AFTER TITANIC
BOOK ONE
Chapter Twenty-Eight
It's six months after the
babies are born when Eliza finally decides to go ahead with her
wedding to Lee Conway, despite her feelings for Maxwell Calvert.
After much thought about her situation, she decided it was all
for the best. Since her mother was ousted from the birth of the
Dawson twins, she's been doing nothing but going on about how
much she hated the Calverts. How they were going to pay for
stealing her duty.
Eliza decided that her mother's disapproval plus Lee's
possessiveness was just too much to ignore. So with a final
good-bye to Maxwell while they were at dinner at the Dawson's,
she decides to go ahead and marry Lee, much to Rose's
disapproval. Eliza can still remember that conversation when she
had told Rose that she was going to go ahead and marry Lee.
They were in they were in the nursery at the Dawson house.
Eliza was helping Rose change the babies when she broke the news.
"What?!" Rose exclaimed in shock. "But why? Why
would you want to marry that mean man when you have
Maxwell?"
"Rose...I can't marry Maxwell. Things are much more
difficult now than it was before. Mother hates Maxwell more now
than she ever did before. She can't stop exclaiming how much she
hates him. She'll kill me if I left Lee for him."
"But Eliza, this isn't what you want. Plus Lee...he's
violent. What if he goes too far someday and..."
"Don't think that way Rose. That won't happen. Lee would
never go too far. He cares far too much about his
reputation," Eliza comforts her friend. "It's like I
told Maxwell, it's for the best. Me and him...it's
impossible."
"So Maxwell knows your decision?"
Eliza nodded. "I had to tell him Rose. I had to tell him to
go on with his life and not to bother waiting for me. That he'll
find love again with a girl he can have."
"Eliza...you're making a big mistake."
"Eliza looks down at the gurgling son of her first love. He
looked so much like Jack, those penetrating blue eyes innocently
staring up at her. "Well Rose...It's my mistake to make. But
promise me that we're still friends. That my becoming a Conway
doesn't change anything."
"Of course it won't change anything Eliza," Rose picks
up Molly in her arms and walks over to her friend. "You're
my best friend. The fact that you're going to marry a egotistical
maniac doesn't change anything."
Eliza smiles at the memory of that day. Now here on her
wedding day, alone in the dressing room, she thinks she's going
to need all of Rose's strength that she can get. Marrying Lee was
going to be the hardest thing she's ever done in her life.
"Are you ready Eliza?" Rose sticks her head inside the
door. "It's about to begin."
Eliza nods, standing up from the vanity she was sitting at. A
couple of tears leak from her eyes as she realize that these next
few minutes were going to be her last few minutes as a free
woman.
"Are you sure you don't want to change your mind? It's not
too late you know," Rose hugs her friend tightly when she
sees the tears.
"I'm sure," Eliza sniffed.
"Well come on then. I'll lead the way," Rose leads the
way out of the door. Taking a deep breath, Eliza follows her.
Rose looks out over the guests and spots her Jack sitting in the
second row beside Molly and her mother. He has both babies in his
arms. As he spots her, Jack smiles and points her out to their
children who just coo contently. Happy to be in their father's
arms. She sighed as she realized that Jack was truly a wonderful
father. She was so lucky, unlike her poor friend Eliza, she'd do
anything to change things, but as of now, there was nothing she
could do.
Up at the chapel, the vows begin. Eliza mechanically recites the
vows without any emotion, her eyes shine with unhappiness as she
looks up at Lee.
She looks over at Jack when the priest asked if anyone had any
objections to the wedding, but it wasn't Jack that objected.
"I object! I object very much!" Maxwell comes through
the door and runs up to the chapel.
"What are you doing?"
Eliza asked, her eyes begging him to leave before he gets in
serious trouble.
"What is this!" Lee angrily exclaims.
"Eliza listen to me," Maxwell takes her hand, forcing
her to look into his eyes. "Don't do this. You don't love
him and he doesn't love you. You're just a possession to
him."
"What's the meaning of this!" Marge Hathaway demands,
coming up behind Maxwell. "You weren't on the guest lsit Mr.
Calvert. I demand you leave."
"That's not your decision mam. It's Eliza's," Maxwell
turns on Mrs. Hathaway, then he turns back to Eliza, who's openly
crying now. "Eliza please. Come with me. Don't let them rule
your life."
"Maxwell...I don't know," Eliza sobbed. "I'm so
scared."
"I have to insist that you leave now Dr. Calvert. You're
upsetting my daughter on her wedding day," Marge grabs his
arm. "Now you listen to me Mr. Calvert..."
"No you listen Marge!" To both Jack and Rose's
surprise, Ruth stands up. "For once listen to what your
daughter wants. Don't make the same mistake I made. Don't try to
force your daughter to marry someone she doesn't love. That's
where I made my mistake and I nearly lost her. I'm just lucky she
even talks to me now. Take it from someone who knows, let your
daughter make her own decisions."
At this Marge Hathaway is silent, not knowing how to respond to
Ruth's sudden outburst.
"Eliza, make your decision now. Make the right one. Come
with me," Maxwell urges, holding out his hand to her.
Confused, Eliza looks out at Jack, who meets her eyes. She can
see his approval at Maxwell's request. She then turns to Rose,
who simply smiled and nods her head. They both wanted her to run
away with Maxwell, and be happy. She now knew what she had to do.
"I'm sorry mother," Eliza turns to her mother, who had
a mixture of shock and anger written all over her face. "I
have to do what makes me happy for once."
With that said, Eliza takes Maxwell's hand and lets him lead her
to the door and out of the church. Leaving everyone staring after
them.
"Eliza! Eliza come back here right now!" Marge Hathaway
called after her daughter, running to the door, but it's too
late. She was gone.
"What just happened here!" Lee exclaimed angrily.
"Looks like she dumped ya," Jack walks up and takes
Rose's hand. Rose looks and saw that her mother had the children.
"This is your fault Dawson. Somehow this is all your
fault," Lee turns to Jack.
"Get off it Lee, Jack had nothing to do with this,"
Joshua laughed. "Eliza just didn't love you and never did.
You were just too arrogant to see that."
"Come on Rose," Jack said, leading Rose over to her
mother and Molly who held the sleeping babies. "It's time we
get home. The kids are knocked out."
Taking one last look at the crowded church, the Dawson's headed
for home.