THE GRACE OF THE SEA
Chapter Six

April 12^th
Truths and Lies

"How do I look?"

Cassandra whirled around from her closet to take a look at Grace, who was standing in the room showing off her beautiful peach dress. She theatrically spun around, sending the fabric rippling around her. "You look simply lovely!" Cassandra answered.

Grace stepped towards the door and peeked out. The corridor was empty; everyone was probably just wasting time until lunch would be served in about thirty minutes or so. "I certainly do hope that no one sees me," Grace stated.

"I’ll do my best to make sure you safely make it into the arms of your beloved!" Cassandra dramatically replied, soon followed by a giggle. Grace looked at Cassandra. "I’m serious. I’ll do anything to make sure you’re not seen," Cassandra reassured her.

A hopeful smile was shot in Cassandra’s direction as Grace quickly and quietly left the room. Cassandra poked her head into the hallway to see Grace’s figure down the hall. As she leaned against the doorframe, soft footsteps were heard at a distance. Cassandra stole a glance in their direction and saw her uncle coming. Her mind raced with ways to stop him, or at least stall him, from heading in the direction Grace had taken. Not wanting her uncle to stop Grace, she froze, not knowing what to do.

Montgomery’s footsteps came closer and closer, and Cassandra became more frantic. Then, suddenly, an idea occurred to her. At the last possible moment, she collapsed into the hall with an exaggerated gasp. Montgomery immediately came to her aid.

Grace paused as she heard a thump, and turned to see her father hunching over Cassandra’s body. For a moment she was concerned. Then she realized her cousin’s devious plan. Not knowing how long Cassandra’s charade would last, she picked up her pace once more.

"Excuse me, Grace," came a low voice from behind her. She whirled around to see Lawrence standing there.

"Oh, it’s just you, Larry. You gave me quite a scare there," Grace replied, all of her nerves relaxing.

"Where are you headed?" he asked gently.

Grace hesitated before answering. "I was just going to...um...meet with Mother on the promenade," she lied.

Larry smiled, saying, "I’ll join you, then." He held out an arm for her to link with her own. When Grace made no sign of taking up his offer, he took her by the hand and led her away from the main hallway.

"Grace," he said. "Tell me the truth."

The truth was that Grace was taken aback by his behavior. Did he know something that she wasn’t aware of? It certainly seemed so. "I did tell you the truth."

Larry looked her in the eye, and as she turned away, he knew what was going on. "You’re going to see that third class man, aren’t you?" he asked, new wrinkles forming with the seriousness of his expression.

Grace slowly nodded her head, still looking away from his piercing gaze. Larry very formally began, "Your father asked me to prevent you from seeing this man. He told me very directly. You mustn’t go, Grace."

"You don’t understand. I’m going to see Tommy whether I have your approval or not," Grace sternly told him. She never questioned his authority before, but now she seemed confident. Larry knew that instant that Grace wouldn’t give up, no matter what he said. "Now, if you’ll excuse me," Grace said, inching towards the main hallway.

"Wait," Larry said, grabbing her arm. "Let me make sure your father isn’t near." Grace was filled with gratitude when she realized that Larry wasn’t going to tell her father of this, and even moreso when he decided to help her. "Go quickly now," Larry told her. Grace threw her arms around his neck and gave him her thanks.

A left...another left...down a flight of stairs...she turned in all the right spots, although she wasn’t sure where she was headed. Grace kept on turning around, making sure that she wouldn’t miss Tommy if he walked behind her.

Grace became frustrated and leaned against the wall for a moment. There weren’t many people in the hall, but someone was sure to know who Tommy Ryan was.

"Excuse me," she said to a woman walking by. "Do you know a man named Tommy Ryan?" The woman shrugged, then began speaking Italian. Grace tried to motion out what she was trying to ask.

A young man dressed in simple garb approached Grace and the woman and offered his assistance. "Hi. I noticed you trying to talk to this woman. My friend speaks Italian. Maybe he can help," he said, his dirty-blonde hair falling into his blue eyes.

"Maybe you can help me," Grace said. "I was just wondering if you knew a Tommy Ryan."

