AN ADVENTURE TO REMEMBER AND A MEMORY TO FORGET
Chapter Twenty-Three
Harry went back to his room after
we ate to take a nap. He said he’d find me later on tonight or tomorrow for
breakfast. I was slowly getting over my qualms about eating in public, but it
did still bother me, so I agreed just for Harry. I knew he had been up almost
nonstop since we got on board. I followed Rose to our room, but a feeling of
restlessness washed over both of us, and rather than toss and turn all night
long and keep Shannon up, we decided to go for a walk. Since we didn’t feel
like being with anyone, we took off on a tour of the ship on our own. I grabbed
a coat from Elizabeth’s closet and we went outside into the frigid night air.
When we got upstairs, we were
shocked at how quiet it was. The moon was out in full force, providing just
enough light for me to see where I was going. The only sounds I heard as I
relaxed into the railing on the Carpathia were my breathing, the crashing waves
against the ship, and the gentle hum of the engines as we steamed onwards
towards New York. I walked around with Rose for about fifteen minutes, taking
in the silence and allowing myself to daydream about everything that came to
me.
Rose started talking about how
excited she was about her upcoming wedding with Jack. I about half-listened to
her as we continued to walk. I stopped walking as I saw a figure talking with a
woman up ahead of us. I strained my eyes to see what was going on.
"Rose, quick! Get in
there!" I hissed at her as I pointed to a door. "Go to our stateroom
and don’t come out until I tell you to."
"Victoria, what are you
talking about?" She started to argue with me, but I cut her off.
"Rose, it’s Cal! He’s right
there. Now, go!" I shoved her through a door, and I heard the faint sounds
of her shoes against the wooden floor as she ran off, just in time for Cal to
spot me. I tried to turn around and walk off, but it was too late.
"Miss Metcalfe?" I was
snapped back into reality by a man’s voice. I spun around, frightened at who I
saw. I gasped as I slowly realized who he was.
"Mr. Hockley." I looked
him up and down. I wanted to throw up. I knew from Rose’s description of him
when we first boarded the Carpathia that his suit was torn from the sinking.
The one he had on now was spotless. He had evidently begged or stolen one from
another first class passenger. It needed to be hemmed around the cuffs, but for
a snake like him, it suited him. "What are you doing out at this time of
night, and who was that young woman you were with?" I shivered inside my
dress. It wasn’t the cold that was making me shiver. It was Cal’s icy stare.
He began to walk towards me. I
took a step back and he stopped. "I’ll ask you again. What are you doing
up here so late at night on such a cold night, and who was that?"
I wanted to snap back at him, but
the lady in me wouldn’t allow it. "I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t want to
disturb my…um…sister, and came up here for a walk with one of the girls in the
same hall as me."
He nodded and looked at me.
"You know Rose didn’t make it, don’t you?"
I stared at the ground, hoping to
hide my eyes from him and hoping my story was good enough that he bought it. My
eyes always gave me away when I was lying. "I know. Father has told us. I
am so sorry for your loss." I looked past Cal and stared straight at the
moon.
"Ruth is taking this hard.
You were with her, weren’t you?"
I nodded. "We got separated
as the ship sank. I do not know what happened after that. When we were sucked
under, we were pulled apart. The last thing I remember is passing out on the
headboard of a bed. I woke up on board here, and my sister and father were with
me."
"Did you know that artist
Rose was with made it?" Cal had an angry look on his face. "The
coward didn’t even think to rescue Rose. I saw the little idiot earlier by
himself, sketching some kid playing on one of the lower decks. He only wanted
to save himself. See what she got? She didn’t listen to me, and now she’s dead.
Her frozen body is floating around the North Atlantic, never to be seen or
heard from again. Serves her right. I just wish I’d gotten that ring back from
her. Do you have any idea what I spent on that engagement ring?"
I was appalled at Cal’s lack of
compassion. "You unimaginable bastard. Rose is better off dead to
you."
Cal looked at me square in the
eye with a bone-chilling stare. It scared me as I felt the hot sting of his
hand as he slapped me on my cheek. He grabbed me hard by my left shoulder and
jerked me to him. "And what did that mean? Oh, never mind. I heard about
your adventures, too, sweetie. What was it I heard? Oh, yes, something about an
officer and you being engaged? Mess with me again, and you’ll never see him
again. Your father would be appalled at what is going on if he knew."
I was furious that Cal was trying
to blackmail me into doing what he wanted. I struggled to break free of his
grip and easily did. I stepped back a few steps and looked right at him with an
icy glare of my own. "You’ll do anything to get what you want, you dumb
bastard! My father already knows. He’s already given his blessing and
everything is in motion. Unlike some of us, I didn’t lie my way into a
lifeboat." I started to walk off, but Cal grabbed me by my arm. He yanked
me around so hard that I heard something pop. "Ouch! You cretin. Let me
go!" I struggled against him, but his grip was too powerful for me to get
out of.
