One thing Jason liked about train rides was how he could always catch a few hours worth of sleep during the journey, which was no exception to the train ride to London he had to take that morning. Though, he wished that he didn't have to be waken so early in the morning, nor the fact that one of the maids had to wake him up.
Talk about embarrassing.
"Mmh...whassatime?" He groaned, blinking awake as the lights to his room was turned on by the maid.
"Five thirty, sir." the young woman replied as she went to open the curtains and windows, letting a fresh, cool breeze to flow into the room while revealing the slowly brightening sky outside. "Lady Lucinda told me she will be expecting you for breakfast in half an hour."
Jason slumped against the cold, brass headboard, letting out a yawn as he tried to remember why he had to wake up so early. It wasn't until he saw his trunk and suitcase right beside his desk that he finally remembered that he was due to travel to Southampton to board a ship which will take him to New York to meet his father.
It was no surprise that his father had managed to book him a passage on board the Titanic. Largest and the most luxurious ocean liner in the age. That man sure loved to spoil him rotten. Shaking his head, Jason pulled himself up from the bed and stretched out his joints.
"The bath has been prepared for you, sir." Said the maid, who was now stoking the fireplace to keep the room warm.
"Oh, well, you don't... Er, thank you, Ethel." Jason replied, momentarily forgetting that he was living in a large, English country house with an army of maids and servants. Not the simple three floored Boston townhouse he and his mother had stayed for the past fifteen years. Shaking his head, the twenty three year-old walked out of his bedroom and towards the bath at the end of the corridor anf proceeded to get ready for the day.
"The ship will depart at noon and it's the quickest ship available." His aunt, Lady Lucinda Brockford, reminded him when he asked why he had to take the morning train. "Thank you David." She added as the black haired footman refilled her tea. "Unless you want to arrive at America a week behind schedule, then you must take the first train to Southampton."
Jason could only nod his head groggily as he ate through his kedgeree.
Aunt Lucinda wasn't finished, however. "Fulton has also informed me that he has assigned Wilson as your valet for the length of the journey and back."
That woke Jason up, if only momentarily. He snapped his head up so quickly that he nearly choked on his food. "What?"
"Wilson will be accompanying you on board." Aunt Lucinda repeated with a frown and pursed her lips, before she sipped her morning tea calmly, signifying that it was end of discussion.
Still somewhat surprised with the news, Jason turned to look at Fulton, the middle aged butler of the house. Fulton must have misread his stare however, as he replied, "Don't worry, sir. Wilson is a fully capable footman and valet. I'm sure he will do the best to care for your needs." He then gave a meaningful look to Wilson, who had came in bringing up a steaming tray of baked potatoes. The man blinked once in surprise of being addressed, before giving a jerky nod.
"B-but…" Jason started. He's practically an adult, and he certainly doesn't need a servant to attend to his needs! He even lived fifteen years without a servant, and he obviously prefered it that way. Even his father hasn't forced him to have a servant shadowing him all around the house.
However, further protest died in his throat when he caught the sharp, disapproving glare Aunt Lucinda was giving him. So Jason simply nodded sullenly and went to take some of the potatoes and the salad. His aunt can be very scary when she wanted.
So, moments later, Jason watched as Galebrooke Hall's stately stone towers and rows of gleaming windows, disappeared from view as the car drove down through the hillside, through the quiet streets of Avorstead. There were only a few people up and about at this hour, and also even much less traffic. So the chauffeur didn't have much difficulty driving them to the train station in record time.
It didn't take long for Wilson to show his efficiency and experience. The man, who was only a couple of years older than Jason, had quickly hailed for the porter after he unloaded their belongings with the help of the chauffeur. When everything was done, he headed straight to the ticketing counter, securing a First Class compartment for the quarter to eight train and putting the tab on the Brockford name, seemingly without effort. Jason could only watch with grudging respect as everything was done in less than half an hour. He couldn't have done all of that in such a short time span.
They were soon sitting on the comfortable seats inside the train coach as the sleepy town of Avorstead whizzed past the compartment window. As it would take three hours for them to reach London, Jason took the first chance to catch up on his sleep.
"Can you wake me up when we arrive?" He asked Wilson as he made himself comfortable on his seat.
