THE UNEXPECTED COINCIDENCE
Chapter Two
"Wake up, Daniel. Your
breakfast is ready."
A gentle voice punctured his
dreams. Daniel groaned, not wanting to get out of the comfortable bed. He
realized that Katherine would probably get angry if he didn’t have anything to
eat before exploring, so he rolled out of bed, forgetting that this was not his
bedroom and that there was not a wall next to his bed.
He landed on the carpeted floor
in a heap of covers and nightwear.
"Damn!" he cried, also
forgetting that he had left his shoes on this side of the bed as well.
He rose up and tried to look
awake. He quickly made his bed, something he would never allow Katherine to do,
and went to his promenade deck.
The room was filled with
sunshine, reflecting off the white walls. He glanced at the various flowering
plants and realized how much money had been spent on him.
He sat down opposite Katherine,
who was eating a croissant and drinking a cup of coffee. It had taken years of
coaxing to get Katherine to sit with him, but he was glad he had persevered; he
enjoyed his cousin’s company.
"You look a fright this
morning, Daniel," Katherine said to him, raising her cerulean eyes from
the book she was reading to glance at her younger cousin.
Katherine was twenty-seven and
had the same dark hair and pale complexion that Daniel had. However, her eyes
were a deep blue that sparkled like diamonds in the sunlight. Daniel had tried
to get her to wear first class clothes so she would not be looked down upon,
but she insisted on wearing the black and white maid’s uniform, saying that he
was too generous to her as it was.
Daniel grabbed some cream cakes
and a cup of lemon tea and started to eat, chatting with Katherine about the
voyage so far.
"Do tell me about dinner
last night, Daniel. I read your note."
Daniel slightly cringed and
finished eating his breakfast. He picked up his cup of tea and looked his
cousin in the eye.
"It was a disaster, Kathy.
The men thought I was strange for hating cigars and brandy, and the women
thought I was odd to care for you. I didn’t tell them you were my cousin,
though. The only good thing was that I bumped into Cal and met his new fiancée.
I am hoping to see them again today."
His cousin placed her book down
and started to pile the empty breakfast things on a tray, helped along by
Daniel.
"Come with me to dinner
tonight, Kathy. I need someone to talk to."
Katherine smiled but shook her
head. It was a long shot. He realized that, but he had hoped that there would
be better company tonight.
"You have been invited to a
tour at midday, Daniel. Go to the ship’s bridge if you are interested,"
Kathy said to him, knowing that he would only go because he needed to keep a
good reputation.
"I’d better make an
appearance, Kathy; you know what these people are like. If you say no, they
automatically think there is something wrong with you."
Kathy snorted with laughter and
left to take the tray to the kitchens, even though they could call someone up
to do it for them. She explained that she wanted to see the ship.
Daniel walked into his room and
went to the wardrobe. His gaze fell on suits, waistcoats, and uncomfortable-looking
shirts. Sighing, he grabbed a white shirt, dark gray pinstriped waistcoat, and
black trousers. He slipped into his clothes and grabbed a black tie from a
rack. He grabbed his pocket watch and connected the chain to the waistcoat,
making the gold chain loop a bit before reaching the pocket where the watch was
stored.
After a quick shave, he combed
his hair, deciding to leave it hanging to his shoulders. His dark hair was dead
straight and hung thick and shiny, another trait he had inherited from his
mother.
He slipped on his long coat and
bowler hat and tidied his things away.
He left the cabin at exactly ten
o’ clock to explore the ship.
He immediately went to the deck,
for he had never been there before. The wooden planking and the white painted
walls did little to impress him. He walked along the vast decks of the ship,
taking in its architecture and design. He would meet the designer of the ship
today, a Mr. Thomas Andrews, Jr. He was not looking forward to hearing all the
technical details about the ship. He hated the fact that many thought it was
unsinkable, for he knew that saying that often brings the worst luck.
He decided to go to the Café
Parisien and have a cup of tea before going on the tour.
The café was richly decorated,
but gave Daniel the impression of a Victorian conservatory with the latticework
and the flowers.
He sat down at a table and took
off his coat and hat. He sat there, watching the first class people, wondering
if they were all shallow, or maybe there were some others who thought that
money was not everything.
