AN UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEY
Chapter Twenty-Three
"Here is her picture. Now, you
understand your instructions. Right, Mr. Buff?" Cal asked. Cal handed the
picture of Rose to his new manservant. It had been a day since Cal had first
spotted Rose. Mr. Buff was just as mean and unfeeling as Mr. Lovejoy had been.
Cal had instructed him to kidnap Rose.
Mr. Buff nodded. "Yes. I understand
perfectly."
Cal smiled smugly. He already had a room
ready for Rose in his family’s mansion in New York. He would keep her under
lock and key until she agreed to be his wife. And he would get the diamond back.
She would be perfectly comfortable; she would have her own bathroom and sitting
room. The only thing she wouldn’t have was her freedom, and he knew that losing
her freedom would be what hurt her the most. She will have no choice but to
marry me. He was proud of himself for coming up with such a brilliant idea.
Cal watched as Mr. Buff left to go carry out his plan. Having followed Rose
home yesterday after she had left work, he now knew where she lived. Cal had
informed his new manservant of her whereabouts. Rose would be back with him
soon, and so would the diamond.
*****
Jack woke up the next morning with an awful
hangover. When he opened his eyes, he saw that his sister was sitting on the
edge of the couch tickling his toes. "Come on, Nora. Not now," he
moaned. He wasn’t feeling well at all.
"Well, Jack, it serves you right.
Staying out so late and getting drunk. Shame on you!" she scolded
playfully. But her smile turned to a concerned frown when she noticed the
sadness in his eyes. "Jack, please talk to me. What’s wrong?"
He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stop the
tears. When he finally opened them, he had regained his composure. "I
can’t talk about it right now, Nora. Not yet," he said, barely above a
whisper.
She put her hand over his. "I’m sorry, Jack.
Whatever it is that is bothering you, just know that your family is here for
you."
Jack gave his sister a hug before going to
his room to get ready for work. He had slept in quite late. Before he knew it,
the time for him to go to work would come. And hangover or not, I have to go
to work, he thought as he changed into a clean change of clothes. His
brother also worked at the Hartman Shoe Company. That is how Jack had gotten
the job. He assumed that his brother was already at work.
When Jack entered the living room again, he
found his sister deeply engrossed in a newspaper.
"This is so sad, Jack. I still can’t get
over how such a big ship could sink, and all of those poor people who
died." Nora was shaking her head sadly.
Jack felt a lump form in his throat at the
mention of the Titanic disaster. He started to shake.
Nora looked at his face, which had turned
completely pale. "Are you okay, Jack?" she asked, concerned.
He shook his head, swallowing the lump.
"Yeah. I just have a hangover, that’s all. I’m a living example of why you
shouldn’t drink," he said, thankful that he was able to cover up the real
reason why he suddenly looked like he was about to lose it. He couldn’t bear to
see the newspapers. It was too soon. He didn’t know if he’d ever be ready.
*****
"Rose, you have a visitor," Mrs.
Strouter called up the stairs to Rose.
Rose felt a chill go down her spine. Who
could be here? What if Cal has found me? But she knew that the
chance of Cal finding her was slim. He believed that she had died on Titanic.
And Rose DeWitt Bukater had died. Rose pushed these thoughts to the back of her
mind before going downstairs.
When she reached the bottom of the stairs,
she noticed a tall man in his mid-thirties standing there, staring at her. The
minute she saw him, she knew that he wasn’t there for a friendly chat. She knew
that Cal had found her.
"Hello, Rose. I just wanted to thank you
personally for helping my little boy out this afternoon. My little Cal could
have been badly hurt had you not kept him from falling. Could I get you to
accompany me out for a drink to express my gratitude?"
The man looked at her with his dark eyes.
There was a challenge in them, almost as if he were challenging her to say no.
But she had caught his hint; the name Cal had not escaped her attention. My
gosh, he has found me. But what does he want? She knew that if she didn’t
cooperate with this man, there would be much trouble to pay. She could see it
in his dark, cold eyes.
"Yes, of course." She grabbed her
coat off of the coat rack before turning to face Mrs. Strouter. "I’ll be
back shortly."
Mrs. Strouter watched as they left, a sick
feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something told her that Rose should have
stayed. That man was trouble. She could feel it. But it was too late to say
anything. Rose was gone.