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After winding his way through the mass of passengers headed to their cabins, Nathan found himself strolling in the late morning sunlight. He tipped his hat at several of the others and then made his way to the railing. Leaning against it, his gaze shifted to the sea below. Of course Mother would call him philosophical, but another Scripture came to mind. “You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” He didn’t mean to speak the words aloud, but there they were, for all to hear.

“Begging your pardon, sir?” A young man came up beside him and glanced down at the water several stories below.

“Oh, nothing.” Embarrassment washed over Nathan. “Just thinking out loud.”

“Well, don’t be casting anything into the sea just yet,” the fellow said with a cockeyed grin. “ ’Less it’s one of those yappy dogs I’ve been seeing about. But even then I would think twice. I’ve never been one for swimming in the Atlantic. Gets mighty cold this time of year.”

“I don’t plan to go for a swim, that’s a fact.” Nathan gestured over the railing. “In the Atlantic, I mean. I hear there’s a fine swimming pool onboard. Heated. I might give that a gander.”

“Doubt I’ll have much time to swim,” the man said. “Likely I’ll be up to me eyeballs in smoke and steam down below. Not complainin’ though.”

This certainly piqued Nathan’s interest. “Are you working onboard, then?”

“Only just.” The fellow chuckled. “It’s the luck o’ the Irish to blame.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. I planted myself dockside early this morning all in the hopes that a stoker position would open up.”

“And it did?”

“Yes, and quite the tale, from what I hear. A handful of slouches overstayed their welcome at a local pub. Had one pint too many and let the time get away from them.” The fellow slapped his knee, and a raucous laugh followed. They arrived portside just as that gangway was pulled up. Missed boarding by a quarter inch, they did.”

“You’re saying they were turned away?”

“Indeed.” He chuckled. “And not a mite happy about it, from what I hear. Almost started a fight with the petty officers when they held their ground on the matter.”

Nathan shook his head as he tried to imagine the disappointment those men must be feeling right now. “All that for a few pints?” The fellow nodded and crossed his arms at his chest. “Their loss is me gain.” He squared his shoulders and puffed out his chest. “The position has now been filled.” When he offered a broad smile, it revealed a missing tooth. Not that the fellow seemed to notice or care. He continued to grin, his eyes wide with excitement. “Six days aboard the finest ship ever built. I don’t mind crawling below to stoke the fires if it means I can take me meals like a gentleman. Even the crew will eat like kings aboard
Titanic
, I hear tell.”

“Yes, I understand the food is marvelous.”

“Marvelous.” The young man offered another near-toothless grin. “That’s the word for it, yer right about that. Still a marvel to me that she’s sailing at all, what with the coal strike. You know they’ve stripped the coal from other ships to make sure
Titanic
has what she needs for the journey?”

“So I read in the paper.”

“I doubt you will see much of me, but that’s not a complaint on my end. Happy to be onboard, I am.”

Off in the distance a whistle sounded and the man started to attention. “That’s my signal. I’d best be gettin’ on my way. Nice to meet you, sir.”

“And you as well,” Nathan said. “I hope the trip is everything you’ve hoped for.”

“No doubt it will be. And more.” The fellow took off sprinting toward the stairwell, his voice fading away among the multitude of people.

As Nathan turned his attention back to the churning waters of the Atlantic, he couldn’t help but think the fellow was right. This trip would turn out to be all they had dreamed. All, and much, much more.

Wednesday, April 10, 1912, 11:59 a.m.

The White Star Line Dock

Jacquie stopped to catch her breath, now safely ashore. Knowing that Tessa had made it onboard relieved her on several levels, but tendrils of fear still wrapped themselves around Jacquie’s heart as she contemplated the fact that Mother was somewhere in this crowd, looking on. Hopefully they wouldn’t stumble across one another.

