Rose sighed forlornly as she heard the sound of the bell that announced the hour. The night was drawing to an end. She couldn't help but dread it. For the first time, she had enjoyed herself at a gala. She had spent the entire time with Jack and it had been...amazing! At that moment, they were holding hands. Jack lead her outside, over to the bench where they had sat at the start of the evening. This time he sat next to her, keeping their hands connected. It was obvious that he didn't want to let her go.
"For the first time, I actually enjoyed one of these things," Jack smiled, his eyes staring into hers.
"I agree. I usually find galas and balls so boring. In Philadelphia, it's the same mindless people and the same mindless chatter. But it's different here...with you," Rose admitted.
"I'm not mindless and boring?"
Rose chuckled. "No, you're not. But sadly, my mother likes mindless and boring and it's going to take a lot more than a fun gala to get her to let go of Caledon Hockley."
"Well then we'll give her more," Jack winked as Emilie approached the couple, a bright smile on her face. She had spent the evening watching the couple and was convinced that Jack and Rose belonged together. Rose seemed to fit Jack perfectly. Not only was she beautiful, but matched his personality perfectly. She would fit right in here.
"Well, I think this was a successful evening," Emilie smiled, clasping her hands together. "Rose's mother couldn't take her eyes off of you. I think Mr. Hockley may have some competition now."
"I wish it was that simple," Rose sighed, resisting the urge to get her hopes up. She did prefer Jack over Cal, but the same couldn't be said about her mother and that was the one they'd have to overcome. "Mother needs more than just a night of dancing."
"Well then we'll give her more. What do you do during the summer months, Rose? Surely you can't stay in Philadelphia the whole time."
"Emilie," Jack nearly growled in warning, knowing Rose's situation
"Well, ever since father's death, we've pretty much have been stationary. But I suppose this year will be different now that Cal is in our lives..."
"Ugh, that man again. What if you have other plans? Say, like joining us on our family trip to Coney Island? We have a summer home there and it's gorgeous! There's plenty of room...not to mention that Jack will be there, all alone and bored. It'd be grand if he had the presence of a certain redhead to keep him company."
"Not to mention that the trip will give me a chance to really convince your mother that I'm the right choice, not Hockley," Jack nodded, liking the idea. His cousin was indeed a genius.
Rose wanted to say yes. She would love nothing more than to spend the summer with Jack and Emilie. To enjoy being herself with no worries about posessive fiancees and overbearing mothers, but she didn't dare get her hopes up. Her mother may deem it inappropriate, or insist that Cal accompany them, which would not do at all. She chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully, measuring the odds of her mother accepting the offer with no strings attached.
"Rose, what do you have to lose just by asking? It will be Emilie presenting the idea, so I don't see any objections," Jack gave her hand a reassuring squeezing, spotting the uncertainty in her features.
"I just don't want to get my hopes up. I've done that so many times," Rose sighed.
Emilie nodded, taking the seat on Rose's other side. "That is understandable. I'd be reluctant as well. But just let me present the option to her, in front of my Aunt and Uncle. She'll have a hard time saying no if it's in front of them. I know people like her. They always like to be agreeable in front of their peers."
Rose looked at both Emilie and Jack, considering the offer. It would certainly be an ideal way to spend the possibly last summer she'll have as a single woman with them. But would her mother really allow it? There was only one way to find out. Slowly, she nodded in agreement.
"Okay. We'll give it a try. The worse she can say is no. But what if it is a no? What then?"
"I'll think of something. Even if it's traveling back to Philadelphia to court you personally myself. One way or another, I'm not going to let Hockley win," Jack looked into her eyes, determination clear in them. He was going to fight for Rose. He was going to free her from the gilded cage that her mother had her locked in. He'll play their games for now, the polite games that high society demanded. But he also was willing to fight dirty if he had to.
Rose just nodded her head, afraid to say anything, afraid that if she did, it would disturb the luck that seemed to be holding right now. Jack was so sure that he could stop this wedding to Cal. He was so sure that her mother would see that he was the best one for her, not Caledon Hockley. She of course had no such faith in her mother. She had seen up close and personal how deeply her mother was under that man's spell.
"Everyone's leaving. It's best we go present my idea now, while Uncle Ralph and Aunt Irene are front and center," Emilie grabbed Rose's hand as she got up to stand. "Jack, you stay silent. Let me do all the talking."
"Of course," Jack just rolled his eyes, willing to let his cousin take charge. So far her plan has been a success. Rose and her mother now knew the truth and even though Rose had been angry at first, she was coming around. Cautiously, but surely.
Ruth felt relief as she saw her daughter coming back indoors in the company of Emilie Dawson with Jack Dawson trailing behind them. She wondered what was going on. To her surprise, Rose had spent the entire evening with the young Dawson heir. She didn't know what was going on between the two. Was there a romantic interest there? Or was the young man just a friendly face among a sea of strangers to cling to? Rose knew Emilie, but obviously not well. Ruth didn't know what to make of it.
"Rose, there you are. It is time we head back to our hotel. We have the early train tomorrow. It would be best not to oversleep and miss it," Ruth admonished her daughter.
Emilie seamlessly slipped an arm through Ruth's and lead the two women over to where her Aunt and Uncle stood, saying goodbye to their guests. She began talking once she reached them. "Mrs. Dewitt Bukater, I was just telling Rose about the family summer vacation to Coney Island. It would be so lovely if she should join us this summer. It is lonely being the only girl and Jack seems to be very fond of her as well. Of course, you are welcomed to join us as well. Please say yes. Tonight must not be the last we see of Rose. There is plenty of room and we'd love to have her be our guests. Right Aunt Irene and Uncle Ralph?" Emilie looked at the Dawson patriarch, who looked a bit surprised, but his smile was warm and welcoming. It hadn't escaped his notice how his son seemed to be entranced by the young red head beauty.