Cal laughed. "Hardly a
cretin, my dear. That penniless artist who cost my fiancée her life is more
along those lines. I’m a gentleman, and you will treat me as much. You’ll learn
to respect me, or you’ll wish you were never born." He tightened his grip
on my arm and began to raise his hand to hit me again when someone came up
behind him, grabbed his arm, and twisted it behind his back. Cal released his
grip on me and I fell back, hitting my face on the side of a deck chair as I
fell.
I was in a daze for a few
moments. I touched the sore spot on my face. "Ouch." No blood,
though. I began to clear my head to see what was going on.
"You dare raise your voice
or hit a lady?" Cal tried to take a step back, but Harry’s grip on his arm
only tightened, and I heard Cal grumble something under his breath in pain.
"You think you’re so good. I saw how you got on that lifeboat. I saw what
you did and I saw how you tried to bribe Murdoch with your money. His death is
on your hands. I hope you realize that. You killed him!" Harry let go of
Cal’s arm and shoved him hard into the wall next to the entrance to the
staterooms. Cal barely missed hitting his head on a slightly ajar door. Harry
pointed in my direction. "If I ever see you within fifty feet of her
again, or of Jack, I swear to God you aren’t going to know what hit you."
Cal lunged at Harry as he turned
around to face me and hit him square in the back of the neck. Harry grimaced in
pain, but turned around and hit Cal dead in the face. Blood gushed from Cal’s
nose.
Cal touched his hand to his
bloody nose. The sight of the blood shocked him. Cal lifted a finger and
pointed at Harry. "If you want to keep working for the White Star Line, I
suggest you stop right now." Cal squinted, obviously having problems due
to the pain he was in and because of the blood on his face.
"And if you want to keep
breathing, I suggest you go away. I can call the Master-at-Arms and have you
arrested." He pointed at me and then started back on Cal. "The bruise
on her cheek plus the marks on her arms are enough to get you arrested and
confined for the rest of the trip."
Cal laughed to himself, as if he
had a secret no one else did. "That’s what you think. Pity you’re just an
officer on board with no power. No one tells me what to do." Cal
straightened his jacket and began to walk off. Harry started after him.
"Harry, don’t." I
struggled to regain my composure by propping myself up on a deck chair while
Harry made one last advance towards Cal, but came to be with me instead of
decking Cal again. "Let him be." I looked over Harry’s shoulder and
yelled at Cal, "Bastards like you don’t deserve it!" My demeanor
shocked me, and Harry was just as shocked as I was.
"I didn’t know you had it in
you." He put his arm under mine and helped me to my feet. He gently
touched the already forming bruise on my cheek. "Damn that man. How dare
he think that he can do this to you?"
"Let it alone. I’m done with
that man." I checked my reflection in a window as Harry led me back
inside. "Leave him alone. I am asking you. It’s over with. Leave him be.
Once we dock, I’ll never have to deal with him again, and neither will Rose. He
almost saw her."
"What happened?"
I started telling Harry the story
of us walking up on deck and me shoving her through a door to keep her from
being spotted. "She took off running just as Cal was coming to me. I lied
when he said he saw me with someone and told him that it was another girl from
my suite."
"Still…" Harry started
in, but stopped himself as he respected my wishes. "We need to let Dr.
Willard look you over to make sure nothing’s broken and that you’re all
right."
I shook my head. "I’m fine.
I have a bump on my head and a slightly sore wrist where I caught myself as I
fell." I wiggled my fingers and waved at Harry to prove my point.
"See, not broken. I just fell on it funny. Though I did hear something pop
in my shoulder when Cal grabbed me." I began to rotate my shoulder.
"Ouch." It made another popping sound. "Damn." I looked up
at Harry.
"Come on. We’re taking you
to the doctor. I don’t want that arm to rot and fall off. Where else would you
wear the engagement ring that I am going to buy you if that arm falls
off?"
I smiled and agreed to go with
him.
The doctor came in, said I had a
slight sprain in my shoulder, put me in a sling, and told me to take it easy.
Harry took me back to my room. Rose flung the door open as she heard us talking
in the hall.
"Where have you been? You
had me worried!"
I explained to Rose what had
happened up on deck, with Cal hitting me, my spraining my shoulder, and Harry
saving me again.
"What a pompous ass."
She helped me into the room and Harry helped slip my coat off my shoulders.
"Go sit down. I’ll get you something to drink if you’re thirsty."
I shook my head. "No, I’m
fine. I’m fine. No one needs to fuss over me." I sighed as I sank back
into the plush fabric of the couch.
"Rose, you do need to stay
hidden as much as possible until we dock tomorrow. Cal knows Jack is alive. He
made mention to Victoria that he saw him. Considering what he did to Tory, who
knows what he would do to you or Jack if he saw you alive?"
"Thanks for the heads up,
Officer Lowe. I’ll make sure to get word to Jack to stay hidden until we
dock."
"No problem, and please,
call me Harold or Harry or something. Officer Lowe sounds so formal."
Rose stifled a giggle as she
stood up and saluted Harry. "As you wish, Officer Harold."
I laughed at Rose’s humor at the
whole situation. I tossed a pillow at her playfully. "You’re not
right."
She smiled. "I know, but I’m
getting better at it."