A DEEP OCEAN OF SECRETS
Chapter Nine

When Rose and her mother entered the suite, Cal was already ready, sitting on the couch in the sitting room. His hair was slicked back and he was wearing his black tux. He glanced up when Rose and Ruth entered. "There you two are," he said. "Elisabeth is still getting ready. Dinner has started already. We’ll miss our table!"

"Cal, don’t be in such a hurry," Rose complained, and strode past him into her room. She saw her sister sitting at her vanity, putting her diamond earrings on. She turned and smiled when she saw her sister.

"There you are." She smiled happily. "I was wondering when you’d come back here. Did you have a trying day with Mr. Dawson?" Rose’s mouth dropped open. Elisabeth laughed. "I was out on deck, too. You two seem to get along very well, much better than you and Mr. Hockley."

"I feel as if I…connect with Jack," Rose said in a faraway voice as she opened her wardrobe doors. Elisabeth turned back around and then stood up. She wore a beautiful black gown. The neck was square cut, as were the sleeves where they stopped on her forearms. At the hips, a white sash tied at the back, and the skirts doubled into two, one white and one black, flowing past her feet and making a train. Her dark, blood-colored hair was pinned into a bun, some curly strands left outlining her face. On her neck was a simple diamond necklace, which she had received from her father before he died. Rose smiled at her sister. "You look gorgeous. Enough to make men stare."

"That is not my intention," Elisabeth said. Rose cocked an eyebrow in slight confusion. "But," she added slyly, "who says a girl can’t have a little fun?" Rose cracked a goofy grin and pulled out a dress, slamming the wardrobe door shut.

*****

The Grand Staircase was well lit by the glowing dome above. It bathed every passenger in a warm glow, seeming like a protecting light from above. Rose and Elisabeth entered at the top, and Elisabeth looked over the stair railing, seeing Jack Dawson practicing his handshake and mumbling to himself.

"There’s your lover boy," Elisabeth joked, and Rose just smiled. She started down the stairs, Elisabeth behind, and smiled at Jack as he continued to mumble to himself. Jack turned and looked up her way, but suddenly did a double take. He gazed up at Rose with amazed eyes and smiled softly. She reached the bottom of the staircase, in front of Jack, and he gently kissed her hand. Rose smiled and Jack broke into a big grin.

"I saw that in a nickelodeon once and I’ve always wanted to do it." He smiled and Rose chuckled. Jack offered his arm and Rose took it.

She saw Elisabeth trip clumsily over the last step of the staircase, and said, "Jack, do you remember my rather clumsy sister, Elisabeth?" Jack turned and smiled at the smaller version of Rose.

"Of course." Jack smiled. He reached out and kissed Elisabeth’s hands. "Nice to see you, Miss Elisabeth." He flashed a charming smile.

Elisabeth giggled. "The pleasure is all mine," she replied.

They began to walk and caught up with Cal and Ruth ahead. Rose touched Cal’s arm. "Darling, surely you remember Mr. Dawson?"

Cal began a response when Elisabeth heard her name being called. She turned around and saw William Thackery smiling at her, standing with a woman and an older couple. She smiled nervously and glided over to the gathering. William smiled at her and the woman turned around, waving a fan softly by her face. "Elisabeth, I would like you to meet my fiancé, Annabelle Johansson. Annabelle, this is my friend, Elisabeth DeWitt Bukater."

Elisabeth studied Annabelle. She was no taller than herself, with straight blonde hair that was pulled up into a bun, wearing a diamond headband near the back of her head. Annabelle had a slim, pointy nose, small lips, and blue eyes that seemed to reach the inner soul of Elisabeth. She wore a red dining gown, the dress having at least five skirts. She looked at Elisabeth if she was a piece of lint for a moment.

"Pleasure to meet you," Elisabeth offered.

"Yes," Annabelle replied snobbishly, deathly, whiningly, slowly. She turned to William. "William, darling, have you been on excursions that I haven’t known about?" It was clear she was British and of high society by her accent and snobbish ways.

"No, sweetums, I ran into Elisabeth last night, and we spoke for a moment." Elisabeth nearly burst out laughing when she heard what William called his fiancée.

Annabelle turned her head slightly and exhaled sharply, a look of confusion written on her face. And jealousy. "Only a moment? It would have been longer if you consider her a friend," she said innocently, waving the fan near her face.

"You had retired, I was on my way, and—" Annabelle cut her fiancé off.

"Whatever you say, darling. Dinner starts soon, and I think I want to eat." Elisabeth hated Annabelle.

"Of course. Until again, Miss Elisabeth," William said. Elisabeth smiled at him. Annabelle took his arm, and from behind her shoulder, gave Elisabeth a look of pure disgust. She could hear Annabelle moan about how hot it was, and suddenly felt like throwing up all over the floor. She cursed under her breath and went to join her dinner party.

Elisabeth caught up to Rose and Jack, with Molly Brown and Rose linked to each of Jack’s arms. She fell in step with Molly, and Molly smiled at her. "Why, hello there, Elisabeth! I didn’t know when you would show up!" She smiled.

"I’m here now," Elisabeth replied. She gazed around at the people and nodded her head and smiled when she passed them.

