THE GRACE OF THE SEA
Chapter Seven
April 13th
Promises
Heavy eyelids slowly opened in
the early morning hours of April thirteenth. Grace rolled onto her back, and
was painfully reminded that she had fallen asleep in her dress clothes when her
corset dug into her pale skin. She rubbed her red and puffy eyes with her hand,
and allowed the memory of yesterday to seep into her present thoughts. An
audible sigh was sent into the air, and Grace groggily sat up.
Cassandra was sitting, staring
out of their window at the waves. At the noise, she turned and saw Grace slowly
waking up. "Good morning," she said, annoyingly upbeat.
"People should be more
accustomed to just saying morning." Grace yawned, facing her cousin.
"Oh, dear," she
replied. "I knew something unpleasant was going to happen when your father
wanted to speak with you." She sat on the bed with Grace and tried to
console her. "What happened?"
Grace hesitated, then began to
tell of everything that had occurred between breakfast yesterday and now.
Cassandra sat and listened as Grace poured everything out to her, with tears
beginning to stream down her face from her blue eyes. Cassandra could feel her
eyes moistening just listening to Grace’s sobs.
"Don’t you start me crying,
too," Cassandra said, wrapping her arms around her broken friend. "You
don’t need Tommy. You’re strong, and you’ll be fine." Grace tried to
accept her words, but something was telling her that it wasn’t true. Cassandra
continued, "By the time we reach New York, you’ll have completely
forgotten about him. Don’t forget about Benjamin Wilkes! I’m sure you two will
be so happy when you meet that you’ll never give a second thought to this trip
on the Titanic."
"I hope so." Grace
sighed.
"Come on. Let’s go.
Breakfast is going to be served shortly."
This meal seemed to be even more
miserable than the last. Grace sat and watched as conversations were held and
people enjoyed themselves. She tried to join in, but resorted to just examining
her silverware.
That day, Grace discovered much
of the detail engraved on the silverware, it being that she observed it through
most of breakfast and the majority of tea and lunch. The promenade deck held
her gaze as she strolled with her mother and other acquaintances throughout the
day.
The blue sky was beginning to
glow as streaks of orange and pink began to decorate it with the setting sun. A
breeze gently rustled through Grace’s brown hair, and she paused at the railing
to gaze out across the ocean. A trumpet was sounded, signaling dinnertime.
Grace left the railing and joined her mother on the way back to their
staterooms.
Grace looked through her
wardrobe, trying to find a dress she wanted to wear for dinner. They were all
beautiful, yet she had no desire to wear any of them. She randomly chose an
outfit and slipped into it.
The Grand Staircase was alive
with the best of society elegantly making their way to the dining area. Grace
stopped for a moment at the top of the stairs, looking down at what would
consume the rest of her life. She decided that it could be much worse; she
could be poor, living on the street, working long and grueling hours in
factories for little pay. It was hard for Grace to imagine herself in such
conditions, and she quickly shook the picture from her mind and made her way
down the stairs.
Standing alone up against a column
was none other than Jack Dawson in a tuxedo. Grace recalled the memory of Cal
and Rose telling about his heroic rescue the night before and how he would be
joining them for dinner. She approached him with a friendly smile; they had
talked a few times when she was with Tommy. It was apparent that Jack knew what
had happened between Grace and Tommy, as there was an awkward silence after
they greeted each other.
"Grace, dear,"
Elizabeth said, turning around to face her daughter.
"I’ll see you at dinner,
Jack," said Grace politely, leaving for her mother’s side. They went down
the stairs and heard a quiet murmur of voices as they entered the dining room.
The dinner table sat their circle of friends quite comfortably, with Grace
enclosed by her father and Bruce Ismay.
During the dinner, Jack made some
humorous comment, which made Grace realize just how much she missed everything
about Tommy. "The best I’ve seen, ma’am. Hardly any rats." Grace
could feel her lips slowly forming into a smile, and was even surprised herself
when she released a chuckle. It seemed an eternity since she had last smiled,
let alone laughed. She traced this back to when she had been wrapped up in
Tommy’s presence.
As the dinner ended, Montgomery
escorted Grace back to her stateroom. Once her father had definitely reached
the smoking room, she quickly scribbled a short message for Cassandra to find
when she returned. The door slowly opened and Grace stole away down the
corridor.
The path she took down the stairs
and around corners eventually brought her to her destination. Bright and
cheerful music was heard outside the door, and Grace smiled as she walked
through into the third class common room.
Of all the people dancing,
laughing, and drinking, Grace’s eyes searched for just one person, who might
not even be there. "Grace?" She turned around, and standing behind
her was Tommy, holding a glass of beer. "You...you came."
"I promised I would."