A DEEP OCEAN OF SECRETS
Chapter Fifteen
Elisabeth didn’t know where she
was running. She pushed past people, her mind not thinking straight. She felt
like she wanted to jump off the ship like Rose had tried to do. She was angry,
furious! Full of hatred, self-hatred, for what she had done to William Thackery
and his fiancée. She hated Annabelle Johansson and her pointy noise and
snobbish ways, but she still felt bad for her. She hated herself for letting
herself fall for someone who was engaged.
She pushed past people as she ran
up the Grand Staircase, down the corridor, and into her suite. There was nobody
in sight, but the furniture was rearranged. The loveseat was positioned
differently, and there was a sketchbook of drawings lying on the coffee table.
She picked them up and flipped through them, her tears staining the pages.
Miscellaneous drawings, some of the Titanic. After flipping through them and
concluding they were Jack Dawson’s by his initials in the corners of the pages,
she walked to her room and shut the door furiously. She sat down on her vanity
stool and stared at her reflection in the oval mirror. Her face was pale, her
cheeks tearstained and flushed from running and the cold. Her lips weren’t the
dark red color they normally were, but paler and blue-tinted. Her eye makeup
had started to run, her deep green eyes on fire. Her loose ringlet curls, the
color of blood, were frizzed by the cold.
Furious at her reflection,
Elisabeth slammed her fist as hard as she could into the mirror, and it cracked
right where her fist had been. She stared at the mirror for what seemed like an
eternity, then silently went to her wardrobe and pulled out her favorite dress.
It was made of softer fabric, sheer and light, but elegant and simple. It was
short-sleeved, ending on her forearms. The bodice was a creamy pink, beaded,
the fabric coming together to make it v-shaped. A sash tied at the hips, where
the dress fit firmly and tied on the side, the sash traveling down the skirt.
The skirt turned into six skirts, one flowing over the other, creating a
wavelike effect. The skirts came below her ankles. The color was white, the
color of a wedding dress or cotton ball clouds in the sky, the sash pink.
Elisabeth threw off her other
dress and let it fall to the floor. She slipped on another pair of stockings
and put the dress on. She tied the sash and examined herself in the mirror. She
washed all of her makeup off and applied just a little mascara and lipstick.
She brushed out the tangles and frizziness in her hair, added pomade, and put
it up in a bun, strands falling neatly around her face. She slipped on a pair
of light pink heels, put a simple diamond square-cut necklace on her neck, and
diamond studs on her ears.
Finally, she put on her white
coat, the sleeves belling out at her wrists. The ends of the coat came to her
knees, and five round black buttons buttoned up the front. On the collar was a
swirled pattern of black embroidery. Rose had an identical coat, although hers
was pink.
With one last look at herself in
the cracked mirror, hoping it wasn’t lying to her, she left the room through
the back entrance. She walked down the corridor until she reached Suite A14. It
was Thomas Andrews’ suite, and his nephew’s, William. She was hesitant to
knock.
"Oh, Elisabeth, you stupid
girl," Elisabeth whispered to herself, and knocked loudly on the
whitewashed door. She waited for a couple of seconds. Then the door opened to
reveal Thomas Andrews in his vest and trousers. He gazed at her, at a loss for
words. She looked beautiful, even when she had something on her mind.
"Miss Elisabeth!" he
cried, shocked to see her there. "Um…what can I help you with?"
Elisabeth inhaled sharply.
"Is your nephew in the room?" she asked slowly.
Mr. Andrews shook his head.
"I don’t know where he is, to be honest. I didn’t know you had met
him." William hadn’t told him about Elisabeth.
Oh, good, Elisabeth thought to herself. He
doesn’t know what happened. "Yes. We met on deck. Actually, I need to
talk to you. In private." Mr. Andrews looked confused, but opened his door
and led her in. They took a seat on the couch after he had cleared a couple of
blueprints away.
He looked concerned. "What
can I help you with?"
Elisabeth didn’t know where to
start. Her mind was whirling. "Well…I met your nephew, William Thackery, a
couple of nights ago. We took a stroll on deck, and we became friends. I
actually thought I liked him as more than a friend, but then I found out he had
a fiancée, Annabelle Johansson. The next night, at dinner, I met her…and I
didn’t like her very much. Then earlier today, he and I took a walk, and he
kissed me, to my chagrin. And Annabelle saw us and threw her ring
overboard." Elisabeth had tears in her eyes now. "And now I’ve ruined
their relationship, and all of our places in society, and I just don’t know
what to do!"
Mr. Andrews was shocked.
"Annabelle has not said anything about this," he said. "And I
haven’t seen William."
Elisabeth sniffed. "I just
don’t know what to do. I’ve messed everything up, and I don’t know what is
going to happen!"
Andrews was silent for a moment,
in thought. Finally, he concluded, "Don’t fret, dear Elisabeth. I know my
nephew, and he doesn’t let things get past him. And Annabelle…she is too
stubborn to let William go. I wouldn’t interfere, but I wouldn’t worry. Give
them some time to work it out. Did you ever want to be with William?"
Elisabeth replied, "Until I
learned he was engaged. I didn’t want to kiss him, but his kiss stuck my feet
to the floor, or deck. But we were at the wrong place at the wrong time, and
now I regret everything that happened. I wish I could rewind time!"
"Sleep soundly, Elisabeth. I
wouldn’t worry about it too hard. All will be forgiven," Thomas Andrews
said reassuringly. "I know them both, and I know you. Heavens, I raised
the boy since his parents died when he was eleven. "
Elisabeth was shocked. "His
parents died?"
Mr. Andrews nodded grimly.
"My sister and her husband. I was the legal guardian, so I took him in.
All of his possessions were lost, so I made an arranged marriage for him to
Annabelle Johansson, who happened to be very wealthy. It would ensure that he
would become wealthy. Annabelle’s parents were neighbors to William’s, living
out in the Irish countryside in big mansions with acres of land. After the
arrangement was made, William eleven and Annabelle nine, I moved him to my
house not too far away. But Mr. and Mrs. Johansson felt that William should be
near Annabelle so they could get to know each other better, so he lived with
them for a while. The wedding was supposed to be three years ago, when William
was seventeen and Annabelle fifteen, but at the last minute, Annabelle called
off the wedding. So now, three years have passed, and the wedding is to be in
Philadelphia, since that is where most of the Johansson family is. They don’t
love each other like they should, but you can tell that they are meant for one
another."
Elisabeth could only nod, tears
pricking at her eyes. "And the wedding is to be held when?"
"June."
Elisabeth nodded again.
"That sounds how it is for Cal and Rose. When our father died, he left my
family in a swarm of bad debts. So Mother decided to marry Rose off to Caledon
Hockley, who happens to be very wealthy, as well. They’ve been engaged for
quite some time. Mother looks for a husband for me, but so far, I have refused
all seven."
Mr. Andrews chuckled.
"Seven? You do have quite some suitors," he said.
"But suitors I do not wish
to marry." It was quiet for a moment, and Elisabeth stood up. "Thank
you, Mr. Andrews, for listening. It helped me." Elisabeth embraced him and
smiled when they parted.
"You are quite welcome, Miss
Elisabeth," Mr. Andrews said. "It will come out for the best in the
end."
"I can only hope," was
her soft reply, and she left the suite, feeling just a little less worried,
leaving Mr. Andrews to stare in awe after her.