THE GRACE OF THE SEA
Chapter Eight
April 13th
United
A glass of beer with beads of
water running down the side was placed in Grace's hand. Tommy grabbed her other
hand and led her to a table next to the dance floor. The loud Irish music
filled the room with a carefree vibe and Grace allowed herself to be taken away
by the melody.
At the table, a certain person
was sitting back, clapping with the beat with a huge smile on her face. Tommy
handed her a glass and she looked up to thank him. "Rose?" Grace
asked. Rose looked up and was very surprised at the sight of Grace Montgomery
standing in the third class common room with a drink.
"Grace!" Rose said,
slightly unsure of how to react to this.
"What are you doing
here?" Grace asked. As she said this, Jack came over to the table to take
a break from dancing. He unconsciously laid a hand on Rose's shoulder. The
smile Rose gave him as she looked up allowed Grace to understand why she was
here.
Rose turned and smiled timidly at
Grace, who sent her a warm smile back. "And yourself?" Rose asked,
inquiring about Grace's presence as well. Tommy's hand clasped tightly around
Grace's gave it away to Rose, and the two young women established an
understanding just with their eyes.
"I didn't know that ya knew
Rose," Tommy said to her after Rose was swept up in the commotion of the
dance floor.
Grace nodded. "We met on
Wednesday after we boarded." They looked on as Rose and Jack danced about.
"She acts as though she has no fiancé," Grace observed aloud.
"She's engaged?"
"Mmm-hmm," Grace said,
sipping at her drink. "Caledon Hockley. Steel business. He's handsome, as
well."
At Grace's last comment, Tommy
repeated, "Handsome?" with a hint of jealousy.
"Very handsome," she
teased with a smile.
Tommy decided to play along with
this silly game. "Is he strong?"
"As strong as Tommy Ryan? I
highly doubt that," she answered, kissing him gently.
"Good," Tommy replied,
kissing her back. "Because, although I may not look it, I have the
strength of many men." The mock arrogant look on his face was priceless as
Grace laughed at his smug expression.
"Many men, eh?" A
passerby had overheard.
Lighting a cigarette, Tommy
smirked. "Ya got that right."
"I'll take you on in an arm
wrestling match right now," the man said, doubting his self-proclaimed
strength.
"All right," Tommy
said, sitting down across from his opponent. They locked hands and Grace held
their fists. She said go and released their hands as they began to battle for
each other's respect.
A small group of people formed
around the table, waiting for the victor. Every time a fist would come close to
the table the cheering would get louder. Grace hadn't been around such energy
before and greatly enjoyed it. She cheered Tommy on and then knowingly replaced
his shortened cigarette with a fresh one.
His opponent's strength had overcome
his own and his hand crashed to the table, knocking over a few beer glasses.
"Two out’ a three! Two out’
a three!" Tommy offered, wanting to prove his strength to Grace, who
attentively looked on.
*****
In the quiet smoking room, Cal
conversed privately with Lovejoy about the whereabouts of Rose. "Find
her," Cal ordered. Lovejoy nodded and walked off in search of her.
He had a few pieces of
information from stewards and maids about where Rose had headed, which led him
to the third class common room. He stood in the doorway, looking down upon the
sight of the party. Rose's red hair stood out among the people, and he saw her
embraced by Jack. Standing near her was someone else, who he recognized
immediately as the daughter of George Montgomery. Discovering what he had set
out to find, Lovejoy turned around to report back to Cal, then set out in hopes
of finding Montgomery and sharing his newfound information with him as well. He
was sure that Grace was not doing something her father had consented to.
*****
For the night, Grace hadn't left
Tommy's side. Being in each other's company after only mere hours of being
apart had strengthened their loving bond. The talked as if they were old
friends, laughed as if it was there was no tomorrow, and danced just as two
people who had fallen in love would.