[A/N. I just thought I should let you know that I am not going to go through every single day of the hearings otherwise things would begin to get a bit tedious. I am including it in this chapter for a reason. Also there is the fact that Ruth is not going to remain in New York much longer.…….]

"Ruth's story."

Ruth entered her hotel room later that night tiredly.

She had spent almost three hours with Madeline who had spent that entire time crying about how she was now a widow at her young age and how she was going to have to bring up a child all alone. At first Ruth had been sympathetic, assuring her that she would have help from the Astors and her friends, but as the night dragged on Ruth began to get annoyed. Why was this woman bemoaning her life when so many people had died? And in the end Ruth had snapped at her "If you want to be miserable nothing I, or anyone else says, is going to stop you, but before you continue on like this think about things. Think about me for example- my daughter died on that godforsaken ship, I have no family apart from an estranged brother back in England, and even worse, I have no money. I don't have the support you'd have, but I'm not sitting and crying am I? I am making the best of a bad situation!" Madeline had stopped crying, purely out of shock, and Ruth had rubbed at her forehead. It wasn't like her to lose control like that. Madeline had bitten her lip. "I know there are people who have fared far worse than I have." She admitted. "I shouldn't be so selfish." "It's all right dear," Ruth had assured her, hoping to make up for her outburst. "Just think about the baby and its health as well as your own. You have people who love and care for you very much."

Ruth sighed and fell onto the nice soft bed yawning. She felt as though she didn't even have the strength to undress. Madeline had reminded her of Rose and what she'd lost. If only she'd been able to get through to Rose, to explain that there were just some things people in their position didn't do, no matter how much they wanted to.

Tears began to fall down Ruth's cheeks. She'd only cried on a few brief occasions since the night the Titanic had gone down, but now she was beginning to realise, especially after the hearings, the enormity of the situation. Her daughter, the only relative she had left was dead. She had no money, no home, nothing. How was she meant to continue?

*****

Ruth felt it the moment she walked into the hotel's dining room the next morning- people were talking about her, and more importantly, Rose. She held her head high and took her seat with the Brown's. Mr. Brown was immersed in the morning's papers, but Molly wasn't. "Vultures, I tell you." She said loudly. "Nothin' to do but feed off other people's pain."

Ruth picked up the pot and poured herself a coffee, noticing as she did so that there was a slight tremor in her hands. "Rose?" She asked simply, and Molly nodded.

"I suppose it was all going to come out eventually." Ruth said. "What are they saying?"

"Just that she chose a steerage man over Cal, and that he was a criminal." Molly said. "But they're suggesting that she chose to die with him, then to live with y'all."

Ruth felt as though she'd been slapped. "Good heavens, don't they realise Rose was a strong willed young woman who would do what she wanted, not what I wanted? Do they think I would have just let her carry on with that filth and say nothing?"

Molly shrugged. "I don't know what they think because I haven't asked them. Don't worry though, it will all settle down in a few days." She assured her friend.

Ruth sighed. "I don't care about that, it's just terrible to think that these people are sitting in here, enjoying a nice meal, and gossiping about someone who is dead. It's just not right."

"I agree with you Ruth darlin', and if anyone asks me I'll tell them damn straight I will." Molly said fiercely.

Mr. Brown poked his head out from the paper now. "Sorry to interrupt you girls, but are you coming to the hearing today Mrs. Dewitt Buckater?" He asked.

"Indeed I am." Ruth said, sitting up straighter in her seat. "Ultimately they are responsible for my daughter's death, no matter what other people may chose to believe, and I demand to see justice."

Mr. Brown looked confused about Ruth's statement, but Molly smiled widely. "Yes…well…" Mr. Brown muttered. "It might not be a very important day- there's only one witness listed here…Harold Bride, the Titanic's junior wireless operator."

"Nonetheless I will be there." Ruth assured him.

*****

"Ruth?" Someone called as Ruth and the Browns were entering the room where the hearings were to be held. "Ruth, is that you?"

Ruth stopped and turned around, and then wished she hadn't. "Mrs. White, how are you?" she asked cordially, but inwardly she was groaning. Mrs. J. White was perhaps the biggest gossip of all the people Ruth knew, and more than likely she was one of the ones who was talking about Rose.

