

"What's that?!" Rose calls out suddenly.

The woman stops and turns around. "Oh, this Miss?"

"Yes," Rose stumbles along in the massive dress she's wearing to get a closer look.

"It's a 1912 dress Miss, it's a bit old, some of the diamonds are coming off and there are a few stains in places, there are holes in places, it's also going out of style and..."

"Beautiful," Rose says.

The dress is basically a work of art. The entire thing is made of silk with a fairly short solid silk train. There is lace over the shoulders, formed in such a way that it looks like she's wearing a cardigan. There are nicely formed ruffles that hang over the entire skirt of the dress and light fabric make up the sleeves. But the crown jewels of this garment are the lovely arranged flower of silk in the center of the dress, studded with diamonds and the embroidered flowers along the sides of the dress and the train.