BETWEEN TWO HEARTS
Chapter Five
Saturday, April 13, 1912
2:30 PM
The party in the Third Class area
went until early in the morning. Siobhan had no idea what time it was when the
passengers started to disperse. All she remembered after Harold left was Moody
escorting her back and promising that he would send someone to wake her at one
if she wasn’t already awake.
"Miss Siobhan? Are you
awake?"
It was her maid, knocking on her
door. Siobhan rolled over in her bed to find that there was bright sunlight
streaming in through her windows.
"Yes…you can come in…"
The door opened and shut quickly
and in came her maid. "We must get you ready, Miss Siobhan. We’ve got to
get you out in a half an hour. Master Thayer was asking about you; said that
people were asking about you at breakfast and lunch. We must get you ready for
Mr. Lowe."
"Wait…how do you know about
him?"
"My dear…Mr. Moody told me
last night. He was the one who sent me to wake you. I think it’s wonderful. Mr.
Lowe is a wonderful man--you two would be perfect for each other. Now…I’m
liking the burgundy dress."
*****
Siobhan got up to the verandah
right at three and, seeing as Lowe was not in the room when she got there, sat
at a vacant table next to one of the windows.
"Tea, miss?" One of the
stewards held out an empty teacup for her.
"Yes…thank you."
He set the cup down next to her
and not even thirty seconds later another steward was there with a teapot and
poured her some before moving into the smoking room. Her eyes watched the
passengers as they walked by on the A-Deck promenade. The ship that her uncle
had so meticulously built had made so many people happy, and she enjoyed seeing
their faces as they took in the wonder that was Titanic. Everyone seemed so
happy to be there--even the Third Class people whom she had seen last night.
"Harold! Over here!"
She stood up as the officer came over.
"Hello…" he said as he
gave her a kiss. "I apologize for being late. I couldn’t leave until
Boxhall showed up. He was running a few minutes late."
"It’s all right," she
said with a smile. "I would have waited forever."
The same steward interrupted
their conversation. He asked if Lowe would like some tea, which he graciously
accepted. He was brought the tea and, for a few minutes, sat staring at it.
"Is there something on your
mind, Harold?"
He sighed as he placed his spoon
down on the saucer. "We got more ice warnings today."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Bride has said so.
From ships that are ahead of us that are stopped. Says there’s so damned much
ice that they can’t go anywhere."
"Is it true?"
"I don’t know. There’s so
much passenger traffic that they’ve gotten lost in the shuffle. It would be
hopeless to find them now."
"It should be fine,
Harold," she said as she took a sip of her tea. "Uncle Thomas
designed a wonderful ship--it’s quite hard to sink her with one or two
compartments flooded."
"Yes, I know. Up to four
compartments flooded is the maximum she can allow. But Siobhan…what if the ship
has five punctured compartments?"
She was quiet for a few minutes.
"It would have to be an act of God. That’d be over three hundred or so
feet if my measurements are correct."
"It would…Captain Smith has
ordered the last boilers to be lit, too. We’re flying at full speed into the
lion’s den."
She was quiet for a few minutes
before she reached out and put her hand on top of his. "Harold,
please…let’s just put this behind us for now and enjoy the time we have
together. It’s going to be over before we know it."
"Not if we don’t let
it."
She was taken aback by these
words. "What are you saying?"
"I’m saying that, depending
on how this voyage and the return trip go, that I would like you to come stay
with me in Wales for a little bit. See how you like the country. I don’t want
to impose anything on you just yet because we just barely know each other, but
let’s see what’ll happen."
"Yes…let us see what will
happen." She smiled as she took a sip of her tea.
*****
It was only a matter of time
before the announcement for dinner was carried out. The pair stood up in the
café and agreed to meet in the C-Deck area of the Grand Staircase in order to
go to dinner together in the First Class dining hall.
It didn’t take too long for
Siobhan to get ready, and sure enough, she was waiting on the Grand Staircase
for Harold. She saw some of the people she had met on the voyage going down to
dinner. They exchanged brief greetings and almost just as quickly went on their
way.
Siobhan saw a familiar face
coming down the stairwell.
"Hello, Officer Wilde!"
She smiled as she saw the officer, whom she had met on the first day out.
"Hello, Miss Andrews."
He took her hand and kissed it. "How has your voyage been so far?"
"It’s been wonderful, thank
you." She smiled as she put her hands behind her back. "How has your
voyage been so far. I mean, with being the chief officer of this ship and
all?"
She could see his eyes darken
slightly. "I do not like this ship at all…to call her unsinkable is to fly
in the face of God. Miss Andrews, I don’t mean to frighten you, but there is
something about this ship that I don’t like. I’d much prefer to be back with
the Olympic right now."
"I…I don’t know what to say
to that, Mr. Wilde."
"It’s quite all right, Miss
Andrews. Don’t worry about it."
She smiled at the chief officer
and heard Harold greet them both. She turned around and saw that he was walking
towards them.
"Good evening, Mr.
Lowe."
"Good evening, Mr. Wilde.
Have you been keeping her company while I finish up on tasks before
dinner?"
Siobhan noticed a smile coming
from Mr. Wilde.
"Actually," he said in
response, "I was just heading down to pick up some food before the
watch." He turned to Siobhan. "It was nice chatting with you, Miss
Andrews. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really must be going. Lowe." He
nodded to the lower-ranked officer before he continued down to the D-Deck
reception area.
Lowe held out his arm and she
took it. "So," she began. "Whom will we be dining with
tonight?"
"I do believe that Mr.
Murdoch has invited us to join him at his table. Your uncle will be joining us
for dinner there."
"You mean he’s actually
leaving his work for a bit to join us?" she asked incredulously.
"He is," he said with a
smile. "In fact, he is."
*****
It was only a mere three-quarters
of the way through dinner, but Siobhan got tired of sitting through the
tediousness of the First Class meal. It was then that she tried to get back to
her room by feigning sick--and succeeding.
"Here…Siobhan, let me walk
you back."
Lowe stood up and helped the
ailing woman up. "I’ll be back after I drop her off at her room."
"Okay," Mr. Andrews
said. "I’ll be by later to check on you."
"I’ll probably be asleep,
Uncle Thomas. I’ll meet you tomorrow morning for the services."
"All right," he said.
"Take care…get some rest."
With that, the two walked out of
the dining hall and up to C-Deck…which, therefore, led to her room.
"I’ll see you tomorrow at
the services, okay?" She nodded and smiled as she went inside, seemingly
locking the door behind her.
However, she did not go to sleep.
She struggled to get the dress off as well as all of the First Class
necessities. It only took her about five minutes or so to do, and she went over
to her closet and pulled out the same outfit she wore yesterday. Earlier in the
day, she had seen her friends Owen and Catriona out on the Third Class
promenade. They told her about another party that was being held in the same
room as the night before. Siobhan, remembering the fact that she had had a good
time at the first one, wanted to relive the experience again at the party that
night. She also had her uncle’s keys, and she was going to use them while she
still had them. She felt horrible about not inviting Lowe, but tonight, she had
decided, was going to be dedicated to her two friends from back home. After
all, they would do the same for her…right?
She carefully poked her head out
the door and, seeing as how the majority of people were still at dinner,
grabbed the keys. She quickly locked her door and headed to the Aft Grand
Staircase, ready to once again dance the night away.