Mrs. White nodded. "I'm fine Ruth, but how about you? I mean it would have been enough to lose Rose on that dratted ship, but knowing the circumstances behind it, well that would make it ten times worse wouldn't it?"

Ruth bit her lip. "I don't know about that Mrs. White. Whichever way I look at it my daughter is not coming back, and that's bad enough." She said.

"Well you're coping well. If it were me in your place I would be so ashamed, I probably wouldn't even come out of my room. If people were talking about my daughter running around with a steerage man, and refusing to get in a lifeboat because she'd rather be with him than with us…..well I don't know what I'd do." Mrs. White said, shaking her head in disgust.

Ruth bit her lip harder. 'Don't do anything you'll regret Ruth, you knew this was all going to come out in the wash eventually, and you knew you were going to have to deal with it. Show your class.' She mentally implored herself.

"Mrs. White." Molly's voice broke into Ruth's thoughts. "Fancy seein' you here, thought it would be a nice show to see people suffering and all did you?"

Mrs. White pulled herself up, and managed to look affronted. "No." She insisted. "As a matter of fact I am a witness on day eleven."

"You are?" Molly asked raising an eyebrow. "And you're going to talk about who wore what when they drowned are you?"

Mrs. White glared at her. "For all your new money your still as common as muck." She spat. "Clearly money can't buy good breeding."

"And clearly it can't buy a heart." Molly replied, not at all fussed about what the other woman had said. "Come on Ruth darlin', let's go take our seats."

So, somewhat meekly, Ruth followed Molly to their seats. "As much as I love to gossip- and don't get me wrong Ruth, I love it- I refuse to gossip about people's misfortunes." Molly told her as they took their seats.

*****

As Mr. Brown had said the only witness that day was young Harold Bride, the junior wireless operator on the Titanic. Unfortunately the senior operator, Mr. Phillips, had not survived. His testimony centered on the fact that Mr. Phillips had believed that another ship, the "Frankfurt", had been closer than the Carpathia had been to the Titanic. He also talked about finding himself in the water and scrambling on to the overturned lifeboat which Mr. Lightoller was on. He did get a reaction, however, when he described the last moments of the Captain, who had dived off the bridge as the ship was beginning her final descent. Ruth blinked back tears as she heard this- Captain Smith had seemed such a lovely man, and it made her think about Rose suffering the same fate.

"Mrs. Dewitt Buckater?" One of the clerks called as Ruth and the Brown's entered the hotel lobby after the hearing was over for the day. "There's a letter here for you."

Ruth took the letter in surprise and opened it as the elevator took them up to their rooms.

Dearest Ruth,

Firstly I must apoligise for not writing you sooner, nor keeping in touch with you. It was petty of me to refuse to speak to you simply because of your marriage and I regret it immensely now. I hope you are still the same person you always were and you will accept my apology with the good grace it was intended.

However the point of this letter was to offer my condolences. I only just heard about Mathew's passing, and I got my lawyer to look into things whereupon I found that both you and Rose had sailed for America aboard the "Titanic." My lawyer also noted that Mathew's death left you with nothing but bad debts and it was assumed that the reason young Rose was marrying into the Hockley family was purely because of the money. If that is wrong please forgive me, however it did seem the only logical conclusion to come to. Not long after hearing about Mathew's death I heard about the disaster with the Titanic. I immediately went up to London to find out as much as I could. It was with relief that I saw your name on the list of survivors, but Rose's name was nowhere to be seen and when the final lists came out she was still not on it.

I can't imagine how you are feeling now Ruth, having lost your husband and your daughter in such a short amount of time. Should you wish to return to England let me know and I will happily pay your return fare. I have discussed things with both your lawyer and my lawyer, and with the small amount of things you were left there is a bit of money there for you to live off, but I am afraid it's not nearly enough for you to live out the rest of your life in the comfort you were used to. That's where I come in Ruth. I will understand if you are too proud to accept my help after having not spoken to me for almost twenty years, but I will help you should you ask for it.

My deepest sympathy,

Your brother,

Albert Dewitt Buckater.

Ruth didn't know what to think when she finished reading the letter- it was a surprise to suddenly hear from Albert out of the blue. But the question was, did she allow him to help her get back to England? Or did she stay in New York broke?