Jack gaped at Rose when he saw her, and suddenly, he broke into a run and threw his arms around her tightly.
"Rose!" he cried, grateful to see his beloved once again. He kissed her face several times, and Rose's face warmed up in each spot that he kissed. Jack ran his hands through her curly red hair, and all Rose could do was hug him back and cry. But she was not crying because she was happy. She was crying because she didn't know what to do. Jack held her tightly in his arms and Rose hid her face against his shoulder. She was finally with Jack, but she wasn't sure that she wanted to be. Jack pulled back to look at her, smiling, tears running down his cheeks.
He kissed her forehead again, and Lynette couldn't help but smile. She and Jack both thought that Rose was crying because she was with Jack again, but they didn't know that she was heartbroken. If she chose James, she would break Jack's heart, and she wasn't sure she could live with the pain.
"Rose," said Jack, wiping away her tears with his thumb. He couldn't help but smile, for he was finally with his Rose. He frowned, remembering that she hadn't written to him. "Why didn't you write to me?"
"I-I…oh, Jack!" Rose exclaimed, hugging him to her again. She did love him, but she didn't know what to do. Jack stroked her hair gently.
"There's no need to cry anymore, Rose. We're together now," he said to her softly. Rose continued to shed tears onto his shoulder, soaking his dark brown shirt. Then she pulled back and wiped her eyes.
"I must go…my father must be looking for me…" she told him.
"But Rose, we just got back together! Don't you want to spend some time together?" Jack protested. Rose sighed.
"Jack, my father hasn't the faintest idea about my location. The last thing I want to do is give my dear father a heart attack," she replied, not looking into his eyes. Jack sighed, taking her hands in his.
"All right," he said, kissing her nose. "Go ahead. But can I see you soon?" Rose looked up at him, tears stinging her eyes as she gazed into his sad and loving ones.
"I-I don't know… again, you will, but I am not sure how soon," she told him. Jack nodded and stepped aside. Rose kissed his cheek. "I shall try to see you soon." With those final words spoken, she left for her own upper class world, Jack watching helplessly.
*****
Rose was forced to attend another luncheon with the Shermans, only this time it was at her home and only James Sherman attended. Rose couldn't help but blush, and her heart broke at the thought that she was falling in love with a man who wasn't Jack. Things were going to be much harder now that she and Jack had seen each other for the first time in four months, and she knew that Jack would stop at nothing to see her again and hold her in his arms. Suddenly, James tapped her arm and Rose was torn from her thoughts and looked up at him.
"Rose, I was wondering if…" said James nervously, taking both of her hands.
"Yes?" asked Rose, feeling nervous about the question he was going to ask her. James let out his breath.
"Rose, will you marry me?" asked James carefully, watching Rose's face. Rose was dumbstruck, having no idea what to say. She loved Jack so much, but she was beginning to fall in love with James. If she said yes, she might be making a huge mistake. If she said no, she might be missing a great opportunity. Without thinking, Rose gave him her answer.
"Yes," she said, and suddenly, her eyes went wide and her heart broke. Had she just said yes to another man's proposal? This man wasn't Jack, and she was in love with Jack. But James Sherman gave Rose a feeling that she'd never felt with Jack. A certain feeling that she couldn't describe. Oh, how could she be so terrible? To accept one man's proposal when the other man she loved even more was probably waiting to propose to her as well? But the happy gleam in James' eyes and the smile on his face caused her to forget this, to forget Jack for the moment. She smiled as well. "Yes, James…yes."
"R-really? Y-you mean it, Rose?" asked James, stuttering slightly. Rose smiled and blushed at his nerves.
"Yes, James, I do," she told him. Suddenly, James brought her hand to his lips and kissed it lightly, which caused Rose to blush even more, and put a diamond ring on a silver band on her finger. Rose admired the ring and smiled at James, completely forgetting about her moment's heartbreak.
"James…it's perfect!" she exclaimed, returning her attention to his soft blue-green eyes. "It's perfect! Just like you…" she said, and she stood up and gently brushed his cheek with her lips. "…darling." James smiled at her, though Rose didn't see it, but it was a sad smile. It wasn't that James didn't love her—he certainly did—but he wasn't sure it was the way she loved him. Rose smiled at him once more. "I'd better go inform my father." She gently kissed his forehead. "I'll be right back, darling."
"Don't be long, my dear," James said calmly, keeping his nervous smile. Rose pressed her lips to his forehead once more before leaving. James watched her leave and sighed, standing up and heading through the family garden. What did I just do? he thought to himself. I can't have just asked her to marry me…do I even love her? But…I haven't known her long…and now I asked her to marry me…and…oh, what have I just done? Suddenly, he heard Rose calling him.