"Will do, sir." replied Wilson with a straight face. Jason swore he saw the corner of the valet's mouth was twitching though, but he waved the thought away and immediately snoozed when the train had reached a comfortable speed.
Three hours later, the Jason held back a yawn as Wilson shook him awake and said that they have arrived in London. Showing off his efficiency again, the blonde haired valet quickly arranged their belongings to be transferred for the boat train to Southampton while Jason himself went to buy the tickets.
As the train ride from London to Southampton wasn't a really long ride, Jason decided to stay awake this time by distracting himself to watch the tall buildings of London passing by through the window. But he must have fallen asleep again sometime through the journey as he found himself being shaken awake by Wilson.
Flushing up from embarrassment, Jason mumbled a thanks and looked out through the window. He noticed that a large, busy platform had replaced the view of downtown London. He stifled a yawn, and went to stretch his stiff shoulders. His embarrassment increased when he caught the knowing smile on Wilson's face as he stood, retrieving the suitcases from the overhead rack before Jason could do so.
"You know, Wilson. I can retrieve my own luggage..." Jason said, frowning slightly as he took hold of one of his bags from the older man's grasp.
Wilson chuckled, unlocking the exterior compartment door at the same time. "Just doing my job, sir." He replied. "Fulton saw fit to appoint me as your valet, so it has become my duty to attend to your every need." He added as both of them climbed down the compartment.
Still feeling slightly annoyed, Jason opted to remain silent and turned his attention to the crowd around him. The terminal was abuzz with activity. Men, women, and children were climbing down from their respective carriages down to the steamy platform, gathering their families together or trying to call for the porter to get their luggage with children running around with laughter trailing behind them.
The sight of a family of three counting their luggage and making their way through the platform made Jason's mind to wander around the subject that was his father, Richard Brockford.
He didn't really remember what happened, but he definitely remembered that when he was eight, his mother, Laura, took him and her maid to live in Boston with his extended family. Laura rarely spoke of the Richard since, and the only comment she ever made was that he held a minor title of British nobility but was quite influential.
Richard visits them from time to time, but it was far in between. Though, when he did, he always brought extravagant, and not to mention expensive presents for Jason. Laura herself disapproved of how Richard spoiled Jason. He didn't mind being spoiled by his father in the slightest as he rarely saw the man. That, and he knew how the man still cared for his mother and himself, so he appreciated the gesture.
The most surprising present Jason had ever received from Richard was the arrival of an official letter bearing the Brockford family crest late winter. Before he knew it, Jason had traveled across the Atlantic, living in his father's country house for the rest of the winter and spring, spending time with the man while learning various things like the family history and interesting facts of the British nobility to business lessons and even etiquette lessons.
Being a Baron of Norwood, the sheer opulence and the wealthy lifestyle Richard was living has intimidated Jason immensely at first, but he had slowly adapted to it. In fact, he rather enjoyed the expensive nonsense, the lessons, meeting important people of the society, even the boring dinner parties and lovely balls… except for the etiquette lessons of course.
He still couldn't really comprehend why they would need more than five spoons and forks in order to eat, or why they should always change for dinner, or wearing different colored ties for some events, or even, as it was related to his father's business, having the knowledge which wine was the best and which was a bad one and which one goes best for different kinds of meal.
His attention was brought back to the present rudely as a couple of children ran past him, laughing rather loudly and almost knocking him down. Though, he managed to grab hold of the open door to steady himself before he could fall down.
"Terribly sorry, young lad." Puffed a harried looking woman who must be the two children's mother.
Jason waved his hand and chuckled as he steadied himself "It's fine, ma'am. No one's hurt."
The mother gave him a tired, but grateful smile and went to chase her two rowdy children.
"Is everything alright, sir?" Wilson asked worriedly, appearing right beside Jason instantly.
Turning to the valet, Jason noticed that the man had managed to call for a porter to move the rest of their sizable luggage from the baggage car into the trolley. He shook his head in response.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." He replied lightly, looking towards the departure terminal which was just beyond the doors of the train platform. The clock chimed, signifying that it was already eleven o'clock. "Well, let's get our things sorted out before we miss the ship." He said, nodding towards the entryway.
"Would you like everything into the baggage holding, sir?" The porter asked he followed the two of into the terminal.