"Ain’t nothin’ to it, is there, Jack?" Molly asked, beaming. "Remember, they love money, so act like you’ve got a lot of it and you’re in the club." Molly proceeded ahead, and Rose, Jack, and Elisabeth stayed where they were in front of their dinner table. Their party was busily talking.

"There’s the Countess of Rothes," Rose said, pointing discreetly to a woman with dark brown hair. "And that’s John Jacob Astor, the richest man on the ship. His little wifey there, Madeleine, is my age and in a delicate condition. See how she’s trying to hide it?"

"Quite the scandal," Elisabeth added playfully, leaning closer to Jack so she couldn’t be heard by other people, waving and smiling to another couple. Jack laughed.

Rose nodded towards a couple talking with Cal. "And over there, that’s Sir Cosmo and Lucille, Lady Duff Gordon. She designs naughty lingerie, among her many talents."

"Very popular with the royals," Elisabeth added again playfully, and then nodded her head towards another couple. "That’s Benjamin Guggenheim and his mistress, Madame Aubert. Mrs. Guggenheim is at home with the children, of course." Jack nodded.

The dinner party proceeded to their table, and on the way, Rose spotted JJ Astor and his wife standing near the doorway. Rose, Jack, and Elisabeth stopped in front of them. "JJ, Madeleine, I would like you to meet Jack Dawson." Rose gestured to Jack.

Madeleine shook Jack’s hand. "How do you do?" she asked. Jack nodded.

Astor shook Jack’s hand next. "Are you of the Boston Dawsons?" he asked.

"No. The Chippewa Falls Dawsons, actually," Jack replied. Astor nodded as if he’d heard of them, then looked puzzled.

Madeleine whispered girlishly to Rose, "It’s a pity we’re both spoken for." Elisabeth heard and giggled. Rose smiled and blushed.

*****

"He must have been nervous, but he never faltered. They assumed he was one of them…a young captain of the industry, perhaps. New money, obviously, but still a member of the club. But Mother, of course, could always be counted upon…"

*****

The party was now seated around their table. Rose sat by Cal, Mr. Andrews beside Rose, and Elisabeth beside the master shipbuilder. They formed a circle, and it seemed that Ruth DeWitt Bukater was head of the table.

"Tell us of the accommodations in steerage, Mr. Dawson," Ruth said, letting everyone know he was third class. "I hear they’re quite good on this ship."

Jack looked taken aback for a moment, then regained his composure. "The best I’ve seen, ma’am. Hardly any rats." Everybody laughed.

"Mr. Dawson is joining us from third class," Cal said. "He was of some sort of assistance to my fiancée last night."

"As it turns out, Mr. Dawson is quite a fine artist," Rose complimented. "He was kind enough to show me some of his work."

"Rose and I differ in our opinion of fine art. No offense to you, Mr. Dawson," Cal said. Jack waved his hand.

The waiter came around to Jack. "And how do you take your caviar, sir?" he asked.

"No caviar for me, thanks. Never did like it much," Jack replied, and the waiter moved on.

"Where exactly do you live, Mr. Dawson?" Ruth asked, biting into her caviar-laden toast. Rose and Elisabeth felt like slapping their mother for all of her questions.

But Jack took them well. "Well, right now, my address is the RMS Titanic. And after that, I’m on God’s good humor."

"And you find that sort of rootless existence appealing, do you?"

Jack looked hurt in a way; Rose sent him a look meaning he didn’t have to answer the question. But Elisabeth stared at him with curiosity, wondering what he would say. "Well, yes, ma’am, I do. I love waking up in the morning not knowing what’s going to happen. I mean, I’ve got everything I need with me. I’ve got the air in my lungs and a few blank sheets of paper. Just last week, I was sleeping under a bridge, and now I’m on the grandest ship in the world, dining with all you fine people." Jack raised his glass at the waiter. "I’ll take some more of that." He saw Cal grab a cigarette, but he didn’t have a match. He threw him a box. "Oh, here you go, Cal." Cal caught it off guard and stared at Jack Dawson. "To make each day count," Jack concluded.

Elisabeth broke into a smile. Molly nodded. "Well said, Jack."

"Hear, hear," Colonel Gracie agreed.

"To making it count," Rose said, raising her glass in a toast, staring at Jack with new wonder in her eyes.

"To making it count." Everyone held up their drinks and replied. Elisabeth took a long drink and set the glass down. She watched as the drink settled and watched as it stopped swishing as if it had made its life count. And that was exactly what she was going to do. Make her life count.

But Ruth would not have enough, mad that Jack had scored a point. "And how is it that you have means to travel?" she asked.

Jack was very annoyed, but didn’t show it. "I work my way from place to place. Tramp steamers and such. I won my ticket on the Titanic in a lucky hand of poker." He stared directly at Rose. "A very lucky hand." Rose blushed.

"All life is a game of luck," Archie said, taking a drink from his glass.

Cal shook his head. "A real man makes his own luck." Elisabeth shook her head slightly in disgust.

"But where does the luck come from?" she asked Cal, making an obvious point that he could not answer to.

"Looks like Miss Elisabeth here truly does have her own opinions about things," Thomas Andrews said, chuckling. "No arguing to that, eh?" Everyone nodded and mumbled responses. Elisabeth looked around.

"I certainly do have my own opinions, Mr. Andrews," Elisabeth said to him, and he wiped his mouth with his napkin.

"Of course, dear Elisabeth, of course."

Chapter Ten
Stories