Written for the One Prompt, Many Fandoms Challenge on HPFC. I hope you'll enjoy my first attempt at something other than HP!
"Excuse me, sir," comes a voice, and Harold takes a moment to realize that the voice had spoken in English, not code, and therefore belongs to a real, live person in Harold's room.
He turns. "Harold Bride, wireless operator, Marconi Telegraph Company," Harold introduces himself, pleasantly surprised at the presence of the young woman in front of him. "For what purpose are you here?"
"Kate Murphy, and I believe my purpose is clear. I'd like to send a telegraph. That's what you do, is it not?" says the girl, her rich, lilting accent revealing her Irish origin. "How much'll it be?"
Harold tells her with slight hesitance. Judging from the rags in which she closed herself, Kate Murphy cannot afford the rate he offers. "Two pounds, four pence."
She swears. "Two pounds?!"
"Well, alright, miss. Two pounds. I'll take off the four pence."
"Oh, bloody fine help, ta very much!"
They stare at each other for a moment, Kate Murphy with a challenging gleam in her eye, Harold's eyebrows raised. Finally, he lets out a defeated sigh. "I'll afford to cover it for you," he says, "but you'd be sure to swear not to tell anyone."
"I told my sister I'd send a telegraph to our brothers," Kate tells him with a frown.
"Don't tell your sister, then!"
"How the bloody hell am I supposed to not tell my sister?!"
"I've offered to pay your rate, Kate Murphy! I can't have the boss knowing I'm not asking for it from you!"
Kate's silent, staring him down once again. "Well, you'd better keep it quiet then, Mr. Bride." He nods, prompting her to give him the message she wished to relay. "Well, see, my brothers, they're protective," she says. "They didn't want Maggie and me to go to America; we've got one brother here, but the other twelve of us were still in Longford, see, and the younger ones can't go, of course. So our neighbors, they bought us tickets, and, well, our bloody brothers don't quite know we've gone.
"So I suppose you don't need to tell them a damn thing. But Maggie wanted me to, so I suppose I'd better say – 'Everyone: Maggie and I are off to America. We're set to find John. We're with a few other girls; they're taking care of Maggie. Love you all. From, Kate.'" She pauses. "That good enough for you, Mr. Bride?"
"Harold," he says. "Harold is fine. Yes, that'll suffice. Good luck, Kate Murphy."
Kate leaves, and once again, Harold returns to his telegraph, wondering for the first time if code is truly enough conversation to last a lifetime.