Chapter 61: Second Chances
"Now Rose I think this dress would look just lovely on you,"
Rose rolls her eyes. Her mother had found the bridal magazines that both she and Emma had been looking through and insisted they sit down to look at them. Rose practically bit through her tongue knowing this was one of the reasons she ran away in the first place, to avoid the heinous wedding planning and her mother's opinion. Emma was also not very thrilled with this extra wedding planner; Ruth was insisting on the fanciest dresses and the most expensive…well, anything. Rose's mother was even trying to force her to buy a dress even though Emma was insisting on wearing her mother's dress.
"Mother it's much too small," Rose insists, showing off her growing bump. "And much too expensive."
"Rose this is your wedding day, you should beautiful."
"She will look beautiful, Mrs. DeWitt," Emma insists. "In something that she picks."
"I'm just saying a wedding is the most important day of a woman's life and she should look her very best."
"Mother there's more to life than just a wedding," Rose says. She puts a hand on her stomach. "Besides, I think the birth of a child is much more important than just a fancy party with cake."
"My father used to joke about that weddings were just funerals with cake," Emma smirks.
Rose giggles slightly. Ruth ignores the comment and flips through another magazine.
There's suddenly a knock on the door.
"I'll get it," Rose says, wanting to get some space from her mother.
She opens the front door to see a tall man, with stubble around his very square jaw. He had bags under his soft blue eyes that had seen many sad things in his life and wrinkles indicating his aging face. His brow crinkles in the moment of stillness and his white blonde hair leans in with his expression. His entire face moves into a rather bright smile when he sees the glowing young woman.
"We meet at last," the man says.
Rose looks rather stunned. "May I help you?"
"I'm Mr. Calvert, the private investigator."
"Oh," Rose's eyes go wide for a few moments and she needs to take a step back. This was not the man she had expected Cal to have hired to track her down. He was quite a nice-looking man, perhaps in his fifties and had gentle blue eyes, much like Jack's. He wore a light brown suit with a matching tie and wore a hat that cast a shadow on his face in the afternoon sun. He also carried a brown leather briefcase in one of his hands. "How... How may we help you?"
"I have a few things to finish up with your mother, Mrs. DeWitt Bukater."
"How did you know she was here?" Rose says suspiciously.
"I was your middle man," Henry answers. "I passed the letters between you and your mother."
"Oh…" Rose says. "Right."
"I'm sorry, but I may have ended up examining a few of them to make sure there wasn't any poison or something like that in them." The man appears turns red in embarrassment. "Might I come in for a few moments?"
Rose hesitates.
"Who is it, Rose?" Emma asks and she too does a double take at the man standing at the door. "May I help you?"
"I'm terribly sorry Ms. Carson. I'm Henry Calvert…the private investigator who I promised to that you would never see again. I'm sorry I've had to break that promise, but I have a few things to discuss with Mrs. DeWitt Bukater."
Emma's eyes blink a few times in recognition, seeing the man's face for the first time instead of behind a thick cloud of cigarette smoke, which was something she preferred as she hated smoking. She always insisted that Jack smokes outside or quits altogether.
"Of course," Emma says. "Please come in, I'll go get Ruth."
Henry steps into the room and removes his hat. He waits on the doormat and takes in Rose's looks.
"I can see why Mr. Hockley wanted you back so badly," Henry says.
"Excuse me?" Rose says in disbelief.
"What I mean is, you are in fact a very beautiful woman and I've only ever seen a picture of you from my investigation. It clearly does not do any justice. It was a very sad picture I might add, from your engagement with Mr. Hockley, but it was very clear to me early on that you deserved a lot more than Mr. Hockley. I pity if a woman ever falls in love with him."
"Hopefully no one will," Rose mutters under her breath.
Mr. Calvert leans in "And between you and me, I knew very early on that you had run off to escape that horrible man, I just couldn't say it to your grieving mother."
"Well she's grieving no longer," Rose says with a slight moan.
"Mr. Calvert is that you?" Ruth asks, her eyes lighting up slightly in the recognition.
"Why yes ma' me and might I say that you are looking especially beautiful today."
Ruth instantly blushes and laughs rather haughtily as she approaches the man.
Rose's face contorts in confusion by this comment and backs away as Ruth goes forward to shake Mr. Calvert's hand, in which he kisses for added effect. Emma raises and eyebrow but then goes off when her sister starts crying for attention.
"I'm sorry to bother you both on this beautiful day, but I have a few things to cover with you Mrs. Bukater for us to officially close the search for your 'lost' daughter."
"Certainly," Ruth says, but then her face goes white a bit. "If this is about money I…"
"It's not about money Mrs. Bukater I can assure you, that is something I will discuss with Mr. Hockley, but some of these things would be preferred to be talked about in private…"
"Shall we go onto the front porch?" Ruth suggests quickly. "It's nice and shady and very quiet right now."
"That would be great," Mr. Calvert smiles. Ruth also smiles and blushes again. Rose's stomach turns, but that could just be the baby and she swallows a lump in her throat.
"Please excuse us, Rose," Ruth says and both walk outside, shutting the front door behind them.
Rose's head is spinning in confusion and she walks back to the kitchen table in a trance like state. Emma is cleaning up the bridal magazines and is making a list of things to buy from the market. Sybil sits in her high chair, eating some cut up banana and berries. She notices Rose's sudden change.
