Serious Moonlight
Prologue

[November 2010]

The room was filled wall to wall with people whom he found to be quite dull. It was no secret that this was the last place he wanted to be, there had been a horse race earlier and he could not be bothered with it all. But he had sponsored the event and was a prominent member of that society, and thus, there he was. He was encircled by groups of women dressed in eveningwear, some from JC Penney and some from the showrooms of the world's most beloved designers. You could certainly tell them apart by their fit, and you didn't dare comment. There were some people that you could see their estimated net worth reflected in their dress. The poor ones were the easiest to spot, at least for all of them except for Ruth Dewitt Bukkater.

She was only around fifteen years older than he was, and she certainly hadn't aged as such. Her porcelain skin was virtually line-free and her makeup was not cakey in any attempt to hide her age. She was graceful and dignified and had she been any younger, Cal might have considered her. He spotted her finally after two glasses of champagne. She was impeccably dressed in black lace and gold silk, and she turned and smiled at him with that air of class that he so rarely saw in this crowd. After all, debutante balls were not what they once were. Mostly this was a high end beauty pageant that some of these men and women saved for during their daughter's youngest years, and spent all their money on the girls. Ruth, at least by appearance, did no such thing.

Her husband had died recently, leaving them with enormous heartache and a cool fortune to ease their pain. Mr. Dewitt Bukkater had been close with Cal's own father, Nathan, but he had never been formally introduced to the child, who herself was almost 15 years younger than Cal. Tonight was also Rose's debut, and that was another bit of incentive to come. Smiling at her mother, Cal took her hand and kissed the back politely, tucking his other arm behind his back. "This must be a very proud day for you, Mrs. Dewitt Bukkater."

"Naturally," She said. Her smile however was tight, almost spoiled by something. "But that silly boy that was supposed to escort Rose has the chicken pox!" She produced a fan and waved at her face, breathing deeply. "I swear to you, Mr. Hockley, I knew he would end up getting out of this somehow. He was out to ruin tonight from the start and that was why Rose selected him!"

"Well not to fret," He smiled down at her. "I will gladly escort your daughter."

Tapping her foot nervously, Rose couldn't help but fidget all over. Her mother had really blown a gasket. Of course she had known she would but she had hoped Ruth would drag her out to avoid the embarrassment of Rose walking out on her own, but she hadn't. That made Rose even more nervous about being stuck there. She sighed softly and plopped down onto the carpet of the hotel hallway, toying with the train of her dress, which was strategically wrapped around her wrist. She couldn't be bothered with all the fuss and muss, she just wanted to go home and watch Netflix.

"I'm pretty sure that whoever made that dress just burst into tears somewhere," Glancing up, one brow raised in a dare, she studied the person making the offhand comment to her. She was beautiful beyond her sixteen years. Her hair was the same shade of rusty red as her mother's, and her eyes were a deep sea-green. The dress, while crumpled, was lovely too. Pure white, as was custom, lace and beading covering silk and the sparkle of sequins.

Rose was not amused, but she tried her best to remain polite. "I don't care about the dress Mr…"

"Hockley," The name clearly rang a bell, and she sat up, offering her hand. He took it and helped her stand up and watched with an amused smile as she smoothed the wrinkles from the dress, sighing softly. "Look. Mr. Hockley, I know you put a lot of money into this night, but this isn't really my thing." She was lost and bewildered, wide eyed. Her hair tied tightly onto her head, her face impeccably angelic. Cal smiled gently and shook his head.

"Look, I don't give a shit about any of this," He admitted. "I just promised your mother that you would have an escort," She visibly deflated at that, and Cal felt a pang of something…guilt perhaps. Pity. He watched as she took a deep breath and tried to make herself presentable again and he glanced around, smiling. "However if I couldn't find you in time for the presentation…that certainly could not be helped, could it?"

They shared a brief smile and Rose blushed, dropping her gaze. "Where on earth would we go so they wouldn't find us?"

"This is incredible," Rose whispered, glancing all around herself. "Tell me again how we got in here after hours?"

"My family is a major sponsor for the exhibit," Strolling behind her he watched her stare in wonder at the paintings hanging all around her. "I have very special access." The lights were on and yet they seemed dimmer than they were during the day. He shifted to stand off to the side, watching her. She was still quite a sight, her hair still piled tightly on her head, her gown still glowing bright. She looked over at him with a perplexed expression and she smiled at him, her expression was so joyful, yet he could not place a name with it.

