Hi All, another chapter and I hope you enjoy it. We are nearly halfway through.
And bonus points if like Rosemary and Olivia, you can guess what's been plaguing Isabella since the Titanic.
Disclaimer-Nothing here is mine but Isabella and the Pattersons.
Also if you are confused about whose who, please head to the last chapter of Some Kind of Tomorrow, a rough family tree is included in the notes alongside ages of each of the children.
Please Read and Review.
Drifting Back
Chapter 7-Try Honesty
The Patterson children attempt to understand their father past. Isabella and Tommy have dinner with Isabella's family and it's clear that there is an awkwardness in the air.
"Wow"
"John"
"Wow"
"Charlie"
"I mean…wow"
"John, Charlie can you say something else? Please? I send the two of you too school so this doesn't happen"
"Ma we've just found out that Daddy has another daughter with another woman whose dead, whose just stepped off the Titanic and is here. Our sister…the one that this morning we didn't know about. Everyone didn't know about. Including Daddy"
"Not to mention she's dressed like a princess thrown overboard and yet somehow come out looking strong and powerful"
There was a pause as both John and Charlie looked at Rosalie who was leaning back on her hands staring at the dust motes in the barn air. Charlie opened his mouth and then shut it again no doubt catching the look on his mother's face and having the sense to stop the words he was longing to say from tumbling out.
Smart move.
"Anyway" John said shooting Rosalie a look that clearly questioned her sanity. "This…Isabella…she's our sister right?"
"Yes" their father said scrubbing a hand over his face. John thought since he had gotten out of the car he'd aged more in the past few minutes than he had done so in the past five years. He folded his lip under his teeth and watched for a second.
"Wow" Charlie said again.
"I know it's a lot to handle" their mother began "But this was a surprise to us all. Your father truly believed that this baby and her mother were dead"
"If it hadn't have been for the Titanic" Charlie interrupted. "Then you wouldn't have known about her"
"No" their Dad said finally. "No I wouldn't have"
"Wow" Charlie said again shaking his head. "This is…wow…"
"I know it's a lot to handle" their father said again. "It's a lot for me too. But you must know that I love all of you the same as I did this morning"
"Oh we know that" James said dismissively. "We know that Daddy. It's one of the things that we always know but…I mean how bad is that? How bad can a person be to lie about their child being dead"
John swallowed. It was rather sickening. All because their Dad had been poor. Now he was thinking about it there was something to be said about their little safe corner of the world. Nobody on Patterson Mountain cared about stuff like that. They were all dirt poor anyway. But he couldn't help but imagine the world his father had known, England where the classes were divided by iron sheets and there was nothing you could do to break through them and you were utterly powerless to stop bigger, stronger bullies than you. All of it down to money. The power of a coin, the suggestion of a name. The elite making the decisions for the many.
Jesus he had never been so happy to not be from there as he had been before in his life. He might live an utterly boring existence (though this was shaping up to be the most exciting day in his life so far) but at least he had the stapples in life. Love. Happiness. Family.
"A big sister" he said finally. He was aware suddenly that his Daddy was looking at him. He caught his eye and grinned trying to communicate with him that it was all alright. That he understood and that he would make sure that the children would understand (though he suspected Charlie, James and Rosalie did) that this was nobody's fault but Bruce Ismay's.
"Yes"
"So…whose the man with her then? Tommy?"
"He…" his Daddy pulled a face then as if he was trying to find the right words for it.
"He was with her on the ship. They…they are in love. They came here with some friends too though I don't know where they are. They…they are very much in love. She was in first class and he was in third"
"So they fell in love like you and her Momma did?" Rosalie said shaking her hair out of her eyes. "They ran away together just like you did. I mean…how…"
"Rosalie if you say romantic I might scream" Charlie said.
"Charles you will be sorry if you do"
"Oh Momma!"
"So…so this Maud woman…is she…"
"Maud is dead" their father said as if something heavy was being ripped from him. "This is true, that bit was true. But…but the rest of it wasn't. I was young, I didn't have any reason not to doubt the official story"
There was a pause as they all took it back in.
"Daddy?"
That was Charlotte-Anne who had been listening to the conversation sat on Eugenie's lap.
"Yes darling?"
"Do you still love Momma? And all of us?"
Their Daddy's face seemed to crease a little and John looking at him wanted to hug him. He had never hated anyone…never so much as thought of hating anyone, he'd been raised to hate anyone. Never even so much as thought hate but right now, right here in this barn he was filled with a hatred for Bruce Ismay that he thought was going to knock him back onto his ass in the dirt.
