SHIP OF DREAMS
Chapter Seventeen
"Well, I must admit you have
more influence than I thought," Rose teased, then added, "or at
least, more influence than Mother thought."
"Honestly, I didn’t expect
him to give us the money." Anne shook her head. Her mind was still
processing the fact that a man she hadn’t seen in years had willingly given her
a generous sum of money. She made a mental note to write him a thank you note
later, with every intention of paying him back to the last cent. She knew her
parents would not have had it any other way.
*****
"Do you know where the
inquiry is being conducted?" Anne asked the following morning over
breakfast.
"No, but I’m certain someone
will know," Rose replied with a slight shrug of her shoulders.
"I’d like to find
Harry," Anne quietly stated as she traced the rim of her coffee cup with
her finger. "I need to speak with him."
"Anne, really. We’ve all
lost people in the accident, but we can’t keep dwelling on it," Megan
concernedly said. "There’s nothing we can do, especially now. We just have
to move on with our lives. Think about the other people still living who need
you." She looked around the room. "Think about young Will here! He
needs you more than anything right now."
Anne sighed as Rose excused
herself for a moment. She looked down at the young child perched on her lap,
who was happily munching on a buttered croissant. She played with his thick,
dark hair, so much like his namesake’s, then lightly rested her chin atop his
head. "You’re right. But just the same, I’d like to speak with Harry. I
haven’t seen him since we docked."
"I think the inquiry is
being conducted at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. And all witnesses are to be
interrogated," Rose stated, upon seating herself again.
"Who told you that?"
Anne asked.
"The bartender," Rose
replied.
"I don’t want to."
Megan shook her head.
"Neither do I," Anne
added. "Must we?"
"Most likely. They have a
list of our names, after all. Still, I suppose some passengers have already
left the area," Rose said.
"I wonder if they would mind
if we left the area," Megan mused with a groan.
"Well, we don’t have to give
them a choice. Just let me find Harry and speak with him for a bit. May we go
now?" Anne asked, and the four were soon on their way to the
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
*****
"Where do you think he’ll
be?" Megan asked as they walked down the sidewalk towards the hotel.
"There!" Rose pointed
across the street to a young man briskly walking towards the intersection to
cross the street.
"Harry!" Anne shouted
loudly, not caring who stared at her for her lack of etiquette. She smiled when
the man’s head popped up and looked around. She waved to him, and he smiled and
waved in return before jogging over to them.
"My, you’re looking
well." Lowe grinned as he looked at the four of them. "I see you
still have the little boy with you."
"Yes...Will. Will Murdoch
II," Anne softly whispered, then glanced down at the boy in her arms. She
sighed, then looked up at Lowe again. "How are you, really? Do you think
we could talk? Or do you have to be inside for the inquiry?"
"To answer your questions
chronologically, I’m fine, I suppose, yes, and not for a few days," Lowe
replied. He glanced at his watch. "Might I treat you ladies, and young
gentleman, to lunch?"
"Well, we don’t want to
impose," Megan interjected. She began to take Will from Anne’s arms, then
remembered his fondness of the other woman. She pulled her arms away.
"Yes, we have things to
do." Rose nodded. "It was a pleasure seeing you again, Mr. Lowe.
We’ll meet you back at the hotel, Anne."
Before Anne or Lowe could say
anything to protest, the other two women were already walking down the street,
away from them. They looked at each other in surprise, then smiled slightly.
"The hotel Lightoller,
Pitman, Boxhall, Bride, the others, and I are lodged in has a nice little café
beside it. Care to join me for lunch?" Lowe asked.
"I’d be delighted."
Anne nodded, and set Will on the ground. She grasped one of his hands, and Lowe
took the other. Thus, the three of them began walking down the sidewalk.
*****
"So, how are you?" Lowe
asked, as they seated themselves at a small table. "I mean, really, how
are you?"
Anne considered the question for
a moment. "Devastated. Utterly devastated. Not only because of Will’s
death, but because of all the other deaths. On an unsinkable ship! Well, I
guess I knew it wasn’t unsinkable, but..." Anne sighed and placed her head
in her hands. "I’ve nowhere to go. Well, nowhere that I wish to go. I
could go to the Lewises, I suppose, but what would I do with Will? I’d have to
leave him, and I cannot do that. My parents are dead. I’ve no idea what Ruth
would do if she knew I survived, and if she did, she’d ask if Rose had
survived. I detest lying, but I could never betray Rose."
