He got off the same train, but they managed to miss each other at first. Jack turned and helped Rose down. "Glad to be back?" he said.
"I'm glad to be standing again," she answered. "These trips seem to get longer each time."
"I know what you mean. We can walk around for a while and stretch our legs, if you want."
"I'd rather get home first, if you don't mind," she said. "I want to see how Lady is doing and catch up with Fabrizo."
"Works for me. I wonder if he got our telegram."
"Wasn't he going to check for them?" she said.
"Yeah," Jack answered. "But after that one saying we wouldn't be back for a coupla weeks, he might've stopped, figuring there wasn't much point."
"True. We can always walk home and get our exercise that way."
"If we don't run into him, we'll probably have to," he laughed. "It's kinda cold for walking that far, though."
"I can handle it if you can," Rose said confidently.
"Let't get something to eat, and we can head home before it starts getting dark. I don't know about you, Rose, but some hot food will make that walk a lot easier for me."
She was about to reply when she felt his stare. Her blood ran cold. It wasn't possible. Cal couldn't be there. He was locked up; they wouldn't just release him. Frantic, she looked around for him. Jack's eyes narrowed in concern. "Rose, what's wrong?" He followed her gaze to the man standing down the street. He looked like an older version of Cal. His hair was greying at the temples, and there were a few lines on his face. His build wasn't quite as powerful, but the resemblance between them was striking. Jack knew there was only one person he could be.
"Just ignore him," he said, taking her hand. "We'll go straight home."
Rose nodded slowly. "That's what we should do." She turned, and they started walking, but none of it felt real. Her feet didn't seem to touch the ground; it was like being a dream. Of course Nathan had come. It was only a question of when, not if he would appear. But, she wondered, did it have to be this way?
Rose felt their pace quicken. Heavy footsteps followed. He shouted something, but she couldn't make it out over the buzzing in her head. Jack glanced at her. His jaw was tight. "Just keep walking," he said. "Ignore him."
By now people were staring. No doubt they knew, or at least suspected, he was connected to Cal; the story would be all over town by the end of the day. It probably wouldn't have changed anything overall, but Jack wished they hadn't come back yet.
"Hey." He'd caught up with them. Rose shrank closer to Jack. Neither of them were prepared for Nathan to circle around them so swiftly. They stopped short, nearly colliding with him. Up close, the differences between him and Cal were obvious. His mouth was thinner, his jaw more square; his eyes lacked the iciness of Cal's. That difference stuck out the most to Jack. He'd been expecting to find the same steel in them, but it wasn't there. Instead, he just looked annoyed. "There's no need to run," he said, indignation and bewilderment in his voice.
"That hasn't been our experience," Jack said.
Nathan barely glanced at him. "I don't know who you are, and I'm not interested at the moment," he replied. "Rose, I need to talk to you about this situation. We-"
"No, you don't," Jack said firmly. "You don't need to bother her at all."
Understanding flashed in Nathan's eyes. "I see," he said. "So, that much at least is true. You must be the mysterious Dawson I've heard so much about. I wasn't sure you actually existed."
"Now you know," Jack said. He tried to steer Rose around him, but Nathan blocked their path.
"Yes, well, I'm afraid it won't be that simple," he said. "I do need to speak with my daughter-in-law. That is, if you'll let her speak for herself."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jack demanded.
"You've done a fine job speaking for her so far."
"I do not-" Jack began. Rose's hand on his arm cut him off. "Let's see what he wants," she said wearily.
"Rose, are you sure?" Jack asked. "We can just go home. He can't do anything."
"What are you expecting me to do?" Nathan said, obviously insulted. "I'm trying to have a civilized conversation, which isn't easy in the middle of a freezing street." He sounded rather like Cal as he said it. The cadence of their voices was the same. He carried himself with a similar arrogance.
"Fine," Rose said, with as much force as she could summon. "We'll go someplace warm and sort this out."
...
She couldn't believe what was happening. Nathan sat across the small table. He was so close she could smell his cologne. When had she last seen him? Rose searched her memory, but she couldn't pin down the occasion. It had been before they left for Europe, so it must have been shortly after the wedding. He'd been all smiles that day. He was always polite and courteous whenever she saw him, but then again so was Cal. At first.
She felt him watching her and lifted her eyes. "Did he ask you to come here?" she said.
