The note was nagging on her mind as it confirmed what she had already been thinking. And as it was so often – Ella now too only saw what she wanted to see – blinded by her jealousy. Rose she found mostly ungrateful.

She had a husband any woman could only dream of and yet this wasn't enough for her. Ella noticed how Rose and Roger kept stealing secret glances at each other – stares of what Ella was sure were expressions of their deep love and affection for one another. She wouldn't have been convinced of the opposite by anyone.

At once she observed them hugging outside the room where Jack was lying in.

How especially cruel this was to him! Quite clearly none of them knew their manners.

Rose was shaken again by what was happening to Jack and Roger, who could be caring if he wanted to, for a moment forget about their arrangement – just wanting to really help her. So what Ella saw was a friendly embrace nothing more – at least not to Rose, but the pregnancy, the note, the whole situation, the feeling of being left out in this ménage a trois – it all added to her hatred and she instantly wanted to lung at Rose.

This ungracious, disrespectful person, who showed no sense of duty obviously neither to her own engagement – indeed Ella had convinced herself that it was entirely Rose's fault it broke – nor to the marriage of others and still was so well esteemed and cheered to by everyone.

The great beloved Miss Rose Dewitt Bukater…

It made her want to through up.

At dinner time, while Lettice and Ruth exchanged their normal non relevant things, speaking about what they had been doing all day, Ella felt herself staring at Rose. At this time she didn't care a bit how improper this may have been.

Wasn't she a little bit too happy for someone whose husband was lying upstairs close to death?

The doctor lately had said that Jack's condition was very critical and yet Rose was gone very often – nobody knew where she went. Ella was sure that she was hiding something from him. Rose was betraying Jack; there was no doubt about it. Jack didn't deserve that and she certainly wasn't worth him.

"Do I have something on my face?" Rose asked not at all aware of what was going on. True she and Ella weren't the best friends, but she wasn't expecting the latter one detesting her this much either.

In fact Jack had always spoken quite accurately about her. And he knew something about people's characters, didn't he? If Jack liked her so should she.

Jack…

The fear about him was everything she could think of and it made her shut out everything else.

Ella realized that she must've stared too evidently.

"No, sorry, I…I was just thinking," she mumbled bending her head down in an attempt to make herself look like a little girl, who didn't know any better.

Lettice and Ruth occasionally stopped talking, but only Ruth noted that there was more to it. Indeed the strange look Ella had shot her daughter hadn't escaped her eyes. However for this time Ruth chose not to say anything and simply wait what would happen next.

Was Ella in love with Jack as well?

Hadn't it been her to convince Lettice to hire him?

Rose smiled at Ella not wanting to quarrel with her and putting the blame on her pregnancy. She was in the early states, fifth week to be precise and certainly the first one must be especially challenging. Rose felt sorry for her that she had to go through this with someone like Roger Lindsay as her husband.

Ella returned the smile though not meaning it, but Rose, worried about Jack, didn't notice.

…..

Roger and Mrs Pearson were quite successful in their attempt to draw Rose closer, blackmailing her into their perfect shame. They had succeeded on first hand, but Mrs Pearson was adamant that they still needed to be very careful, after all many people could still spoil their perfect plan not only Mr Dawson. Without letting her partner knew she had already set up another plan.

"I've received a request from Lord Davenport. He wants to meet with our Lygia again."

"I certainly could arrange something," she said blowing at her cigarette.

Mrs Pearson was unusual in many ways and one habit she just couldn't quit was smoking cigarettes.

Roger sneered a little not liking women, who smoked. He had no idea what he gotten himself into, still thinking that this was an equal partnership. If only he knew how wrong he was. For him this was still nothing more than a lovely game with Rose being the main target. He hadn't grasp at all that Mrs Pearson wasn't interested in any partner whether he was rich or poor.

"Hopefully you don't have a problem with that?" she dared him her hand closing around on the diamond still hanging on her neck, aware of Roger's curious and impatient stare.

Surely he's asking himself, when he'll get a portion of it.

"Of course not, my dear," he spoke up cheerfully and was surprised, when he received a not so friendly look in exchange.

At this she rolled her eyes. No one was supposed to call her that, not even Robert, but with him she wasn't so strict.

"It's Mrs Pearson still for you, Mr Lindsay," she told him her voice leaving no room to argue. "Now back to work."

Once they had settled their latest plan, Roger returned straight home. Being not very familiar and not caring at all about other one's feelings least not pregnant women's moods, he had totally overlooked Ella's discomfort.

Mrs Pearson as usual guarding herself up against all possible interferences started laughing at soon as he was out the door.

"You don't mess up with me, Mr Lindsay."

In fact many had tried this, but she had constantly known how to get back the upper hand and this was no different. Mr Lindsay was just like any other men. She understood exactly how vulnerable he actually was and where she could hurt him most.

"Ah men, you're all the same," she laughed up again playing with the diamond.

Sitting down on the sofa, stretching her legs, she decided that it was time to get things up and running and move on to the next state. Mr Dawson was almost done with and it was time to think about the other's close to Mr Lindsay.

For sure she had no one intention to divide her fortune with anyone.