Lowe nodded. "Well, I can’t
say that I blame you for not wanting to go to the Lewises, or anywhere else,
for that matter. I wish the whole thing never would have happened."
"I agree, but it was an
accident, after all," Anne replied.
Lowe slowly nodded. Should I
tell her? I should tell her. But I can’t. I promised Will...but look at her!
She’s so depressed! She has a right to know. Well, she’ll know when the time is
right. "So, do you intend on keeping Will as your own?"
"I-I don’t know." Anne
shook her head. She looked over at Will, who was happily kicking his feet and
looking around the café. "I’ve never raised a child before. I tutored at
an academy, but they were girls, not boys. And the ones I taught were at least
eight years of age. Will is not even half that."
"Well..." Lowe’s voice
trailed off. It’s the least you can do for her. "I’m certain
Murdoch’s family would be glad to meet you."
"Wh-what?" Anne asked.
"They’ve never met me. I don’t know how accepting they’d be of me."
"I’ve met them before. Anne,
you’ll never meet more congenial people. And I’m certain if they knew how close
you’d been to him, how fond he had been of you, they’ll love you just as though
you were their daughter." Lowe nodded. "Won’t you give it a
try?"
"But Rose...and Megan...I
can’t leave them," Anne softly said.
"Do you expect to live with
them the rest of your life? You have to move on. What do they plan on
doing?" Lowe asked.
"Well, Megan has family in
England. Rose will probably want to do all of those things she and Jack talked
about. I suppose you’re right...we can’t stay together indefinitely." Anne
sighed.
"I’ve no idea how long the
inquiry will last, otherwise I’d escort you there myself. Perhaps you and Megan
could travel together. But if you want to escape these reporters and
politicians, I suggest you leave fairly soon. They’ll hunt you down in the
blink of an eye, and then you’ll never have a moment’s rest," Lowe
advised. He glanced at his watch. "Well, it’s getting late. I don’t want
Rose and Megan to worry. Besides, I think Will is getting restless." He
rose from his chair. "If you take my advice, send this to my mum, would
you?" He handed her a note from his pocket. "And keep in touch."
"Thank you, Harry. For
everything." Anne rose from her chair, tears welling in her green eyes.
She stepped forward to embrace Harry. "You’ve been a great friend, and I
shall miss you sorely."
"Blimey, let’s not get all
teary-eyed." Lowe chuckled. "This isn’t good-bye forever. You’re
going to write, remember? We’ll write to each other and visit when all of this
is sorted out."
Anne smiled weakly and nodded her
head. She watched Lowe pay the bill and leave, but remained at the table. They
had to leave. As soon as possible.
*****
A week had passed since the
Titanic’s survivors had arrived in New York City. A rather long, agonizing
week. And for Megan, Anne, and Will, it was the day they would sail back to
Southampton via the Carpathia, the ship many had deemed lucky. Anne preferred
to think there was more to it than luck, but kept her thoughts to herself.
"Write to us," Megan
told Rose, and handed her a scrap of paper with her address written on it.
"I’ll make sure Anne gets the letters you write to her. You’ll have to
include your address, so we know where to write to you."
"I will." Rose
tearfully nodded as she hugged Megan. "I’m going to miss you so much. All
of you." She finally released Megan, and then pulled Anne into her
embrace. "You must promise to write, and visit someday."
"I promise." Anne
smiled sadly. "I’m going to miss you. Don’t hesitate to come if you need
anything. I plan on going to Dalbeattie to live near Will’s family, but I’ll
have my own home. You’re always welcome to visit, both of you."
After much more hugging and
crying, the three women said their good-byes, and Megan and Anne boarded the
Carpathia. Immediately, memories surged through Anne as she recalled the last
time she’d boarded a ship, and Murdoch’s face flashed through her mind.
Determined not to cry, she bit her lip and found her cabin with tear-blurred
eyes.