Knowing that she would be joining Tommy after supper, Emily took extra care in her appearance.
She perused her wardrobe carefully, deciding finally upon a midnight blue dress, darker than the one she had worn when first she met him. The elegant black lace was more pronounced in this one, making up the entire train that trailed three inches behind her as she walked. As she slipped her black gloves on and stepped into her blue satin shoes, she could not help but laugh at herself.
"Emily Catherine," she chided herself out loud. "Why do you do this for Mr. Ryan? You do not know him." But still, she gave a nod of satisfaction as she passed by her mirror. Stepping out of her cabin, she was met by Ed, who stood there, waiting for her.
"You look absolutely beautiful, Emily, as usual."
"Thank you," she murmured, the compliment somewhat spoiled for her. As Ed escorted her to the dining room, she could not help but compare him to Tommy Ryan. It was not a flattering comparison, either.
While they were both handsome, Edward's looks were harsher, Tommy's more soft and kind. Edward's eyes were as black and hard as granite, while Tommy's were as warm and inviting as a sun-warmed pond. The features of Edward's face were somewhat sharp and angular, whereas Tommy's had the cheerful, oval face of his Irish inheritance.
"Emily?" She heard her voice as if from a great distance. Shaking her head, she looked up to see Edward staring at her. "Emily, are you alright?"
"I am fine," she assured him.
"You have been looking very distant since we left your apartment. Do you need to retire?"
An idea struck Emily then. "I do feel a bit ill," she confessed falsely. "I do believe that it would be best if I retired early tonight. Please give my regards to the rest." Detaching herself from Edward's arm, she made her way back in the direction of the cabin. Once she was out of Edward's sight, she hurried back to the cabin as fast as her corset and shoes would allow her to.
Opening the door, she stepped into the empty apartments, hurrying to her own. Closing the door quickly behind her, she tore her gloves off her hands and tossed them negligently onto her bed. She then proceeded to take out the pins that held her hair into place, letting her black tresses cascade down her back in a soft, ebony waterfall. When this was done, she took off her dress and loosened the laces on her corset, refraining at the last minute from taking it off entirely. After this, she slipped off her shoes and into a more comfortable pair, this one made of a soft black satin. Finally, she pulled her dress back over her head and, with some difficulty, buttoned the tiny buttons up her back.
When she had finished redressing, she cautiously opened the door leading to the corridor, looking both ways to make sure that no supper stragglers where left in the hall. Satisfied that no one was coming, she stepped into the corridor, closing the door softly behind her. Hurrying down the corridor, she came to the elevator, which was just coming into sight from the lower regions of the ship. As the door opened, Emily slipped in quickly, not truly at ease until the golden doors closed again and the lift began to descend.
"F Deck, please," she said to the lift operator, who nodded. A few short minutes later, they arrived on F Deck, and the operator opened the doors, allowing Emily to slip out. Looking left and right, she did not see Tommy anywhere. This caused her some distress, as she did not know where to go. After looking both ways once more, she decided to head left, towards the bow of the ship.
"Emily?" Her name was called from behind her, the voice soothingly familiar. Turning, she saw Tommy Ryan walking towards her. "Yer early." He sounded pleased.
"I decided to skip dinner tonight," she explained as he caught up to her.
"Are ye hungry, then? We could eat in th' dining room, if ya want."
"Oh, that would be lovely. I am hungry; I just did not want to stay with those pompous, stuck up people." Tommy laughed and held out his arm. Emily placed her hand on the crook of his elbow, smiling at the contact with his warm skin.
The dining room, it turned out, was a long, crowded room bustling with life and chatter. Emily thought that she liked this one much better than the first class one. She got a few curious stares when she first entered, since she was wearing a fine dress, but they all accepted her as one of their own, something that warmed Emily's heart.
When supper was through, Tommy led her to another room, this one near the stern. Her first impression of the room was that it was small and loud, but after a moment, she realized that it was very large, simply crowded with people. Lively, Irish music filled the air, along with cigarette smoke.
"Are ye ready fer a real party?" Tommy's voice was very close to Emily's ear, and she felt a shiver of pleasure run up her spine.
"Yes," she breathed. Tommy took her by the hand and led her into the center of the room.
xXx
Emily stood by the table, surveying the two men sitting there with amusement. They had been at the party perhaps an hour and a half, and Emily was short of breath from dancing so much.
Tommy was sitting across the table from another Irishmen, a cigarette dangling out of the corner of his mouth. The two men's hands were joined across the table, the muscles of both their arms bulging with the intensity of the match. Emily let out an amused cry of dismay as Tommy's arm hit the table hard.
"Best two outta t'ree! Two outta t'ree!" he cried, reaching his arm out again.
"No, come dance with me!" Emily said, laughing as she tugged on Tommy's arm.
"Just one more match," he protested, tugging his arm out of her hands.
"Alright then," she laughed, "I'll just have to get another man to dance with me." She grinned as she turned from the table, making to walk off. She was stopped, however, by a pair of large, rough hands about her waist.
"Oh no ya don't," Tommy growled in mock ferocity. "I'll dance with ya, if that's what yer heart desires."
Emily laughed and threw her arms around his neck as he swung her around to the fast-tempo song. Without any warning at all, he brought his lips to hers.
She froze for barely a moment, stunned, before responding to the kiss with passion she had not known that she possessed. When she pulled away, she looked up into his hazel eyes, her breath coming out raggedly with excitement.
"Tommy," she whispered, looking up at him.
"Emily," he breathed back, leaning down to kiss her again. This time, there was no hesitation on her part. When this passionate kiss was over, he leaned his forehead on hers, forgetting to dance entirely as he looked into her beautiful ocean eyes.
