MAKING LUCK
Chapter Five

April 14, 1912
RMS Titanic

Cal was waiting impatiently for word from Lovejoy. He could hardly contain his rapidly-tapping foot; he almost crushed his cigar in anxiety. He remembered the drawing and had sent Lovejoy to search the stateroom as well, albeit rather hurriedly; his mind was not in the right place. He kept remembering the sinking—it was consuming his every thought. It would all be tonight.

Lovejoy came into the room and headed towards Cal. Cal rose and quickly forced a smile on his face. "Would you excuse me?" he asked his cigar-mates, all of whom of course said they would. He pulled Lovejoy over to a corner. "Well?"

"None of the stewards have seen her."

"No, I didn’t think they would," Cal muttered.

"I saw Miss Rose’s maid, Miss Bolt, in the dining saloon; she said she hadn’t seen her mistress all evening—"

"And you did check the stateroom, didn’t you?" Cal made sure.

Lovejoy’s pause gave Cal a feeling of triumph. "Well, sir, as I said, I saw the maid in the dining saloon—"

"Which means she wasn’t keeping an eye out for my fiancée in the stateroom! Lovejoy, you fool, she and that gutter rat could be in there right now, doing…God knows what!" Cal hissed, trying to keep his volume down.

Lovejoy gaped for a moment before paling. "I…I’ll go look straightaway."

"See that you do!" Cal spat. He returned to his companions, once again forcing a smile. "I do apologize; my valet is having trouble following his instructions."

"Good help is so hard to find these days!" Ismay agreed.

The minutes crawled by; the clock on the mantel and Cal’s pocket-watch seemed as if they would never move. He waited in agony for what was really only a very short amount of time but what felt like hours. Around him, he heard his friends boasting and bragging and chuckling.

"We’re going like hell, I tell ya!" Gracie laughed. "I have fifty bucks says we make it into New York Tuesday night!"

"Hundred says Wednesday AM," Sir Cosmo countered around his cigar.

Gracie chuckled at the wager and called over to Ismay to ask who was in the right. Cal didn’t hear his response, however; Lovejoy entered again then. Cal almost leapt to his feet. He mumbled a quick "excuse me" to the others before hurrying towards him.

Lovejoy looked extremely annoyed. "I found them in the stateroom, sir, just as you thought. They were leaving when I came in. I chased them down to the fan room—"

"The what room?" Cal interrupted, utterly confused.

"It’s the room above the boilers, sir; it has a ladder going down to it. They locked the door and no doubt disappeared down the ladder." Lovejoy said this quietly, almost sounding embarrassed.

"Well? Has anything been done to recover them?" Cal hissed.

Lovejoy nodded, looking confident again. "Of course. I organized a search party of stewards; they’ve gone to fetch a key to the fan room and will be searching the boiler rooms."

Cal let out an exasperated breath. "Yes, yes; very good." He glanced around. "Let’s go back to the stateroom. I have a feeling."

"A feeling, sir?" Lovejoy asked, as if the concept were new to him.

Cal gave him an annoyed look. "Yes, a feeling. A presentiment; whatever you want to call it." He strode out the door, Lovejoy jogging after him like a puppy. Well, maybe not quite.

Trudy was reclining on the couch; she leapt up the moment she saw them. "Oh, sir!"

"What were you doing at dinner?" Cal demanded to know at once.

Trudy trembled. "I…I was hungry, sir. I didn’t know I was supposed to wait here."

Cal couldn’t help but feel extremely annoyed. "While you were out, my fiancée and that rat she’s been cavorting with could have come in here and…well, God knows what!"

Trudy looked on the verge of tears. "I…I didn’t think about that, sir. I-I’m sorry."

Cal scoffed and sent her on. She all but flew to Rose’s room, practically flinging the door closed behind her. Cal headed towards the safe and opened it, searching. Yes, there it was; the nude portrait, along with a note.

Darling, now you can keep us both locked in your safe!

"Anything missing?" Lovejoy asked from behind him.

Cal shook his head and, spying the necklace, remembered what he had done last time. He could pull it off again; it wouldn’t be difficult. The only catch in the plan had been Rose refusing to get in the lifeboat, and if Cal played his cards right, he could stop that from happening. Rose would get off safely, Jack would die, and Cal would find a way to survive and marry Rose. Yes, that was his plan. He turned to Lovejoy and smirked. "I’ve an idea."

