After the Carpathia had docked, Cal ushered Rose and Ruth onto the first train heading to Philadelphia. He wanted to get back to normal life as soon as possible. He was tired of being treated as a survivor of some great apocalypse. He wanted to get back to normal. Rose too wanted to get back home as soon as possible. She wanted to get started planning her upcoming wedding and preparing for life as a Hockley wife.
The Dewitt Bukater house stood silent, despite the maid and the cook inside. Ruth was the first through the door, already shedding her gloves.
"Maria! Maria!" Ruth called for the house maid. How she missed Trudy, who was always at her beck and call and saved her voice from having to yell for the house maid all the time. "Maria! Have cook put us on some hot tea please and then please bring it into the setting room! We are all quite exhausted from our harrowing ordeal!"
Rose came in after Ruth along with Cal, who took Rose's coat as she slipped it off her shoulders.
"Tea sounds divine, Ruth," Cal agreed. He was going to stay in Philadelphia for a few more days and make sure that Ruth and Rose were all settled before heading back to Pittsburgh, where his father was waiting. There was a lot to be done at both ends. Rose had to start on planning their wedding, while his mother was throwing an engagement gala next week. They were thinking of postponing it because of the tragedy, but Ruth and his mother Eleanor had decided that after all the loss and deaths, society could use a need to celebrate. So the gala was still on.
"Oh what a horrid journey this has been and all that we had brought in Europe…gone! What a waste," Ruth lamented, taking a seat in one of the straight back chairs in the setting room. She looked around and sighed. "That vase I had purchased in France would have gone wonderfully in this room…"
Cal and Rose looked at each other, neither of them able to believe Ruth. They had just survived a great tragedy. Women have been left widows with children to raise and here Ruth was complaining about the loss of a vase!
"Mother you can order that vase again. There were more important things lost in the sinking besides all the material things we had brought," Rose scolded. Really, she could not wait to be married to Cal and be out of this house and away from her mother.
"Oh, of course. It is too bad that my wedding folder was loss. Now you will have to start from scratch on planning the coming wedding," Ruth sighed as Cal and Rose sat across from her. "I still don't understand what had gotten into the both of you."
"Mother, like Cal said. This is my wedding, not yours. It does not make any sense to let you take control of it. In fact, now would be a good time to start planning, don't you think so darling?" Rose smiled happily at her fiancée, actually looking forward to all of it this time around. She felt like she had been granted a new lease on life and a second chance with Cal and she was going to grab hold of the feeling and not let go. When she thought of all the women that had lost their husbands, lovers, and fiancees in the sinking, she was reminded of how very lucky she actually was.
"I suggest that you start with the guest list, love. May I suggest we start with family," Cal smiled indulgently, taking Rose's hand.
Ruth frowned. "The guest list? Why that's simple. All of Philadelphia society." She wouldn't have it any other way. This was the joining together of two prestigious families. Such an event called for a huge guest list.
Rose again rolled her eyes. "Mother, Cal and I discussed it. We don't want a group of strangers at our wedding. Weddings are a time for family and friends. That's who we want at our wedding. Not all of Philadelphia society."
"Why Rose, both of you are behaving like this is just any old wedding. It is not. This is an opportunity for Cal to make some business connections for his business. To impress future partners and clients…"
"Ruth. I have galas and other parties to do that. This is my wedding. I'm marrying the woman I love. I only want people who mean something to both of us to be there. Besides, all of Philadelphia society would be overkill. It would just show off our wealth and there's nothing more distasteful than that," Cal brushed aside Ruth's concerns.
"Well. What does Nathan say about this? Surely he cannot be too happy with you just tossing out the original guest list."
"In fact, Ruth. Father understands completely. He was completely against inviting everyone in Philadelphia society. In fact, he was planning to have words with you about that."
"You see mother. Everything is working out for the best," Rose brightly smiled, taking some joy at the unhappy look on her mother's face at having control of the wedding taken away from her. Rose had snatched it away, just like her mother had tried to snatch control of her life away from her.
"Where is that tea?" Ruth got to her feet, more annoyed at the changes to the guest list than at the maid. She stormed off towards the kitchen, meaning to check on what was taking so long. "Maria! Maria, we want tea now, not next month!"
"Ruth is not happy," Cal looked at Rose, studying her reaction. To him, she looked so much more relaxed and happy, despite the added responsibilities that she had to face now that she was in charge of the planning of their wedding.
"I don't care. Mother has been happy at my expense for far too long. Now it's my turn," Rose cuddled close to him. "I'd like to thank you, for everything. I know it's because of you that she relinquished control without so much fuss."
"You're very welcome, sweet pea. It's like I said. This is your wedding and I am your fiancée and I want you to be just as happy as I am. If there's something that makes you unhappy, it is up to me to fix it, whether it's my own actions or Ruth's. I'm definitely not afraid of that woman."
"Back to the wedding list…who are we inviting? There my cousins on both my mother's and daddy's side…then of course, the girls from finishing school. I'd never hear the end of it if they're not invited…"
Cal chuckled and listened indulgently as Rose rattled off the names of people that they should invite. He couldn't help but be amused. By time she was finished, they will certainly have all of Philadelphia society at their wedding. "Let's not forget about our parents dear."
Rose looked at him with a frown and then laughed when she saw the sparkle in his eyes. "Oh of course not. Even mother is invited."
"Enough about the wedding. Let's talk honeymoon. Where do you want to go?" Cal asked. He had given it some thought during their travel back to Philadelphia. They were going to be expected to have an extravagant honeymoon after the wedding. Normally, first class newlyweds would do something overseas. But that would mean sailing on a ship and he doubted that either of them would be willing to take the chance after the horrific experience of Titanic.
"Well…anywhere that we don't have to sail. We can go to California. It's warm there and Jack Dawson made Santa Monica sound like a dream," She leaned closer and whispered in his ear, her voice teasing. "You can teach me to ride a horse like a man."
"Scandalous! What would your mother say?" Cal chuckled, indeed enjoying just the mental image of Rose wearing men's pants, straddling a horse as they rode in the surf. He liked the image very much indeed.
"She'd be horrified of course," Rose giggled. "Which makes it even more appealing."
"Okay…Santa Monica it is. In fact, let's tour the entire state of California. Treat it as if it's Europe."
"I like the sound of that," Rose wrapped her arms around his neck. "I like the sound of all of it."
"Good. I aim to please."
Rose smile was happy and relaxed. It was hard to believe that just a few days ago, she had wanted nothing more than for her engagement to Cal to end. She hadn't wanted to live her life with him much less spend a honeymoon in California in his arms. But now she could think of nothing better. Cal had become so much more to her than a fiancée. He was her friend, her lover, and her confidante.
"I love you, darling. I can't wait until we say our vows and I can leave this house and my mother for good," Rose sighed, snuggling against him.
"Neither can I Sweet Pea. Neither can I."