"Cal?" Nathan said. "No, he doesn't even know I'm here. I haven't seen him yet. His lawyer told me not to come, but the man's obviously an overpaid moron. This should've all been cleared up weeks ago." He looked at Rose expectantly. Jack wondered how much he had been told. From his behavior, he guessed not very much.
"What do you think needs clearing up?" Jack asked.
Nathan shot him an irritated glance. "Why are you here? This doesn't concern you."
"If it concerns Rose, it concerns me."
Nathan stared at him for a moment then dismissed him. "Rose, I'd prefer to speak with you alone."
"I'd rather not," Rose said. "You can say whatever needs to be said here. And I would also like to know what you think has been happening."
"I know Cal came out here looking for you, and now he's in jail," Nathan answered. "I know you disappeared some time ago, but there's conflicting accounts as to how and why. I was assured this whole situation was minor, but I don't think that's accurate." He paused. He looked older than Rose had ever seen him. "Why don't you tell me what happened?" he suggested.
"You wouldn't believe me," she said.
"You may be surprised by what I'll believe," he replied. "My son has a history of indiscrections. I've gone to a lot of trouble making sure they didn't become public knowledge."
"So, you know then," Rose said slowly, incredulity thickening her voice. "You know what he's like."
"I know some of what he's done in the past," Nathan said. "Some of it's just youthful mistakes, and some of it's-" He searched for the right words. "More serious."
Rose's heart pounded in her ears. She didn't notice how tightly she was squeezing Jack's hand until he leaned close, whispering, "You alright, Rose?"
Tears stung her eyes. She looked at Jack. "He knew," she said in a tiny voice. "It wasn't just rumors. Other people must have known, and no-one told me anything until it was too late. They all pretended...They said he wasn't-he wouldn't..."
"C'mon, Rose, let's go home," Jack said, gently pulling her to her feet. He put his arm around her. People were twisting around in their chairs to watch, but he ignored them. He tried to nudge her forward, but she didn't budge.
"Would you have believed me?" she asked. Nathan stared at her with a stunned expression. "My mother didn't. Or didn't want to. Would you have?" Her voice rose. "If I'd told you what..." She was shaking.
Jack's mouth was next to her ear. "C'mon, Rose," he whispered. "We can do this later. You don't need to deal with it right now." Crying, she offered no resistance as he led her outside. Nathan followed. "What's going on?" he demanded. "I want some answers!"
"Go talk to your son," Jack snapped over his shoulder.
...
Jack hired a horse from the livery stable to get them home quickly. Rose sat in front; his arms encircled her, the reins in his hands. Their things were in the saddle bags. They were home less than an hour later. Smoke was rising from the kitchen chimney, which Jack took as a good sign. His stomach rumbled. If they were lucky, Fabrizo was cooking, or already had something prepared.
"Why don't you go on inside?" he suggested. "I'll settle the horse in the barn."
"Alright."
Jack touched her arm as she turned to go. "We can talk about what happened when I get inside."
"I don't know if I want to talk about it."
"Whenever you do," he said.
Smiling weakly, she nodded. He watched her go. He wanted to say more but knew he shouldn't. Pushing her was the worst thing he could do. He couldn't act too concerned either, no matter how he felt. She had to come to him.
...
There was a strange man in the kitchen. Rose stopped, her heart beating wildly. His back was to her. If she moved quietly, maybe she could slip back outside without him noticing. She took a step backwards and nearly fell over a chair. Crying out in surprise, she grapped the wall to steady herself. Frank whirled around. "What-" His expression softened. "Oh, you must be Jack's wife," he said. "Rose."
She nodded. "Who are you? Where's Fabrizo?"
"He went back with Lucy and the boys," Frank explained. "They went to get some of her things. He left me here to watch this sauce. I don't know what he called it."
Rose wasn't convinced. "Why would he leave you in charge of his food?"
"I volunteered," he answered. "It was pretty obvious he didn't want to be away from Lucy, even for just a little while, so I thought it would be a nice thing to do. Especially since I welcomed them home with an interrogation."
"Welcomed them-What are you talking about?" she said. "Exactly who are you?"
"I'm sorry. I shoulda started with that." He held out his hands. "Frank McCullough. I'm Lucy's father."
Some of the tension drained from her shoulders. "Oh. I see. Well, that makes more sense. I had no idea you were due back."
"No-one did. I wrote about my travel plans, but the letter never made it. The boys were as surprised to see me as I was to find Lucy had eloped with some stranger."
Her eyes widened. "She and Fabrizo are married?"