"Good morning, Mr. Taylor.
May we take a seat?" a voice asked, making Daniel focus on his table.
Ruth and Rose DeWitt Bukater were
standing above him, Ruth with a fake smile and Rose with a genuine smile. Well,
at least she is not shallow, he thought to himself.
He stood up out of politeness.
"Of course," he said simply, sitting back down once the ladies were
seated comfortably.
"Why, Mr. Taylor, I didn’t
realize your hair was that length!" Ruth exclaimed, eyeing his hair with
displeasure.
He merely smiled and gave his
order to the waiter who had just arrived at the table.
"Tell me, Rose. How did you
and Cal meet?" Daniel asked, trying to start a conversation.
"Mother introduced us,"
Rose stated simply, with a bitter tone.
Daniel hardly heard Ruth
smoothing over her daughter’s supposed rudeness, causing Daniel to smile into
the cup of tea that had just been given to him.
Tea finished rather quickly,
allowing Daniel to make a quick escape; unluckily, he had been invited to dine
with them tonight, as well. He had been too polite to decline.
He sped out of the café and went
to the bow of the ship, looking at the fast-approaching coast of Ireland. The
ship would be docking at Queenstown to pick up more passengers, making Daniel
wonder about the capacity of the ship. No doubt he would find out on the tour.
"Magnificent view, isn’t
it?" a man’s voice questioned him. Daniel turned and saw that Cal was
standing behind him. He smiled at him and noticed him stand beside him as they
saw a boat leave the dock of Queenstown, heading straight for the ship. The
port was too small for the Titanic to fit in.
"You know these
technological wonders do not impress me, Cal," Daniel stated to his
once-best friend.
Cal laughed and the two started
to talk about some of their adventures together when they were younger, finding
ways to break the rules and act like children, not gentlemen.
Daniel withdrew his pocket watch
and noticed he had to be at the bridge to start his tour.
"I must be going, Cal; your
fiancée invited me to dine with you tonight, so I will see you then."
The two shook hands firmly and
finished their good-byes.
Daniel ran up to the bridge, not wanting
to be late. He arrived one minute early, giving him time to catch his breath.
He noticed that Thomas Andrews was there, waiting for his tour guests. A woman
he recognized as Molly Brown was talking to him in her rich American accent.
He walked up to the pair, nodding
at a few other passengers who were also present.
"Good afternoon, sir, ma’am.
I am Daniel Taylor."
He shook hands with Thomas, who
smiled and mumbled words of welcome. Daniel was about to kiss Molly’s hand when
she stopped him.
"A handshake will do,
sonny," she said, causing Daniel to laugh out loud. He shook hands with
her and allowed her to link arms with him, for Thomas had started the tour.
They toured around the decks,
gymnasium, various officers’ rooms, and the wireless room. Daniel was
introduced to the captain and a few officers in passing.
He spent most of the tour talking
to Molly, who had at once become a good friend. He found out that her husband
had struck gold and that she was new to all this money.
"You weren’t missing much,"
he assured her as they descended the Grand Staircase on their way to the engine
room.
After about ten more minutes of
touring the steerage accommodations, they arrived at the massive engine room.
Boilers were everywhere and teenage boys were running about, each looking
intimidated by the rich people coming to look at their work.
One ran straight into him,
causing to fall over. The small boy seemed petrified as Daniel sat up. The
shocked look of the boy caused Daniel to laugh out loud, and he seemed relieved
when Daniel assured him that everything was fine.
Molly was helping him up when he
noticed eyes shimmering in the darkness. There was a person hiding behind a
large piece of equipment that Daniel forgot the name of.
He pretended to be tying his shoe
so that the others would walk off. Once they were out of sight, Daniel rushed
over to look behind the equipment, where he found a woman.
The woman was close to his age,
but of a different class. Her skin was a deep cocoa brown that was smeared with
dirt, and her hair flowed in tangles to her waist in a rich ebony color. Her
rags barely covered her and she was shivering, obviously scared that she had
been found. She was a stowaway, there was no doubt.
"Do you speak English?"
Daniel asked, kneeling down to her, in a clear but quiet voice.
