Rose had taken her mother's advice and indeed asked Daphne, if she could be of any help. She was being invited over at the weekend and Mrs. Gilman prepared to show her everything.
"How lovely to see you again, Rose. You weren't here for so long, it seemed like the earth had swallowed you," she laughed.
"I had much to do with the marriage. Cal and I we want to have the perfect wedding day."
Marion didn't reply. Rose had changed so much since being engaged to that man and even more so since returning from Europe. Certainly the experience of surviving a shipping catastrophe would alter anybody, but still she wondered, if there was something more to it.
Marion Gilman was much more relaxed, when it came to education than Ruth Dewitt Bukater and not surprisingly she wasn't a fan of her. Rose had sat down in their living room, her gloves still tightly grasped around her hands looking completely out of place.
"Don't you want to…?" Marion gestured towards the gloves. "I mean we're not such a fine household."
Somehow shyly Rose took them off almost gazing apologizing at her host. Daphne had gone to buy some food and Marion felt a bit ill at ease with Rose alone. She always feared she would say something to anger her or make her sad. With Daphne's other friends, like Tracy, it was easy – with Rose it was hard. Though she certainly wouldn't admit it, Rose had inherited her mother's snobbish behaviour. Marion had noticed already how she had looked around, seemingly to find out, if there was any dust left on the furniture.
If she wouldn't have been so nervous at the moment she would've simply gone over to her and hugged the young girl, who seemed to be frightened over something her outwardly actions obviously helping her to cope with whatever she was suffering from.
"Can I get you something to drink, Rose?"
Rose nodded and Marion went to prepare something, actually happy that she was out of her sight for a while. They didn't have much left as nobody in the family cared much about buying food – everybody thinking that the other one would do it.
"I hope orange juice is alright?" Marion placed the glass in front of her.
"Yes, thank you," Rose smiled politely.
Everything she did, she did with such utter grace and certainly if there would be a competition for the finest behaviour, Rose Dewitt Bukater would totally outperform everyone.
"You really have to come over here more often, even if Daphne is not here. I also would like to see some more of you and I can always use help for my work."
When Daphne and Rose had been young and in school Rose had stayed here once a week. Both girls would've loved to make it an overnight session, but Ruth had always forbidden it and with time Rose had sadly become more and more like her mother. Afterwards with her engagement to Caledon Hockley Daphne had hardly seen anything of Rose so Marion really wasn't surprised that she hadn't been chosen at her maid of honour.
Marion had tried to understand and maybe even symphatizise Ruth and her manners, her believe that some people were superior to others, but no matter how hard she had tried she hadn't been successful. Although she and her husband, Daniel, had enough money too and didn't need to work, both hated idleness and were proud of their daughter that she had understood it too.
"When will Daphne be back?" Rose asked clearly uncomfortable.
Marion knew how Ruth had everything planned out and Rose was very much the same. The unknown seemed to scare her and she needed to know exactly what would happen next. Daphne had an easy way with people and had managed to soften Rose up so many times. Hopefully she could do it again. Marion decided that she hated waiting and got up to arrange everything for Monday. One of the children at the orphanage was celebrating its birthday and she had bought some candy and surprises for everyone.
When Rose noticed her packing up the things she stood up to help her. Still no word was spoken between them, but at least the awkward silence wasn't so awkward anymore. And in fact Rose proved to be quite gifted with her hands knowing how to make some lovely bows.
….
Daphne returned an hour later, when Rose and her mother were almost finished. When she walked into the living room, her mother shot her a look that seemed to say – Never leave me alone with her again.
Daphne shrugged her shoulders, deciding to better get Rose out of her mother's sight and maybe make this evening into something more memorable for them. She knew her mother didn't judge people easily and that she certainly liked Rose. Her look meant nothing else, but that something needed to be done urgently. Sadly Daphne realized that she couldn't just take Rose out to the nearest bar.
"I see you've done my work already, Rose," she grinned not knowing what else to say.
Rose smiled back, but it wasn't a very genuine smile.
"I think I'm going to lay down a bit, girls. It was nice to see you again, Rose. Come back soon."
The last one though meant truthfully was only meant half-heartedly.
Marion couldn't get out of here fast enough. She liked Rose and she wanted to help her, but it was so hard to get through to her now. Rose had built up a shelf around herself and nobody seemed to be able to break it.
Maybe her daughter could?
"Woah they look great, Rose. Have you done these?"
"Yes."
"They're beautiful, much better than mine," Daphne laughed again hoping to lighten up the situation.
Rose used to be her best friend once. They had shared every secret. What had happened? Daphne offered her something to eat and they both sat silently stuffing food into their mouth. Once they had understood each other without the need to say a word and now Rose was no more of a friend to her as any stranger from the streets would've been.
