Titanic -The Heart Never Lies HL Griffiths
Betrayal – Chapter Seven
Cal
I raised the glass of champagne to my lips smiling.
"Well Ruth" I said to Roses mother, sitting awkwardly on the chair in my father's parlour. "A toast is in order, I believe; to gaining lost riches!" I laughed and raised my glass up. Ruth Dewitt Bukater blanched, her glass shook in her trembling hands
"Are we doing the right thing Caledon, about Rose?" She asked quietly. I stared at her in amazement. This woman was so weak, like putty in my hands; I could play her like a violin. Ruth with a conscience. Ha the only thing that worked with a socialite like her was the smell of money.
I smiled at her, her eyes were watery. "Now Ruth, we are looking after dear Rose, that gutter rat is gone, he did me a favour, now my precious is back, I can look after her and you, both of you will never want for anything"
A wane faint smile touched Ruth's lips. "Well if you say so" she said. Money talks I thought. Everyone has a price!
Honestly she was such a pawn, I had only got Rose to come with me at gunpoint as I threatened her mother. I honestly hadn't recognised Rose; she looked like a wild creature, hair everywhere, her clothes stained and dishevelled and the hard cold look in her eyes.
But that girl was mine, would always be mine, ever since I set eyes on her on her sixteenth birthday party and I saw her standing there so innocent and beautiful in her virginal white dress looking like a vision! Oh she had been so easy to woo, the father being a gambler and the mother using Rose as a financial pawn, well the old bat handed her over on a plate!
Now the vision was lying safely in bed, asleep behind a locked door. Oh it was so easy. Once we arrived at my father's town house, I had dragged her from the car and took her upstairs to the old nursery and locked her in. Oh she had spirit and had screamed and yelled pounding at the door to let her go.
That gutter rat had certainly unleashed the tiger in her, none of the lady left! But I Caledon Hockley the 2nd would tame the tiger and she would be my high society wife with all the etiquettes that it demanded. She would learn. Like my mother before her
"What happens now Caledon?" Ruth was asking. I took another sip of my champagne. "Ruth, we'll let the wild cat calm down and in due course we'll have the wedding but you'll need to do your part"
"Oh" she exclaimed. "
"Yes my dear Ruth" I drawled, "your role is to coax and remould our Rose into the lady she has forgotten to be. Marry we will or you may find your own lifestyle a little different to what you are accustomed"
Tears welled in her pale passionless eyes, she was so useless, and she had had a life of complete gentility and was no good for nothing, doted on by that old duffer Daniel Dewitt.
"We can accomplish this Ruth for all our futures" I said smoothly… She raised her glass unsteadily, "To ours futures" she whispered.
Everything going my way, I remembered what I said to Jack Jack the Gutter Rat as we forced Rose onto the lifeboat "I win, I always win"
My "Wife" was now lying drugged up in bed, sleeping like baby. A hired nurse caring for her, keeping her quiet. When she woke she would step back into our tomorrows and she had no choice. I would make sure of that.