"Yes," the woman said
in a clear voice that was very English. He frowned in puzzlement at her accent.
"Where did you come
from?" he asked her, wondering how she could have such an English accent.
"From London, sir. My family
was descended from slaves that were sold to an English family many years ago.
My family is all dead, and I couldn’t get a job because of my skin color. I am
hoping America is better."
Daniel gasped in astonishment,
totally amazed that she had managed to get on the ship of dreams.
"Come here," he said to
her, offering his hand. She seemed very nervous about taking it, but she slid
her hand into his gently. He lifted her up and took off his coat, wrapping it
around her tightly. He took off his hat and gathered her hair so it would be
hidden by it, giving her the appearance of a man.
Daniel instructed a worker to
tell Mr. Andrews that he felt ill after his fall and had gone to rest. With
that said, he guided the woman back to his quarters, giving her instructions to
look down.
They made it to his room without
any interruptions, and he went to Katherine at once.
"Kathy, I have found this
woman. She is starving, cold, and has nowhere to go. Do what you can for her,
please." Daniel knew that his cousin would help anyone in distress, but he
never liked to take advantage of that fact.
"Of course, Daniel. What is
the lady’s name?" she asked, turning to make a bath in the bathroom.
"What is your name?"
Daniel asked the woman, taking his coat and hat from her and dumping them on
the couch.
"Keisha," she replied.
"Keisha Stevenson."
Daniel raised his eyebrows at her
surname, realizing that it was very English.
"We got given our owners’
name so that our family could all be traced to them. That was before I was
born, of course," Keisha stated, rightfully interpreting his surprise.
"Jesus, Mary, and
Joseph!" Katherine exclaimed, noticing Keisha’s skin color and rags.
"You do look a fright; let’s get you cleaned up, my dear."
Daniel smiled at his cousin’s
kindness, even though he knew that she would never judge on skin color alone.
Daniel left the women to the job,
knowing that his next part would be difficult.
It was now two PM and the Titanic
was steaming out to sea, far away from civilization. Daniel walked onto the
deck and immediately ran into a steward. "Sir, I need your help,"
Daniel said, hoping that this idiot would believe him.
*****
Katherine rolled up the sleeves
on her dress and helped the woman out of her rags. She immediately went to the
window and threw them out into the ocean, not being able to think of where to
put them.
She carefully went back to the
bathroom and was met by the unwashed smell of Keisha. She could tell she had
been through a lot and couldn’t help but wonder if this woman had ever washed
herself.
She guided the woman into the hot
water, causing her to scream quietly.
"I know it is hot, dear, but
it will clean you very well," Katherine said, hoping to calm the woman
down.
She grabbed a bath brush and
cleaned the woman well.
"So, how old are you?"
Katherine asked, hoping to make small talk.
She went on to lather Keisha’s
greasy locks.
"Twenty-two. It was my
birthday yesterday."
Katherine’s heart went out to the
woman; she had to spend her birthday hot, hungry, and smelly in the noisy
engine room of a ship.
"We will just have to
celebrate your birthday today, instead," Katherine said, pouring water
over her head to rinse away the suds.
Katherine instructed the woman to
stand up; Katherine drained the now brown water and waited for it to disappear
before filling up a bucket and pouring it over the woman.
She helped Keisha out of the bath
and wrapped her in a towel. The dark-skinned woman now smelt of rosewater and
her skin was no longer covered in black smears, allowing Katherine to see the
beautiful brown of her skin.
The two made their way to
Katherine’s bedroom, where she had to find something for her to wear.
Katherine went into the closet
and hoped to find something suitable. She noticed that Daniel had given her
many dresses to wear for the trip, hoping that she would accompany him
sometimes.
Eventually, she found a warm
yellow dress with short sleeves. The bodice was tight and showed off Keisha’s
impressive cleavage. The dress flowed into many skirts that went to the floor.
The different yellows would go well with her skin color.
Katherine helped the shorter
woman into her dress. Keisha was around five foot five, only slightly smaller
than herself. The dress fit perfectly and looked beautiful on the girl.
