Cold All the Way Through, But Warming

Shipboard Antics

We managed to get some kind of clothing on before Reggie and Louise came to get us dressed for the ship. I couldn't imagine how I'd be able to face her if she had found me as I was the night before, skin flushed and laying wantonly over Will. It was better to done a nightgown at some point, and for Will to slip on a pair of pajamas and at least make it look like we hadn't been so absorbed in each other that we couldn't have cared less about clothing.

Dressed in yet another traveling suit, Louise and I met Will and Reggie in the hallway. He was wearing a lighter gray suit, and I could see the cufflinks Mother had given him on his cuffs. We kept ourselves mostly quiet as we headed downstairs, it was so early that even most of the staff was still asleep. The carriage was being left, a hired cab waiting to for us. We were loaded up fairly quickly, and pulled out into the just stirring city.

"Ah, there she is." Will murmured as we pulled up to where we would board. The St. Paul was an older ship, but she had made the crossing many times and the cabins we had booked were quite adequate to what we wanted. It also helped that not many of New York society would be onboard, if any of them. The would stick to the Olympic, the Mauritania and the other new, faster, fancier ships.

I had to admit, I was looking forward to taking the Mauritania back to New York at the end of our honeymoon.

"American Line, here we are." The driver parked along the curb, and Will handed both Louise and myself out. Reggie carried our two valises, and we were among the first to head onto the gangways. It was not crowded, and our tickets were quickly accepted and a steward showed Will and I to our cabin. Reggie and Louise were whisked off to their own cabins, and Will and I sank onto the edge of the bed. It was a well appointed space, even if the furniture was rather outdated.

"Well, I suppose I could sleep here." Will leaned back onto the bed, sighing. "Although it will be hell to get out of this bed for my watches."

I laughed as I lay down with him. "And leave me all alone in a cold bed? My, you are a poor husband."

"A poor husband with a nagging wife, constantly begging for him to resume their marital relations." He chuckled, turning on his side to look at me. "Ah, Ana. Sometimes I still don't know if I'll get used to this?"

"Taking a holiday?" I reached out, adjusting his tie.

"Having a wife again."

"Oh."

He caught my fingers, bringing them up to kiss. "It's a blessing, to have you here. I've quite forgotten how pleasant it is to have someone beside me, a person I love." I brushed those fingers across his cheek, his eyes closing and a sigh breathing through his lips. "I've missed it, so much."

"I'm so glad to have you Will," I closed my eyes, leaning back onto the bed. "So lucky to have found you." We were quiet, simply gently touching and breathing in each other. I could even hear the clock ticking as we lay together, the sound of the other passengers boarding. The only thing to interrupt us was the ship's whistle, calling out a warning that departure was coming soon. I shifted against Will, his hand stroking my back. "Should we head up?"

"I suppose." He sounded resigned as he withdrew his hand, both of us standing and adjusting our clothes to avoid wrinkles. I hoped Reggie and Louise were enjoying the slightly crowded deck as we gained it, passengers waving handkerchiefs and calling farewells to those on the dock. I wasn't even sure if this was their first major trip, I would ask her about it. It was not a long walk up to the boat deck, the last thing myself or Will wanted was to have a cabin far belowdecks. Not after what had happened, it felt safer to be near the top of the ship.

The sight of the lifeboats, their number clearly having been supplemented recently, also made me feel safer.

The crossing was proving to be a smooth one, three days out from New York and the only negative had been a cloudy day that the other passengers had complained about endlessly. As usual when he was onboard a ship, Will almost fell back into his routine. I couldn't count the number of times we promenaded up and down the deck, him considering our course and speed. We were in fact examining the speed of the ship at the moment, Will trying to determine how fast we were going simply from the way the ship was cutting through the water.