"Are you excited about the wedding?"
Please say something more than yes.
"Yes."
Rose had never been a tomboy like her, but she had been questioning her mother's methods once and had been fun to play with. Daphne noted that Rose wasn't in the mood for a conversation. She wondered if she was speaking more with her fiancé – but since Caledon Hockley didn't gave the impression to be much of the talkative type either – probably not. What a boring marriage this was going to be!
Daphne decided to ignore whatever problem Rose was having now and began to tell her something about her mother's charity work. Rose even looked to be interested, nodded occasionally at the right time and asked the right questions at the appropriate time.
"You tell me, if there's something bothering you, right Rose?" Daphne got out suddenly clearly shocking Rose.
But she couldn't stand the situation anymore. Rose was her friend and she wanted to do something for her friend, wanted to be there for her.
"Why should anything be bothering me?"
"I don't know why. You need to tell me."
"Honestly, Daphne, I'm only anxious about the wedding. It's not every day that I get married."
The laugh that followed sounded fake again, but Daphne simply grinned and bearded it. No, Rose definitively wasn't the same person anymore. The minutes ticked away and not only once did Daphne gaze at the clock, hoping that Rose would get the hint. However, unfortunately or not she in fact seemed to enjoy the evening and didn't think of leaving.
Only when Ruth herself phoned asking, if her daughter was still there and practically demanding that she come home instantly, did Rose stand up and say goodbye.
Daphne was left stunned.
Her mother came back down the minute Rose was gone.
"I hope I wasn't too impolite. I just couldn't stand being with her any longer. She's so…," Marion struggled to find the right word.
"Strange? Yes I know what you mean. Rose is like…like she has become another person. Maybe that's because of her memory loss."
"It certainly has something to do with it and remember her mother…I would probably be like her too, if I had a mother like Ruth Dewitt Bukater."
"You never, mum, you never."
Both laughed.
"Ruth is a head scratcher, isn't she? Rose can be lucky that she has found you as her friend. Though at moment it doesn't look like she appreciates it…"
Daphne could tell that her mother was angry with both of them. Was her mother the key to everything or Caledon Hockley or really her memory loss? Frankly even before that Rose hadn't been a very outspoken person, always fearing her mother's disapproval. But it had never been as bad as it was at the moment.
While her mother and she were putting the children's presents in some cartons, Marion remembered another thing she had wanted to ask her daughter.
"I completely forgot to tell you, dear, but Mr. Hockley was here lately."
"Really?" Daphne tried to sound surprised.
Somehow she had already guessed that he would show up here sooner or later. Unlike his fiancée he never knew, when it was time to back away.
"What did he say?"
"I have no idea; you've to ask your father. He was the one speaking with him. I only watched the two from our window."
Truthfully speaking it couldn't have been very pleasant as Daniel had been very angry afterwards, saying something like Mr. Hockley not knowing how to mind his own business. Knowing her husband and his otherwise calm nature, it really must've been something to make him this annoyed. But as Daniel had refused to tell her, all she could do now was warn her daughter, although she didn't even know of what.
"I've been helping him lately with the wedding. I mean with Rose…he asked me about the things she liked," Daphne explained.
"I see."
Now this would answer the question of what he was doing here, but not the other one of why her husband was so irritated later on. Sadly Daniel wasn't a very conversational type either and it usually took more than one try to make him tell her what he had on his mind.
"Mr. Hockley really seems to love her. I must say that I'm surprised."
"Why?"
"Now, well, because…you know how desperate Ruth always was to get Rose married off to someone famous and rich man as soon as possible and…now with Rose's lack of experience I thought that it would never work out…I'm glad that I was wrong."
Daphne forced a smile, not sure, if she was delighted too. Her opinion of Mr. Hockley had changed during the last weeks. She didn't believe him to be a pompous jerk anymore, but a rather pleasant man to talk to. She was angry with herself, when she realized that deep down she was mad with Rose for being happy with him.
Her father had probably noticed it too. Daphne prepared herself to convince him that there was nothing going on between them and that Caledon Hockley was no more to her than the fiancée of her friend and that she was helping him to make this friend happy.
….
On the next morning, when coming down the stairs Daphne could already hear her parents talking with each other. They were obviously having a very heated argument. She could tell, because her father normally wasn't raising his voice like this.
"I tell you, Daniel, you're imagining things. Daphne is Rose's best friend of course she's helping her."
"I would think she could do better by meeting up with Rose herself rather than her betrothed."
Daphne knew that both of her parents didn't have a very high opinion of Caledon Hockley, but her mother at least tried to be civilized.