She sighed, wishing she could run her fingers across the canvases in their glass housings. "I love Monet, I can't believe this." She was paused at one of his Water Lily compositions and she was smiling. "Mother says that art is for people who dream of a better life." She told him softly, her fingers distracted by a dangling chain around her neck.

Cal smiled sheepishly. "I hate to say it but I sort of agree with her." He said softly. She looked sad at that at first but her sigh was resigned. "That's the thing. I do too." The statement perplexed him more than anything, because here was the girl with everything dreaming of something more. He took one last look around and then cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Well come on. The night is waiting for us," He offered her his hand and she stared at it for a moment before she took it. He guided her out the front doors, and they paused on the steps, staring together up at the sky. The stars were magnificent, even from here in the city. Cal had never really paid attention to them before but the moon's bright blue light and the way it made Rose's skin almost icy had caught his attention.

She released his hand to spin around on the steps, her arms held high above her head. That was the moment he realized how extraordinarily special she was. Seeing her dance in the moonlight did that for him, and he smiled to himself. Perhaps youth was what he was missing, even at only 29 years of age. He was on the cusp of the point of no return and she was on the cusp of womanhood, shining enough for the both of them.

He wasn't sure how it had begun but at some point everything had led to a chase, a chase that neither would win because her porcelain little hand was clasped in his, and she was holding on for dear life as she ran along the bank of the river. Her long, curly red locks had long since come free and flowed around her shoulders, and she would look back at him with a smile every so often. He was so incredibly intrigued by her. Somehow in the midst of the crowd and the glitz and the bad department store eveningwear he had found her, a flesh and blood example of life.

They stopped to catch their breath on a little footbridge and she burst into laughter despite herself, shaking her head. He stared incredulously at her for a moment and then laughed as well, their humor ringing around them through the night air. "I'm sorry," She gasped. "I just…I've never had this much fun with a grown up before."

Cal's gaze fell at first, but he smiled lightly. He had gone into this looking to please Ruth and here he had found himself enjoying her daughter's company. Something about that made him almost feel ashamed, but he shook it off and smiled at her. "You know I've heard things about you. How you behave. But you're not the person I expected when I came to get you." She looked surprised by the remark, and he laughed softly. "I almost wish I didn't have to take you back to all of that."

Rose's mouth quirked a little and she looked away for a moment, considering her options. Turning back she took his hand again and he looked down at her, surprised. Cal had been kind in a room of ugliness and she couldn't ignore that he had literally saved her from what she had dreaded for weeks on end. There was something warm about his smile, and his eyes were intense and thoughtful. They shared a little smile and she surprised him by standing on tiptoe and slipping her hands onto his shoulders. He tensed, and she paused at that, but he did not pull away. He almost looked terrified.

Lifting herself again, Rose pressed her cheek to his, felt the invisible sting of his stubble on her own smooth skin and felt his arms instinctively come up around her waist. She whispered, "I know you have to, but I don't hate you for it." He hugged her to him for a moment, shielding her from the terrible waste of humanity that she had been born into before she pulled back, only slightly, and met his gaze. Her eyes were softened by the moonlight and her smile was gentle. He was lost in her gaze and didn't realize her face was closing in on his. The feathery brush of her lips on his made him jump slightly, but her kiss was warm in the cold of the early winter, and he took refuge in her arms. Their mouths found a mutual ground and collapsed into passion, and for those few moments, Cal could forget that she was only sixteen.

However the dawning of realization hit him like a load of bricks. Because when he pulled back to look at her she was so young and so unsure. Her lips were swollen from the kissing and her eyelids heavy with lust, it was like high school all over again. He quickly released her and ran his hands through his hair, wondering what in God's name he was going to do. He realized she was surprised at his reaction when he turned and saw her staring slack-jawed, wondering why he had yanked away like that. "What's the matter was it that bad?"

"Rose, Jesus, Rose…" Finding enough calm to lower his arms he shook his head. "You're…I could go to jail for this. Shit."

She scoffed. "Kissing people is not illegal."

"There are ways to make anything illegal." He finally felt like he had a grip on himself and he sighed. "I hate to cut the night short but it's late and they're probably going to be sending out a search party soon."