"James? James? Where are you?" she called from the table. James straightened up and went back to the table.
"Sorry, my dear. I just desired a stroll through your garden. Quite swell it is, indeed!" he said, taking her hands in his and gently kissing them.
"Oh, it isn't quite as extraordinary as yours, darling!" Rose said to him, smiling. He's such a sweetheart, Rose thought to herself. How did I get so lucky?
But inside his mind, James was thinking something different. I make her so happy…maybe I should just go with it? Maybe I could learn to love her? Oh, she's so kind to me and so beautiful…I can't break her heart, he thought. He smiled back at her, his sparkling white teeth showing.
There wasn't a thing in the world that James felt he did right, and this, he felt, certainly wasn't any different. But he shrugged it off and, rather than courting the beautiful young redhead, he was going to marry her. He made her so happy, it seemed, yet deep down inside of herself, Rose was hurting, yearning for her true love…but did she even love Jack anymore? Rose didn't know, for he was now a part of her past. She loved James, and she wasn't going to put anymore thought into it, for her mind was made up.
*****
It didn't take too long for the news to reach Jack, for when Joseph's portrait appointment came, he told Jack the news.
"Now, I need you to sit still, sir, and don't move," Jack told Joseph as he prepared to paint his portrait. Joseph nodded and tried his best not to move. Joseph was brought up well, so it wasn't too much of an issue for him to sit still. "May I ask, sir, how your daughter is?" Joseph gave him a curious look.
"How did you know I had a daughter, boy?" he asked rudely, a bit offended. Did this boy watch his daughter sleep at night? Almost as if reading his mind, Jack laughed.
"I used to know her, sir, and I still do, but we don't see each other often," he told him, still laughing. Joseph let out a sigh of relief. So, the boy didn't watch his daughter. But how did he know her? He was a lower class gutter rat, not high society! But he let it slide out of his mind and answered Jack's original question.
"Rose is doing fine indeed! She's certainly not like normal women, though. She seems to have too many emotions, and I believe she's stopped wearing corsets, for, though I have the courtesy not to mention this, her stomach seems to be bulging. And I understand that it isn't kind to discuss women in public, but this I find downright peculiar…I wonder if that Hockley man laid his hands on her while engaged to her…" Joseph said, but Jack stopped paying attention.
So, she hasn't mentioned me, he thought. She loves me, doesn't she? And…bulging stomach? That doesn't mean she's…no, she can't be…I was sure to pull out…it's a possibility, I guess…I'll have to ask her the next time I see her. If she is, I'm sure it's me, because Rose told me that she didn't do a thing with Cal. She wouldn't let him!
"…who happens to be a very kind, wealthy man who is the son of my business partner, Henry Sherman. Sherman has another son as well, young Mr. Sherman's twin brother, as a matter of fact. I always knew the boy had potential, and I'm glad that it is my Rose that he is marrying!" Joseph said as he continued on.
Your Rose, thought Jack. She loves me. She even told me this four months ago! But then again, that was four months ago…wait a moment…
"Marriage?" Jack looked up at Joseph from his painting with shock, his eyes wide with the fear of losing his Rose. Joseph gave him another curious look.
"Yes…my Rose is marrying Henry Sherman's boy, James. She's very fond of him indeed, and I often hear her singing in her room. Nancy and Francesca, the housemaids, tell me how often she tells them that she loves young Mr. Sherman. Why do you look so frightened, boy?"
"Uh…uh…" Damn it! Jack thought. Now he had to think of an excuse. "Uh…I have a…doctor's appointment. That's right! Yeah, I…uh…well, he was married two weeks ago and…uh…I was there for it. No worries. I barely started on the painting, so I can have one of the other artists finish it for you! Excuse me." Jack hurried out of the room where he was painting Joseph's portrait and rushed to the front desk, where an idle artist sat guarding the door. "Pierre, there's a man in the second room waiting for his portrait. I…uh…have a doctor's appointment that I'm late for."
"Oui! Bien sûr j'irai faire, Jack!" said Pierre, gathering up the paintbrushes that he claimed were magical and could create a masterpiece. He proceeded to the second room, where Joseph waited patiently. Jack didn't quite understand French, but he knew enough to understand that Pierre agreed. Jack leaned against the front counter.
Engaged? Jack thought. How…but…she loves me…doesn't she? Jack was stunned and his heart was broken. He knew it. But he still loved her so…he had to find out if it were true, and if it was, do everything in his power to get her back. Rose was his and she'd told him this…she'd told him she loved him…suddenly, Jack's cousin, Charlie Hamilton, crossed his mind. Charlie was visiting New York with a girl he was currently courting named Melanie Calvert. He had to see him. He had to. He needed strength if he was going to gain Rose's love back.