"Is everything okay Rose?" Emma asks. "Rose?"
"Sorry, what?" Rose asks in shock.
"Are you okay? You look like you've just seen a ghost."
"It's nothing," Rose says. At least I hope it's nothing.
"Well, would you mind bringing some iced tea out to the two of them? It is really hot out."
"Sure," Rose says. She picks up the two ice cold glasses and heads to the front door. Her heart is pounding in her chest and her head is spinning.
"-Mrs. Bukater, if you don't mind me saying, you must have been a teenager when you had your daughter, you look so young."
"Please don't flatter me, Mr. Calvert," Ruth says with a giggle, an actual giggle. "I was only twenty when I had her."
"Please call me Henry, Mrs. Bukater. Well, it certainly does not show, oh hello…" Mr. Calvert says noticing Rose.
Rose struggles to find her words as she stands there with the two glasses. "Uh, Emma made some ice tea and thought that you might like some because it's so hot."
"That's very thoughtful of her," Mr. Calvert says, taking the glasses from Rose. The girl feels like she's shaking as she eyes her mother. "I always have enjoyed an ice-cold glass of anything on a hot day, though usually, I prefer whiskey."
"Oh my late husband used to love whiskey too, he could knock back three glasses in one sitting easily, couldn't he Rose?"
"Uh yes…" Rose says, still very stunned by this conversation. Why did her mother mention that her father was dead? Why was she giggling like a school girl suddenly? Rose was afraid what this might imply. She hastily heads back inside without another word. Once she shuts the door, she can hear the two laughing.
…
The sun is setting in the kitchen window as Emma and Rose prepare dinner. The sounds of Ruth and Henry can still be heard on the front porch.
"How long could it take to settle a private investigation case?" Rose mutters as she peels carrots.
Emma giggles while stirring a pot of soup.
"What?" Rose asks.
"Seriously? You don't see what's happening here?"
Rose swallows. "I think I might, but I really don't want to think about it."
"Hello we're home!" a familiar voice calls into the house. Both men come in and kiss their perspective partners. '
"Who's the man out on the porch with your mother?" Jack asks, putting his arm around Rose's waist.
"He was the private investigator that Cal hired to find me," Rose answers, continuing to peel.
"What's he doing here?"
"Flirting with Rose's mother," Emma giggles.
"What really?" Peter gasps.
"No, he's not," Rose practically snaps. "He had a few things to talk to her about to close the case about me."
"Which is taking much longer than expected," Emma says. "He's been here all afternoon."
"Really?" Jack says in shock. He never thought that a man would stay so long to talk to Ruth. The four of them had a hard time keeping a conversation with the woman. Could he really be flirting with her?
"Did you hear anything?" Rose asks.
"Nothing really, just talking about Philadelphia life mostly," Peter answers. "Why?"
"No reason… Damn!" Rose accidentally cuts her finger. She puts the peeler down and runs her hand under cold water.
"Should we invite him to stay for dinner?" Emma asks. "It is getting late and there is plenty of soup."
Rose swallows hard and she feels tears come to her eyes. She finishes cleaning her cut and then finds a towel.
"It wouldn't hurt, but it is a little weird that we're inviting the man who was trying to find Rose for so long and probably knows a lot about our lives," Jack says. Rose sighs in her head, thankful that Jack was mostly on her side about how uncomfortable this made her.
"It won't be for a long meal," Emma reassures him. "Besides, he seems like a very polite gentleman."
Rose again holds her tongue, not wanting to let anyone know how hard this was for her.
"I'll go ask them," Peter says.
"Rose, can you help me serve the soup?" Emma asks.
Rose simply nods and Jack helps set the table.
Dinner is a long affair, much longer than Rose had anticipated. Mr. Calvert is a very pleasant company, but that is not what bothered Rose. It wasn't the jokes he told or the cases he discussed with Jack or talked about stocks with Peter; it was the way he is attempting to hold her mother's hand. The entire meal, Rose couldn't help but glance over as Mr. Calvert sat next to her mother, poured her more iced tea whenever she needed it and occasionally putting his hand over hers.
Why was this bothering her so very much? Was there something between Mr. Calvert and her mother? She could assume there was and she'd think that she should be happy for her mother, finding someone that kept her attention and actually made her laugh and yet there was a strong sense of dread in her stomach. It was clear that Mr. Calvert was not in the same class as her mother was and considering all the fuss Ruth made about Rose falling in love with Jack, it made her mad that her mother was so accepting of this lower-class man in her life. Rose ate slowly and didn't say much through the entire meal.
After dinner, Henry thanks the family for having him for dinner and assures them that they would not hear from him again, at least about work. Ruth follows Henry to the front porch in which he kisses her hand and bids them all a good night before flagging down a taxi. Rose stands in the hallway, watching as her mother wave to Mr. Calvert before coming inside. She is beaming from ear to ear and even humming a soft tune to herself. She offers to help Emma with the dishes and then kisses her daughter good night before heading upstairs.
Rose bites her lip so hard that it almost bleeds. She tries to read a book, but can't and soon heads up to bed herself. As she passes her mother's room, she can hear her mother singing to herself.
"Oh, what a lovely man is he…
Luck has shined on me…"
Rose's stomach turns once more before she changes for bed and lays down. She curls up under Jack's arm and closes her eyes, trying to calm herself down.
She had given her mother a second chance, now fate apparently was doing the same thing.