Echoes of Titanic (22 page)

The hallways were quiet except for the passing of a steward and the occasional fellow early morning riser. Jocelyn was tempted to make her way up to the boat deck, where the second-class passengers were allowed access to the outdoors, but she headed for the enclosed promenade on C deck instead,
reasoning that though the day's temperatures would likely again be moderate, at this hour the air would still be quite chilly.

Fortunately, there wasn't a soul in sight. She was tempted to take a seat on a bench but decided to do some walking first, just to get her blood going. She would have liked to pay a visit to the gymnasium and try out the camel-riding machine, but that part of the ship was restricted to first-class passengers except while they were in port.

Breathing deeply, Jocelyn began to stroll along the outer edge of the enclosed promenade, looking through the windows at the first glints of light along the horizon and considering the significance of the day. In a few hours the ship would stop to take on passengers in Queenstown, Ireland, and then in the afternoon it would finally head out to sea for good. Though Jocelyn would likely return to these shores within a month or two, today might be Adele's final glimpse of her homeland forever.

Last night the ship made a similar stop in France, though there wasn't much to see from their vantage point far from shore. As their steward explained, the harbor was too shallow for a ship of this depth, and thus transfers had been made via smaller tender boats. She assumed the same would hold true for Queenstown as well.

Despite their disappointment at not having been able to see a new country, the girls had enjoyed getting to know their way around the ship—or at least those portions that had been allotted to the second class. Truly, their accommodations had to be as fine as any other ship's first class. The dining saloon had been especially elegant, and their evening meal had far surpassed everyone's expectations.

All in all, their first day aboard had been an extremely pleasant one with a single exception, that of Tad's dismissiveness of Adele's ambitions. The more time they spent in his company, the more blatant his scorn had become. Late yesterday afternoon, he had crossed the line. When Adele mentioned her intentions upon reaching America of attending college in New York followed by a career in finance with her father's company, Tad had actually laughed out loud in response. Adele was used to others' attitudes regarding her ambitions, but such a rude and blatant reaction had left her looking startled and hurt. Jocelyn knew she had to do something to make things right again. Slipping away, she had quickly secured pen and paper from the second class library and written her cousin a note of encouragement, which she gave to her soon after.

The more she thought about it now, Jocelyn decided she might have a word with Tad today as well. He was obviously taken with Adele, but he had no comprehension of the damage his attitude was doing to her spirit, not to mention its impact on any chance of a relationship between them.

Jocelyn put the matter to prayer, soon moving on from that topic to the questions in her heart about her own intentions upon reaching America. She was as uncertain about her future plans as Adele was certain of hers. The focus of this trip was primarily to get Adele settled in her new homeland. Jocelyn's father was eager to spend a month or so visiting with his brother, Sean, Adele's father, but then he would be returning to Ireland. At issue was whether Jocelyn would return with him or stay in America with Adele and Uncle Sean. Both options were open to her, but thus far she had not been able to make a decision on the subject. Adele was especially eager for Jocelyn to remain there with her, of course, so much so that eventually Jocelyn had had to ask that she keep her thoughts about it to herself. “As I consider this decision,” Jocelyn had told her just a week ago, “the last thing I need is to be nagged and cajoled and pestered by you.” Since then, Adele had done fairly well at adhering to Jocelyn's request.

The rest of the family was divided on the matter. Her little brother Quincy hoped she would return, while her mother was conflicted about it, wanting her daughter to come back to Ireland but knowing that America offered far more opportunities and prospects for her than Belfast ever would.

Sean and Rowan both felt strongly that she should stay in America, especially in light of the political troubles brewing at home. But it was one thing to visit a new country, and quite another to set up residence there and commit to staying forever.

As always, the matter is in Your hands, Lord
, Jocelyn prayed now.
Please guide me according to Your will
.

As the sun rose fully above the horizon, other passengers began drifting into the enclosed promenade. Her walk complete, Jocelyn settled herself into a deck chair and watched all of the activity from there for a while. Eventually, she noticed a father with two young boys, one of about four and the other perhaps one or two. As they were speaking French, she assumed they had boarded last night in Cherbourg. The father looked as if he was having a difficult time, so Jocelyn went over and asked if he needed any help. He replied in fairly good English, and though he seemed reluctant to accept her offer, it was clear he hadn't much choice in the matter.

Both boys were crying fitfully, so Jocelyn picked up the younger one and began bouncing him on her hip and cooing to him softly. The father introduced himself as Mr. Hoffman and said that the boy she was holding was named Lola and the older one was Louis. Though the father's English was passable, it was clear that the children understood only French.

At least children of all languages knew loving tones and silly faces, and soon both boys had calmed down and were clinging to her contentedly. Finally, Mr. Hoffman said that they needed to get ready for breakfast. Handing back little Lola, a darling child with sparkling eyes and soft, curly hair, Jocelyn said she hoped to run into them again and also to make the acquaintance of Mrs. Hoffman. In response, the man simply shrugged and ushered the boys away.

Watching them go, Jocelyn decided it was time for her to leave as well. Adele would be up soon and wanting breakfast. Jocelyn's stomach had begun to growl, so she was more than happy to accompany her cousin to the dining saloon. As she headed down toward the F deck, she was further tormented by the alluring smells of food preparation—coffee and waffles and other delights—wafting through the halls. Still, she felt sure she had enough time to make a quick detour along the way to the second-class library, where she gathered up several pens and a small stack of paper to have as needed in their stateroom.

