A FAMILY AFFAIR
Chapter One
Belfast, Northern Ireland
February, 1912
It was a busy time for everyone
at Harland and Wolff, as the painters and the designers were finishing getting
the Titanic ready to take her across the ocean on her maiden voyage. Thomas
Andrews was impressed on how the ship was coming along. He had been with the
Titanic, since she was conceived on a dinner napkin at his Uncle Pierre’s home,
through to the present as she was nearing completion. Thomas never imagined in
his wildest dreams he would be supervising the construction of the ship that he
labored so hard to bring forth. Indeed, shipbuilding was his life, and it had
been since he was sixteen years old. His life could not have been better. As
the sun dipped below the Irish horizon, Thomas gathered the Titanic’s
blueprints from his office and headed for home.
"Good evening sir," a
butler said as he took Thomas’ coat from his shoulders.
"Where’s Helen?" Thomas
inquired.
"The misses is upstairs
dressing for dinner. You have been invited to your parents’ house this
evening," the butler replied. Thomas had completely forgotten the dinner
plans at his parents’ house this evening. With the completion of the Titanic in
reach, he seemed to be forgetting the little things at home that needed his
tending.
"Thank you, Coggins,"
Thomas answered as he went upstairs to find his wife. When he entered the
bedroom, Helen was sitting in front of the large gilded mirror as Paulette put
the finishing touches on her elegant hairstyle. As she was fastening the last
jeweled barrette in Helen’s hair, Thomas approached her and planted a soft kiss
on her cheek.
"You forgot about the dinner
plans this evening, didn’t you?" Helen asked.
"Yes, I did," Thomas
replied. "I seem to be forgetting a lot these past few months."
"You’ve a lot on your mind,
my love," Helen said as she dismissed her maid. She stood and faced her
husband.
Thomas drew her into his arms.
Even though designing ships was his life, here in his arms was the true center
of his life. Without Helen, he would be nothing.
"Yes, I realize that, but I
haven’t been able to spend much time with you and Elba lately. The Titanic has
consumed most of my free time, and..." Thomas began.
Helen put a finger to her
husband’s lips. "We understand, Thomas," Helen replied.
"But..." Thomas began
again.
"Hush," Helen stated.
He knew there was no point in arguing further. He always seemed to lose the
littlest arguments with his wife. He was so blessed to have her in his life,
because she always seemed to understand him better than his own family.
"I love you, Helen,"
Thomas stated.
"And I love you, too, my
handsome shipbuilder," Helen answered as she rested her head on Thomas’
shoulder.
*****
Within the hour, Thomas, Helen,
and Elizabeth were in the car, heading to his parents’ house. Thomas glanced
over at Elizabeth.
"You look beautiful, Elba.
Is that the new dress that I bought you for Christmas?" Thomas asked his
daughter.
"Yes, Daddy, it is. I
thought I would save it for a special occasion," Elizabeth replied.
Elizabeth Andrews was a young
girl of twelve. Her father had always called her Elba, for as long as she could
remember. Thomas and Elizabeth had had a very close relationship with each
other since the day she was born. As a little girl, she would follow her father
everywhere. She would always want to be near him at every moment. But now, with
the new ship, Elizabeth found it hard to spend any true quality time with her
father. She understood, though, that the ships were her father’s life, and had
been since he was a child. He would always tell her stories of the sea and how
he dreamed that one day he would build a ship that would float on the majestic
waters. Her father was truly a remarkable man, and she hoped that when she grew
up she could be just like him.
"Hello, Thomas," Eliza
Andrews said as she greeted her son. She placed a kiss on his cheek. She
proceeded to greet her daughter-in-law and her granddaughter. Mrs. Andrews
ushered everyone into the dining room, where the rest of the family was
waiting.
"Tommy, how’s the ship
coming along?" his father asked him as dinner began to get under way.
Thomas’ father, the Right Honorable Thomas Andrews, was a very important man in
Northern Ireland, especially where politics and business were concerned.