Gently their Daddy held his arms out and Charlotte-Anne scrambled up closely followed by Lilibet. John had no idea what Lilibet would understand of this or what it meant for them but they both scrambled into their Daddy's arms and were content to stay there. Their mother put her hand on their Daddy's shoulder and the look that John saw passed between them left him in no doubt that the love that had been between them this morning was still there. Isabella Ismay had not damaged or dented anything between them and he felt something unclench in his stomach at seeing them.
Sod adventure. That was what he wanted.
"You children, your mother, you are everything to me. Everything. It's just before I met her, before I had you, I had someone else who loved me. And I loved her and we made a child out of that loving. I hope none of you ever have to learn what it is to love someone and lose them the way I did. It's a lesson I wouldn't wish on anyone. But this…this changes nothing…all it means is that we need to give Isabella a bit of our love. It's the one thing that we can give and Isabella…your sister…she's not had much love"
His face twisted then into something else and John knew that there was something else under the surface that he was missing but he also knew he didn't want to ask. He had seen the look on his elder sister's (and God that was a strange thing to say even in his own head!) face and he knew that affection was not something she was used to.
What that meant he didn't understand but he could feel it deep within his gut.
"Is she staying?" Eugenie asked quietly. "Are they both staying?"
"Hope so." Charlie said grinning. "He seems like fun"
John did grin at that. He'd learnt more swear words in the past ten minutes than he had done in the last five years.
Their mother shot them both a look.
George was almost giddy.
Rosemary had known George for most of her life she knew it.
Carefully he had offered to drive the boy to Bert's so he could call the hotel where the rest of them (because they had not come together apparently they had come in a pack of survivors all of them off the ship together—what that was going to mean for supper Rosemary didn't know) and just as carefully the boy had offered to go only if George could get them there and back in about ten minutes. Rosemary had sighed at that because her husband despite his best efforts was not a young man and should not go speeding down the hills in that ratty old truck as if he was in his twenties—which incidentally was when they had bought the damn thing.
So that had left her with the granddaughter that up until half an hour ago she had not known was alive.
Wonderful.
She had gotten the story out of the boy who had been clipped and short his eyes on the girl in a way that was quite frankly indecent for polite company—she was still waiting for proof of a wedding ring and then she had poured them both a cup of coffee.
"You know" the girl said once her fingers tapping against the chipped mug. "I never thought I'd like coffee…and yet since coming here I've loved it more than tea"
Rosemary smiled. "Well that's the side of your father in you coming out" she said sitting down so that they were opposite each other. "One thing you must know about my son—he does not function without at least three cups in him before lunchtime"
The girl…no…Isabella smiled once and then she wiped her eyes under her fingers.
"I…I didn't come here to make trouble" she said finally. "I didn't…really…I just…I thought that he needed to know I was alive…I can…go I mean…"
"Oh please" Rosemary said with an eyeroll (though what she really wanted to do was hug the poor thing) "You can stay here. This family's dealt with worse from Bruce Ismay before"
"You mean…after…after he came back from England?"
"Yes"
She nodded and it was clear that she wanted to speak but Rosemary shook her head once. She didn't want to talk about that nightmare month when her son had come home from England a broken man. He had been unable to speak for the first three days terrifying her out of her wits and then the story had come out in bits and pieces and then the tears…oh the tears. As a mother it had ripped her heart into pieces. There had been nothing that she could do. Oh she had wanted to do plenty. She had told her son not to do anything stupid and what had he done? Gone and impregnated a rich woman! But the loss of the woman, the loss of a grandchild had sent her to Church her own heart breaking for the loss. She had watched her son break into pieces and then slowly over time rebuild his life. Livy, the children. She had never forgotten about the unnamed baby that might have been her first grandchild but…but it had lessoned over time. Her boy had never been the same again. He had rebuilt his life but he had never been the same boy he had been before England.
And now this.
Looking at her was a mirror to the woman that her son had fallen in love with.
Looking at the boy was the same. They clearly adored each other but Rosemary was an old hand at this.
No wedding rings.
Yes that was going to have to be addressed soon enough.
Gently though she reached out and took the thin hand in her own. The girl's eyes shot up as if she was surprised at such contact and Rosemary who recognised a touch-starved child when she saw one, who recognised a love-starved child when she saw one suddenly felt the strongest urge to hug the girl until she realised what a loving family was.
"You're doing fine" was all she said. Time was needed. Time was always needed in these cases. She would know. She'd been a touch-starved, love-starved child herself and she had made damn sure her son and her grandchildren had never experienced that. She'd just have to make sure this one learnt that love, her love, this family's love was unconditional.
And that was an easy thing to do.
"I don't—"
"My name is Rosemary…I expect it is too much to get you to call me Grandma which is what the other children do. But whenever your ready you can do that. And at some point dear we need to talk about that boy of yours. Because I don't see a ring and I can see the way he looks at you."
She blushed then furiously proving Rosemary right.