A long, low whistle blast sounded from the ship one minute before noon. From the crowd came a roar of approval. From the top deck, flags flew and the band played with merriment. Within minutes,
Titanic
would begin her voyage toward America—with Tessa and Iris safely tucked away in Cabin B-54.

Chapter Twelve

Wednesday, April 10, 1912, Noon

Aboard the
Titanic

Tessa gripped the Boat Deck railing and gulped for air. She fought to get control of her emotions. Her gaze shifted away from the large vessel, which now held her captive to her new life, and onto the rolling hills in the distance. For a moment—a few brief seconds, really— she longed for home. Just as quickly, the feeling passed. After the noon whistle blast, she realized there would be no turning back.

Off in the distance, the sound of the drum corps battled against several male voices singing “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling.” Something about the mix made her a bit dizzy. Of course, this whole thing had her feeling dizzy. As the singing grew louder, she glanced up to see several fellows, with arms linked, making their way through the crowd in front of her. From the way they stumbled about, they’d had a few too many. She recognized the familiar stumble-bumble routine from years of watching Pa in such a state.

Pa.

Tessa pinched her eyes shut to avoid thinking about him. Still, as the inebriated fellows staggered by, their voices raised in ill-harmonized singing, her knees began to ache. When the men disappeared into the crowd, she drew a steady breath. “I’m onboard.”

She had expected a confrontation. A challenge. And yet here
she stood, a lady dressed in an expensive gown with a very tight corset, holding a boarding pass in her hand. She glanced up as a group of women passed by. One was rather odd in appearance, dressed in a man’s vest and smoking a cigar. Tessa waved her hand in front of her nose as the obnoxious odor permeated the air.

A spruced-up lady followed behind the group, practically dripping with diamonds and a variety of other colorful jewels. Her tall, feathered hat bobbed this way and that as she attempted to walk on shoes that were clearly too tight. As if she hadn’t drawn enough attention to herself with her eccentric attire, the woman carried a smallish yappy dog in her arms, one that clearly didn’t care for his surroundings. Interesting, how much the dog and the woman resembled one another, each wearing a diamond-studded collar.

The woman spoke to the fussy pup as one would coddle a child. A dapper fellow with a cane stepped into the spot behind her and the feisty canine bared his teeth. Just as quickly, the man tipped his derby, offered a wide berth, and disappeared into the crowd. The woman clung tightly to the little dog, still speaking in baby talk, as she headed off on her way.

Tessa closed her eyes and attempted to breath in the salty sea air but caught a whiff of overpowering perfume. Her eyes flew open as she heard youthful voices. Her heart soared to her throat as a group of young ladies about her age passed by. One of them wore an emerald-encrusted tiara, which sparkled under the ribbons of sunlight streaming down from above. Was she an heiress, perhaps? Or royalty of some sort?

Tessa pinched her eyes shut again, as if to hide herself away from the girls. Realizing how silly that must look, she opened them again. Hopefully they wouldn’t stop to talk. No, thank goodness, they barely gave her a second glance before moving on.

Finally convinced she could manage the trip to her room, Tessa set off to find it. Inside the lobby, she approached the most impressive staircase she had ever seen. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched well-to-do passengers ascending and descending this magnificent flight of stairs, which seemed to lead to heaven itself. If she climbed it, would she find herself on a cloud, perhaps? Having dinner with an angel? Or would she step off into the unknown, never to be heard from again?

Tessa glanced up at the domed ceiling and gasped. Beams of sunlight rippled through, casting a rainbow of colors below. The whole thing felt like a scene from a fairy story, one set in palatial splendor. How could she, a pig farmer’s daughter, have landed in such a place? Had she fallen asleep and dreamed it? Would she awaken to find she’d been booted overboard?

“I feel like Alice gone through the looking-glass,” she whispered. “Is this really to be my home for the next six days?” She could hardly imagine such a thing possible, and yet here she stood, in the most opulent of surroundings, dressed in a gentlewoman’s finery and feeling like a queen.

