Philadelphia, January 1931.
"Nathan Hockley-what on earth are you thinking? I asked you to make sure you did the packing today so we'd be ready to leave first thing in the morning." Melanie cried, as she stepped into the nursery. Eliza, who was in the dining room adjoining cleaning up, poked her head into the other room. Nathan was sitting amidst toys and clothes, and Melanie was standing over him glaring.
"I don't wanna' go!" Nathan pouted. "I wanna' stay here with Daddy."
Melanie bit her lip, and then knelt down beside her son. "Oh baby, I don't want to leave Daddy either, but trust me-this is the best thing to do. And Daddy will come over to England soon enough trust me." She didn't sound entirely confident here, but her son seemed to believe her.
"What about Eliza then?" Nathan sniffed. "I want Eliza to come over with us."
Melanie sighed. "Nathan honey you know Eliza's not really part of the family, and we simply can't afford to take her with us. She'll be fine."
Eliza quickly withdrew her head to continue her cleaning. The atmosphere in the house the last month had been awful. Cal clearly didn't want his wife and children to go, but Melanie was insistent-for the children she kept repeating. Evelyn was young enough to see it all as a big adventure, but Nathan however, wasn't so sure. On more than one occasion he'd said to Eliza that he was sure his Daddy would change his mind and not let them go. As it got closer to the time to leave his hopes were diminishing. Eliza hadn't really seen Cal much. When he was home he was mostly in his study either with friends drinking, or drinking alone. As for Eliza she was worried about what would happen to her, but she knew if the worst came to the worst and she was left alone eventually she'd be able to get a job as governess, or failing that a maid or housekeeper.
"Eliza?" Melanie called, and Eliza sighed, and rubbed her back as she went out into the other room.
"Can you make sure that Nathan packs his things? He's being a brat about it." Melanie said, giving her son an exasperated look.
"He's scared." Eliza replied before she could help herself, and then she wished she could take the words back.
"Scared?" Melanie repeated. "What makes you say that?" Her tone was cold, and Eliza knew she might have overstepped the mark a little.
"He's just scared about the whole thing. He's seen and heard a lot about this depression, and he doesn't know what's going to happen to him and his family." Eliza explained.
"Has he told you this?" Melanie demanded.
"Yes." Eliza said. "He and Evelyn both have questions about things they see or hear."
"And you answer them?" Melanie asked, her eyes narrowing.
"As best as I can." Eliza replied a little confused as to where this was going.
"Perhaps it would have been better had you sent them to me to ask their questions." Melanie said. "Sometimes Eliza I get the impression that you think you're actually part of this family."
Eliza felt her face redden, but she'd grown up a lot in the last few years, and at nearly twenty-five she didn't like being treated like a child. "With all due respect Melanie your children came to me instead of you because they didn't think you'd tell them the truth. And if we're being completely honest here you're not exactly the sort of person who would encourage a child's questions." She snapped.
Melanie's eyes widened now and her lips thinned. "That's quite enough rudeness for one day." She said coldly. "It's just a pity you chose now to be so rude because I am sure that Cal will be joining us as soon as possible and you'll be left out on the streets where you should have been a long time ago. I have been more than kind in letting an orphan live in my home with my family-"
"-Your home?" Eliza asked. "It's Cal's home!"
"More than kind!" Melanie repeated. "And this is how you repay my kindness?"
"Kindness?" Eliza repeated. "Granted you've never been excessively mean or rude to me, but you've treated me as a servant and let me do your dirty work-"
"-And if Cal hadn't taken you in do you think you'd be any better off?" Melanie interrupted. "If I'd insisted he make you leave, do you think you'd be any better off?"
Eliza didn't reply. She felt bad about the confrontation, but in all honesty maybe it had been building up to this after the market crash the other year and the chores that Melanie had been making her do.
"You know I actually thought it was funny that Cal was blackmailed into keeping you, but when I realised he actually began to think of you as part of the family I thought it was a little strange. I know society think it strange you're still here all the while praising the charity of the Hockley's mind you, but I wonder what they'd say if they knew the truth- that the charity act was more of a blackmail act!" Melanie said, half to herself.
Eliza felt her lips dry up. "Blackmail?" She repeated.