"Tommy Ryan? No, miss, I’ve never heard of him. Hey, Fabri, do you know a Tommy Ryan?" he called to his dark-haired friend a ways down the hall. He shook his head.

"Grace!" She quickly looked behind her to see Tommy coming down the hall. At the sight of him coming towards her, Grace noticed her heart beginning to beat faster, and she couldn’t stop smiling. "Hello," he said to the two men standing beside Grace.

"Let me guess. You’re Tommy Ryan?" the blonde man joked. "I’m Jack Dawson."

His friend shook Tommy’s hand. "Fabrizio di Rossi," he introduced.

"I was asking them if they knew of you or where you might be," Grace said to him. "Oh, I’m sorry. I never introduced myself! I’m Grace Montgomery," she said to Jack and Fabrizio.

Jack said, "Well, it was nice meeting you." He and Fabrizio walked off.

"I didn’t expect you to be able to come down," Tommy said.

"I almost wasn’t able to," Grace told him. She explained to him the incident that had occurred between her and Larry, and of Cassandra’s act.

"You hafta remind me to thank your cousin when I see ‘er." Tommy smiled, kissing Grace on the cheek. "It’s a beautiful day out. Let’s go."

They walked arm-in-arm towards the deck, and continued to for a while as they enjoyed each other’s company for the second day in a row. The sun slowly climbed to directly above them in the sky.

"Lunch time. Should you be goin’ back?" Tommy asked. Grace sighed and shook her head.

"Hopefully they don’t mind eating a meal without me. I’d rather lunch with you," Grace replied. "To the saloon?" Tommy grabbed her hand and led them off for their first meal together.

*****

"Cassandra, are you all right?" Montgomery asked, kneeling beside her.

"Oh, dear," she said weakly. "I feel a bit faint. Perhaps I should rest for a while." She feebly tried to sit up, and glanced down the hallway. Grace wasn’t in view. Montgomery helped her to her feet, and Cassandra stood up, supported by her uncle. He turned and began to lead her to her stateroom.

"Should I summon the doctor?" he asked her. "You might be coming down with something."

"I should be fine after a rest, I believe." She lay down on her bed.

Montgomery walked to the door. "Do you think you will feel up to attending lunch, or should I have some food brought to you?"

"Ah…I should be able to go, I think. Thank you, Uncle, for your help," Cassandra said quietly. He nodded and left the room.

*****

It was time for lunch to be served, and Cassandra got up from her bed and walked into the hall. Montgomery was headed towards her. "Hello," she said.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

Cassandra nodded. "Much better. I guess I was just tired."

"Do you know where Grace is?" he casually asked.

"Oh," she began. "I believe she said she was going to the reading and writing room last time I saw her. She’s probably wrapped up in the latest romance novel."

Montgomery nodded, accepting this as a legitimate answer. They walked across the corridor to his own stateroom and met with his wife.

"Ready for lunch, Elizabeth?" he asked. She nodded, and the three headed off towards the saloon. Once they arrived, Montgomery left the two women for a moment as he went to converse with a few others.

"Aunt Elizabeth, would you mind if I ate with Douglas today?" Cassandra asked.

"I don’t see why it should be a problem, dear. He’s a nice gentleman," she answered. Cassandra smiled and headed off to meet with Douglas on the other side of the room.

Elizabeth seated herself at the usual table with the usual people. "Mr. Wilson, do you know where Grace is?" she asked, noticing the absence of her daughter.

He realized that she must still be with Tommy. "I believe she wasn’t feeling well earlier, and she went to rest in her room for awhile. She must have fallen asleep," he lied.

"Oh, I hope she isn’t becoming ill," her mother worried.

"It’s nothing to fret over," Wilson assured her.

A few minutes passed, and Montgomery came over to the table. "A few empty seats today," he observed.

"Oh, yes," Elizabeth said. "Cassandra is eating with Douglas Johnston, and Grace isn’t feeling well, so she’s resting."

"She’s resting?" Montgomery inquired.

"Yes. Mr. Wilson told me just now." Wilson looked up at the mention of his name, and saw Montgomery’s brow furrowed.

After the lunch slowly passed, George pulled Lawrence Wilson aside; clearly he was unhappy about something.