She gave her boarding pass another look. It was much larger than she had imagined, and more colorful. She ran her finger over the words: O
CEANIC
S
TEAM
N
AVIGATION
C
O
LIMITED, W
HITE
S
TAR
L
INE
, M
ESS
: I’
S
I
SMAY
, I
MRIE
& C
O
., 30 J
AMES
S
T
. L
IVERPOOL
.

It felt so…official. So real.

This is real, isn’t it? I’m not dreaming?

No, from the sights, sounds, and smells enveloping her,
Titanic
was, indeed, real. Her opportunity to leave the past behind suddenly held appeal. Bright blue skies shone through the glass domed ceiling overhead as if to say, “Better things lay ahead, Tessa.” For a moment, she felt invigorated, courageous. Just as
quickly, she thought about Peter and wondered how she could possibly live without him.

From behind, someone bumped into her and she had no choice but to begin the ascent. One careful step after another she made the journey, pausing only to gaze at the exquisite clock in the middle. Another whistle blast sounded, deep, sobering. Then another followed. The ground beneath her feet began to tremble. Or was that
her
trembling?

A steward at the edge of the stairway gave her a little nod. “Do you need help finding your room, miss?”

“Oh, I…yes.” She nodded and did her best to look calm and assured. “That would be very helpful. I’m searching for B Deck, but I’m afraid I’m a bit turned around.”

The fellow offered a comforting smile. “Easy to get that way on the
Titanic
. She’s larger than most and designed like a maze.” He gave her detailed instructions for reaching B Deck, but she found it difficult to focus with so many people rushing by.

After she took just a couple of steps upward, the ship jarred, and she grabbed hold of the railing. She glanced back at the steward, who offered an assuring smile. “The engines have started now, miss. The hawsers are being dropped, and tugboats will pull us out to the River Test. You might want to put off finding your room until we’ve pulled away from shore. You don’t want to miss this.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. Why don’t you head up to the Boat Deck at the top of the ship to watch as we pull away from Southampton? You may never get an opportunity to see something like this again. I daresay none of us will.”

“All right, then.” The idea of delaying the inevitable held some
appeal, particularly when she thought about having to face Iris in Cabin B-54.

She ascended the stairway and, minutes later, found herself in the midday sunlight on the Boat Deck. Tessa managed to press herself into a spot along the harbor-side railing. Glancing out at the scene before her, she took in the crowd along the shore.

To her right several women decked out in furs and jewels stood at the railing, waving their lace handkerchiefs and smiling. From somewhere off in the distance the band continued to play its merry tune. Then, as the song ended, everything fell eerily silent. She could sense the breathlessness in the people at the railing as they waited for
Titanic
to press her way toward the mighty Atlantic.

Like a bird taking flight, the splendid ship began to ease away from her berth. Reverent silence was replaced with cheers and shouts as the people offshore waved their farewells. Passengers returned with waves and cheerful good-byes. Tessa’s heart swelled within her as she took it all in. Truly, the majesty of such a moment could not be expressed in mere words. She silently thanked the steward who had suggested she witness firsthand such a grand occasion as this.

A passel of rowdy fellows standing near her whooped and hollered. One even played a mouth organ while waving his cap. All around her, people celebrated. Tessa felt a surge of excitement rush through her, coupled with the usual feelings of terror. Oh, how she longed to see her brother one last time. If only she could make out his face in the crowd. With so many pressed in together, she could not. Still, she imagined him standing among them, waving and wishing her well.

Tessa felt a gentle movement beneath her feet as the ship stirred. She peered over the edge at the rollicking waters below. As the
Titanic
moved along, the massive vessel stirred the waters with such force that another smaller boat appeared to be in harm’s way. A loud noise, much like a gunshot, rang out as the moorings broke. A collective gasp went up from all onboard the
Titanic
as they watch the little vessel steer frighteningly near. Would they crash before ever setting out to sea?