"Do you want me to forbid her to see him?" her mother was now asking.
Daphne had noiselessly sneaked down, her eyes now piercing through the keyhole of the kitchen. Her father seemed to be pretty angry.
"If you asked me…"
"Oh, dear, you're ridiculous. Daphne is a grown up woman, who knows what she's doing. She has got a fiancé too, if you'd care to remember. I don't think she would throw it all away so soon without giving it a second thought."
"I tell you there won't be a wedding, not between Daphne and Matthew. Mr. Hockley will prevent it even if not willingly."
Marion did no idea how to reply. She knew once her husband had made up his mind it was practically impossible to convince him of the opposite.
"Why don't you ask Daphne before making up any false assumptions?" she tried to reason with him though already knowing that it wouldn't be of much use. "I'm sure she has got some rational explanation."
Daphne was normally the contrary of Rose, never thinking twice of the consequences, running her head against the wall, but Marion refused to believe that her daughter would be so thoughtless to make herself fall for someone else's fiancé.
"I don't need to ask her. I know what I've seen. Believe me Mr. Hockley was not here to speak about Rose. He was here to visit Daphne. And I won't let my little girl getting hurt."
Of course she was a little girl for her father. Daphne was really angry at the moment. She realized her father was concerned about her well-being, but she was a grown-up woman, not a child anymore. Why couldn't he get this in his head?
"If you want I'm going to talk to her," her mother offered.
"If you believe that it would change anything…go on…I certainly won't stop you."
Daphne decided that she had heard enough and retreated to her room, waiting for her mother or father to show up. In the end it was her mother, who peered through the door.
"Your father has told me some interesting thing."
"And?" Daphne asked as if she didn't already know.
"It's very silly, but you know your father. He's always exaggerating things. He believes that there's something going on between you and Mr. Hockley. I told him of course how stupid this would be as Rose is your friend and such…but well, you know your father."
"Let me guess…he wasn't convinced," Daphne grinned trying her best to show her mother that there was nothing to it and that she didn't need to burden herself with anything. "You can tell him that there's nothing going on between Mr. Hockley and me."
She was glad that her mother didn't question her any further, but was satisfied with her answer. She told her how she had given Mr. Hockley some information about Rose.
"I knew it, I knew it…thank you for clarifying it, honey. Your father is just being ridiculous," she patted her daughter on her shoulder. "I mean just imagine how Ruth Dewitt Bukater would freak out, if Mr. Hockley would really be straying around. She was so determined to marry her daughter off. I still remember how she had dragged her off to every festivity in Philadelphia. Her forcefulness was really laughable. The only good thing here is that Rose and her fiancé are obviously happy and content with each other despite her mother's pushiness."
Instantly Daphne remembered Ruth's words.
'You won't see him again. I forbid it.'
No, this hadn't been her words, but they were close to it. Ruth Dewitt Bukater was too stuck-up to openly threaten anybody, but she had meant it like this. She wondered if Mr. Hockley knew about this or if she was giving him an ultimatum too. Probably not, he didn't seem like the type of man, who liked to be given one and for whatever reason Ruth seemed to be afraid of him.
"You know, I've always asked myself, if there was something more behind the story."
"What do you mean?"
"Well Rose, her family…you know there have been rumours that the Dewitt Bukaters are not so well off as…but for sure that's nonsense. I mean I don't like Ruth very much, but she certainly wouldn't throw her daughter towards the next best rich guy, simply because of money problems."
Daphne nodded as if consenting, but in reality she could very well imagine Ruth Dewitt Bukater doing such thing. Indeed it would explain a lot, starting with her desperate, if not to say insane search for a husband of her daughter and ending with giving her an ultimatum not to see this fiancé again. Actually, if it had really happened like this, it was more than just a realistic clarification.
Rose had probably been blackmailed too by her mother and knowing how frightened her friend could be at times she had obviously agreed to a marriage, surely not wanting to end up on the streets. And Mr. Hockley couldn't say no as well as he needed a bride and wife anyway. Rose was no bad looking either, so in fact there were on only winners on either side.
At least this was how Ruth would've put it, if asked. With assurance Rose and Mr. Hockley had a different opinion about things. Rose and she had always spoken about it in school and promised each other that they would only marry for love. Was Rose really in love with him? Her friend was so hard to understand nowadays not only because of her memory loss. They had argued a lot about her marriage and Mr. Hockley, before she had left for Europe. Even if her opinion about Caledon Hockley had changed how, her opinion about them together certainly hadn't.
Ruth on the other hand must be very happy with her daughter's memory loss as it must give her the opportunity to convince her daughter once more that Mr. Hockley was the right one for her. And so far it looked like she had succeeded.