As he was finishing up explaining his plan to a smirking Lovejoy, Ruth came out of her stateroom, swathed in a fine robe. Her hair was hanging down and resting on one shoulder; there was no way she had just woken up. No doubt she had heard the men enter and rushed to make herself presentable. She was wide-eyed and fluttering. "Mr. Hockley! Is everything all right? Have you found Rose?"

"In a manner of speaking," Cal replied calmly. "She should be returning to us soon."

Lovejoy gave him a fleeting look of surprise, but Cal ignored him. "However, I believe that she…ah…invited the Dawson boy in here. The necklace I gave her—the diamond necklace—is missing."

Ruth gasped and put a hand to her heart. Beside him, Lovejoy subtly patted his pocket as if to make sure it was still there. Ruth sank into a chair. Rather dramatically, in Cal’s opinion. "Are you certain?"

"Well, I don’t know who else would have stolen it," Cal replied smoothly.

While Ruth sat in the chair, going on and on about her poor nerves, Cal and Lovejoy went out into the hall to hail a steward. They spotted Barnes, the steward for their room, walking down the hallway and assuring the other passengers that everything was all right. Cal realized that the engines had indeed stopped. For a moment, he debated even calling for Barnes, but he knew that there would still be plenty of time for Rose and Dawson to return to the stateroom.

"There’s no cause for alarm. Please, go back to your rooms," Barnes said in a rather impatient voice.

"You there!" Cal said as soon as Barnes began to head towards him.

"Sir, there is no emergency," Barnes began in a tired voice.

"Yes, there is! I have been robbed!" Cal interrupted, trying very hard to sound as if that was the only important thing at the moment.

"Get the Master-at-Arms," Lovejoy instructed monotonously.

"Now, you moron!" Cal barked.

"Yes, sir," Barnes mumbled in a considerably meeker voice, turning and hurrying down the hallway. The men returned inside, where Dinah was fanning Ruth in an admittedly bored way and Trudy was standing at attention, hands clasped and teeth chewing her lower lip.

"Oh, my Rose," Ruth moaned, placing a delicate, fluttering hand on her temple. She would be grateful to him soon enough, as would Rose.

Within moments, Barnes returned with another steward and the portly Master-at-Arms. They searched the rooms, much to Ruth’s humiliation. Cal rolled his eyes; none of these men would be living after tonight, so it was no matter what they saw. The maids hovered in the background anxiously, wondering if someone really had gotten into the locked rooms while they were away.

Cal situated himself on the couch while Ruth paced the room, sighing and, well, fluttering. That was really the best word to describe her behavior at the moment. It was getting on Cal’s nerves, actually. The stewards checked the room and soon produced a portfolio; Dawson’s, no doubt. Yes; it was full of charcoal portraits, most initialed with JD. He flung it at the Master-at-Arms to inspect while Barnes continued a search of the room and the second steward went to fetch Ruth something to drink. Lovejoy went to wait in the hall, where he would slip the diamond into Dawson’s pocket.

"I think they’re very good, sir," the Master-at-Arms admitted, looking at the sheaf of papers.

Cal rolled his eyes and snatched the pictures from the man impatiently as the second steward poured Ruth a glass of brandy to calm her nerves. "Oh, honestly; I’ve been robbed of an extremely precious diamond, my fiancée is missing, and you’re looking at drawings!" He poured himself a glass of brandy and downed it easily before returning to his cigar.

Ruth stood stock-still, a sure indication that something was wrong. Cal turned and narrowed his eyes as Rose entered with Dawson. Just like last time, they were holding hands and looking utterly unabashed. Lovejoy closed the door behind them.

"Something serious has happened," Rose announced.

Cal knew perfectly well what she was referring to, but of course he couldn’t let on. He had to play his cards just right, or else Dawson might actually escape. "That’s right." He glanced at Lovejoy, who nodded quickly. "My dear, while you’ve been…out…we have reason to believe your…ah…friend here has stolen the diamond I gave you."

The two were taken aback.

"Search him!" Cal ordered.

"Take your coat off, son," the Master-at-Arms instructed in a lackluster sort of voice.

"Now what?" Dawson complained as the stewards hustled him away from Rose and the Master-at-Arms patted his pockets.

