Chapter 1 Rose Dewitt Bukator sat in front of her vanity mirror, looking at the stranger staring back at her. On the outside she was everything her mother had forced her to be, but deep down in Rose's soul she could feel the pain and loneliness that surrounded her heart; the pain of her father's recent death and of the hopes and dreams that had suddenly been washed away by her mother's greed. James Dewitt Bukator had been a businessman. He had owned several factories and had been a big investor in the stock market. Unfortunately, his success had lead to his bankruptcy. His once abundant flow of money seemed to stop at a stand still when a fire swept through his factory, causing him to lose thousands of dollars and to take out many loans to rebuild it. He reassured his family that everything would be ok- that there was no need to worry about money. Ruth, his wife, believed him and continued with her frivolous shopping sprees. Even though money was tight, James still found time to gamble away whatever money they did have left. Within a matter of years, the Dewitt Bukators would find themselves flat broke. James finally informed his furious wife of the problem. He made her promise not to worry their two daughters, Rose and Clara, of the situation. They had been burdened enough with the information that their father was extremely ill and didn't have much time. So Ruth and James continued life as usual. Their 15-year-old daughter Rose was to continue her finishing school and their little daughter Clara, who was only 8, was to stay in her expensive boarding school in New York. As if things weren't bad enough, James Dewitt Bukator died within a month of informing his wife. Now, as Ruth became desperate in trying to find money to pay the many debts they owed, she decided to use her eldest daughter Rose for financial security. Rose was nearly 16 at the time. She had recently finished her schooling and was perfectly capable of marrying into a wealthy family. So Ruth carried out her plan, dragging her unwilling daughter to many gatherings and parties in order to match her up with a wealthy husband. Many of the men had been drawn in by Rose's beauty, but soon looked down on her when they saw her rebellious and adventurous personality. Ruth was enraged to see potential suitors leave after actually getting to know her daughter. She then vowed to correct the matter and within a matter of weeks, Rose had been transformed into a totally different person. As if Ruth had never promised her husband to keep the secret of their financial status, Ruth told Rose, leaving a tremendous burden of guilt on her daughter's shoulders. Rose had been unwilling and rebellious at first, but soon changed her ways when Ruth bought into her daughter with guilt... guilt that if Rose did not follow her mother's wishes, she would leave the only family she had on the streets. She told Rose that she would be a disgrace; not only to her mother and sister, but to the memory of her father. So Rose had finally changed. She had cooperated with her mother's wish for her to go to the many cotillions and be present at various gatherings. From that moment on, Rose could feel the walls of her heart shut. She excepted the fact that she would never be able to go to the many places she often dreamed of or find the only thing she wanted most of all…true love. Now, as Rose looked back at her reflection, a single tear gently fell down her delicate porcelain skin. She quickly brushed it away when her little sister Clara came rushing in through her door. Pure excitement filled her sister's features as she jumped up on Rose's overstuffed bed. "Oh Rosie! You won't believe it! There's so many people down there! They're all talking about you Rosie!" Clara exclaimed. Rose looked at her sister with sadness in her eyes. Clara reminded Rose so much of herself at that age. Clara may only be 9 years old, but she had the same adventurous streak that Rose now longed for. "Calm down Clara or Mother will get angry." "Ah but Rose!" Clara looked into her sister's sad eyes and she immediately became calm. "Rose? What's wrong? It's your 17th birthday today. Nobody should be sad on their birthday." Rose smiled sadly at Clara's innocence. "I know. I'm not sad. I'm just thinking, that's all." Clara looked up at her sister and smiled. "Good! Mother told me to tell you that you'd better hurry up. Some of daddy's old friends are here and Mother wants you present." Rose rolled her eyes and sighed a painful sigh. Nevertheless, she stood up and walked over to Clara. "Well we'd better get down there then. Come on." Rose said as she reached for Clara's hand. Clara excepted gladly and leaped from the bed. They walked down the hallway until they reached the staircase that lead to the ballroom. Rose stopped at the top and took a deep breath. She could see the crowded room of guests mingling and visiting the different tables. Clara rushed ahead of her to tell their mother that she was finally ready. Rose continued down the marvelously curved staircase. Her hand slid delicately down the detailed banister until she reached the bottom. Everyone stood up. Directly in front of her stood her mother with her smile shining across her face as she looked at Rose gracefully walk down the stairs. Rose looked radiant in her new dress. She smiled as she saw her mother's approval. "Happy 17th Birthday darling. You sure have come a long way Rose. You've made me proud." Ruth said as she guided her daughter to a group of people. Rose looked to see Clara and her grandmother, Rose's closest friend Anne, some of her other relatives and some other people which she assumed were her father's old friends. "I'd like to introduce you to one of your father's closest companions. Surely you'll remember Mr. Dawson." |