Wilson quickly shook his head. "No, we'll have these on our cabins. The black trunk and the leather bag into Cabin B68 and the suitcases here," he indicated to Jason's possessions, "will go to Cabin B66."
"Right away sir." The porter nodded, scribbling down on a number of tags before attaching them to the trunks and suitcases. He swiftly wheeled them towards the baggage checking.
"Do you have the Boarding Passes?" Jason asked. He was sure he had them somewhere...
"I have them right here, sir." came Wilson's reply, brandishing the said papers as he went to pick two of their suitcases—holding personal belongings and other important necessities which they could never afford to part with during the journey—and proceeded to walk with the crowd towards the check-ins.
Jason nodded with a sigh of relief. He had honestly thought he had lost them. "You know… I wonder why father insists to book that ship." He said more to himself. "He could always schedule us up for either of the two Cunard ships if he wants me to get there faster."
Wilson simply shook his head. "You know how your father is like, sir. While I'm sure the Lusitania or Mauretania would offer much more speed, Lord Brockford had a rather unpleasant experience with the company. He simply preferred White Star Line at the moment... with the Olympic-class marketed as 'unsinkable', I think it had captured his attention."
"Makes sense I guess." Jason made a noncommittal noise.
The check-ins went through smoothly and the two men were swiftly ushered out from the main terminal and into the open pier outside. The crowd seemed to get thicker there, coupled with a throng of well-wishers and members of the press.
It was definitely quite the commotion. People were cheering and waving at their families and friends, shouting farewells and 'good-luck's while the press were busy taking pictures and jotting down hasty drafts on their notes. Officers were shouting directions above the buzz of the crowd, directing the passengers towards the embarkation points according to their assigned class.
And before them stood what history would record as a British engineering marvel and might.
The Titanic loomed over the large gathering of people majestically. Strong, impregnable steel hull with rows of hundred windows reflecting the light among the smooth black and gleaming white structure, and topped with four, large, buff coloured funnels. The ship towered over the terminal like a mountain. Titanic was definitely larger than what Jason had seen in his life and he found himself gaping in unconcealed amazement. The papers and advertisements weren't bluffing about the Olympic-class liners' size at all. Now he just had to see how luxurious the ship was.
The young man was broken out of his musings when he heard the officers shouting for the passengers to proceed into the ship. Adjusting the fedora on his head, Jason quickly joined the rest of the first class passengers towards the appointed gangway, with Wilson following closely behind. His progress was halted as several automobiles pushed through the crowd with several loud honks which stopped in the middle of the crowded dock. Jason sent an annoyed glance at the uniformed driver who had gotten out to open the door, but was distracted by the automobiles afterwards. With a start, he realized that they were one of the new models of recently released Renaults. This family must be extremely well appointed to purchase them.
Unfortunately, before Jason could admire the vehicles closer, Wilson quickly ushered him back to the line, walking past a mother who was exchanging tearful farewells with her two sons. Jason managed to overhear snippets of conversation as they walked by.
"...over a hundred feet longer than the Mauretania, and far more luxurious. Your daughter is much too hard to impress, Ruth."
"See you in two weeks time, darling. Don't forget to write when you've arrived!"
"Second Class entrance is over the stern, ma'am. You'll have to go back to the terminal take the elevated gangway from the second level …"
"Oh, do slow down, Master William!"
"I can't find my notes, granny."
"Third Class passengers please step this way for lice inspection!"
"Do you have my hat?"
"It's right here, miss."
The Titanic loomed over them as he and Wilson stepped into the ship, almost as if they were being swallowed inside. Jason craned his neck to have a good look of the exterior before he found himself standing inside a rather small space paneled in white with very little furnishing. An officer stood right by the entrance door, greeting and checking each and every passenger with a welcoming smile. "Welcome to the Titanic. May I have your names?"
"Brockford, Jason with my... er-valet," the word sounded strange coming from his mouth, "Darrell, Wilson. Booked under Brockford." Jason replied as Wilson handed their boarding passes to the officer, who nodded, checked the roster on the clipboard, and handed them a couple of keys. "Thank you, sir. Pleasure to have you on-board. Here are your accommodation keys. Please make your way from the Reception Room to your accommodation. Enjoy your stay."
