THE SHIP OF DREAMS
Chapter Three
Around one o’clock in the morning, the train
pulled into the station in Southampton. Mac and Anastasia were so excited that
they could barely sit still, and kept trying to peer out the window to look at
their surroundings. Once the train stopped, the girls hopped out of their seat,
and Jack helped them carry their suitcases out onto the platform. The train
station was crowded with passengers, and Jack held each of their hands so they
would not get lost. Neither of them noticed when Callista, Sam, and Michael
exited the train and followed about two feet behind, silent as church mice.
"Where are we going to stay tonight,
Papa?" Mac asked curiously. She glanced at Anastasia, who was gazing
around in awe. This was the first time the Grand Duchess had been outside of
Russia without her parents, and it was very exciting. They left the station and
stepped out onto the street, drawing their coats tighter to their bodies, as it
was very chilly and damp here.
"It’s a seaport!" Anastasia
squealed. "Look at all of those docks on either side of us!"
Jack knelt down so he was eye level with her
and pointed a few docks down from the station. "There it is," he
announced, and both girls gasped, getting their first look at the Titanic.
"Wow!" Mac squealed, jumping up and
down. "Can we get a closer look at it? Please?" She made a pathetic
puppy face, which caused Jack to laugh heartily.
"Honey, do you know what time it is? We
have to get some sleep, sweetheart."
"I’m not tired," Mac insisted.
"Me, either," Anastasia added, just
as cheerfully, and ran around a little.
Jack smiled softly at the girls, personally
exhausted, which was one of the rather unpleasant aftereffects of his recent
illness. "I’ll tell you what, girls. Let’s go and find a good hotel, and
we’ll come and see the ship a few hours before we have to board. How does that
sound?"
The girls complied, and Mac realized then
just how tired her father looked, and immediately felt guilty for having even
asked. "All right, Papa." Jack planted a kiss on her head, and then
they lifted their things, carrying them in the direction of the main street,
hoping to find a decent hotel to stay in.
*****
Michael, Sam, and Callista, meanwhile,
hurried after them. They had been hiding behind the White Star Line building
and watched the entire conversation, very pleased at how smoothly things were
going so far. Callista motioned with her hand for the other two to follow her,
and they jogged after Jack before they turned a corner.
"Shh," she whispered, after Michael
accidentally tripped over a crack in the sidewalk. He grimaced and continued
swiftly after them.
*****
"Hmm--this seems like a good
place," Jack announced, once they found the first hotel, a few blocks away
from the port. There were only a few lights on, and mostly in the lower floor,
showing some signs of life in the place.
Anastasia glanced at Mac with a shrug before
they entered the building, which was very warm and rather comfortable. A tiny
bell rang, announcing their arrival, and an old woman at the front desk jolted
awake from her doze and watched them come towards her. She stood up, and came
out from behind the desk. "How may I help you?" she asked kindly.
"We’re looking for a room, ma’am. I’m
sorry to be intruding so late, but our train just got in."
"That’s all right. I have one room left,
so you’re just in luck--on the top floor. Titanic passengers, I expect?"
They nodded, and she handed Jack a key to his
room, and led them up the stairs. Anastasia had never stayed inside of a hotel
before, and when they entered the room, she was very please by how soft the
beds were in the room. She immediately hopped onto one, jumping up and down a
little, for her bed in the palace was hard and had no pillows.
"Do you need anything before I leave,
sir?" the owner asked.
"No, thank you," Jack replied.
She said good night and then left, shutting
the door behind her. Jack turned to the girls, who were watching him
expectantly. "Go and put on your nightgowns and brush your teeth," he
told them, with a chuckle. They scurried off to the bathroom, and he could hear
running water a few moments later, and excited giggles and discussion muffled
behind the door. He yawned loudly, covering his mouth with his hand, and shook
his head slightly, as he pulled out his own pajamas. Once he was dressed
comfortably, he climbed into bed, hoping that the journey to New York would go
smoothly.
*****
Callista, Sam, and Michael stood outside the
door of the hotel Jack, Anastasia, and Mac had gone into. "I’m not a
crook," Michael repeated to himself. "I feel like one, though. How do
you two live with yourselves, following people around like this?" He
scowled slightly.
"You get used to it, Michael, after a
while," Sam explained, and after a few minutes, the trio entered the same
hotel.
"Two rooms, please," Sam told the
woman at the desk.
"I’m sorry--I just gave our last room
away to a young man and his two daughters," the owner told them softly.
Sam turned to Callista with a frown.
"You’re kidding."
"I am not. But there is another hotel
down the street a bit--only about two blocks--you could try them. The hotels
are busy tonight with Titanic passengers."
"We’re Titanic passengers." Callista
sighed. "But thank you, anyway." She led the others outside.
"Just our luck," she snarled. "They had to get the last vacant
room." She folded her arms. "Now what are we going to do?"
"Well, it doesn’t matter, Callista.
We’re all boarding the same ship."
"But--"
"Let’s go and see if the hotel has any
vacancies, or else we’ll be sleeping on the street tonight," Sam snarled.
"Come on." He took Callista’s arm and motioned for Michael to follow
him away.