A/N: Thanks so much Gracii for your reviews. It's great you know that my stories are liked.

On her way back home Ella repeated the options she had inside her head. When she had seen the paper with Rose's name on it her first instant thought had been – run home and tell him.

It was great to know that maybe not everything was lost. However, it was somehow too good to be true. After reconsidering everything for a moment, numerous reasons of why she shouldn't, came to her mind.

What if, it was all a mistake?

Mr. Dawson would be disappointed.

And what if, it wasn't, if she really survived, but something horrible happened to her afterwards?

Mr. Dawson would be even unhappier.

Maybe she had already found someone else and forgotten all about him…yes that was surely the worst…Mr. Dawson would be heartbroken.

All in all Ella found more arguments against it, deciding to hold this information back for a while, albeit feeling queasy.

"Ah, here you are."

Ella looked up seeing none other but Jack standing in front of her.

"I looked for you and wondered where you've been. I was really worried."

His eyes showed how much.

Poor guy, looking so pitiable – he's already lost one dear person and the other one is captured by some evil man – truly I didn't want him to trouble himself about me as well.

"Thanks, but there's no need to…," her voice drifted off.

If she told him now there would no way taking the words back.

Jack seemed to await some answer.

"Your aunt appeared to be upset again," he added. "I think you should've told her about your whereabouts."

I certainly should've, but then I wouldn't have gotten the chance to go.

"Is she at home now?"

"No, she left the house some time ago."

"I see," Ella mumbled walking past him.

Jack wondered what she was thinking about.

Wasn't she asking about her betrothed? Wasn't she interested about where he was spending his days and nights? Their relationship was even more complicated than those of Rose and Cal. So far they didn't seem to have been together for more than a day and spoken only like ten words with each other.

"Is there something bothering you?"

Ella was blow back into reality.

"What…no…everything's alright," she stammered smiling trying to hide her nervousness. "Why do you asked?"

She reminded him of Rose in a way.

'Five hundred invitations have gone out…'

"I thought that maybe your fiancé…that you're nervous, because of the wedding," Jack told her. "I mean I certainly would be edgy too."

Ella understood that the last sentence was more to comfort her. If he had married Rose, he clearly wouldn't have been panicking or hoping for the wedding day to never appear.

'Oh poor girl, I really hope that your relatives are still alive.'

"You haven't seen much of him the past days, right?" he asked mistaking her expression.

That was true, but Ella was in fact happy about it. At least she didn't have to be around him and listen to his endless boring outbursts. Roger was by all means the last person she would've chosen to marry, if she had been allowed to pick by herself.

However, she sensed that if she said anything more now, they would've to start a real discussion and he would ask her more questions and sooner or later they would get to the point to where she needed to tell him everything she had found out today.

Ella decided to end the conversation, before it became to intimate.

She turned her head away, making her way upstairs.

But Jack wasn't about to give up so easily and followed her.

He knows that I'm hiding something.

Damn it.

When they had reached her room, Ella silently opened the door.

"Miss Ella, oh you finally returned. Do you know how worried we were about…?"

It was her governess Grace. How she hated it that she was always scolding her and treating her like a child.

Surely my aunt has told her to do so.

"I'm sorry," Ella hastily whispered to Jack, her hands getting hold of the doorknob.

Before Jack or the governess could react, she had quickly opened the door, gotten inside and locked the door the again from the inner side, leaving Jack and Grace staring after her in wonder and anger…

Grace tried to grab her, but only ever reached the closed door.

"Miss Ella…," Grace was yelling, furious knocking on the door. "Come out this instant!"

There was no reaction from inside.

Grace angrily locked at Jack.

"I've no idea what's wrong with her," he said chuckling with his shoulders.

Frankly he didn't understand anything of it, he only got a feeling that Ella was trying to avoid him.

No, that's…he tried to shake it away.

"Really," he repeated, Grace observing him full of suspicion.

Was it his fault that she had told no one of her whereabouts?

Oh of course it was.

Just like it has been your doing, Dawson, that Rose decided to leave Hockley. And yes sure that the Titanic hit an iceberg was certainly also your responsibility…

Jack smiled, because everything was so ridiculous.

"What's so funny now, Mr. Dawson?" Grace sneered at him.

"Oh...ahem…nothing…I've to go…," he stammered still grinning withdrawing to his own room as fast as he could.

Lettice returned about an hour later, being immediately informed about everything by the governess.

"…and then she has locked herself up in her room and…I could do nothing," she finished her story.

"And Mr. Dawson?"

"He has done the same," Grace explained.

"I see."

Grace felt her anger, thinking it better to leave her alone.

"I'm going to talk some sense into her."

Wrathfully Lettice hammered against the door.

"I want to be alone, Grace," came a voice.

"Ella, it's me, open the door…"

"We need to talk."

A wretched looking Ella appeared at the doorframe.

She was so confused about everything.

"What you care to tell me, where you've been, young lady. I've been worried thick about you."

"You're only angry with me, because you didn't get a chance to follow me and control me like you always…"

Wham – her aunt's blow hit her hard.

