A/N: I think there was some kind of bug in the system, because ever since I uploaded this, the new chapter hasn't been visible to the public, though it shows that there's a new chapter and it's visible on the live preview. *is not amused* I even e-mailed FFN Support about it, but they never got back to me (unsurprising) and this morning when I woke up I saw the review count had jumped to ten, then I realized…it was Princess Radrian reviewing chapter three to let me know that chapter four still wasn't showing up. So, I've decided to delete the last chapter and to re-upload it, in the hopes that it will work this time. Sorry about the delay!

The Secret Life Of The Titanic

Chapter Three

"Good evening, Miss."

Adrian smiled uneasily as she stepped through the door. She'd never imagined something aboard a ship could be so grandiose: it was like something out that belonged in a museum! Her neck literally ached as she craned her head back to look up at the vaulted class skylight, where the sunlight was billowing in like a message from God himself.

At least, that's what Grace would've insisted, if she'd been there. Of course, she wasn't, and that made Adrian all the more uncomfortable. This part of the ship was instead punctuated with high society: men and women who walked arm-in-arm, dressed in clothes worth more money than three generations of her family would ever make in their lives combined.

Adrian dropped a white gloved hand to her thigh and bunched a handful of the delicate cerulean fabric into the palm of her glove. She lifted it until the edge of the dress was no longer brushing against the floor and began to meticulously work her way down the steps. She resisted the urge to look over her shoulder to see if anyone was staring; surly, she must have looked as out of place as a stringy brown weed among blooming scarlet roses.

Once safely off the steps, she took a safe position against one of the wooden pillars, to the right of the staircase. From that vantage point, she could see the whole right side of the room. She crossed her arms across her chest at first. However, as she watched the aristocrats mill about and exchange short dialogue and conservative chuckles, she let her arms drop to her sides and straightened her back against the pole, mimicking the wealthy women as they clicked by in their satin heels.

"I hear there are several thousand tons of your father's steel aboard this very ship," Robert's voice slithered down from the staircase.

"In all the right places, of course."

Adrian lifted her chin, catching sight of Robert and Zoe gliding down the steps with the latter's arm looped flawlessly into Robert's. Adrian turned her head a few degrees to avoid their eyes, but acknowledged her – even in disgust – as they passed.

"Where's my son?" Robert suddenly inquired, simultaneously reaching for his pocket watch.

"Oh," Zoe singsonged as she playfully slapped his hand away from the time piece. "He'll be along."

"There is the count!"

"Good evening, Zoe."

Zoe immediately extended her gloved arm, allowing her wrist to dangle in front of a handsomely dressed man in a black tux and cream colored ascot, whose attire looked tenfold more expensive than Robert's. She cooed as the count kissed the back of her hand. "It's so good to see you."

After taking a quick survey of her surroundings and noting that nobody was watching, she lifted her hand to mimic Zoe and smiled gracefully, pretending as though the count was kissing her hand instead. Suddenly she tore her attention away from the scene as she noticed Richard's appearance at the top of the staircase from her peripheral view. She felt the corners of her mouth twitch as she took a clutched her swishing skirt and took a few steps towards him, as he concurrently made his way down the steps.

They both stopped, with just two steps in between them, and before Adrian had a chance to raise her hand, Richard clipped her gloved fingers under his index finger and lifted her hand into the open space between them and pressed an airy kiss to her hand.

Adrian felt her mouth break apart as a betraying heat rushed into her cheeks. "I saw that on a Nickelodeon once," she spoke, attempting to cover up signs her body was giving away. "I always wondered what it would be like."

Richard quirked an eyebrow, just a smidgeon disbelievingly, but didn't counter her words. Instead, he automatically angled his arm.

At first Adrian mentally stuttered, then realized he was beckoning her to walk with him, as Zoe had been with Robert. She straightened her posture and slid her arm into his, surprised to find that it fit like a key into a lock.

"We'll see you at dinner," Robert said, shaking hands with the count as Adrian and Richard approached them from behind.

"Darling," Richard spoke, as Zoe turned to catch Adrian's eyes. "Surely you remember Miss Lee." He motioned up and down at Adrian with his right hand.

