A Daring Escape

Cal Hockley never gave up without of fight, which was why he beat his father to the Long Island House. He marched up the stairs ready to take Rose elsewhere. He had planned to leave the baby because what use could someone else's baby be to him?

He hadn't planned for the fight that Rose was going to put up.

" Sweetpea" Rose heard Cal calling to her

She was scared but she wasn't going to let him intimidate her again. She took off the blanket and tore it in two. She created a sling with one half of the blanket and put the baby in the sling. Then she heard the door open and Cal approach. She leapt out of the closet and Cal grabbed her. She managed to get one arm lose and punched Cal in the nose and then kicked him down and ran out of the room.

She was exhausted, hungry and had no place to go. She thought briefly of stealing Cal's car, but then again she didn't really know how to drive. So, she ran as far as she could from the house and began looking for a place to go. Finding someone to help her was a real problem because there was no one around in the neighborhood except the caretakers this time of year. She walked further along the road until she saw a small, white clapboard house that had lights in the windows. She decided to see if anyone was home. Sure enough, an older woman answered the door.

" Can I help you?" asked the woman

Rose explained her situation to the woman not knowing if she would believe her or not. The woman listened and said that she was going into New York City to visit her daughter who lived in Brooklyn and that she could give Rose and Molly a lift. Rose then asked this kind stranger what her name was. Her name was Augusta Sinclair and it turned out that her husband was the caretaker for the land that they lived on and for the house up the driveway. Augusta gave Rose and Molly some warm soup and then loaned Rose a nightgown. Rose fell into a troubled sleep that night thinking about Jack and Cora and how they must be worried sick about her.

Meanwhile, Ruth, Jack and Nathan searched every room in the Long Island house for Rose. They were just about to give up and starting thinking of other places to look when Jack remembered seeing the door to one of the attic rooms open.

" That is strange, no one ever goes up there except the servants and that's only during the summer months," said Nathan

It was then that they had realized that that was the attic room that Cal had taken Rose to. They found Cal sitting on the floor with a bottle in his hand and they saw that his nose had been bleeding.

" Caledon Hockley, I demand to know where Rose is, this instant!" shouted Nathan

" She flew at me and hit me and then ran off and I haven't seen her since" said Cal

That's my Rose thought Jack happily as he wondered where she had gone now.

Then Cal passed out on the floor, they knew why right away because he had almost finished a bottle of whisky. They left him there and went downstairs to plan out their next step.

" It's too late to go from house to house now, why don't we stay here for the night and start looking tomorrow" said Nathan. Ruth yawned and Jack looked down at his watch only to find out that it was 2 am. Ruth managed to find the linen closet and made the beds and then they all went to sleep.

Augusta woke Rose and Molly at seven the next morning and they set off for the city an hour later. Rose was happy because she was finally going home to Jack and Cora.

Meanwhile, Ruth, Jack and Nathan set off to find Rose. They went from house to house ringing doorbells asking if anyone had seen Rose. Finally, they came to the St. Clair house.

" Have you seen a young red-haired woman carrying a five month old baby" asked Ruth

" Yes, a young woman of that description came by our house at about one in the morning. Her name was Rose, I believe." Said George

" That's the one", is she still here" asked Ruth

" My wife took her home to Brooklyn today" said George

The three of them were overjoyed and thanked George and then drove back to Brooklyn, to Rose and Molly.