Roger was up, opening the door, when the doorbell rang. A young boy stood outside. He was about to shut the door again, but the boy was quicker, moving inside, his obviously searching for someone.

"I'm looking for Mrs Dewitt Bukater, she gave me this card," he spoke holding it up. "By the way my name is Freddy. She said I could come over, whenever I wanted to," he added in a rush of words.

Roger stared at him dumbfound at first and it took him some time, before he found his voice again. When he did, he started to grab him, about to throw him out. This was his home. Whatever had this annoying lady been thinking, inviting people from the streets here? This boy certainly just wanted to rob them. He knew these kinds of scoundrels all too well.

"This is my house and you're not allowed to…," he started, but didn't get any further, as Ruth herself came down the stairs. She instantly started to smile, when she recognized him.

Roger turned around, upset at hearing her voice and released his grip on the boy.

"Freddy, how nice to see you," Ruth exclaimed hugging him like he was an old friend, shocking not only Roger. Freddy would've never thought that a woman from her status would display such emotion.

He felt honoured and uncomfortable at the same time, not sure how to react. At last he slowly returned her hug.

"Madam, you remembered me?" Freddy was a little stunned, while Ruth clapped her hands together, her eyes showing that she was a little bit hurt that he hadn't shown some more excitement.

"Of course I do. Come on, I'm sure you're hungry. Let's see what we've got for you," she said ignoring Roger's cold stare, which she knew he was giving her right now.

Roger glared at them, as Ruth took Freddy's hand about to lead him into the kitchen. Freddy noted just then another man proceeding towards them and turned his head around.

Jack happened to come down the stairs at this very moment.

"Good morning," he said his voice happy.

Indeed he was, despite Rose's strange behaviour lately. At least she was his wife now and surely they would overcome all obstacles with time and secondly he knew how much Roger detested him and that he was somehow attracted to Rose. In short Jack wanted to anger him a little bit as well.

Freddy smiled up at Jack, while Roger's eyes darkened. Ruth did her best to hide her emotions, but wasn't very successful. The boy immediately noted the tension between them. It seemed that Mrs Dewitt Bukater didn't really like either man.

"Is this friend of yours, Mrs Dewitt Bukater?" Jack asked her walking towards them.

"Yes, I'm," Freddy answered for her. "And who're you?" he wanted to know, releasing Ruth's grip and running to Jack, looking up at him with awe.

"Mr Dawson is my…," Ruth began, wondering how to put it. She still refused to admit that Jack was married to her daughter. "He's connected with my family," she finally said, leaving the young boy wondering. Freddy turned his eyes back to her and then to Jack, who just nodded. He really had no time to discuss this now and then again he didn't even care much anymore if Ruth liked him or not, after all it was Rose he was married to, not her mother.

Eventually all of them continued into the kitchen, with Jack just hurriedly drinking some coffee. Ruth watched him with her ever glaring eyes.

What had her daughter been thinking? She could've married the most thought-after bachelor of Philadelphian high society and yet she chose to marry this poor little nothing. And even if Cal wasn't the right one for Rose, surely there had to be much better alternatives than this Mr Dawson.

Jack felt uncomfortable, just wanting to get out of here. He had left a note for Rose, telling her that he would be going to work and be back in the afternoon.

Ruth made him feel like a mice in a snake-hole. Indeed Rose and he better sooner than later should get out of here, maybe move to St. Monica. This would finally give them some time to relax.

Freddy meanwhile observed Roger, whom he found quite fascinating, despite his angry stares. He was dressed like those rich men he always carried the bags for at the train station. Now Freddy remembered dimly already seeing him a week ago or so, when he had first met Mrs Dewitt Bukater and helped her with her bags.

This Mr Lindsay wasn't much different from the other rich gentleman he normally saw, though there was something mysterious, almost creepy around him. Neither the lady nor the other man seemed to be very fond of him.

Maybe, if he left a sustainable impression on him than he could work for him too? The work for the newspaper was nice, but it was due only in the morning and he needed something else to fill the day and more importantly he needed the money. Mr Lindsay surely would pay him more than the newspaper owners did.

"Aren't you eating anything, Mr Dawson?" Roger asked him, startling Jack a bit, whose thought had been with Rose. He wished he could spend more time with her. However, if they wanted to have their own home soon, he would've to work hard.

He would've preferred to be alone instead of having to entertain these two. Reluctantly he shook his head, while Roger laughed a fake laugh, at little bit like Rose had done, whenever she had been at one of those high society festivities. Jack faked a smile back, both man aware of the other one's detestation for each other.

Roger knew that Jack had no idea about his real relationship with Rose and really enjoyed this knowledge.

Not that he was particularly interested in what Jack had to say, but still he favoured the talk with him over that with this annoying woman and that good for nothing boy.

"No, I never do. Besides I've to go," Jack answered looking at Ruth, but she just turned her head to Freddy refusing to even acknowledge his presence. "Tell Rose that I love her," he added while knowing very well that she would forget.

Roger meanwhile had trouble to contain from laughing and spit out the truth at Jack.

I wonder what he would say, if he knew I fucked his wife.

"So you're going to work?" he went on.

Jack just nodded towards him, Roger grimacing like he was caring.

Ruth couldn't resist a happy sign once he was out, one that didn't escape the little boy as well.

Freddy wondered about this strange family. He had by now understood that Ruth didn't really like both men, but she certainly detested this Mr Dawson. But hadn't she told him that he was somehow associated with her family? Whatever had she meant by this?

When Jack was out the house, Roger smiled to himself, when he noticed Jack's half-drunken cup of coffee still standing on the table as an idea came to him.

Rose had to be shown that her husband wasn't the perfect kind of man she had married and then he would finally get a chance with her again.

….

