Title: Just One Yesterday
Author: doctors gal1792
Rating: K+
Summary: Mrs. Clara Moore is traveling on the Titanic with her husband. She is a young mother who has always been fiercely devoted to her husband but with his withdraw after the birth of their son, she has felt the lack of companionship take its toll on her. Will she re-connect with her husband during this trip or will she make a new and stronger connection in an unlikely place?
A/N- God. Again I never thought I'd be here again...writing Titanic fanfic. But on Sunday I honored the 101st Anniversary by watching documentary's and films and I was hit with the Titanic muse about as hard as Cal hit Rose. Uhm...anyway...If you read and like this please review and let me know! I never have much desire to continue these things if I don't get feed back.
Thanks for checking it out!
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Chapter 1
A Purpose
Clara Moore never set out for an adventure and she certainly never set out to be different from every other woman. She knew from a young age that someday she would grow up, be someone's wife and shortly after; be someone's mother, and she was perfectly okay with that. The idea of marrying for love was a lovely idea but something she left to the pages of her Jane Austen novels. So she never really expected to come to love the man she married but it made her a happier woman. The first five years of her marriage were a happy one, despite her struggles to conceive and when she finally did successfully carry a baby to term, Clara Moore was the happiest woman in the city of London. Her son was born in the fall of 1908 and he was named Benjamin after Clara's father and she felt her son was the happiest little boy in the city.
However soon after their son was born, her husband began to withdraw from the relationship. He spent more hours at work and he hardly showed an interest in their home life. But Clara carried on, she raised their son, supported her husband, and played the role of dutiful wife. So when her husband came home at the end of February in 1912, to inform them that he was part of a group of men who had been asked to travel to America for a business deal, Clara willingly packed up the family to leave on the Titanic.
They left London on the ninth and stayed with her friends in Southampton that evening and early the next day for the docks. When they arrived to the docks, it was a mob scene. Hundreds of people were swarmed around the massive ship that towered above them and they were all there just to see the ship in her glory.
"This is incredible," Clara said as she looked out of the window of the car.
"Grandest ship built to date," her husband commented, "And the safest, she has been deemed the unsinkable ship for a reason."
Clara glanced at her husband then looked to the child who was sitting in her lap, "Look Benji my love," she said, "Is that not lovely?"
The child peered out of the window and beamed at his mother, "Mummy it is so big!"
"Yes my love, it is the biggest ship ever!" Clara smiled as she shared a glance with her son's governess.
It was then that the car came to a stop and her husband quickly hopped out of the car. Within seconds he was at Clara's door, opening it for her.
"Thank you David," she said to him. Clara took his offered hand and stepped out of the vehicle and then Benjamin jumped out of the car behind his mother. "Stay close to me, darling," Clara said to her son, "I do not want to lose you in this crowd."
"Yes mummy," the little boy's hand slipped into his mother's gloved one and he followed his parents through the crowd and towards the gang plank.
"Is it true David?" Clara asked as she followed her husband up towards the entrance of the ship, "Can something really be unsinkable?"
"Well Clara, that is what the papers said so it must be true!" He flashed a smile at her just before he stepped inside the ship.
"Names please?" the officer at the entrance asked.
"Mr. David and Clara Moore, here are our papers, I think you will find everything is in order."
There was a moment of rustling as the man read through over everything and then he gave directions on how they could find their room, "And this steward here will help you with your things," he nodded towards a waiting man and gave a polite nod to Clara as they continued through into the ship.
"Look at this interior," Clara said in awe as her eyes swept over the wood panels and then down to the plush carpets, "It is even better than I could have thought."
The family made their way past other families and finally they approached a gleaming wooden door. David turned the brass handle and the door swung in to reveal a gorgeous state room.
"Wow!" Benjamin shouted before pulling his hand from his mother's and running into the room.
"Benjamin my darling," Clara quickly followed her son with the governess following quickly behind, "You know how I feel about running inside!"
"But mummy it is a ship not home!" Benjamin protested as his governess picked him up.
"All the same Benji, we will be living in this space for the next few days so you shall treat it as if we are at home. When we walk the decks then you may play as if you are outside, do you understand me?" Clara fixed her son with a stern look as luggage was rolled into the room around them.
"Yes mummy," he said.
"Thank you, now go with Esther and she will help you get settled. We will unpack, change out of our traveling suits, and perhaps journey up to the decks to say goodbye to England. Okay?"
"Okay!" Benjamin said as Esther set him down on the ground. He took the woman's hand, smiled at his mother, and followed Esther into another room.
"If there is one thing I can always say about you Clara," David began.
Clara turned her gaze from her son to her husband, "What would that be?"
"You were born to be a mother. The way you handle him will forever baffle me," David said.
Clara gave a small shrug, "It is mother's intuition I should think," she moved over to her steamer trunk, she carefully removed her hat and set it on top of the trunk.
"Well whatever it is, I think that is what you will always be remembered for," David gave a brief smile, "Now I am going to meet up with some of the chaps from work. I am sure their wives will join you eventually and you ladies can take in afternoon tea or something."
"Oh yes, of course," this time the smile Clara flashed was forced, because it embarrassed her that they had barely arrived, let alone settled, and David was running off to see his friends, "I shall see you in a bit, darling."
David did not respond and instead headed out of the room.
"Mrs. Moore, where would you like these things?" the men with the luggage asked.
Over the next hour, Clara directed the men where all of their luggage should go and was soon ready and settled in for the trip.
"Mrs. Moore?"
Clara turned to see Ethel entering the room with Benjamin, "It is very nearly noon and I thought Benjamin would quite like seeing the ship off."
"Oh yes, we must go and say goodbye!" Clara smiled, "Let us go up there now." She took her son by the hand and the two women left the room and headed for the deck.
There was so much going on when they reached the outside Crew members were running about and preparing things for departure, couples were leaning over the sides of the ship, both young and old, for a last glimpse of England.
"Mummy, there are so many people!" Benjamin said in an awestruck voice.
Clara reached down and picked her son up, "Yes there is! Some of these people are going to America for a new life and a chance to start over, some are returning to their homes, some are visiting friends and family, and some are just sailing so that they can say they were on the Titanic." She placed a gentle kiss on the boy's cheek, "This is history my sweet boy and we can say we were there."
"Can I see the water?" he asked.
"Of course." Clara slowly carried her son over to the edge of the ship and held onto him tightly as he glanced down into the water below.
"It is so dark and deep!" the child commented.
Clara laughed, "Well it is the ocean."
"Wow!"
Before Clara could respond they felt a shudder beneath their feet. She looked around for the source, "Oh we are moving!" she declared, "Quick my darling, wave goodbye!"
The mother and son raised their hands and waved over the side of the ship down to the people still on the decks below.
"Look mummy, they are all getting so tiny like little ants!" Benjamin cried.
"Yes they are!" Clara agreed.
Benjamin kept his eyes glued to the scene before him until they could no longer see any traces of Southampton, "Mummy, can I have something to eat?"
"Yes darling." Clara stepped away from the railing and together the mother, son, and governess headed back inside.
Many things went through Clara's mind as they walked through the halls. She thought on her marriage and what she could do to make her husband take notice of her again, she thought of the trip and how long they would be in America, and most of all she hoped that if anything, she could find something worth being excited about on this journey.
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