FINDING LOVE ON THE TITANIC
Chapter Five
"May I offer you more tea
and crumpets, miss?" the youthful waiter inquired of Rachel. Every
afternoon at four, the ship served tea and pastries in the opulent reception
room. Teatime was the most popular time on the ship for women. Each woman,
young and old alike, would dress up in her finest attire and catch up on all of
the latest news and gossip. Rachel chose to wear a sheer white textile dress
with a matching slip. The neckline was V-necked and trimmed in black to further
emphasize the cut. The full black band around the waist emphasized her trim
figure.
"Rachel, my dear, I cannot
believe you will not reveal all your latest fashion finds from Paris,"
Lady Lucille Duff-Gordon quipped while taking another sip of tea from the White
Star Line china. Rachel, aware of Lady Lucille’s indiscreet nature, quickly
changed the subject.
Lucille was a fashion designer
best known for her designs of racy lingerie. She had shops in London and Paris.
Lucille and her husband, Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon, were popular with the royals.
"Lucille, I need to write
some letters, so I will catch up with you later on at dinner," Rachel
informed her as she excused herself from the table.
The reading and writing room was
as much an enclave for the women as the smoking room was for the men. The
painted white room was furnished elegantly with the latest Edwardian furniture.
The curtains and carpeting were of a color of rose. A large, open fireplace
warmed the room. A large bow window enabled the viewers to look out over the
promenade deck. Rachel soon found a table and began to write her letters. She
heard an odd knocking sound. She turned around and noticed Ross was at the bow
window. He motioned for her to come over. She went over to the window while
motioning to him to step inside. He nodded in approval as he made his way
inside.
"It is cold on deck and I
did not have a wrap available to warm me. You look cold. There is an empty
couch in front of the fireplace. Why don’t we take a seat there while you warm
up?" Rachel informed Ross while gazing around, noticing that the room was
empty of any onlookers. He nodded in approval as he followed her to the
fireplace. Ross removed his coat as he sat down on the empty couch beside her.
"You look amazing. Is that a
new dress from Paris?" Ross asked.
"That is a secret. What have
you been up to this afternoon?" Rachel inquired. For some strange reason,
she suddenly began to feel nervous.
"After lunch, I worked out
on the rowing machine in the gymnasium and then went to the swimming bath for a
quick swim. Colonel Gracie joined me in the swimming bath for a few quick laps.
We next joined several others in the smoking room for a quick cigar. Archibald
Butt caught us up on the latest political news."
Ross knew the all the social
formalities had been completed. Rachel looked so beautiful and desirable. As
the next few minutes passed, Ross could not remember one word discussed between
them. All he knew was he had a great desire to reveal everything to this woman.
With that feeling overwhelming him, he leaned over and softly kissed her on the
cheek. He could feel her desire producing electricity inside of him. Their lips
met, softly at first, and then they slowly sank into it. His arms slowly
encircled her slender waist as she began softly exploring his muscular physique.
Ross had loved Carol, but he had
never felt this passion and desire for her. It was a new discovery.