Zoe pursed her lips. "Lee?" she echoed, as if holding back the bile in her throat. "Well, that's amazing!" She looked to Robert and laughed before swishing her head back in Adrian's direction. "You could almost pass for a lady."

Robert nodded in agreement. "Extraordinary."

Adrian bit the fleshy insides of her mouth, forcing a smile on the outside as she held back the urge to introduce Zoe to her gloved fist on the inside. She shifted her attention to Richard, who was watching uncomfortably as his father and fiancé looped arms and traipsed off towards the dining quarters.

"My dear, it's delightful to see you!"

"What a remarkable voyage this is."

"It's mad, isn't it?"

"I love your perfume!"

Adrian's head was swimming as Zoe's and Robert's voices just ahead of them blended into the cacophony of music and regal sounding chatter. She wasn't sure which way to turn or where to look when they stopped walking, so she waited for Richard to provide her with a clue of some sort. Instead, she found him leaning into her shoulder and felt his breath against her ear as he began to whisper.

"There's the Countess of Hampton," he said, indicating a proud looking white with shoulder length white-blonde hair. "Very devout woman on the outside, but everyone knows she has her secrets." He frowned a bit as he spoke the last word. "Between you and me, don't get too close. She make look frail enough, but there are certain fringe groups that keep her in their pocket. She'll tear you down until you don't make sense anymore."

"Thanks for the warning."

Richard nodded and swirled around, pointing to the opposite side of the room. "And…" His eyes landed on a man who was just walking into the dining hall. "That's Granton Volberg, the richest man on the ship…and he has quite the temper, too. His little wife there, Angela, is two years younger than I, and in delicate condition. See how she's trying to hide it? Quite the scandal." He swiveled again and pointed anew. "And that's Jackson Pappas and his mistress. Mrs. Pappas is at home with the children, of course. And over here we have Sir Griffin Costigan and his best mate."

"Best mate?" Adrian asked, raising her dark brows as Richard motioned his hand in Griffin's direction and the latter gave a cheeky smile as he waved in return. "You don't mean-"

"I absolutely do. Peter is…well, let's just say he has several talents and was very popular with the royals before he met Griffin."

"He's splendid, Zoe," Peter whispered, grinning cheekily at Zoe.

Griffin pursed his lips and laid a firm hand on Peter's shoulder, pulling him back from Zoe. "He's far better than most company on this ship."

Adrian stopped straining her ear to eavesdrop upon the conversation as Leo approached them with a jovial expression spilling from his pores. "Mr. Boykewich," she greeted, curtseying as she'd observed several other women do since they'd entered the dining hall.

"You look breathtaking, Miss Lee," Leo complimented. He took her hand and carefully kissed the back of it, causing Adrian to grin. "You wouldn't happen to have room on your other arm to escort this old man to dinner, would you?"

"Two arms for two…" She glanced idly at Richard. "…gentlemen. Of course, Mr. Boykewich, I'd be honored."

"Absurdity!" Leo rebuffed. "I'm the one with the honor here, to be on the arm of such a brilliant young woman."

Adrian slipped her free arm around Leo's bent elbow and proceeded to walk with them through the dining quarters.

"Grant!" Leo called as they approached the latter.

"Well hello, Mr. Boykewich," Granton responded.

"How's your father doing?" Leo asked, breaking away from Adrian to shake Granton's hand. "I'd heard he'd been on bed rest for a spell."

"Just a scare," Granton promised. "He's doing much better now, I assure you."

"And your mother?"

"As spry as ever!"

Richard discreetly leaned into Adrian's ear and whispered, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Adrian nodded.

"Grant, Angie," he said courteously. "I'd like you to meet Adrian Lee."

"How do you do?" Angie said, bowing her head in Adrian's direction, all the while keeping her arm carefully placed across her slightly protruding stomach.

"Hello, Adrian," Granton said, before greeting her hand with a kiss. "Such radiant skin you have. Are you of the Sicilian Lees?"

Adrian briefly caught Leo's eyes and realized the elder man was about to open his mouth to save her, so she cut him off. "The Valley Glen Lees, actually."

"Ah…yes, yes."