Freddy was happy, when he saw Ella coming down the stairs immediately remembering her. Quickly he was told that she was now married to the man, he had met before, slightly pitying her.

A girl like her shouldn't be married to a man like Mr Lindsay with his cold glares and strange looks. Also he noted that from seeing her last, Ella had changed quite a lot. It was as if she was starting to become some kind of a zombie.

"Where's my daughter?" Ruth wanted to know from Ella.

"I think she's still sleeping," Ella told her sitting down on the couch. Her mother had left a note for her, saying that she had gone in the city to buy some clothes. At least she wasn't here now and better even Roger had left as well. Ella was relieved.

Ruth was clearly angry with the answer. Her daughter was sleeping in the whole day not something she had taught her. However, what should've she have expected? Surely Mr Dawson's behaviour was slowly turning her daughter into some common woman.

I certainly haven't raised her like this.

"I see," she only commented, rolling her eyes.

Freddy just wondered some more, but decided that he would find out soon, while the three of them sat down in the living room, doing precisely nothing. Freddy asked himself, if this wasn't boring, doing nothing every day, but for once he enjoyed it.

…..

He was eventually told the whole story, because at last, around 11am Rose got up too and went down, on caring that she was still in her nightgown and her hair was loosely hanging around. Ruth couldn't believe it.

Her daughter was looking like a…she refused to even think it. Certainly Cal and any other decent man wouldn't have allowed this look.

"Rose?" her mother exclaimed shocked and surprised at the same time.

"Good morning, mother," Rose said.

Was her voice kind of annoyed?

Quickly Freddy was introduced and Rose asked herself why her mother was so fond of him. Wasn't he of the same class as Jack? And yet her mother was even laughing with him and treating him like her own kind.

Ella shot her a look and Rose just chuckled with her shoulders.

"Rose, it's not proper to be dressed in…I mean not to be dressed at all. I'm sure Miss Mansfield will help you. Sadly I've given Edith a free time today," her mother lectured her.

Rose was about to reply, but Ella stood up taking her hand.

"Come on, I'll help you."

…

When they were on their way down again, both could hear Ruth talking to Freddy, but more to herself.

"My husband, may god rest his soul, would've liked you as well. He always wanted to have a son, but this one thing I couldn't give him," somehow accusing herself, like she had failed in the most important duty of a woman. "He loved Rose, but we both knew that there was something missing."

Freddy looked at her, slightly wondering why she was telling him this now, while Rose stood frozen in place hearing every word.

What was she saying here?

"Edmund always wished for a son. He told me that he was happy to have Rose, but he would've been even more content, if he had a son he could leave his fortune to," she added smiling up at him. "Indeed he would've loved you. In fact you remind me quite a lot of my own little brother."

Rose had grabbed the balustrade in an attempt to balance herself. That her mother would even mentioned her little brother was indeed something that happened very seldom. Like herself her mother had been the only child for a long time, her brother being ten years her junior. Rose didn't recall his name, but he had died very young leaving her mother in the same position as she herself had been, only that there hadn't been any money problems.

Ella was standing behind her, not really knowing what to do to support her. After all she didn't really know Rose. She had just heard her talking in the best manner about her deceased father and it had always sounded like Rose was very much of a father's child.

Ella watched her from the side, wondering what she should do now and how or if she could support her.

Rose on the other hand couldn't believe what she had heard.

Her very own father should've said that?

"And Mr Dawson?" she heard the boy asked her mother.

Albeit not knowing him very well, Freddy had liked Jack from the beginning and couldn't understand why the two of them didn't get along. His mother had always told him that family was the most essential thing in life.

Why would anyone not be happy around his own relatives?

Ruth looked up at him wondering.

"You don't seem to like him very much."

"It's not that. I just think that he isn't the right one for my daughter. I've nothing personally against him…," with that she changed the topic back to her dead husband. "Yes, really, I'm sure Edmund would've wished for a son like you."

Freddy felt honoured, but one could see from his expression that he was quite confused. Rose stood upstairs letting the words her mother had just spoken sink in.

She remembered how he always been there for her, back her up against her mother. With him she had always felt like a child, not like a young lady. They had been going to the circus together, the zoo park and the nearby botanical gardens to have some ice-cream and feed the ducks in the pond.

Her father had always told her how she was the most important person in his life, hadn't he?

'You're my little princess, Rose', he had said while she was still young and treated her as such.

Should this all have been a lie?

No…she should her head slightly, feeling a small tear coming rolling down her cheek.

I'm just being emotional, because mother is here and Jack isn't and…

"Mrs Dawson…?" Ella asked her quietly moving one hand up to her shoulder.

Quickly Rose had wiped her tears away, refusing to believe anything her mother had just said. She was just jealous of their good relationship, yes, that's all.

Rose straightened herself up, before walking downstairs again.

She's still envious.

Rose appeared downstairs smiling brightly again, not showing anything on the outside. She had trained for years to deceive other and hide her real emotions that now she hadn't got any problems any more.

"You look lovely, my dear," Ruth commented coming up to her, giving her a kiss on her forehead like she had done on the ship.

Ella grimaced behind, but said nothing, while Freddy immediately noticed the distantness that was there between mother and daughter. Both of them wondered how this would turn out in the future. It was clear to them that Rose and her mother weren't the best friends and that Rose was more or less afraid of Ruth.

Freddy in between was shocked by their behaviour especially Ruth's.

She certainly has shown more emotion towards me beforehand.

"See, now we're back to normal," Ruth told her. "Well almost," she added.

Of course Rose understood very well what she wanted to tell her. Her mother would never accept Jack, she knew that now.

'My husband always wished for a son like you,' the sound of her mother's voice appearing in her head, but she quickly dismissed it.

I've just misunderstood.

She just wished that he would be here right now; she was already missing him dearly.