"Who's married?" Jack said as he came in. His shock at Frank's presence was obvious, but he recovered quickly. Breaking into a grin he said, "What're you doing here, Mr. McCullough? I didn't know you were coming back now."
"Everyone's been surprised," Frank replied amiably. "I was just telling your lovely wife about that. I think I startled her. I'm sorry, ma'am."
Jack turned to Rose. "You alright?"he said. His tone was light, but the question wasn't. She avoided his eyes. "I'm fine," she said. "I just didn't expect to find someone in our kitchen. That's all. Apparently, Fabrizo and Lucy eloped while we were gone," she said, eager to change the subject. "Did you have any idea they were planning something like that?"
"No, none," Jack said. "It's kinda weird they waited until we were gone."
"It wouldn't have been much of a secret if they hadn't," Rose said.
Jack chuckled. "True. It's just..." He left the thought unspoken.
"I don't think much planning went into it," Frank said.
"That sounds like them coming in now," Jack said. "We're all in the kitchen," he called. Moments later, Fabrizo and Lucy appeared, hands clasped. Their faces were red with cold. "You're back!" Fabrizo cried. "I thought you were gonna be gone a few more weeks?"
"We changed our minds," Jack said. "We heard you two made some interesting decisions of your own while we were gone."
Lucy and Fabrizo exchanged smiles. "It just happened," Lucy said. "We weren't planning to elope."
"Congratulations," Rose said warmly. "I know you'll be very happy together."
"Rose, I hope you don't mind, but I borrowed one of your dresses for the wedding," Lucy said. "I have it with me. I was going to wash it before I gave it back."
"I don't mind at all," Rose said. "But you don't have to go to all that trouble. You don't even have to give it back. Which one did you choose?"
"It was hanging on your closet door."
Rose laughed. "What a coincidence! I was going to give you that one for the wedding."
"You don't have to say that. I can give it back."
"Nonsense. Keep it," Rose insisted.
"She really was gonna give it to you," Jack said. "She showed it to me."
Lucy's eyes sparkled. "Really?"
Rose nodded. "Really."
Lucy took them both by surprise when she pulled Rose into a hug. 'Thank you," she said.
"You're welcome."
"How about I finish lunch?" Fabrizo suggested.
"That's the best idea you've ever had," Jack said.
"Where're the boys?" Frank asked.
"They had some chores at home," Lucy said. "They're supposed to be back soon."
"Need any help?" Jack asked.
"Sure. You can stay over there," Fabrizo said jokingly.
"I'm going to take our things upstairs," Rose said. "I haven't seen Lady yet."
"She's in your room," Fabrizo said. "She hasn't wanted to come out much since you left."
"Poor thing," Rose said. "She's one of the reasons I wanted to come home early."
Jack touched Rose's hand. "You want me to help you carry things?"
She shook her head. "I'll be fine."
"I need to take my things upstairs," Lucy said. "I can help."
Jack gave Rose a meaningful look, but again she refused to meet his gaze. He pushed way the urge to press the issue. She'd talk to him when she felt like it. So they'd run into Cal's father, and yeah, she was obviously upset about it, but overall she was fine. He had nothing to worry about. And yet, he couldn't let it go.
...
"I have some others you might like," Rose offered.
"I couldn't take them," Lucy said.
"Why not?" Rose sat on the bed, Lady curled up in her lap. She'd leapt to her feet at the sight of Rose, tail wagging. The bags were on the floor, but Rose hadn't bothered opening them. She intended to unpack. She just felt so exhausted.
"I just couldn't," Lucy said.
"Well, if you change your mind."
"Maybe I'll think about it," Lucy said. She sat down next to Rose. She folded her hands in her lap; her posture was tense. "Rose, you don't mind us staying here, do you?"
"Why would I mind?" Rose looked confused. "Have I made you feel that way? Did Jack-"
"No. Nothing like that. I don't know," Lucy said. "I just thought, maybe you'd prefer if we weren't here. You and Jack haven't really had any privacy, and now you really won't have any."
"We manage," Rose said. "It might take some effort, but there's no reason to think we can't all live together, at least for a while. Have you talked to Fabrizo about this?"
"We've discussed it some," Lucy answered. "He wants to stay here, and so do I. I love my family, but my brothers can be a lot to handle, and with my father home again, it would be too hard to start out as a couple. Poor Fabrizo would be completely overwhelmed by them."