Yes.
The sound of tires screeched on the path and she sighed.
"That was fast" Isabella commented turning around and looking at the screen door.
"Yes" Rosemary said dryly. "Your grandfather is like that"
The boy came in shaking his head.
"Damn" he swore looking at her husband with something akin to awe (Oh God just what she needed!)
"You can drive Sir"
"Damn right I can drive" George said grinning and ignoring her hiss at the swearing. "I learnt how to drive my boy when the first cars came out and—"
"George"
"Rosemary shush—"
"Pa"
Isabella stiffened. The boy went straight to her side is hand curling around her shoulder.
"Jack is content to wait another night, they've got enough for the room" he said ignoring her son and her grandchildren who were all crowding around the house all staring at the two of them as if they were the most fascinating creatures that they had ever seen.
"Whose this?"
"Eh…we came over with friends"
"Are they coming to supper?"
"Eh…I didn't ask"
"No but you can go back and ask them to come tomorrow"
The boy blinked at her.
"Okay" he said drawling out the word and with his accent it was barely illegible.
"But are we staying another night or—"
"Please do" Teddy said softly. The girl shot him a look through the mass of dark hair and then she turned a little. Clearly she didn't know what to do poor little mite.
"Alright then" she said turning to her grandchildren. "If you all want feeding before midnight you're going to have to help with supper—boy if the Good Lord designed people to smoke in house's he'd put a chimney on their head. Go outside if you're going to do that"
To her greatest amusement the boy put the cigarette away.
Teddy breathed a sigh of relief.
Well…Rosemary thought…it was a start.
"So you were on the Titanic?"
It was the first thing that Rosalie had asked…well Isabella was sure her name was Rosalie. She had been watching Isabella intently for several minutes.
"Yes" Isabella said forcing herself to take a bite of chicken though her stomach rebelled a little. It was nerves she was sure, nerves or adrenaline or whatever it was that she was feeling right now after this world wind of a day.
"That's where you met? And you ran away together? Like your Momma and Daddy?"
"Rosalie"
"What I'm asking?"
"Yes" she said deciding to speak. Under the table Tommy found her hand.
"What was it like?"
"What?"
"The ship" the girl elaborated. "I heard it was the Ship of Dreams"
"It was" she said shortly and then unbidden the memory came back to her, the smell of paint, the feel of the fresh sheets, the hot water that came out of the tap, the steam in the harem room, the men in their white jackets endlessly streaming in. The bands both below the deck and in first class and Tommy, his hands on her hips, his body pressing into hers and the feel of their lovemaking burning into her skin.
"Was it…was it all gold?"
"Some of it was"
"I heard" this was the eldest son pointing his knife at her his bread roll in his hand. "I heard that even the steerage was like first class"
"Yes" Tommy said with a wink. "Far fewer rats"
"And…and they had a library with all first editions"
"I do not know about that" Isabella said looking at him with curiosity. "But they had swimming pool"
"How does that work I mean—with all that water how—"
She gave a small shrug. "They didn't usually let ladies down there" she said honestly. "And my Uncle would never let me understand the details of it. Said it wasn't woman's business to know such things"
"Creep"
"Eugenie"
But Isabella laughed around the piece of chicken in her throat and then she was choking a little and then she felt the chicken come back up. She scrambled back off the bench and she ducked outside barely making it until she threw up.
Again.
Wonderful first impression she was making here.
"I don't…I'm sorry" Tommy said turning around. "She's been like this since the ship, I think it's the stress"
"Are you married?"
"Ma!"
"Hush Theo, boy are you married and your rings went down with the ship?"
Tommy paused.
Oh he had a feeling this was about to be an awkward conversation.
"No Ma'am" he said deciding that he might as well try honesty for this conversation.
The woman sighed.
"I did ask her to marry me though" he said for some reason feeling the urge to defend his life choices to her. "And she did say yes"
"Yes" the woman said dryly. "We should get a move on that wedding soon as, don't you agree Livy?"
"Oh yes"
"I don't…what's going on?"
The older woman waved a hand as Isabella wiping her mouth came back in.
"Tomorrow's problem son. Right now I think we've all had enough shocks for one day"
Tommy opened his mouth and then closed it. He supposed she was right.
Isabella took his hand again and he gripped it back.
He didn't think there was ever an instance where he would let go and so looking at her for that second, he missed the look shared by the two woman sat at the table, who both knew exactly what was wrong with Isabella Ismay and what was going to happen next when everyone else eventually figured it out.
And there you go, I hope you enjoy. I will give you the next one as soon as I can.
Next Chapter-Isabella and Olivia share a moment as the older woman gently breaks just what is wrong with the younger one. Tommy goes to see Jack and comes back to the surprise of his life.