"That's right. Cal didn't want you to know, but after your attitude today I want you to realise that Cal is not doing this because he cares about you or anything-even though perhaps he has gone over the call of duty if you ask me, and probably the government-but he is doing this because he was told he had no choice." Melanie said. "When Cal saw you crying on the deck of the Titanic he decided that you could be his ticket to survival. He picked you up, and he took you over to the crew member who was loading the lifeboat, and he said to him that he was all you had in the world, and he got on that boat, and you both survived. Back in New York the government were getting lots of different information on events that night and they were about to begin an enquiry into it-a huge affair it was. It was in all the papers, and the final report was enormous. Anyway basically it was said that Cal's actions aboard the ship-including snatching you-would be overlooked in the whole enquiry as long as he took you in. And since the enquiry was going to be such an important thing there was no way Cal wanted society to know what he'd done. Including the fact that he framed a young third class man for robbery in order to have him locked up in a sinking ship. Including the fact that he was responsible for the death of Rose. Including the fact that he refused to let drowning, freezing people onto the lifeboat. Including the fact that-"
"I don't want to hear anymore!" Eliza screamed. "You're lying!"
"Am I?" Melanie asked with a slight smile. "I don't think so. Over the years Cal's told me these things. I guess they've been on his mind and he wanted to make peace?"
"And Rose isn't dead." Eliza said, wanting to wipe the smile off the woman's face.
"I'm sorry?" now it was Melanie's turn to look shocked.
"I found Cal once crying over an advertisement for a play she was appearing in." Eliza said. "And if you go and look in his top draw in the study you'll find many other articles and clippings about the stunning Rose Calvert or Rose Dawson as she used to call herself."
Melanie was looking pale, but she still managed to speak "Ha! Spying on my husband! Wait until he hears this-he's bound to throw you out on the street where you've proven today that you belong. I suppose I could expect no less from someone of your...class.."
"I didn't find them. Your precious Mr. Johnson did. He found Cal drunk in his study, and he had a photo of Rose in his hand, and the draw was open. He mentioned it to me because he wanted to know if I knew who the woman was, and why Cal would be acting like he was. I told him I had no idea mind you." Eliza replied.
Melanie stared at her for a moment, and then turned to walk out, but stopped to say one last thing "I hope you enjoy your life in the streets. Because I'm sure that soon enough my husband will realise that he misses the children and me too much and will come over to England to join us. In fact, I predict that within a month he'll be sailing over, and you'll be alone. And who knows what will happen to you then?"
After Melanie left the room Eliza dropped her head into her hands. What on earth had gotten into her arguing with Melanie like that? More than likely Melanie would be now filling Cal's ears with how rude and ungrateful Eliza was, and telling him that he must get rid of her. Although she would be leaving for England in the morning, and wouldn't know if she stayed on. But then Eliza thought about what Melanie had told her about Cal? If it were true, then she must leave as soon as possible!
"Nathan Hockley-what on earth are you thinking? I asked you to make sure you did the packing today so we'd be ready to leave first thing in the morning." Melanie cried, as she stepped into the nursery. Eliza, who was in the dining room adjoining cleaning up, poked her head into the other room. Nathan was sitting amidst toys and clothes, and Melanie was standing over him glaring.
"I don't wanna' go!" Nathan pouted. "I wanna' stay here with Daddy."
Melanie bit her lip, and then knelt down beside her son. "Oh baby, I don't want to leave Daddy either, but trust me-this is the best thing to do. And Daddy will come over to England soon enough trust me." She didn't sound entirely confident here, but her son seemed to believe her.
"What about Eliza then?" Nathan sniffed. "I want Eliza to come over with us."
Melanie sighed. "Nathan honey you know Eliza's not really part of the family, and we simply can't afford to take her with us. She'll be fine."
Eliza quickly withdrew her head to continue her cleaning. The atmosphere in the house the last month had been awful. Cal clearly didn't want his wife and children to go, but Melanie was insistent-for the children she kept repeating. Evelyn was young enough to see it all as a big adventure, but Nathan however, wasn't so sure. On more than one occasion he'd said to Eliza that he was sure his Daddy would change his mind and not let them go. As it got closer to the time to leave his hopes were diminishing. Eliza hadn't really seen Cal much. When he was home he was mostly in his study either with friends drinking, or drinking alone. As for Eliza she was worried about what would happen to her, but she knew if the worst came to the worst and she was left alone eventually she'd be able to get a job as governess, or failing that a maid or housekeeper.
"Eliza?" Melanie called, and Eliza sighed, and rubbed her back as she went out into the other room.
"Can you make sure that Nathan packs his things? He's being a brat about it." Melanie said, giving her son an exasperated look.
"He's scared." Eliza replied before she could help herself, and then she wished she could take the words back.
"Scared?" Melanie repeated. "What makes you say that?" Her tone was cold, and Eliza knew she might have overstepped the mark a little.
"He's just scared about the whole thing. He's seen and heard a lot about this depression, and he doesn't know what's going to happen to him and his family." Eliza explained.
"Has he told you this?" Melanie demanded.
"Yes." Eliza said. "He and Evelyn both have questions about things they see or hear."
"And you answer them?" Melanie asked, her eyes narrowing.
