Jack and Rose entered the house and stopped in their tracks as they found Irene's sister Karen pushing her bags and coat into Tommy's arms.
"Take my belongings up into my quarters, young man. Honestly, Ralph is way too lenient when it comes to the help. Where is my sister?" the woman began looking around as if she would find her sister somewhere in the room.
"I'm sorry, ma'am but I don't work here," Tommy replied, trying his best to keep his manners intact. This was Jack's home and family and he was a guest. It would do no one any good to lose his Irish temper.
"Pardon me? Of course, you do! Listen to that accent. Irish right? You people will be overrunning this country soon," Karen frowned, taken aback.
"He's a guest," Jack spoke up, taking the bags and coat from Tommy and pushing them back into his aunt's arms. "And what you said about the Irish is offensive. I suggest that you apologize. I will not have you make such a bad impression on my father's house."
"Hm, I see that you've grown to be more like your father," Aunt Karen frowned, folding her arms over her chest. "I would say that it was good to see you back among civilized society, but your manners have gotten even lower. Influence from the lower classes, obviously."
"Tommy's been more polite to you than you actually deserve. I don't know why Uncle Ralph won't ban you from the gala and wedding. He's being far too kind to you," Emilie glared at the older woman.
"Nothing but rudeness, where is my sister?" Aunt Karen huffed, beyond offended. If she had her way, she'd send Jack off to a military school until he learned some manners and as for this girl...well another dose of finishing school would do her good!
"Rose? Are you in here?" Ruth entered in search of her daughter. "What is going on here, I heard loud voices."
Aunt Karen looked Ruth up and down derisively. "So this is the Dewitt Bukater woman that's marrying into the family. Hopefully, it's the mother. Even though that horrid red hair is going to ruin the fair Scandinavian features of the family."
"Pardon me? How dare you!" Ruth gave Jack's aunt her frostiest look
"Not to mention their finances. It's a good thing that the Dawsons are so rich and don't require a proper dowry. Word has it that the Dewitt Bukaters are now penniless thanks to the late patriarch's spending habits. Even though, I bet the mother and daughter didn't help any."
"Why you….you horrible woman…!"
"If it was up to me, your daughter would not be marrying the heir and saddling the family down with debt that's not…"
"That is enough!"
Everything came to a standstill as an angry Rose walked up and inserted herself between her mother and Jack's aunt. Yes, she and her mother didn't get along really, but what she was not going to do was stand there and allow this woman to berate the woman that had given her life and disparage her family as a whole.
"I've watched Jack worry himself to death over how you were going to embarrass him and his family and I thought he was exaggerating. Surely, no one could be as bad as my mother, but oh boy was I wrong! You come barging in here, insulting him, his guests, and his future mother and law and me! You ma'am are a horrible woman!"
"How dare you!" Aunt Karen glared at Rose, unable to believe the audacity of this girl! Did she not realize who she was? "Watch yourself young lady or you will not be marrying my nephew. Such manners are inappropriate for a family of our status…"
"You mean a family of the Dawson's status. You are not a Dawson. You are just the horrible sister of a sweet woman that married into the Dawson family. Your place in this family is just by luck. I am not afraid of you, ma'am. I've faced bigger dragons than you," Rose glared.
"And you have no say in who I do and do not marry," Jack linked hands with Rose. "In fact, I'm going to do the first thing I can do as heir and ban you from both the engagement gala and my wedding! You can stay the night, but in the morning I want you gone!"
"You can't do that! You may be the heir young man, but you are not yet the patriarch! You don't have a say in such things."
"It's my wedding and I say I do! Now you can go see my mother and I'll arrange your passage back to your home myself!"
"What's going on in here?" Ralph entered with Irene right behind him.
"Father, I know you said that she has to be at the gala and wedding, but I cannot abide this awful woman any longer. She came in here, insulting my guests, then she insults my fiancee and her mother! I don't want her at my gala or my wedding! In fact, I want her banned from all Dawson family events!"
"Preposterous!"Aunt Karen gasped in outrage.
"Karen, what did you do?" Irene stared at her sister, horrified by how quickly things had dissolved.
"I had done absolutely nothing, Irene. Really, if this is the way you had raised your son, I am highly disappointed!"
"Now, I know my son and he wouldn't be yelling at you over nothing at all," Ralph walked up behind the indignant woman. "Jack, what went on here?"
"Rose and I were out in the garden when we heard her calling for mother. So we came back to find her ordering Tommy around like he was a part of the staff and then insulting him by saying that you should know better than to hire an Irishman, which is stupid in itself. I know for a fact that the Irish are as hard-working and as loyal as anyone else! Then Rose's mother arrived and she started insulting Ruth and Rose, talking about their red hair and their debt. I like Rose's red hair for your information, Aunt Karen. It suits her and I believe you had just found out why. She would never have told you off if you hadn't been outright rude to her mother for no reason!"