"Of course. We would love to have the both of you join us at our summer home, that is if you'd like to join us. Irene and I are always eager to make new friends and our children do seem to get along well. It also does get lonesome for both Emilie and Jackson at times. Rose would be a good influence. Especially on Jackson, here."
Ruth was at a loss for words. When she had came here, she had pictured it as her one and only chance to rub elbows with the Boston elite. To meet and talk with people of higher station than her own...higher than even the Hockleys! She had not even hoped for a return visit, much less an invitation to spend the summer with the family. It was an offer that was too good to be true! One that she couldn't refuse! But could she really accept? After all, Rose was to be engaged to Cal. She had made a commitment to the Hockley's! Rose was to marry their son and they were to pay off the debts that her husband had left them.
But the Dawsons were far more wealthier...and their reputation...there was none of the scandals that haunted the Hockleys! Jackson Dawson seemed to be very fond of Rose and Rose seemed to find his presence more pleasing than Cal's! A match between them would be perfect, more than Ruth could ever dream of! But was it appropriate? How would she handle the Hockleys? Goodness, why couldn't the Dawsons have approach her before the Hockleys? Why now, when everything was almost finalized?
"We do appreciate the offer," Ruth carefully replied, not wanting to refuse, but not ready to accept. She had to think the situation through some more. She had to make the right choice. This was their salvation she was gambling with here. One wrong move and everything could be lost. "But there are some obligations back home that may need to be met. May I get back with you within a week or two?"
"Of course. There is plenty of time before we finalize our plans," Ralph Dawson nodded, noticing how tense both Jack and Rose seemed to be. There was something there between the two of them. He hoped that for his son's sake, this match was a wise one.
"I will be in touch," Ruth smiled graciously, before turning to her daughter. "We must be going now, Rose."
Rose turned to Jack and Emilie, trying to keep her smile gracious, yet reserved. She didn't want her mother to see how badly she wanted to spend the summer with Jack and his family. She was sure that her mother would refuse if she did know. Her mother seemed to make it her job to make Rose miserable.
"Thank you for inviting me to the gala. I had a wonderful time."
Jack took her hand and kissed the back of it, performing a gentlemanly bow. "The pleasure was all ours."
"I will write to you soon, Rose! We will do a much better job of staying in touch," Emilie smiled.
"I'd love that," Rose smiled, waving goodbye while meeting Jack's gaze one last time. She couldn't help but wonder when she would see him again.
Once they were in the carriage, heading to the hotel room that Ruth had arranged for the evening, Ruth turned to her daughter, a pleased smile on her face.
"Rose, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised to see you behaving yourself for once. Why couldn't you be this well behaved all of the time?"
Rose rolled her eyes and sat back in her seat. "Perhaps it's the company, mother. Emilie and Mr. Dawson are both more interesting than the normal Philadelphia crowd. I don't know how I had lost touch with Emilie, but I am glad that we are reacquainted again. I do hope that you are considering her offer. It would be nice to spend the summer with a girl my own age."
"You talk as if you do not have any friends, Rose. Whatever happened to Louise Edwards?"
"Louise is busy securing her a husband, and she's more of an acquaintance. I seem to have more in common with Emilie Dawson, to be honest mother."
"Well, I am happy that you are becoming friends with the right kind of people. I was thinking that you were a lost cause," Ruth chuckled, then grew more serious. She had a lot to consider when it came to the Dawson's offer. "As for the summer...we'll have to see. We still have the Hockleys to consider. I am sure that Caledon would like to spend some of the summer with his fiancee. Not to mention...I am not at all sure that it would be appropriate with the young Mr. Dawson in attendance."
Rose frowned, wondering where her mother's head was at where Jack was concerned. She was sure that she no longer considered him beneathe them. "Mother...would it be so bad if he was in attendance? I mean...he is obviously not a poor wandering artist like I had first thought him to be. He is from an even more influential family than the Hockley's and...he's kinder to me than Cal. I feel more comfortable with him. I don't have to try so hard to be what you want me to be with him..."
"You seem to be very fond of the Dawson heir," Ruth observed, not sure what to think. Yes, Jackson Dawson was a even more pleasing option than Cal by first glance. But would the Dawson's be willing to pay off her husbands debts like the Hockley's were? Would it even be too forward to hope for such a match? After all, the Dawsons may consider their son to be marrying down, once they found out about their situation.
"I am. We have a lot in common and he's interesting and...he understands me. Not to mention, he doesn't treat me like a child or a decoration. He treats me like a person. That is what I would like in a husband. Not someone who only thinks that I'm a decoration meant to be seen and not heard."
"But that is exactly what we are. To men anyway. It's the way our world works, Rose. You know that."
Rose frowned, her voice thoughtful as she pictured what she saw of Jack's parents. His father seemed to adore and respect his mother. He hadn't treated her like someone there just to look pretty while he made conversation with the guests. "Not for the Dawsons, it seems like."
Ruth just snorted. "They are of a higher station, Rose. Remember that. Some rules do not apply to them. They are a rarity."
"But wouldn't it be nice to be of that station, mother?" It truly didn't matter to her, but she knew that for Ruth, station was everything.
Ruth didn't answer. She dared not to. Of course, it would be nice indeed. She had dreamed of reaching such levels. But she was a realist. Not only were they in a precarious situation, it was unlikely that a family of a station of such high standing would even deem them a suitable match. Reality was Rose marrying Caledon Hockley. A man that they were at least...or used to be, on the same level with. A fantasy was the Dawsons accepting them and lifting her and her daughter up to where they were, despite the debts that her dead husband had left them with.