"I know," She sighed. "Just drop me off at home, Mother will come home and get her anger out, no one will know you were with me the whole time." He seemed apprehensive, his mouth was slanted and his brows furrowed and she sighed. "I promise, Cal. I won't tell anyone."

Clearing his throat, he offered her his hand once again. "Let's go, then."

Walking into her bedroom, Rose flicked the light on with one hand as she kicked her heels away. She knew it would only be a matter of time before Ruth barreled in and scolded her for spoiling her own debut, and she wanted to get as much time soaking in the tub as she could before that happened. The evening's events had been so unexpected but so blissfully grown up and different, she couldn't bother to be angry about the way things had ended up. She knew Cal would probably never show his face again but she had kissed a billionaire tonight, Ruth would be seriously proud if she had any idea.

Rose was just about to unzip the dress when a hand ghosted along the skin on her back. She shrieked, jumped, and spun to look at the person who was standing against her window. Her hand flew up to cover her erratically beating heart and she shook her head, using her other hand to push him lightly. "Jack you scared the life out of me!" He was laughing, and dressed in a tux that he had obviously borrowed as it was way too big for him. Rose couldn't help but grin at the sight, even though her heart was still pounding. "The chicken pox, really?"

"I didn't think I was going to be able to get a tux, I scored one last minute and then you weren't even there!"

"I'm sorry," She swept her hair up into a bun. "I just couldn't deal."

A car door slammed downstairs and Rose looked at him with wild eyes. "I gotta go, I know." He leaned forward and stole a quick kiss, offering her a little wink. "Hey listen, if you're not in too much trouble tomorrow, meet me at the park."

"I will either way, goodbye!" She shoved him out the window and watched until he was safely darting across the lawns in the neighborhood before she ran to lock her door. She could hear Ruth climbing the stairs and she shed the dress and darted into the bathroom, surprised to see Jack had already run her bathwater for her. She smiled before she climbed in as quietly as she could.

"Rose?" Ruth pounded on the door. "I'd like to have a word with you…"

"Mother, I'm in the bath." Rose called, scooping some bubbles up and blowing them between her fingers. "Let's do this tomorrow."

"I had heard that you went missing partway through the ball." Nathan Hockley managed to say, turning from his liquor cabinet to look at his only son. "Mrs. Dewitt Bukkater said you spent all night looking for that troublesome girl of hers."

"Unfortunately I was not able to find her." Cal confirmed, keeping his gaze in his bourbon as he tried to keep his voice steady. He remembered her eyes and her bright hair and the way she had kissed him like they had been lovers for years, with her entire soul. He blinked the image away as Nathan came to sit across from him.

"I'm afraid that the news from the doctor is rather alarming, Caledon." He told him, sipping his own drink. "They do not expect for me to make a full recovery this time." He could sense the boy's shock and he shook his head. "None of that, we have but a couple of years to find you a suitable wife and guarantee the right sort of succession to the company," He shook his head, the glass poised at his lips. "I cannot die until that is done."

"You're a cold bastard, father." Cal couldn't help the words, but regretted them instantly. He was surprised when his father laughed, and he swirled the glass to make the ice clink around inside. "As a matter of fact I had considered Mrs. Dewitt Bukkater briefly but I suspect she is too old to manage to bear any more children," He sipped the amber colored spirit and winced slightly, setting the glass aside. "Her daughter though, she'll be seventeen in January."

"The troublemaker?" Nathan frowned. "What on earth would make you think that that child would have any interest in becoming your bride?"

"Not much, but her mother, I'm sure, would be most interested in securing her future. Especially what with the death of her husband." He knew the moment that his father caught on, the older man's head bobbed back slightly as he considered the matter and he smiled slightly. "Well, of course, if it's all right with you."

"I think you might be able to teach a little sense to the girl," Nathan agreed. "And it would be a fine match if we can be in agreement. I will call Ruth Dewitt Bukkater in the morning and see if she had any interest. You should try and win the girl's affections. Perhaps find a suitable engagement gift," He suggested, raising his glass to his boy before he finished his drink off. Cal nodded to himself and did the same before he stood and went to go to bed for the night.

Perhaps his time with the girl would pay off after all. If she were naïve enough to go along with such a scheme, or be fooled by it, it would only work out to both of their benefits. In the end all he needed to do, as Nathan as said, was finish winning her over. And unbeknownst to anyone else, he already had a head start.