Jason nodded gratefully. "Thank you officer." He replied and made his way through the double wooden doors. He couldn't help but admire the beautiful and intricate glass encased brass grillwork which decorated the door, before he stepped into a larger and slightly more ornate space.
"Well, this is certainly nice." Jason remarked with a slight grin as he walked around the Reception Room. An impressive central staircase took the centre of the room, with an expanse of red carpeting with a busy gold and blue patterns that made Jason slightly dizzy when he tried to look closer into it. Wicker arm chairs and tables were arranged around the hall, alternating with potted palm plants. Bright sunlight filtered through the arched, leaded glass windows, while the walls were covered with simple, yet sophisticated white paneling. He felt as if he was inside a small indoor informal lounge of sorts. The size of the room was larger than what he had expected, and it succeeded to create a very relaxing atmosphere.
"I wonder how much wood they used to build this." he wondered mostly to himself as he brushed his fingers on the smooth wooden handrails of the large staircase, admiring the detail of the wrought iron and gold plated decor. The bottom landing was capped with a beautiful brass electrical candelabra which was no doubt very expensive.
"One could only wonder, sir." Came Wilson's remark. "I'll say, that's a fine looking piano." He added, looking towards the port side of the room where a grand piano was placed by the corner of the room, surrounded by wicker armchairs and sofas.
"Must where the ship's orchestra play at times." Jason guessed, agreeing that the piano was really fine looking. Pity his musical skills were close to nonexistent. He would've liked to play on this one. Turning his head to Wilson, he asked, "You play the piano?"
The valet suddenly looked decidedly embarrassed. "Just to pass the time, sir." He replied, fidgeting slightly with his hands.
Jason couldn't help but chuckle and grin and went around the room again. "Maybe you can tell me about it later." He joked. "That's quite the tapestry." He added, commenting the large piece of work that was hung right in front of the staircase, which was depicting a farming scenery. He wasn't the only passenger who was appreciating the embroidered artwork judging from the looks his fellow passengers gave to the colorful tapestry.
"Mmm." Came Wilson's reply.
"Let's just take the elevators, Wilson, if you don't mind." Jason suggested once he was satisfied seeing around the room, receiving a nod from his valet. He had found the elevator earlier, all three of them, right behind the stairwell. Having only seen one elevator in his childhood, which was inside a hotel in London, it was quite the surprise three elevators sitting side by side on board the Titanic.
After the short trip up to B Deck, the two men walked through the foyer, where they met another round of passengers who embarked through the entrance doors on the deck. Jason quickly located where they should be going and guided them across a long, white hallway down through the midships, with carpet running down the white-and-black linoleum floor and illuminated by more electrical lights.
B66 and B68 were neighbours as it would seem, and it was no surprise for Jason that Wilson, who will be staying in B68, got an inside cabin, but Wilson looked really pleased with his accommodation.
He placed down his travel bag on the sofa and gazed around with a nod. "This is very nice indeed." He said, rapping his knuckles on the wooden surface of a finely crafted dressing table, complete with a mirror and a comfy looking chair. "The bed's nice too."
"I wonder how the cabin will look like now since your own room is spacious in itself." Jason opined with a chuckle. Wilson merely smiled and walked out of his room, before he fished out the keys to B68 and opened the door.
Jason couldn't help but gape as he walked into his cabin—no, stateroom with awe. He certainly hadn't expected his room to be so wide and airy. The cabins he had slept on board other ocean liners was mostly as large as Wilson's cabins. Not even Mauretania's largest bedroom could compare to his stateroom right now.
He immediately claimed the largest bed, plopping down on the fresh sheets as he took in the decor. Everything here was decked in rich dark colored wood with rich blue carpeting and a white paneled ceiling with electrical light fixtures. Even the curtains which covered the two rectangular windows (real windows instead of those round portholes!) were in rich blue color. Now, Jason could only wonder on how much his father had spent for the ticket, as he finally realized that his stateroom could fit three passengers comfortably.
There was a knock on the door as he went to open the window, letting the sea breeze inside. "Must be our baggage." Wilson stated, opening the door. A couple of bellboys appeared into view. "Right on time." Wilson stated, welcoming the group of staff workers inside with their luggage. "That goes into the wardrobe room. No, no. That one will be on B66. The shoe boxes should be right there."