"Come on," the Master-at-Arms muttered, patting him down as Barnes removed his coat.

"Cal, what are you doing? We’re in the middle of an emergency; what’s going on?" Rose asked, bewildered.

Cal almost sighed. His poor, poor Rose. She had been seduced by that...that…cockroach. And she had no idea. He would make up for this after they survived. Perhaps he would buy her a horse or a summer home in Virginia…

Barnes pulled the glimmering diamond out of the coat then. "Is this it, sir?"

"Indeed it is!" Cal agreed, reaching forward to accept it.

Dawson’s slack-mouthed expression gave way to a furious one. "This is horseshit!" He turned to a stunned, hurt Rose. "Don’t you believe it, Rose, don’t!"

"He couldn’t have," Rose protested in a small voice.

"I’m afraid he could, my dear." Cal sighed in a long-suffering sort of way. "No doubt he found it easy, having lived on the streets his whole life. You aren’t to blame for not realizing what a threat he was. He memorized the combination when you opened the safe."

"But I was with him the whole time…this is absurd!" Rose declared, but there was a definitive note of submission in her voice.

"He could have done it while you were dressing, you know," Cal murmured in her ear. "Don’t be upset, darling; you had no idea."

Comprehension dawned on the rat’s face. "Oh, real slick, Cal! Rose, they put it in my pocket!"

"It isn’t even your pocket, is it, son?" Lovejoy sneered, exposing the inside collar of the coat. "Property of A. L. Ryerson."

The Master-at-Arms took the coat, sighing in acknowledgement. "That was reported stolen today."

"I just borrowed it. I was gonna return it," Dawson informed Rose, his eyes on her and her alone.

"There is a fine line between borrowing and outright stealing, sir," Cal said coolly.

Dawson leaned in towards Rose. "You know I didn’t do this, Rose. You know it! Don’t you believe them, Rose. You know I didn’t do it!"

"Come on, son. Let’s go. Come on. Let’s go!" the Master-at-Arms barked, hauling a struggling Dawson out of the room.

"You know I didn’t do it, Rose! Rose!"

"Come on, son. There’s a good lad! Come on!" the Master-at-Arms urged.

"You know I didn’t do it! You know me!" Dawson shouted from the corridor, shouting as he disappeared.

Ruth put her arms around Rose’s shoulders. "Why do women believe men?" she asked in a weary voice. The noises of the commotion drew near them.

"Mrs. DeWitt Bukater, perhaps you had better dress," Cal suggested.

"Oh, yes," Ruth said distractedly. She hurried off to dress, Dinah behind her.

"Trudy, go get Rose’s coat. And…take your time," Cal instructed.

Trudy nodded curtly and disappeared into Rose’s stateroom, quietly closing the door behind her.

"Cal, what…?" Rose asked, dazed.

Cal took a deep breath and held her upper arms so that he could look at her fully. "Rose. You said something serious has happened. What did you see?"

Rose turned pale as she remembered. "The ship…it hit an iceberg. Cal, we saw the crew…the mail room is flooded…there was something about the pumps…I don’t…I don’t…"

"This ship will sink," Cal said calmly.

Rose looked stunned. Cal was afraid she hadn’t heard him for a moment, just like at dinner, but her eyes indicated otherwise. "You…you know this? For certain?"

"For certain," Cal affirmed. He took a deep breath. It was the moment of truth. "Rose, I have to tell you something. I’ve been here before. On this ship."

"But that’s impossible; this is the maiden voyage," Rose protested.

Cal shook his head. "The year was—is—1929. There was a stock market crash and my money was dwindling. I tried to take my life, but then I woke up at the hotel the morning we departed. I had been transported back to 1912 somehow, to redeem myself. But how, I don’t know."

"How do you know this?" Rose asked faintly.

Cal glanced around as if hoping Ruthie would suddenly appear. "There’s this…this ghost, you see. She’s a girl named Ruthie."

"Ruthie?" Rose asked uncertainly, a trace of doubt in her voice.

Cal sighed and let go of her arms. "I know it sounds ridiculous; God knows I know. But it’s the truth. She…she’s been guiding me all along. But you still fell for the gutter rat!" he suddenly burst out.

Rose was stunned. "You…this happened…before?"

Cal sighed. "Rose, I loved you then and I love you now. I drove you away last time and I meant to stop it from happening this time. But I failed. Fate refused to let me have my way. But I have to change something; I just don’t know what!"

