9. A Face

Rose wandered the Court looking for two things. She had devised a plan in her head to put her life back together. Firstly, she needed a Lawyer who would kindly divorce herself and Henry and she had to choose one carefully as women were not allowed to ask for a divorce even though they were given the vote in three years ago in 1918.

Secondly, Rose wanted Jack. Between their meeting in December and April they have only each other in the company of others to whom they could not reveal their past together. Two weeks after their meeting the Calverts had visited the Dawsons and vice versa last month. In February they attended another party together for Imogen's 26th birthday. That was before she became a murderer. Her love for him never really faded. But he wasn't anywhere on the planet as far as she knew. Now that he was here, back in her life, she had no doubt it was destiny that they be together.

Rose knocked on an office door that was nameless, whereas others had the name of the lawyer she would be addressing. Perhaps it was a general office and she would be given the choice of Lawyers by studying their face and who looked the most generous to grant a woman a divorce.

She knocked on the door and a plain faced woman with sandy coloured hair answered. "Hello, may I help you, Mam?" She asked.

"I'd like to speak to a lawyer, if I may?" Rose asked.

"We've only got one it at the moment. Most are at the murder trial of Imogen Carraway, the Broadway star." She announced, looking for some gossip.

Rose however, just nodded, not wishing to gossip about her former best friend. The woman wandered off to fetch the lawyer and brought him back to speak to Rose.

"This is Matthew Bukater, he's a great lawyer." The woman introduced him then left.

Rose stopped, stood there, frozen. She couldn't believe it. She wouldn't believe it. He was supposed to he dead. The man she loved so much and admired her whole life. Who she grieved tremendously after his death in a car accident. But here he was. Her father.

"Hello Rosie." He said. "Or do most people call you Rose now?" He asked.

Why do people keep coming back from the dead recently?

"I don't understand. I thought...mother told me you died..." Rose stammered.

"I made a mistake Rose. When I married your mother. But of course I don't regret it, because I got you and I loved you. But I fell in love. With one of our maids. So I left. I'm so sorry. Your mother told me when I left to never come back, told me I could never see you. I'm so sorry. She thought it best to tell you I died. She didn't think you would ever see me. What are you doing in New York?"

"What? What am I doing in New York?! How am I supposed to answer that after you drop this bombshell on me!"

"I know it's a shock but-"

"But what, Father?! You left me! And mother you left us both and didn't even say goodbye!"

"I was in love! You may not understand what it's like to love one individual so much yah you're prepared to leave all your other loved ones behind without a word but-"

"Actually I think I do." After all Rose left everyone, her mother, Cal, to live out her promise to Jack, whom she was planning to run off with anyway. Unbeknownst to Rose at the time was that that was the second time her mother had been rejected by her own family without a word. If Rose could see her again she would be so terribly sorry. She did, in fact, miss her mother a lot. It may not have been a healthy relationship but the two were actually rather close.

"Don't think I've forgiven you for leaving us. But you're still my father, and I'm glad you're back." Rose said without looking him I'm the eye.

"Why my dear!" He wrapped his arms around her and held his little girl again for the first time 12 years, "thank you," he said.

And Rose knew it was fate who had brought her to her father who was desperate to make things up to her. So of course he promised he would grant her a divorce as soon as he could.