Jason could only watch as Wilson made a quick work of organizing their belongings. Soon, the bellboys were gone and the valet proceeded to unpack Jason's trunks and suitcases, setting his clothing items, including Jason's assortment of fedoras, into the racks inside the walk-in wardrobe. The rest of the baggage went unopened and stored below the racks.
"Would you like to view the departure on the promenade, sir?" Wilson asked after he was finished with everything.
"Hmm?" Jason blinked, shaking his head. He must've spaced out earlier. "Sorry, I didn't quite catch that."
"Would you like to go to the promenade to view the departure, sir?" Wilson repeated patiently.
Jason considered Wilson's offer. "Well, it would be nice." he nodded. "I'll wait on the foyer, is that alright?"
"Very good, sir." came Wilson's light reply as he bent down to pick up his own luggage and went to the door. Jason quickly buttoned back his jacket and followed the older man out. "I'll be with you shortly."
"Alright. I'll meet you there." Jason nodded and closed the door behind him.
Titanic's departure from Southampton went with a large fanfare from the crowd of onlookers. The gangways had been moved away and the doors were closed when Jason and Wilson leaned over the promenade on A Deck to watch the sail away. The crowd on the harbour looked tinier from their vantage point, and every single one of them were waving and cheering goodbyes to the passengers on board.
Ropes were quickly detached from their moors, the ship's horn blared long and loud, and with a muffled thrum of the engines, the Titanic began sailing slowly out of her pier into the sea, passing a myriad of other ocean liners which looked tiny in the presence of the Titanic. The passengers were now waving rather madly at nearly everyone they passed, including the dock workers and crew on board other ships. Jason couldn't help but grin widely and lean out of the railing to wave at random people he saw as well. Even Wilson seemed to be enjoying himself, but the valet showed much more restraint. He merely rested his elbows on the hand rails and gazed at the city of Southampton with a smile and a far away look on his eyes. A look which Jason was quite familiar with.
"Is this your first time sailing, Wilson?" Jason couldn't help but ask.
The man shook his head slightly. "Not really, sir. My father is a fisherman and I used to accompany him on his fishing trips on his boat... but I've never really gone out of England before."
Jason nodded knowingly. grinning reassuringly at Wilson. "Well, there's first time for everything. This journey will be worthwhile."
Wilson sent him a grateful nod before he lapsed into silence once again. He looked as if he was about to say something else, but whatever it was died in his mouth as a loud bang echoed loudly from the piers, followed by a second one. It sounded eerily like a gun shot.
A few passengers had instinctively ducked behind the solid steel railing, Jason and Wilson included. A few had let out a shocked scream as the third rang out, louder than before.
"What was—"
"Look there!" A woman shouted, gesturing wildly over to the stern. Jason quickly stood and leaned out to see what was happening.
Wilson took in a sharp breath. "My God..."
A ship had somehow drifted stern first out of its pier. It was a tiny one, with a distinctive clipper-like bow, three black funnels with a single white stripe near the top—an Inman Line ship— and merely four or five decks high. But judging from where it was heading, the smaller liner would collide with the Titanic!
A number of passengers were already shouting and waving their arms out in order to catch the attention of the crew up front to stop the engines as the Inman liner was drifting closer and closer to the Titanic. Jason found himself bracing for the impact as he gripped the wooden hand rail tightly. His own fingers felt numb from how hard he was holding it.
Several agonizing seconds passed by the ship got closer and closer, and Jason was pretty sure the smaller ship would collide and rip open the hull of the Titanic. But somehow, the ship slowed down and was bobbing away gently as the Titanic started to sail backwards, creating waves that pushed the smaller ship away. Jason let out a sigh of relief as loud applause spread through the passengers around the promenade.
"That was one kind of incident." He couldn't help but let out a shaky laugh as he glanced to Wilson. The valet was wiping his sweaty brow with his handkerchief.
"If you say so, sir." Wilson replied with a cough. The poor man was as white as a sheet, looking as tugs started to gather around the Titanic and the Inman liner.
It wasn't before hours later that the tugs had pulled the smaller ship away from the harbour and the Titanic was once again sailing with the help of her own tug boat out of Southampton. Jason would later learn that Titanic's powerful propellers were causing suction waves so great that it put a large amount of pressure on the other ship, called City of New York, which steel hawsers were put on so much pressure that they snapped, causing her to be sucked towards the Titanic.