"It seems like my son was right when he asked me to dis-invite you from the gala and wedding. He was right. I should never have invited you at all. In fact, if it weren't for Irene I would have banned you from all family events, but no. I gave you chance upon chance, but no more. I love Irene. I'd do anything for her, even put up with you. But this is my son. His friends and his wedding and I will not stand for you insulting the people he loves and cares about and people connected to them. I will not have you embarrassing not only him but the Dawson name as a whole. Not any longer. So, I am sorry Irene, my love. But your sister is no longer welcome here. Not to this gala, not to this wedding, and not to any other Dawson event. You may visit her, but she is no longer welcome in my home. I want her gone by morning."
"You can't do that!" Aunt Karen screeched, outraged by what had just happened. "I am a part of this family!"
"No, you are a part of Irene's paternal family. You have no blood relation to the Dawsons. It is time for you to realize that. What I said stands. I will not change my mind. I do not want to see you here when the sun raises. In fact, have your dinner in the guest quarters. I will not subject our guests to you any longer."
"Thank you father," Jack grinned, happy that things were finally going his way today.
"This is outrageous! My father will hear about this!"
"I'll telegraph father myself. I will explain everything, including your actions. Really, Karen. I am so disappointed. I had hoped you would have changed by the time Jack's wedding came around. Sadly, I see that you will never change. I doubt I'll have anything else to do with you," Irene sadly sighed. Shaking her head.
"You were always a disgrace, Irene. Always so timid and soft-spoken. How disgusting and lame. You are by far pathetic as pathetic goes. I don't know why you were daddy's favorite," Karen glared.
"You can't talk that way about my mother! You know, forget the guest quarters. Fabri, come with me. We'll be escorting my aunt to the nearest hotel!" Jack had enough. Rose's defense of her mother had infused him with the desire to be through with this woman and Karen tearing down his own beloved mother was the motivation he needed. He looked to his father as if asking permission. Ralph just nodded, allowing his son to take charge. After all, someday he'll be in charge of the house. Might as well start handing over some of the power now.
Fabrizio, who had just entered to hear Ralph yell at the newest arrival just nodded his head and took Karen's bag from her. He was about to offer to help her with her coat, but Jack stopped him.
"No Fabri. Let her put her own coat on. The only thing we're accommodating is travel and board. She's done leeching off the Dawsons," Jack ordered.
"Yes sir," Fabrizio nodded, holding back a chuckle. Just by Jack's tone, he knew that this was an employer-to-employee moment.
"Why I never," Aunt Karen huffed, pulling on her coat and gloves once again. She glared at the Dawsons in the room "You are all ingrates! I will have everyone know of this outrage!"
"Like we care," Jack growled. "I suggest you follow my man now before I decide it'll be a boarding house you stay at instead of a fine hotel! And no talking to my valet! You've embarrassed me and my family enough!"
"Right this way, Mrs," Fabrizio lead the way out to the Dawson car where his own father was waiting.
"I'm going to go with them. I don't trust her to keep her mouth shut," Jack turned to Rose, who simply nodded.
"Don't be long, Jack," Rose smiled, walking and giving him a short kiss. "You were great today."
"Because of you. You were a wall of fire, defending your mother."
Rose blushed and kissed him again before releasing and stepping back. "Hurry back."
Jack winked, nodded to his father, and left to join Fabrizio so they could escort his aunt somewhere that wasn't there.
"Ralph," Irene sighed. "Maybe we shouldn't have…."
"No. Jack's right Irene. That woman is and will continue to be a menace unless we put our foot down. Jack will be the man of the house eventually. It's time for him to have some say. I'd also like to apologize to our guests here and to Rose and her mother. None of you deserved having to be exposed to that woman," Ralph sighed.
"That is quite alright, Ralph. I am sure that all of us have unsavory family members," Ruth gave a forced chuckle, still taken aback by Karen's words.
"Your daughter there is a spitfire if I ever saw one. The lassie defended her ma good. Quite proud you must be," Tommy grinned, having enjoyed the show. He had been ready to be offended, insulted, and ready to leave in a right huff and break off his friendship with Jack because of that woman, but he was glad he hadn't been so rash. He had seen what a strong couple both Jack and Rose was and knew that they were true allies.
"Well...no one talks about my mother that way. No matter how much I may disagree with her about some things," Rose sniffed, turning around and wrapping her arms around her mother. She'll never said it, but it had never been lost on her that no matter what Ruth may or may not have done, a lot of what she did was out of love. It may not be the warm and fuzzy kind, but it was still a mother's love.
"I'll get us some tea to calm all of our nerves," Irene smiled, feeling a little better about the fight with her sister. Things with Karen may be broken, but looking at Rose and her mother, she saw that something had just been mended.