Cold All the Way Through, But Warming

The Launch

Our cabins were as luxurious as promised, fresh flowers perfuming the air. I could hardly smell the new varnish under their scent. Father bid us goodbye as he left to go witness the engine room during the launch. The maids and his valet were seeing to the unpacking, dresses and coats being hung in the large wardrobes that had been provided. I sat on my bed for a moment. "Isn't this wonderful Mother? Everything is so new, the beds, the carpets, everything."

Mother lifted her pearl necklace, safely ensconced in its velvet bag from her valise. "Indeed, but nothing less would suffice."

I couldn't help the little snort that came out. While Mother may like the high life now, I knew she had spent longer trips in rougher conditions. But that had been before her marriage to Father had catapulted her up from a shopkeeper's daughter in Nebraska to a social maven featured in the New York papers. They considered us new money, my grandfather had been the one to start Dalian shipping and build it, but they fell over themselves to report on out every move. What parties we went to, and those that we didn't. Who our dresses were from, who I danced with. Thank God there would be no reporters on the ship, I would have a moment of peace.

It had gotten harder to maintain our social presence in the papers while we scrambled behind the scenes of Dalian Shipping to keep everything running. When Mother had gone to Boston to deal with the failing negotiations by the branch chief with strikers, I had to come up with something to draw attention away from her absence at the party she was missing. I decided to 'accidentally' throw a full glass of champagne down the front of a Vanderbilt's skirt when she walked by.

The social sniping had distracted the papers long enough that Mother's absence was forgotten.

"I am going up to watch the launch." I said as I stood up from the bed. "Care to join?"

Mother shook her head. "Watch our for Zachary. No private areas."

I felt a slight shiver go down my spine at that memory. Pawing hands, a dark corridor, struggling to breathe. "I will stay around the other women, I promise." With that I left the cabin, headed up two decks to the Boat Deck. I greeted friends along the way, voice bright and cheery. The Duff Gordons were supervising a pair of stewards with a suitcase, Lucille nodding her majestic hat in my direction. I nodded back, then stifled a giggle. Two doors across from each other had been open, and the stewards were trying to figure out which one the suitcase went to. It was fairly obvious there were marital problems occurring between those her and Sir Cosmo. Oh what a piece of gossip that would be.

Coming out onto the Boat Deck was like being slapped with noise and light when compared to the below decks. The crowds were cheering, the steam rattling through the funnels, and the sun shining brightly. It almost distracted from the boats tied up at the docks due to a lack of coal. The miner's strike had been felt hard here. In dealing with Father's papers I had become acutely aware of the pinch that was affecting the coal supply, Dalian Shipping had begun to throttle back engines in order to conserve coal in response.

I shook the thought from my head, instead pulling out a handkerchief to wave. At who? I had no idea. Someone on the dock would see me and wave back. The Titanic let out a great whistle as she began to move away from the dock, pulled seaward by tugs. Once the ship was far enough away from the dock, I could feel a slight vibration build below all the decks, the massive engines slowly beginning to revolve. The cheering on the ship grew louder, even on the first class promenade, almost obscuring a slight popping sound. I stepped to the rail and looked over. One of the ships that had been tied to the dock was slowly sliding towards us.

I threw myself back from the rail, looking for someone, anyone who might be able to get to the bridge. I spotted a black jacket with some gold braid along the cuff. Chasing after him proved a slight difficult in my traveling suit, and I felt my hat get dislodged at some point. But when I grabbed his shoulder, pulling him around I saw it was the officer from before. "Officer Murdoch, please. Tell the Captain to stop the engines, a ship is about to hit." I spoke in a rush, gesturing over the rail. He looked over then rushed towards the bridge.