Of course this incident caused a huge delay on the sailing schedule, but Jason was just glad that they were on their way again. He watched as Southampton gradually grew smaller and smaller in the horizon as the Titanic began to make her way through the English Channel towards France. As such, the crowded promenade was slowly began to grow quiet, with only a handful of passengers opting to stand by railings or sitting on the provided deck chairs.
"An hour behind schedule." The man who stood beside Jason gave a small sigh. He couldn't help but notice the man's heavy American accent. "People in Cherbourg will be so agitated by the wait."
Jason couldn't help but agree. "You are probably right." he said, looking to the passenger beside him. The man was in his mid-thirties at least, with smooth brown hair tucked into his bowler hat and a pair of bright grey eyes with arched eyebrows and a confident grin. The man looked every bit like a gentleman, with his fine clothing and all. He couldn't quite place it, but Jason was sure he had seen the man somewhere before. "It was a close shave." He added after a few moments of pause.
The man hummed in agreement. "I suppose so." He then turned to face Jason fully and bowed his head. "Hadrian Covington. Pleasure to meet you, sir." He said as he lifted his head.
With a start, Jason realized who he was speaking to. Of course Hadrian "Harry" Covington, one of the youngest business magnate in the States would be sailing on-board the world's largest and most luxurious ship. Where else would he be?
Quickly schooling his features to a polite smile, Jason returned the gesture and extended his arm for a handshake. "Pleasure is all mine, Mr. Covington. I'm Jason Brockford. So, what brings you to England?"
The young tycoon grinned in a somewhat conspiratorial way. "Vacation. I toured the whole Europe with my favourite cousin this season. Paris was the most memorable."
"I see then, and is your cousin on board?"
Covington gave a small sigh. "Oh, no, unfortunately. She's taken ill two days ago. She opted to stay behind until she feels better." He replied, leaning over the railing. "Hopefully, she'll be well enough to take the trip back next week."
Jason nodded. "All right. Pray she would be better."
"Thank you." Covington smiled genuinely. "So what brings you to this ship, Mr. Brockford?" He asked.
"I'm just going to accompany my father, who's in Boston, for the remainder of his business trip." Jason replied with a slight shrug.
Covington let out a thoughtful hum. "I see. That sounds mildly interesting."
Jason bit his lip from saying that it would be probably be quite boring. He nodded instead.
"Travelling alone then?"
"Hmm? Oh, no. I'm with Wilson here."
Covington turned to look at the valet and extended his hand to the man. "How do you do?"
Wilson, who looked somewhat surprised at the gesture, quickly schooled his features neutrally and grasped the tycoon's hand. "How do you do." He replied pleasantly.
The man smiled back, before he checked his pocket watch. He let out another hum before he said, "Well then, I shall take my leave for now. Lots to unpack. Say, I'll see you around dinner, I expect?" He added with a quirk of his eyebrow.
Jason let off a small shrug as he nodded. "Sure, I guess. But it is a big ship after all." He chuckled.
"Who knows, who knows." Came the young tycoon's bright remark. With a parting bow and a customary "Good day to you.", he strolled off, looking as carefree as one could.
It took Wilson a few moments to speak. "Pardon me from speaking frankly, sir, but it's curious to see Harry Covington on board." The man opined, having heard the entire conversation. "The papers said he was still in the States, tending to family matters."
Shaking his head, Jason gave a small grin. "Probably went incognito." He guessed. "Privacy is bliss for people like Covington after all. You know how busy father gets whenever his business came up."
Wilson simply nodded his head, though he looked quite confused at the idea of concealing one's identity to do things such as a vacation. "Well then, I suggest we get ready for luncheon." he finally said.
"That time already?" Jason asked.
"Indeed, sir."
Jason checked his pocket watch and nodded. It was well past noon. "Alright then. Let's check out that café on B Deck. I hope the food's excellent."
Author's Notes: Alright, so this is the first fanfic I've posted in this website. This story here is actually a refurbishment of an old story which I posted on DeviantArt last year, and never got around to finish. So I decided to rework the whole thing and post it here. Updates will be a bit slow bit I'm going to finish this fic in a month or so, if circumstances allow it. Hope you enjoy and tell me what you think.
EDITED: 14/04/2016
-Quart9