A FAMILY AFFAIR
Chapter Five
Titanic
April 13, 1912
The Titanic was already three
days into her maiden voyage. So far, the voyage was uneventful. Thomas was
pleased with the Titanic's performance thus far. He so wished Uncle Pierre
would have been well enough to make the journey. He sent his uncle a telegram
at least once a day to update him on the Titanic's current condition. For the
first time in a while, Thomas felt content with life.
*****
The family had gathered in the
Verandah Café for lunch.
"Helen, do you have any clue
as to where Tom has gotten off to?" William asked.
"He's making inspections of
the ship," Helen replied as she took a sip from her water glass.
"And let me guess. Elizabeth
is with him," John stated, looking at the two empty chairs next to his
sister-in-law.
"Of course she is, John. She
follows her father wherever he goes," Helen stated. Elizabeth was her
father's heart, inseparable since the day she was born. She wondered what kind
of mischief her two children were getting themselves into this time.
*****
Meanwhile, belowdecks, Thomas was
busy walking down the mazes of corridors, inspecting every little detail.
Elizabeth followed close behind, watching her father so meticulously record his
findings in his little brown book.
"Daddy, how come you are
writing in that book?" Elizabeth asked. He stopped writing and looked at
his daughter.
"It's to help us better the
Titanic's sister," Thomas replied as he wrote another figure in his book.
Elizabeth was confused by her father's response.
"But how can you better the
Olympic? She is already completed," Elizabeth stated.
"The Olympic is not the
sister that I am referring to. Within the next couple of years, the Titanic
will have a younger sister," Thomas said.
"You mean..." Elizabeth
began.
"Yes, Elba, another ship.
The third and final one of what Uncle Pierre calls the Olympic class
liners," Thomas finished.
"Are you going to design and
build her, too?" Elizabeth asked.
"Of course I will. Uncle
Pierre told Mr. Harland and Mr. Wolff that he wants no other person to touch
his dream but his nephew and the men he deems worthy to work with him,"
Thomas replied.
"Well, I guess that leaves
me out," a voice said. Thomas and Elizabeth turned and saw Archie Frost
coming towards them.
"I guess it does,"
Thomas said with a chuckle. Archie had been by his side since the construction
of the Olympic. He wanted to learn shipbuilding from the best, and the day he
met Thomas, he knew he had found the best.
"Miss Elizabeth, it's a
pleasure to see you. Are you busy keeping that father of yours out of
trouble?" Archie asked Elizabeth.
"The key word here, Archie,
is trying," Elizabeth replied. She smiled as she looked at her father.
"So, how's the inspection
coming?" Archie asked.
"It's coming," Thomas
said.
"Bet you're pleased with
her," Archie said.
"I certainly am," Thomas
stated. He looked at a light fixture and made a note in his book. He started to
walk down the hall, looking at subsequent fixtures and making notes about them.
Elizabeth and Archie followed in his wake. Both of them knew that Thomas paid
great attention to details, and if even the tiniest thing was out of order, he
would always manage to notice it. After Thomas was finished inspecting the
fixtures, he closed his book and put it inside his coat pocket. He turned to
Elizabeth and Archie.
"I believe Helen and the
rest of the family are lunching in the Verandah Café. Why don't we go get
something to eat?" Thomas suggested.
"I would like that, Daddy.
Archie, will you join us?" Elizabeth asked Archie.
"Are you sure? Maybe you'd
want the time with the family," Archie replied.
"Nonsense! We'd love for you
to join us," Thomas answered. Elizabeth looked at him in a way that told
him not to argue the point further.
"I'd be most honored,"
Archie said. With that, the three made their way to the café to join the rest
of the family.
*****
"There you are!
Finally!" John exclaimed.
"I do apologize for our
tardiness, but I was inspecting downstairs when we ran into Archie. I thought
I'd invite him to have lunch with all of us," Thomas stated. He motioned for
a steward to bring another chair for Archie. As the three of them sat down, a
man in a dark suit approached the table.
"Good afternoon, Mr.
Ismay," Thomas said. Mr. Ismay was a seriously gruff-looking individual.
People almost seemed to fear him because of his elevated status in society. He
never smiled, not even at his own wife and children. There was bad blood
between Mr. Ismay and Thomas ever since he came to Harland and Wolff and worked
on ships for Ismay's firm.
"Thomas, if I could have a
word with you immediately," Ismay said sternly. Thomas could detect the
harshness of his voice.
"Yes. Of course you may.
Please excuse me, everyone," Thomas said as he stood and followed Mr.
Ismay out of the café.
"I wonder what that is all
about," Mrs. Andrews stated.
"We'll be sure to hear of it
when Thomas returns," John said. The family returned to their chattering
and asking Archie various questions about his assistance to Thomas. However,
Elizabeth cast her gaze out the door, where she saw Mr. Ismay and her father
engaged in conversation. She could only imagine what Mr. Ismay was telling her
father. She had to find out. She stood from the table.
"Elizabeth, where do you
think you are going?" her mother asked her.
"I have to know what Mr.
Ismay is telling Daddy," Elizabeth replied.
"You will hear it from your
father when he returns. Now, sit back down and finish your lunch," Helen
commanded. Elizabeth always obeyed her mother, but this was one time when she
knew she couldn't.
"I'm sorry, Mother. I have
to find out what they are talking about," Elizabeth replied. With that,
she headed for the door to listen in on the conversation. She stepped outside
the door a bit so she could hear them better.
*****
"Nothing had better go wrong
on this voyage, Andrews! Seeing as how your poor uncle took ill before the
voyage, I guess I will have to settle for the next best thing. I was quite
reluctant about your uncle's decision to send you along on this voyage, but I
had no choice in the matter. It was either you or cancel the voyage, so I just
took the card that I was given. There might be people back in Ireland who think
you are the best when it comes to ships, but I think that you are seriously
lacking certain abilities of a great shipbuilder," Ismay stated. Thomas
stood there looking at his condemner, shocked by what had come from his lips.
"Yes, Mr. Ismay. I
understand your concerns. Believe me, nothing will go wrong," Thomas said;
his voice full of defeat. As Ismay turned to leave, he looked back at Thomas.
"Keep one thing in mind,
sir. You will never be as good as your uncle, in my opinion. Remember
that," Ismay stated as he turned and walked away down the promenade deck.
Elizabeth leaned against the doorway, shocked by what she had heard Mr. Ismay
tell her father. How he could he possibly compare him to his uncle? They were
two separate people, two very unique individuals. She was lost in thought.
Elizabeth could not understand why Mr. Ismay would speak that way to her father
after all he had done to ensure the success of each of the ships the White Star
Line requested Harland and Wolff build for them. A voice called her back from
her thoughts.
"Elba, what are you doing
here?" Thomas asked her as he approached the doorway. He didn't even wait
for her to respond. "You heard every word, didn't you?" Thomas asked
her again.
"Yes, Daddy, I did. I'm
sorry that I eavesdropped," Elizabeth said as she looked directly into her
father's eyes, waiting for him to yell at her. Instead of yelling, he put his
hand on her shoulder.
"Not a word of what you
heard to anyone, especially your mother," Thomas said to Elizabeth as he
passed by her and headed back inside the café.