Rose paused. "Well…did you arrest Jack last time?"

Cal rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, of course!"

"Perhaps that was what you were supposed to change," Rose accused coldly.

Cal shook his head. "No, no; she said I would know when to change something, and I didn’t feel it then."

Rose opened her mouth to retort when a knock sounded on the door. "Mr. Hockley?" Barnes called, letting himself in. "Sir, I’ve been told to ask you to please put on your lifebelts and come up to the deck. Now please, dress warmly; it’s quite cold out tonight. Now, may I suggest top coats and hats?" He brought out the lifebelts and set them on the couch.

"Yes, yes, of course; we’ll be up straightaway," Cal said quickly, urging the man out the door. He turned to Rose. "You see?"

"I should tell Mother," Rose said faintly, making her way in a daze to Ruth’s room.

"Awfully bold of you."

Cal turned to see Ruthie sitting on the back of the couch, looking at him with an expression that, for once, did not hold any disgust or pity for him. He shrugged, pulling his coat out of the closet. "I love her. I couldn’t hide the truth from her for too long."

Ruthie fiddled with a ribbon. "You know…the change you’re supposed to make? It’s coming soon. It’ll come fast. You’ll have to be ready at any moment."

Cal looked at her for a moment before nodding slowly. "All right." He hesitated. "Thank you."

She heaved a sigh. "Don’t thank me just yet; you may not be so happy later on tonight." Her head whipped to the side, staring at Ruth’s door, and she vanished. A moment later, Rose came out of the room.

"When will it…?" she asked softly.

"About two o’clock is when it submerges completely," Cal replied in a low tone. "It’s starting now, but it won’t be noticeable until after the first few boats have been launched."

Trudy came out of the room, looking hesitant. Cal motioned for her to come forward; he took the coat from her and put it on over Rose. "Go put on a coat and lifebelt, Trudy," he instructed.

Trudy froze. "Is something wrong, sir?"

Cal considered telling her it was just a drill before realizing that there was no reason to hide the truth. "I’m afraid so. The ship is sinking, Trudy." He suddenly remembered Ruth’s order from last time.

"Go back and turn the heaters on in our rooms. I’d like a cup of tea when I return."

"Oh, and Trudy?" Cal called after the retreating maid.

She stopped and turned, fearful. "Yes, sir?"

"I don’t care if you’re given any orders to come back to the room; you’ll want to get on a lifeboat as soon as possible."

Trudy looked as if she might swoon, but she managed to say, "Yes, sir" before disappearing into her room to put on a coat.

Within the space of ten minutes, the entire group proceeded towards the deck, coming through the Grand Staircase. Many other first class passengers were wandering around, dressed in every array of clothing possible. Some women were adorned in their lavish dinner gowns while others were in robes and fur coats. Most of the women, if not all, were wearing those bulky lifebelts. The men were pretty well split in half, either wearing a tuxedo or pajamas, and only a few of them agreed to wearing those ridiculous lifebelts. No one seemed particularly panicked, except for their party.

"Hey sonny; what’s doin’? You got us all trussed up here, and now we’re coolin’ our heels!" the obnoxious Brown woman’s voice echoed beneath the dome. "I don’t think anybody knows what the hell’s goin’ on around here," she added as she and two men passed Cal, Rose, Ruth, Trudy, and Dinah.

"Damned fools," Cal muttered as he heard the distinctive tune of Alexander’s Ragtime Band playing in the dining saloon. What did everyone think this was, a party? No drill would take place this late at night; anyone who was honestly convinced of that should have their mental capabilities examined.

"Where should we go? Up to the boat deck? Or should we wait here?" Ruth asked to no one in particular, pulling on her gloves. "Are you certain this isn’t merely a drill, Mr. Hockley?"

"Perfectly," Cal said absentmindedly.

Andrews walked by then, in a distracted haze, and just as before, Rose stopped him. "Mr. Andrews?"

The man whirled around and it seemed to take him a moment before he registered that she was right before him. Rose swallowed. "I saw the iceberg, and I see it in your eyes. Please tell me the truth."

"I’ve already told you, Rose; won’t you believe me?" Cal asked, annoyed, as she and Andrews moved closer. He stepped in towards them, a little miffed that Rose wouldn’t simply take his word for it.

