I could not stand any more of this. I had always thought that I had been born in the wrong age, finding the Edwardian age far more attractive than the twenty-first century, but this was just Hell. Being engaged to a man that I have never met and being paraded by my own father as if I were a trophy was not what I would call a pleasant life. As I ran I could feel tears beginning to blur my vision, and if I were to be honest with myself I did not actually know where I was going. The only thing that I knew was that I was going in the general direction of the bow. I needed to be near the water, the one comfort that I knew would never let me down.
I had just about passed the bridge when I ran into something solid.
"Easy there, Miss!" came a Scottish voice. I could see the man's coat in front of me and could distinguish that it was an Officer's coat. Putting two and two together I knew that the man that I had run into was none other than Officer Murdoch, the man with the kind eyes and soothing voice. Looking up into his face, I was not disappointed: there, standing in front of me, was First Officer Murdoch. As he recognized me his blue eyes quickly showed concern.
"Miss Corbett, what troubles you so? Are you still missing your friends?" He gently brought some space between us so that he could look into my eyes as he talked to me. I knew that I could not possibly tell him the truth: that I was from the future – the man would probably call the master of arms and keep me locked up until we reached New York, where I would then be placed in an asylum – so I chose to tell half of the truth, after all it was the greater half.
"No," I hiccupped lightly, I hated crying in front of men, especially men whom I liked, and who, I hoped, liked me back. "It's just...It's just..." I found it hard to talk to him about this because it would involve me telling him that I was engaged to some arrogant pig-head. Whom I didn't even know. This would more than likely drive Officer Murdoch far away from me which was the last thing that I wanted as he was the only man who I felt really comfortable around.
"Listen, I just finished my shift. Would you allow me to invite you for a cup of tea, and maybe then we can talk?"
As I looked into his blue eyes I knew that there was no way in which I could possibly deny him.
"I would like that," taking his arm he began to lead me into the Officers' mess hall. He led me over to a sofa, where he gently sat me down, and went off to get the promised tea. While he was gone I was left to contemplate whether I should tell him about my engagement from Hell or not. I knew that I would feel better if I told someone; yet I feared that, if I told him, he would see me completely differently.
"Here you are, Miss Corbett."
I was quickly drawn out of my thoughts as Officer Murdoch returned with two cups of tea.
"Thank you, Officer Murdoch."
"Will, please," he said suddenly.
Internally I would have no problem calling him by his first name, it was what I was used to, but I knew that as an Edwardian woman there were protocols to be followed.
"Excuse me?" I asked him as though I had misunderstood him.
"Please call me Will," he clarified unnecessarily.
"Alright," I began, but then remembered that I would hate having to call him Will and he still have to call me Miss Corbett. Hell, I hated it anyway. "But on one condition."
"And what would that be?" The way he asked, I almost felt like he might have been worried about something.
"You have to call me Attica." As soon as I said those words I saw a smile brighten on his face.
"Very well, Attica." Once again, it seemed as though he was testing the sound of it, and then out of the blue he seemed to remember that he was still holding both cups of tea. "Oh, where are my manners? Here you go," he said as he handed me the cup.
"Thank you." As our fingers brushed I could have sworn that I felt a spark even through my gloves. At the feeling I could not help but smile and, although he did not smile in return, I could see a glint in his eyes that told me that he felt it too.
"Attica, if I may inquire – what had you so upset up on deck?" There it was, the question that I had been battling with myself about. Should I tell him or not? In the end I decided to go with the first choice. "Did someone hurt you?" he asked before I could say anything.
"N-no. Well, not physically, at least." I added the last part under my breath but apparently he heard me.
"Attica, if someone hurt you must tell me. I can help you and protect you," he said as he placed his cup down on the table next to him.
"If only you could help me," I said as I looked out into the distance, and then turned back to him as I knew that I could not just leave him like that. "It's my father. He's promised me to a man whom I do not even know. It is an engagement from Hell. Then, to top it all, he has to tell the whole world." I could feel that the tears had once again started to flow. This time however it was not a handkerchief that wiped them away, rather it was a bare hand that belonged to the man sitting in front of me.
As I brought my eyes up to meet his I was taken aback by the intensity of his emotions. There were compassion, sadness and another emotion that I did not dare to place. "It cannot be all that bad. If your fiancé has money, then he will be able to provide for you." I could tell that every word pained him. It was a reaction that allowed me to hope that he may feel the same way about me that I did about him.
"I don't care about that! I want to marry a man that I love." As I held his gaze, I felt myself leaning in closer to him, and though I may have been worried that he would think that I was too bold, I soon found him leaning in as well, and it was not long before our lips touched in a velvety caress. The feel of his lips on mine was something that I had only ever dreamed about before. I knew that if someone were to see us like this together, that they would get the shock of their life. I just hoped that we would be left alone in our private haven. Even if it would only be for a little while longer; I decided not to think about such things but rather concentrate on the man that was in front of me.
Will was everything that I looked for in a man, and the knowledge that he was willingly returning the kiss only made me melt further into his strong arms. Slowly, I brought my hand up to rest at the nape of his neck, but before the kiss could be deepened any further, Will seemed to return to his Edwardian mind and broke the kiss.
"Attica," he began as he placed some space in between us, "forgive me, I had no right to do that. You are promised to another man and I just took advantage of you." He began to get up from the sofa, but before he could fully rise I quickly took hold of his hand, stopping him in his tracks.
"Will, please don't go. You did not do anything wrong. I wanted to kiss you. I know that this sounds weird and that we have only just met today, but I feel drawn to you." I could tell that the last part of that speech was said with a blush on my cheeks, and I was not sure for how much longer I could continue to hold his gaze. Luckily, I did not have to for very long. He quickly sat back down beside me and brought me into his arms.
"Oh, Attica, of course I am attracted to you! You are a beautiful woman, but you are promised to another man," he said as he rubbed soothing circles on my back.
"I don't want to be with a man I do not know. I want to be with you."