"Do you know how concerned I've been?" her voice was a mixture of anger and real apprehension, something that wasn't lost to Ella.

"I'm sorry….really…," Ella silently choked out. "But you can see that nothing happened."

"I've promised your mother, my sister, to take care of you and I'm going to keep that promise," Lettice too was calmer now gently putting a hand up her shoulder. "Just, don't do it again."

Ella nodded realizing for the first time how her aunt was really concerned about her, not just wanting to control her.

How must've Rose's mother felt after her daughter's death? Ella surely never wanted for her aunt to really fear for her.

"I didn't want you to be…"

"It's alright. It's been a long day," Lettice reassured her thinking it better not to ask any further questions for the moment.

She had wanted to tell her about how angry she had been with her, ask her about what she had been thinking, but now she was only happy that Ella was alive and well.

"I guess we'll see each other at dinner then," Lettice added about to turn away. "Try to rest a little bit."

"Will my fiancé be there?"

"I hope so, but he didn't say anything," her aunt said becoming conscious of the fact that she hadn't seen much of him too. "Now go on and lie down," she smiled nervously.

Ella knew instantly what she was thinking about. Roger undoubtedly didn't seem to be very enthusiastic about their marriage.

Roger indeed returned for dinner time.

The only person talking was Lettice, feeling like a solo entertainer and really awkward, while everyone else just quietly ate their meal.

Jack too.

Ella had persuaded her aunt to let him eat with them.

'You know he has been so ill, I really believe he needs company now.'

That was of course only half true. Ella was more worried that Jack might never come out of his shell.

"Wouldn't it be nice, if all of us would spend more time together? I haven't seen much of anyone of you in the past days."

No one answered. They only stared at each other, biting their lips in hesitation.

Lettice sensed that this dinner wouldn't turn out as she had would've want it to.

"You know, Ella, Mr. Lindsay, I believe I've found the perfect church for your wedding…its located down a hill. Ah, I'm so excited; it's going to be so wonderful. Don't you think so, my dear?"

"Well, yes…sure…I can't wait myself," Ella choked out.

"Of course we must not forget the less fortunate ones. There's so many immorality and sadness around us and we all should be happy that we're alive and well."

Everyone could tell that she meant what she said.

They had a feeling that she was hiding something, wanting to speak with them about some certain issue.

"Only today…I…there was another article of this Miss Rose Dewitt Bukater in the newspaper…"

Jack's attention was immediately aroused.

"Who is she?" he asked pretending not to know.

"She was a rich, really lovely girl. The daughter of a good friend of mine…engaged to the steel tycoon Cal Hockley, but then she tragically perished with the Titanic. It fact I'm surprised, Mr. Dawson, that you've never heard of her."

"I don't like reading the society papers."

"But it wasn't…"

Lettice stopped, when she saw Ella staring at her.

"I'm sorry; I didn't want to upset anyone…I only…"

"It's alright," Jack told her getting up. "I'm just tired."

He simply couldn't stand another story of Rose and Cal, or Ruth; he didn't want to hear anything about the Titanic anymore.

Lettice wondered, even more so as Ella got up as well, following him.

"I'll go talk to him…," she explained.

Roger and Lettice looked at each other in wonder.

"Mr. Dawson…," Ella came into his room, surprised that it was open.

"Leave me alone," he growled turning around in the bed so he didn't have to face her.

However, Ella wasn't about to give up so soon.

"Mr. Dawson, get up now," she went over to the bed, shaking him.

Angrily Jack's body shot up.

"I told you to go. There's nothing you could do or say to…"

Ella shook her head.

"You can't mourn her forever. Do you think she would want you to stay miserable and gloomy for the rest of your life?"

"What does it matter to you or anyone else, if I'm happy or sad? Rose is dead and Fabrizio will be as well soon and all because of me."

For a moment Ella thought that now would the perfect time to tell him about her newest insight.

"Now you're being unfair and hypersensitive. No one is going to be helped, if you continue to be acting like a mimosa."

Jack slowly slammed his shoulders. Letting the words sink in.

"I only…," he tried to reason with her.

However Ella was past that.

"I know it's not easy for you, especially, if my aunt is constantly bringing this subject up again and again, but you've to understand that for everyone else the Titanic is the most interesting thing that happened in years to people like her."

"You mean, because otherwise they only talk about weddings and such?" Jack got out trying to joke, but he was still gloomy.

"Yes, maybe…it's not very sensational…," Ella laughed.

Jack dimly joined in, not noticing her eyes and the secret lying behind them.

"She didn't want to hurt you," she added seriously.

Downstairs between Lettice and Roger the atmosphere was somehow tense. Roger seemed to be hiding something from her.

Wasn't he angry that Ella had just left to run after another man?

Not only her niece he too didn't seem to be overly happy about their upcoming marriage. Whatever was wrong with the people nowadays?

"I think some family day will be good for everything. Don't you think so, Mr. Lindsay?"

"Sure, yes, however not tomorrow...I've a very important business meeting to attend," he spoke out in haste.

Of course it was a lie, but Lettice brought it.

"I apologize, but I really need to…"

Lettice only nodded, waving for Grace to clean up the table.