"As best as I can." Eliza replied a little confused as to where this was going.
"Perhaps it would have been better had you sent them to me to ask their questions." Melanie said. "Sometimes Eliza I get the impression that you think you're actually part of this family."
Eliza felt her face redden, but she'd grown up a lot in the last few years, and at nearly twenty-five she didn't like being treated like a child. "With all due respect Melanie your children came to me instead of you because they didn't think you'd tell them the truth. And if we're being completely honest here you're not exactly the sort of person who would encourage a child's questions." She snapped.
Melanie's eyes widened now and her lips thinned. "That's quite enough rudeness for one day." She said coldly. "It's just a pity you chose now to be so rude because I am sure that Cal will be joining us as soon as possible and you'll be left out on the streets where you should have been a long time ago. I have been more than kind in letting an orphan live in my home with my family-"
"-Your home?" Eliza asked. "It's Cal's home!"
"More than kind!" Melanie repeated. "And this is how you repay my kindness?"
"Kindness?" Eliza repeated. "Granted you've never been excessively mean or rude to me, but you've treated me as a servant and let me do your dirty work-"
"-And if Cal hadn't taken you in do you think you'd be any better off?" Melanie interrupted. "If I'd insisted he make you leave, do you think you'd be any better off?"
Eliza didn't reply. She felt bad about the confrontation, but in all honesty maybe it had been building up to this after the market crash the other year and the chores that Melanie had been making her do.
"You know I actually thought it was funny that Cal was blackmailed into keeping you, but when I realised he actually began to think of you as part of the family I thought it was a little strange. I know society think it strange you're still here all the while praising the charity of the Hockley's mind you, but I wonder what they'd say if they knew the truth- that the charity act was more of a blackmail act!" Melanie said, half to herself.
Eliza felt her lips dry up. "Blackmail?" She repeated.
"That's right. Cal didn't want you to know, but after your attitude today I want you to realise that Cal is not doing this because he cares about you or anything-even though perhaps he has gone over the call of duty if you ask me, and probably the government-but he is doing this because he was told he had no choice." Melanie said. "When Cal saw you crying on the deck of the Titanic he decided that you could be his ticket to survival. He picked you up, and he took you over to the crew member who was loading the lifeboat, and he said to him that he was all you had in the world, and he got on that boat, and you both survived. Back in New York the government were getting lots of different information on events that night and they were about to begin an enquiry into it-a huge affair it was. It was in all the papers, and the final report was enormous. Anyway basically it was said that Cal's actions aboard the ship-including snatching you-would be overlooked in the whole enquiry as long as he took you in. And since the enquiry was going to be such an important thing there was no way Cal wanted society to know what he'd done. Including the fact that he framed a young third class man for robbery in order to have him locked up in a sinking ship. Including the fact that he was responsible for the death of Rose. Including the fact that he refused to let drowning, freezing people onto the lifeboat. Including the fact that-"
"I don't want to hear anymore!" Eliza screamed. "You're lying!"
"Am I?" Melanie asked with a slight smile. "I don't think so. Over the years Cal's told me these things. I guess they've been on his mind and he wanted to make peace?"
"And Rose isn't dead." Eliza said, wanting to wipe the smile off the woman's face.
"I'm sorry?" now it was Melanie's turn to look shocked.
"I found Cal once crying over an advertisement for a play she was appearing in." Eliza said. "And if you go and look in his top draw in the study you'll find many other articles and clippings about the stunning Rose Calvert or Rose Dawson as she used to call herself."
Melanie was looking pale, but she still managed to speak "Ha! Spying on my husband! Wait until he hears this-he's bound to throw you out on the street where you've proven today that you belong. I suppose I could expect no less from someone of your...class.."
"I didn't find them. Your precious Mr. Johnson did. He found Cal drunk in his study, and he had a photo of Rose in his hand, and the draw was open. He mentioned it to me because he wanted to know if I knew who the woman was, and why Cal would be acting like he was. I told him I had no idea mind you." Eliza replied.
Melanie stared at her for a moment, and then turned to walk out, but stopped to say one last thing "I hope you enjoy your life in the streets. Because I'm sure that soon enough my husband will realise that he misses the children and me too much and will come over to England to join us. In fact, I predict that within a month he'll be sailing over, and you'll be alone. And who knows what will happen to you then?"
After Melanie left the room Eliza dropped her head into her hands. What on earth had gotten into her arguing with Melanie like that? More than likely Melanie would be now filling Cal's ears with how rude and ungrateful Eliza was, and telling him that he must get rid of her. Although she would be leaving for England in the morning, and wouldn't know if she stayed on. But then Eliza thought about what Melanie had told her about Cal? If it were true, then she must leave as soon as possible!