"That'd understandable. Is that the only thing worrying you?"
"What do you mean?" Lucy said.
"Well, you've taken a rather significant step," Rose said. "I know there have been times since I met Jack when I wished I had a friend-another woman-to talk to. And not necessarily bad times, either. I love him dearly, but there are some things..."
"That he can't understand."
"It's not his fault," Rose said. Her eyes were heavy. "He tries so hard. Not many people would have been this patient with me."
"Rose, he loves you. You're not a burden to him," Lucy said.
Rose didn't respond. "We should see about changing Fabrizo's room a little," she said. "Make it yours as well."
Lucy could tell she was deliberately changing the subject, but she let it go. "I brought a few things, actually," she said. "Do you want to go and see where we could put them?"
Rose smiled. "Sure."
...
Fabrizo waited a few minutes before he asked. Frank's presence almost stopped him, but he figured if Jack didn't want him to know something, he wouldn't tell it. "Did something happen?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the bread he was slicing.
Jack hesitated before answering. He glanced at Frank, who said, "I already know most of what's been going on. Lucy and Fabrizo told me."
"Good. You should know," Jack said. He brushed his hair back. "Is it that obvious, Fabrizo?"
"The way you kept looking at Rose," Fabrizo replied. "You seemed more concerned than usual. I thought she was doing better?"
"She was. She is," Jack said. "The whole time we were gone, things were great. She wanted to come home early, but it wasn't a big deal. She wasn't upset." His blue eyes were thoughtful. "She was really happy. We found a lawyer, and the divorce is going forward." He let out a short laugh. "Guess this isn't what you expected from me, is it?" he said to Frank.
"I can't say it was," Frank replied. "But you were always a little unpredictable. I was more shocked by how you left than by the fact that you did. I doubt anyone would've expected you to disappear like that and then come back five years later with a married woman."
"I didn't plan it," Jack said. "I don't go around getting involved with married women. I looked up, and there she was. That was it."
"I wasn't accusing," Frank said evenly.
"If things have been good, why're you worried?" Fabrizo asked.
"We met her father-in-law," Jack said quietly.
"What?" Fabrizo exclaimed. "He's here?"
"Got in when we did," Jack said. "He wanted to talk to Rose. Told us Cal didn't know he was coming."
"You believe that?" Frank said skeptically.
"You know, actually, I do," Jack said. "Why lie?"
"Why do any of what they've done?" Fabrizo said.
"You got a point there," Jack agreed. "But there was somethin about him. I wouldn't trust him, but if hes anything like his son, he's a lot better at hiding it. He didn't seem to know what had been happening, even before Rose left, but he did admit he's made other problems go away for Cal."
Fabrizo frowned and shook his head. "Course he has."
"You think he'll try something?" Frank said.
"I dunno," Jack answered. "I got the feeling he wants Rose to make it go away somehow. Save him the trouble."
"Any chance she'd do that?" Frank asked.
"No," Jack said, in a voice that left no room for argument.
"Even if she tried, there's still Lucy," Fabrizo pointed out.
"He probably didn't know about her yet," Jack said. "Mr. McCullough, I-"
Frank held up a hand. "We'll talk about it later. The girls'll be down in a minute. Let's just celebrate the wedding."
...
He should've come at the start. It would still have been a mess, but if he'd been there he could've sorted it out quickly and quietly. Nothing would have been publicized. No names would have been printed. Cal would already be out of custody and back home. But instead Nathan had listened to his lawyers, who insisted he stay away. His presence, they argued, would only increase interest in the case. Out here Cal was completely unknown; the Hockley name meant nothing. If they contained the local coverage, what little there was, the story would disappear before it even began.
But it hadn't. The story had grown. Someone had talked, and now it was a national scandal. Headlines blazed with the sordid details, or what passed for them. Every newspaper carried a different version. Nathan had been prepared for exaggerated reported, even outright lies. Muckraking, yellow journalists were an old problem for him.
He hadn't been prepared, however, for the possibility of truth. If the local authorities could be believed, that is. He still hadn't heard Cal's side of things, though he already knew none of it would be his fault. It never was. No matter the circumstances, someone else was always to blame. Cal's life was very convenient that way. Nathan suspected if he found him standing over a body, gun in hand, his son would produce a story blaming the deceased for their own murder. It was all a bit absurd when he really thought about it, but he couldn't admit that publicly. Cal would be dealt with eventually.
And of course, there was Rose to think about.
