Ever since the Hockleys' wedding, Rose hadn't been the same. Every time James saw her, she was either quiet, motionless, crying, or a combination of all three. She was in an obvious depression, and James knew that Jack was the reason for her tears. The night that the Hockleys were wed, James had innocently stumbled upon Rose's confrontation with Jack, and he realized that ever since he and Rose had first met back in early August, she'd been making mistakes and ruining her chances at happiness.
On the eve of their wedding, James and Rose had slept in the same bed, or at least Rose had slept in the bed that James was lying awake in. Rose was mumbling in her sleep, and when James leaned in, her mumbling became more distinct.
"Jack…Jack…Jack…" She was calling for Jack, not James. The moment that James heard the desperate tone in her voice, he knew that he couldn't marry her…he just couldn't.
*****
The wedding was at noon, and Rose was in her dressing room at the church, preparing herself. From head to toe, she was dressed in white, her curly red hair pinned up in a neat, tidy bun. She rested her hand on her bulging stomach and sighed. Soon, she would be a mother and even sooner, she would be the wife of a man that she didn't love.
"Almost like Queen Victoria herself–very beautifully dressed in white," came a voice behind her, and Rose turned to see Cal standing in the doorway. "Rose, what are you doing? You're about to marry a man that you don't love! You're making a big mistake."
Rose sighed, feeling Jack's baby press its foot into her hand. "Whatever is best for my baby…" she said.
"What is best for your baby is for it to be with its father and for its mother to be happy," Cal replied.
Rose sighed again, knowing that he was right. Just as she was about to reply, her father appeared behind Cal.
"Rose, darling, are you…" Joseph said, looking at Cal peculiarly. "Good afternoon, Mr. Hockley…"
"Good afternoon, Mr. Bukater. I was speaking to Rose about how society would accept a pregnant unmarried woman who is now marrying. All is all right, though. Good day, Mr. Bukater," Cal cleverly told Joseph before leaving.
Joseph turned to Rose again. "Rosebud, are you ready?"
Rose sighed, taking a moment to think. "Yes," she finally said in a very unenthusiastic tone. She stood with the aid of Nancy and Francesca and took Joseph's offered arm. He began to lead her down the hallway and to the sanctuary.
"Are you sure that you want to do this? You don't have to marry Mr. Sherman…"
"Yes, Daddy, I'm sure," Rose replied, not looking at her father.
Both were silent, and as they approached the church, they slowed their pace. The music began, everyone stood, and Joseph slowly led Rose down the aisle. Rose's eyes scanned the pews, but not one face belonged to Jack. She felt tears in her eyes; she was making a huge mistake. She loved Jack, not James. Jack should be the one waiting at the end of the aisle, not James. Jack should be the nervous groom on this day, not James. Jack should be the one to remove her veil and claim her lips, be the one to consummate their marriage, be the first person that their baby saw…Jack should have been the man who was soon to be her husband, not James.
Before Rose knew it, she was standing in front of James and the minister had begun speaking.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…"
Rose didn't listen to the rest of the speech. She was focused on one man and one man only–Jack. She loved Jack more than anything or anyone, and she was about to ruin her life for good.
"Rose Aveline Bukater, do you take James to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Rose looked up at the minister and then switched her gaze to James, who wasn't smiling.
"Huh?" Don't say it! Don't say it! "I do…" James' eyes widened slightly.
"James Henry Sherman, do you take Rose to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
James was silent. His gaze shifted from the minister, to Rose's hands in his, to the eager crowd, and then to Rose's eyes. He knew how much she loved Jack, and he wasn't about to let her ruin her life.
"No," he said, and the crowd gasped. Rose's eyes widened.
"Excuse me?" asked the minister.
James turned to meet his father's eyes, which were burning with shock. He looked at Joseph, who looked pleased and proud and a little shocked at the same time. He looked back at the minister.
"I said no, I do not take her to be my lawfully wedded wife," James told him.
"James, what are you doing?" Rose whispered, clearly shocked at James' attempt to help her.
"Helping you get closer to catching the man that you really love," James whispered back. He let go of her hands and cleared his throat, and the muttering crowd was silenced. "When Rose and I first met back in early August, I knew that she was a very beautiful woman and that she was an easy woman to love. What I did not know until later that month was that Rose had once been in love with a man whom she had believed to be dead, but wasn't. This man is now, most likely, awaiting her return to him, for she does not belong to me. And so, I cannot marry Miss Bukater." He turned to Rose, took one of her hands, and kissed it gently. "I do hope that we can remain friends after this."
Rose exchanged her shocked expression for an overjoyed one. "Of course, James! Thank you so much!" she cried, and she hugged him.
Charles, who had secretly admired Rose for quite a while, stood and screamed in anger. "Why? Why must James always be the hero of the story?" he exclaimed, and he stormed out of the church muttering to himself.
He passed Cal, who chuckled at his childish immaturity. "Do enjoy yourself, Mr. Sherman…" he said as Charles strode by him.
Rose looked at James once more, smiled, lifted her dress slightly, and raced back down the aisle. Cal stopped her with a happy expression on his face.
"You're doing the right thing…I do wish you good fortune in your new life with Mr. Dawson…" He handed her a train ticket to Chippewa Falls. "The train leaves in two hours, which gives you plenty of time to change and pack."
"Oh, thank you, Cal!" Rose cried, taking the ticket and throwing her arms around his neck in a tight embrace. She pulled back, smiling. "Right now, I don't know where I would be had you not been my conscience…" With those final words spoken, Rose departed the church for her new life with Jack in Wisconsin.