"She’s coming along well,
Father. Everything is right on schedule," Thomas replied.
"With Thomas supervising,
you bet everything is bloody on schedule, because he’d have it no other
way!" John Andrews exclaimed. Thomas cast his elder brother a half smile.
They had been best friends since childhood. For a time, it was just the two of
them, until James was born.
"So, dear brother, when does
this giant of yours take to the sea?" his brother James asked him.
"The maiden voyage is
planned for April tenth of this year. She will be sailing from
Southampton," Thomas answered.
"Southampton, England. How
come from there?" his mother asked as she sipped her wine.
"Mr. Ismay said that he
wouldn’t have an English ship leaving from an Irish port. Since she was
financed by an English shipping firm, the Titanic shall be an English
ship," Thomas said.
"She’d be nothing more than
a few piles of steel if it wasn’t for you and Uncle Pierre!" William
Andrews retorted.
"That’s the way these big
executives operate, Will. You could say us builders and designers are last on
the totem pole," Thomas stated.
"Does he give you any credit
for your hard labor, brother?" Eliza Andrews questioned.
"He does to a point,
Liza," Thomas replied.
"Will you have to accompany
her on the maiden voyage, Daddy?" Elizabeth asked.
"No love, just for her
trials. I have to make sure that everything is running smoothly when she is
delivered into Mr. Ismay’s hands. I believe I remember hearing that Uncle
Pierre will be going along on the maiden voyage. As one of the executives of
Harland and Wolff, it will be his duty to accompany her on her first time
across the sea to ensure that she is as fit as we can make her," Thomas
answered.
"Uncle Pierre hasn’t been
well, Thomas," Helen replied.
"We are all fully aware of
that, Helen. None of us at the shipyard want him to go, because of his frail
health, but you know Uncle Pierre. He’ll do what he wants, no matter what any
of us tells him," Thomas said, smiling at his wife. Thomas’ mother smiled.
Her brother was always the stubborn one on her side of the family. He took
after their father, God rest his soul. As dinner concluded and the family moved
into the parlor for after dinner chatter, one of the maids entered the room.
"Please excuse the
intrusion, but there is a phone call for Mr. Thomas Andrews, Jr.," she
stated.
"Who is it, Mrs.
Greer?" Thomas asked.
"It’s Mr. Harland, sir. He
says it’s quite urgent," Mrs. Greer replied.
"Thank you. I’ll be there
momentarily," Thomas answered.
"You may take it in my
study, son," his father told him. Thomas walked into his father’s study,
where Mrs. Greer brought the telephone and closed the door for some privacy.
"Thomas, we have a
situation. Your aunt has just telephoned me and informed me that the doctor has
just been over to the house to examine your uncle, and there is a bit of a
problem," Mr. Harland stated.
"Did my uncle take a turn
for the worse?" Thomas questioned.
"Not that your aunt
mentioned. However, the doctor told her that traveling with the Titanic in
April so soon after a pneumonia scare would be out of the question. When I
called to inform Mr. Ismay of the situation and suggested that we put the
maiden voyage off until your uncle was well enough to accompany the Titanic, he
blew an artery! He said that come hell or high water, the Titanic would sail in
April, no matter what he had to do," Mr. Harland explained.
"So, what are you
saying?" Thomas questioned.
"Thomas, you will need to be
aboard for the voyage in your uncle’s stead. Mr. Ismay made it perfectly clear
that he wanted someone who knew the Titanic inside and out. Besides your uncle,
Thomas, you are the only one who knows the Titanic like the back of your
hand," Mr. Harland stated. There was a bit of a pause as Thomas pondered
the situation before him.
"Tell Mr. Ismay that I will
sail with the Titanic in place of my uncle. The Titanic will sail on time if
that is what he so wishes," Thomas replied. He managed to hear a thank you
from Mr. Harland on the other end of the line. As he hung up the phone, he
could only think of his family and their reaction to the decision that he had
just made.