She glanced down at the bare skin of her arm, silently amazed at how an expensive dress and white gloves could make someone instantly assume she was of Sicilian origin, yet if she were wearing the clothes that actually belonged to her and they'd instead met her on the third class deck, she certainly would've been pointed out as Mexican, of which she was only half. Adrian let her mind wander as Richard exchanged goodbyes with Granton, Leo, and Angela. She briefly curtseyed before he lead her away, customarily introducing her to various dukes, duchesses, earls, and countesses as they counted down until dinner was served.

By the time Adrian was seated at the dinner table, she felt like fireworks were going off in her head: the noise, the lights! There was so much going on that she couldn't concentrate. And the silverware! There were so many forks that she simply didn't know where to begin. The chaos, however, quickly stalled when Robert's voice cut straight to her.

"Tell us of the accommodations in steerage, Miss Lee. I hear they're quite good."

Adrian literally bit down on the tip of her tongue and held it for a beat as she stared down the elder man, then forced a smile as she replied: "The best I've seen, sir. Hardly any rats."

"Miss Lee is joining us from third class," Zoe announced, over the sound of the curt laughter. "Robert tells me Mr. Boykewich asked for her company this evening."

"And what fine company she is!" Leo interjected, raising his champagne glass. "To Adrian," he proposed. Several glasses followed in salute, the last being Robert's and Zoe's. Leo chinked his glass against Richard's and swallowed a hefty swig.

Adrian felt her cheeks heating up again, so she switched her attention back to the place setting in front of her, and immediately the rush of fireworks came back to her head. "Are these all for me?" she whispered, aiming the question at Leo, who was sitting beside her.

"Just start from the outside and work your way in," Leo whispered in return.

The Latina nodded. "That's easy enough," she muttered under her breath. A slushy plop called her attention to her plate. The white gleam had been marred by a glob of black slime, with semi-transparent round balls in it, almost like black cottage cheese.

"How do you take your caviar?"

Adrian closed her eyes and politely shook her head. "I don't. Never did care for the taste, but thank you for asking." Across the table, she noticed Richard suppressing a coy smile and had to hold back one of her own that matched it.

Robert scowled from beside Zoe. "And where, exactly, do you live, Miss Lee?"

Adrian sat a little straighter in her seat, with her hands piled neatly in her lap. "Well, as you can see, right now my address is the RMS Titanic. After that, well…I'm on God's good humor, as my friend Grace would say."

"And how is it you have means to travel?"

"You're a father," Adrian shot back acidly. "You would like to give your son the world, would you not? Well, the same goes for mine, even if he wasn't blessed with riches. In fact, he won tickets in a lucky hand of poker. A very lucky hand."

"All life is a game of luck!"

"Mmm," Robert scowled from behind a glass of champagne. "A real man makes his own luck."

"And you find that sort of rootless existence appealing, do you?" Zoe inquired, quite literally looking down her nose at the darker skinned girl.

"I guess you could say I was born with it," Adrian replied, deadlocking eyes with Zoe. "It's in my blood, passed down from my immigrant grandparents. We're dancers, you see, and dance to the beat of our own drums; to the drumming in our hearts. I love waking up in the morning and not knowing what's going to happen. Or…" She grabbed a thick dinner roll and bit into, purposefully chewing with her mouth opened as she spoke. "…who I'm gonna meet." She shot a glance at Richard. "Just the other night Grace and I were sleeping under a bridge and now here I am tonight, having champagne with you fine people." She lifted her glass. "I'll have some more, thanks," she said, waving her glass at the waiter. "Life's a secret just waiting to be uncovered and I'll be damned if I just sit idly by because I'm afraid I might unearth something bad. As my father likes to say: 'You never know what hand you're gonna get dealt next.' So you have to take life as it comes at ya. You have to make each day count."

"Well said, Adrian!"

Richard lifted his glass. "To making each day count."

"To making each day count!" the remainder of the table, sans Robert and Zoe, chorused approvingly.

As the table lifted their glasses to their lips, Richard stole a glance at Adrian and stretched his arm across the table, as far as it would go. "To uncovering the secret."

Adrian grinned and met his glass with her own. "To uncovering the secret."