"How dare you lie to me!" he hissed.

"What--what are you talking about?" Wilson asked, trying to remain calm.

"I’m fully aware that Grace is not in her cabin now, or ever was in the past few hours. You deliberately lied to me!" Montgomery stated. "I was in her room with Cassandra before lunch and Grace was not to be seen."

"Perhaps she left the room for a moment for fresh air," Wilson suggested, his cheeks flushing as Montgomery's superiority intimidated him.

"You know damn well she wasn’t!" Montgomery bellowed. "What do you take me for, a fool? She is with that boy, isn’t she?" Wilson said nothing. "You ignored my orders for her not to see him! You were hired as my assistant, yet you lie to me!"

"I lied for a very good reason!" Wilson shouted back. "Grace is still young, and she deserves to make her own decisions, and if by doing what she wants I have to lie to you, I will! She should be with who she wants."

"It is not for you to decide! You are not her father!"

Wilson took a deep breath and calmly stated, "I’ve been more of a father to her than you ever will be."

At this, Montgomery’s angry eyes shone with an emotion never before seen in them, and Wilson knew he had touched a nerve. "Mr. Wilson," he said quietly. "I believe that my family and I no longer have any need for your assistance."

*****

"Tommy!" Grace laughed. "I have to go!"

"No, not yet!" He grabbed her and twirled her around, playfully kissing her neck, causing her to giggle. They were inside his cabin after returning from yet another walk along the deck.

Tommy set Grace back on her feet, and she ran her fingers through his curly hair. "Cassandra can’t cover for me forever," she said, abruptly bringing them back to the reality of their situation.

"Yeah, you’re right," Tommy agreed. He looked into her eyes, leaned in, and gave her a kiss so passionate that she wrapped her arms around his neck not only to show affection, but partially for support. As the kiss broke, Grace smiled at Tommy, who was grinning back.

"I’ll see you tomorrow, if not sooner," Grace said, leaving the cabin. She walked up the Grand Staircase to B-Deck, and returned to her stateroom to prepare for dinner.

Her father was outside her stateroom, and Grace greeted him rather awkwardly. "Hello, Father. Were you…uh…waiting for me?" He didn’t say anything, but led her into the stateroom and closed the door behind them.

*****

Grace walked down the hallway to Tommy’s cabin. She gently knocked on the door, and Tommy opened it.

"Grace!" he said happily, trying to embrace her, but she pulled away. "What’s wrong?" Tommy asked, wiping away a stray tear from her pale face.

"I-I can’t see you anymore," she managed to say. "My father found out about us, and he won’t let me see you."

Tommy stared in disbelief at what he was hearing. "How did he--"

"He saw us yesterday in the hall, and today he figured it out."

Tommy sank onto his bunk as he realized what this meant. Grace continued, "Larry lost his job because of us, Tommy. I’m practically engaged to a man that my father wants me to meet. He has my future and my security already planned out, and he wants--"

"Who cares what he wants? What do you want?" Tommy asked.

"I want to stay here, with you, but I can’t. It’ll never work out." Grace realized that she was saying almost the same things her father had said to her only a few minutes earlier.

"So stay, then!" Tommy argued.

Grace let her tears fall more freely now. "Tommy, I can’t!" she cried. "I’m sorry, but I can’t. I’m not even supposed to be here now. I couldn’t not say good-bye." Grace wiped her red face, full of sadness. Tommy noticed how upset she was and knew that if she could stay with him, she would.

"I love you," Tommy said, shocked at what was coming out of his mouth as he just said what he felt.

"No matter what you say, I have to go back," Grace said.

"I’m not just sayin’ that so you’ll stay. I’m sayin’ that because it’s true. That’s why I want you to stay." Grace walked over to him.

"I love you, too," she said, hugging him, taking in his scent, his feel. She knew that if she didn’t let go now, it would be just that much harder later on. She walked to the door, took one last look at Tommy standing alone in the room, and ran to the staircase.

The hallways weren’t too crowded as Grace pushed her way through. She slammed the door to her room behind her and collapsed onto her bed in a heap. She quickly fell asleep to the sound of her own sobs.

Chapter Seven
Stories