Andrews looked surprised. "You…you know, then?" he asked Cal.

Cal nodded heavily. "Yes. We have…" He glanced at the clock on the Grand Staircase. "Two hours, roughly?"

Andrews looked stricken. "Less than that, I’m afraid."

Cal considered arguing with him, but realized that there really was no use in it; technically, he wasn’t supposed to know when or how this ship would go down. Hell, he doubted he was even supposed to know that the ship was going down in the first place.

"But…you’re…you’re certain?" Rose asked, looking truly fearful now that the ship’s own creator had confirmed it.

"I’m afraid so, young Rose." Andrews’ voice cracked. "Please, tell only who you must. I don’t want to be responsible for a panic. And get to a boat, quickly—don’t wait."

"I’ll see to that," Cal assured the older man, putting a hand on Rose’s back to lead her away. He felt a slight twinge of annoyance; if he wasn’t very much mistaken, Dawson was not the only man illicitly enamored of his bride-to-be.

"But…but the boats," Rose protested. "There…there aren’t enough for everyone! Not half, you said! They…people will die!"

"Yes," Andrews whispered. "Please don’t be one of them, young Rose."

"We’d better get your mother," Cal urged.

Andrews turned and ascended the stairs, allowing Cal to lead a blanching Rose away and towards her mother. "I…oh, God," Rose murmured, leaning in towards Cal the slightest bit. Although he knew it was because she was weak after knowing that the ship would sink for certain, he relished the opportunity at having her so voluntarily near him.

"Come along, Ruth," Cal said firmly. "We’d better get on up to the boat deck."

"Heavens, yes…" Ruth muttered. Dear God, what on earth was wrong with these women? Ruth would rather die than have her reputation flouted even the slightest bit, and Rose would throw everything away at a moment’s fleeting fancy, but when peril came, their knees turned to jelly. Cal pulled Rose along by her arm with Ruth fluttering after them, Trudy and Dinah on her heels. Lovejoy had followed Dawson down to the brig or whatever it was they called it on these damn ships; well, he would just have to die as before. It was a loss, but, well, he was rather annoying most of the time.

The deck was not much better than down below. The band was playing away merrily and people in every state of dress were hovering hesitantly around the boats. Murdoch, the one he bribed all those years ago and who later shot himself, was overseeing the lifeboats on their side of the ship. Women were hesitant to get in the boats, leading to the only partial filling of them. Cal tried to smoothly persuade them into boarding, but many remarked that it was only a drill and they would be back before breakfast.

Murdoch was also allowing some men to board the boats; Cal only hoped he would be allowed on as well. They moved closer and closer towards the boat, the maids hovering uncertainly behind them. There was a hissing and then a bang as a flare burst above them, crumbling away into tiny little sparks. The crowd gasped and the Brown woman, who had appeared out of nowhere, began to hustle everyone into the boat. For once, Cal admired her.

"Come on, sister, you heard the man—into the boat," she urged, pushing some women towards the boat.

Cal tried to connive his way onto the boat, keeping a firm grip on Rose. "You see, my fiancée and her mother are terribly frightened; if I could just go with them…"

"Only women at this time, sir," a steward informed him. "But we’ll be loading the men shortly."

Cal snorted. "I doubt that," he muttered. He turned to Trudy and Dinah, who were looking around hesitantly. "What are you waiting for? Go on. Get in."

"What? No, no; you must stay here. Let the other first class ladies board; then you may get on a lifeboat," Ruth reprimanded as Dinah began to hoist herself in. The maids froze.

"Mother, don’t you understand?" Rose snarled. "The water is freezing and there aren’t enough boats! Not enough by half. Half of the people on this ship are going to die!"

"And you won’t be one of them. Now get in. The maids need to go with you, Ruth—unless you’d like for them to drown," Cal added.

Ruth hesitated before nodding. Dinah finished getting in and helped her mistress clamber in as gracefully as she could. Trudy made her way in next, looking utterly uncertain but extremely grateful.

"Come along, Rose." Cal made to help her in, but she halted and turned to him, wide-eyed.

"No. I can’t leave him." Her face took on a strange expression. "You knew…didn’t you? You knew it all along. You were going to leave Jack here to die. But I won’t let you. No." And with that, Rose took off.

"Damn it all to hell!" Cal growled, chasing after her.

Chapter Six
Stories