Adele had just finished getting ready for the day when Jocelyn arrived. She took the opportunity to make herself a bit more presentable now that she didn't have to move around so quietly, and then as soon as the bugle call sounded, the two of them set off for the dining saloon. Breakfast was a magnificent affair, with a variety of meats and breads and fruits fit for a king. Afterward, the cousins headed to the open area on the boat deck to enjoy the sunshine and the view.

As they bundled up and stepped outside, Jocelyn was glad to see that though the morning air was still quite cool, the sun felt warming to the face. They stood looking out toward the rear of the ship, gazing down at the open area below, including the third-class promenade and, beyond that, what a fellow passenger called the “poop deck.” Adele seemed to enjoy learning the many nautical terms they were continuously encountering on board, but Jocelyn was more fascinated by watching all of the people scurrying around below.

As they kept an eye on the time and waited for the ship to reach Ireland, they couldn't help eavesdropping on the many conversations happening on
every side. One woman kept exclaiming about all the famous people she'd learned were aboard—including the film actress Dorothy Gibson.

They were eventually joined by Tad, and Jocelyn shared these tidbits with him. While he didn't seem to care much about the actress, he was eager to learn more of the rich and famous businessmen aboard, especially John Jacob Astor, the richest man in New York City, and other New Yorkers such as Isidor Straus and Benjamin Guggenheim.

Tad's eyes gleamed as he exclaimed, “Oh, how I wish we were traveling first class! I'd have Colonel Astor begging me to work for him in no time!”

Jocelyn found his comment rather rude, considering that their passage had been paid for by Adele's father, but she held her tongue. Tad seemed to have a tendency of blurting things out before thinking, and she tried to give him some grace, assuming it was caused by a cultural difference between their two countries.

Soon, Tad and Adele were discussing the various accomplishments in the financial realm of their wealthy fellow passengers, and Jocelyn began to feel bored. She had no desire to meet streetcar magnates or railroad executives. She just wanted a glimpse of Miss Gibson.

After a while, Adele excused herself, saying she needed to warm up inside, perhaps even have some hot tea, but she would be back in time for the ship's landing in Queenstown at eleven thirty. Jocelyn knew she ought to go with her cousin but instead chose to stay, thinking this might be the perfect opportunity to speak with Tad privately about his behavior toward Adele.

Drawing him over to an emptier area of the railing, Jocelyn lowered her voice and spoke gently but truthfully, explaining that she wasn't sure if he understood how much it hurt Adele's feelings every time he made fun of her ambitions. The conversation went surprisingly well, as he was quite gracious and receptive in return. As they talked, Jocelyn couldn't help thinking what a fine man he was and what a handsome couple he and Adele would make. Jocelyn rather fancied him herself, but she resolved to keep those feelings in check. Tad Myers was an employee of Adele's father, not to mention a citizen of Adele's new country. It made more sense for him and Adele to become a couple. After all, Jocelyn didn't even know which country she would be calling home a few months from now. More importantly, if she did end up going back to Ireland, how much better would it be to leave her cousin in the care of a handsome young executive who just happened to be her father's employee
and
a potential fiancé.

Jocelyn and Tad ventured inside and then walked down the finely carved oak staircase. Tad excused himself when they reached B deck and entered the men's smoking room. Jocelyn proceeded down one more deck and passed through mahogany doors that led to the library. The spacious room was to her liking, and she took a seat in an upholstered chair at one of the writing tables. She turned on the small electric lamp at the center of the table and removed pen and paper from the drawer. Looking across the room and out of the large windows draped in silk curtains, she thought of the luxury she now found herself in. What a contrast to the land they just sailed away from, where life was much harsher. She caught a glimpse of that land outside the window and wondered what life would bring to her and her cousin now that they had left all they had ever known behind them.

If only Adele could stop focusing so much on business and see what was right in front of her! With that thought in mind, Jocelyn started a new letter, one that urged her cousin to remember the importance of balancing work with family. Adele always loved getting her little notes of insight and encouragement. Jocelyn would try her best to provide that encouragement now when she knew Adele needed it most.

A
s soon as the elevator doors closed them in, Ephraim looked at Kelsey, his expression dark.

“I'm so sorry, Kelsey. This goes against my grain, having to walk you out of here like this.”

They reached the fourth floor, and much to Kelsey's chagrin, Ephraim got off the elevator with her and followed along behind as she made her way down the hall to her office. When they neared Sharon's desk, the EA looked up, her eyes flying open wide.

“What's going on?” Sharon whispered, jumping up and following Kelsey into her office despite Ephraim's looming presence.

“It seems that Walter and the PR firm have decided that I'm a liability to the company at the moment. With all of this scandal surrounding the Tate name, he wants me out of here until further notice, simply because I
am
a Tate. He thinks my presence reinforces that connection at a time when they need to achieve the opposite of that.”

Sharon's green eyes widened even further. “But this is
your
company, Kelsey! Don't you own like half the stock?”

“Personally, I only own three percent, which isn't enough to stop this from happening,” Kelsey replied. “My family owns thirty percent total, but even that doesn't give us controlling interest.”

“So go to the board of directors,” Sharon urged, “and tell them what happened. I bet they'll put a stop to this nonsense right away.”

Ephraim cleared his throat. “We need to get going, Kelsey.”

She nodded at him and then turned back to Sharon. “Let's see how things go over the next few days and then I'll decide. For right now I'm going to trust Walter in this. My father has always believed in him, and you know what a good judge of character he is.”

Sharon looked as if she might burst into tears at any moment, so Kelsey paused to move around the desk and give her a long hug. As she did, she whispered in her EA's ear.

“Eyes and ears, Sharon. Be my eyes and ears.”