Katherine grabbed a brush and
combed Keisha’s now dry locks. She was surprised to find it wavy, flowing in
smooth torrents down her back. Katherine decided to leave it down, noticing
that it made her look beautiful.
"Thank you so much,
Katherine. I know I am a hassle to have around, but no one has ever been so
nice to me," Keisha stated, starting to cry at her good fortune.
"It is okay, Keisha. I hope
we will be great friends, and I will continue to do nice things for you."
Katherine meant every word she
said. Keisha was a kind woman who was subject to prejudice that made Katherine
angry.
She allowed the woman to have a
nap on her bed, noticing how tired she was.
With nothing else to do,
Katherine retreated to the sitting room and picked up a book that Daniel had
left lying around.
It was past six o’ clock when
Daniel returned. He looked very tired, and Katherine immediately went over to
him as he collapsed into a chair.
"What did you do?"
Katherine asked, concerned for Daniel.
"I have bought Keisha a
ticket; she will be staying in our suite. I managed to convince a stupid
steward that she was meant to board with us at Queenstown but she was raped by
a worker and left in the engine room, where I found her. I explained that
everything she owned had been stolen and that the worker had done a
runner," Daniel explained to her, now laughing at the absurdity of his
lie.
"Daniel!! I can’t believe
they fell for it! Is she supposed to be a maid or something?" Katherine
asked, hoping that she was not going to be out of a job.
"Supposedly, although I
intend for her to just get her health back," Daniel answered, going into
the bathroom to wash. "Katherine, be a dear and tell Cal that I will not
be attending dinner because I had a nasty fall today while on the tour. Once
you’ve done that, can you order three meals to be brought here for us to eat.
It doesn’t matter what they are." Daniel looked at his cousin as she
nodded. "Thanks," he said while hugging her.
Katherine smiled at her cousin,
knowing that he liked this girl, even though she was of a different culture.
"It was her birthday
yesterday," Katherine told him as he removed his tie and waistcoat,
leaving him in a white shirt, black trousers, and suspenders.
He looked up at her with a smile.
He is up to something, she thought to herself before leaving to follow
his requests.
*****
Daniel smiled as Keisha entered
the sitting room from a nap. He was at once taken with her beauty.
"You clean up well," he
said to her, causing her to giggle nervously before sitting into a chair
opposite him.
He placed his book down and
glanced over at the beautiful woman opposite him.
"I heard it was your
birthday yesterday," Daniel said, trying to start a conversation.
"Yes, it was," she
answered, not elaborating.
He walked over to her and took
her hand. He pulled her into his room and sat her on the bed. She looked
terrified and was cuddling her legs to herself.
"I am not going to rape
you," Daniel said, knowing that she was scared of being abused. She
visibly relaxed and Daniel rummaged in his wardrobe.
He found what he was looking for
and went back over to her. He slipped a diamond bracelet onto her wrist and
watched her astonished expression.
"I can’t accept this,"
she blurted, startled by his kindness.
Daniel laughed and sat down next
to her. "It was my mother’s. Before she died, she said she wanted me to
give this to my daughter. Since I will not be having one anytime soon, I would
like to give it to you, so you can give it to your daughter."
Keisha started at him in shock
before thanking him repeatedly for the gift.
That cheered her up, Daniel thought as he led her to the
promenade deck, where Katherine had just returned with their meals.
The meal was a good one, with the
three of them talking and laughing while stuffing their faces. They did not
bother with proper etiquette, knowing that Keisha knew none anyway.
The meal ended all too quickly,
but both Daniel and Katherine wished her a happy birthday.
"I will give you my bed; I
will sleep on the couch," Daniel said to Keisha whilst sipping some wine.
"No, Daniel. I will sleep on
the couch. It will be much more comfortable than I am used to anyway."
Daniel could not think of an
answer, so he dropped the subject.
Keisha looked utterly dazed by
the amount of food, and only stopped when she said she was full. Katherine took
the plates back to the kitchen, declining help from Daniel.
Daniel grabbed Keisha’s hand and
took her to the window so they could see the stars.
"Happy birthday,
Keisha," Daniel mumbled before kissing her on the cheek softly. He left a
surprised Keisha to sleep on the made-up couch before retiring to his own room,
surprised at what he had just done.