GRATITUDE
Chapter Two
When Arabella had first set foot
in the home of Thomas Andrews, it had been nearly ten years ago, when they were
but children. From the moment she had laid eyes on him, she had felt a
connection to him, a deep friendship that would be very difficult to break.
People thought it strange that a girl and a boy could spend so much time
together without being related. When she was sixteen he had courted her and at
one point had proposed marriage.
After the date had been set,
Arabella's father had passed away. After he died, Arabella changed. The wedding
was canceled and Arabella could not bring herself to marry. She and her mother
left Ireland for a bit to visit family in Scotland but wound up living there
for three years. That was where she had met Matthew Johnson, an Englishman who
wanted to give Arabella and her mother everything. Matthew had money and the
things he needed to care for them. Then, in a game of poker, he lost it all.
But Arabella was in love. She didn't want to leave him. They went to Belfast,
and after Matthew found no work, Arabella returned to see Thomas. She requested
a job for Matthew so that he could build up enough savings to be able to
support them.
But now, here she was, on a ship
going to America, running from Matthew. A man told her that her room was A-32,
although she had already known this. By the time Thomas had arranged for her to
board, even though he was the Master Shipbuilder, he had been unable to find a
room for her. So, she would be sleeping in the extra bedroom that was in his
suite. She felt uncomfortable about this, but she decided that since she had
nearly married him, it would be fine.
When she reached the suite, a
steward opened the door and let her in. When she entered the suite, she gasped
in awe. The suite was beautifully furnished. The steward showed her to her
bedroom and brought her trunk in. He left and she began to unpack. Even though
her father had died and they had little money, Arabella still owned some fine
gowns. She hung them up, and once she was finished, she left the room to take a
walk on the deck. As she walked, people smiled at her and continue on with
their walks. Arabella stopped at the place where the first class deck ended.
She stood at the spot and looked out at the ocean. As she stood there, she
became lost in thought, but was almost immediately pulled from them.
"Enjoying my ship?"
came the voice.
Arabella turned to the voice and
found Thomas.
"Yes, I am. Truly, Thomas,
this is a masterpiece," Arabella replied.
"Thank you. She is my most
prized project and it warms my heart to know that you appreciate her,"
Thomas said.
Arabella smiled at him. "So,
what is there to do on this ship?" she asked.
"Oh, plenty. There’s the
gymnasium, and being friends with me, you can get a full tour," Thomas
explained.
"Oh, well, that sounds
lovely," Arabella said with a smile.
Thomas smiled back and then held
out his arm for her. Arabella took the arm and Thomas began to lead her around
the ship. She really had no idea why, but even though she still had feelings
for him, she could not admit this. The reason she was going to marry Matthew
was because of his money. But Thomas was a man that she truly did love, and he
had the money to care for her and her mother. She continued to think about this
while Thomas showed her around.
The next morning, Arabella woke
with almost the mind to tell Thomas how she felt. But for some reason, she
stopped herself. Arabella ate breakfast and then walked around the ship,
enjoying the beauty. She was a fine young woman, though she had lost her father
when she was seventeen. She was well-versed in languages that she never used,
nor thought she would ever need. The thing that she enjoyed the most was
writing. One thing that attracted her to Thomas was that he liked the fact that
she enjoyed writing. Finally, after walking around the ship about five times,
she sat down and began to write.
"Fancy seeing you
here," a voice suddenly said.
Arabella froze. She knew the
voice, but there was no way it could be him.
"Matthew," she said
softly, looking at him.
"Now, I know what you’re
thinking. I was in Southampton. How on earth did I get here? Well, you see,
I've been hiding down in steerage. When I found you were gone when I got home
two days ago, I knew that you were more than likely on this ship. Or, at least,
planning to leave on this ship. I know you visited Mr. Andrews, about what I
have no idea. But that’s not the point. When I found you and your little mummy
gone, I knew you would be making a break for it. So, I came to the ship early
yesterday, told them that I wanted to help get the ship ready. They were dumb
enough to allow me. I went down, wasn't even in steerage. I was down in the
boiler rooms. Figured I'd give it a day and then come up here to find you. Now,
the minute we get to New York, we’re going to get married.," Matthew said
this all and waited for a response from Arabella.
Instead of replying to him, she
closed her notebook and stood up. She tried to walk away, but Matthew grabbed
her by the wrist.
"Get your hands off me,
Matthew! I don't love you anymore, and I will never marry you," she said.
People stared but hurried on,
scared that he might turn on them.
"You will not dishonor
me!" Matthew said, almost yelling.
"There are plenty of men on
this ship. I just have to scream or call for help and you will be in the
Master-at-Arms’ office before you can blink," Arabella replied, trying to
stay calm.
"I'd like to see them
try," Matthew snarled.
"Help! Please, someone help
me!" Arabella screamed.
A moment later, several men came
running, including Thomas, who recognized Arabella's cry.
The men grabbed Matthew. Arabella
stood to the side.
"Did he hurt you?"
Thomas asked.
Arabella shook her head no in
response and fell into Thomas's embrace. The officers took Matthew to the
Master-at-Arms’ office, while Thomas helped Arabella make her way back to their
suite so that she could change for lunch. Thomas was unsure if she should go to
lunch after being attacked by Matthew, but she was adamant. She was going to be
there. Once she was dressed, she went into the sitting room and Thomas escorted
her to lunch. When they reached their table, Thomas pulled out a seat for her.
Beside her was a woman she had met the night before, Ruth DeWitt Bukater. On
Arabella's other side was Thomas. Beside Thomas was Margaret Brown, who
preferred Molly. Then there was Mr. Bruce Ismay, Caledon Hockley, and Cal's
fiancée, Rose DeWitt Bukater, Ruth's daughter.
By the time they had joined them,
the people at the table were already in conversation.
"...and our master
shipbuilder, Mr. Andrews here, designed her from the keel plates up,"
Bruce said.
"Well, I may have knocked
her together, but the idea was Mr. Ismay's. He envisioned a steamer so grand in
scale, and so luxurious in its appointments, that its supremacy would never be
challenged. And here she is..." He slapped the table and continued.
"…willed into solid reality."
A waiter arrived at the table as
Rose lit a cigarette. Arabella sat patiently, listening to the conversation.
"You know I don't like
that," Rose's mother said softly. Rose looked at her mother with a look
that clearly said, Do you think I care?
"She knows," Cal said.
He took the cigarette from Rose and turned to the waiter. "We'll both have
the lamb, rare, with a little mint sauce." After the waiter moved on, Cal
turned to Rose. "You like lamb, right, Sweetpea?" he asked.
Rose nodded with a fake smile.
"So, you gonna cut her meat
for her, too, there, Cal?" Molly paused for a second and then looked at
Bruce. "Hey, who came up with the name Titanic? Was it you, Bruce?"
"Yes, actually. I wanted to
convey sheer size. And size means stability, luxury...and strength--"
Bruce replied.
"Do you know of Dr. Freud?
His ideas about the male preoccupation with size might be of particular
interest to you, Mr. Ismay," Rose said.
Thomas choked a bit on his
breadstick as he suppressed laughter. Arabella brought her napkin up to her
face as she tried to hide her smile.
"My God, Rose. What's gotten
into you?" Ruth asked.
"Excuse me," Rose said.
She stood up and left the room.
"I do apologize," Ruth
said.
"She's a pistol, Cal. You
sure you can handle her?" Molly asked.
"Well, I may have to start
minding what she reads from now on," Cal said.
Arabella put her napkin back in
her lap and ordered her lunch.