He Died a Lonely Man
Working title: Once More, With Feeling
By Mel Docwra, loosely based on Stephan Sondheim's Sweeney Todd in addition to James Cameron's Titanic.
Dedicated to my beautiful horse, Trifle, (1977-13/8/2003).He was loved by everyone, was a faithful horse and my closest and best friend. He will be missed.
Chapter One- Even as he saw her
Vanity Garber looked around the freshly white washed room.
"This is for me?" She dropped her bags on the floor, turning to face the stewardess.
"Why, yes Miss, this is the room you were assigned," The stewardess said checking the papers she held in her hands. "Is there a problem?"
"But surely they save such fine rooms for the rich folk, don't they?" Vanity had never seen such splendour in her life.
The stewardess laughed. "Pity you can see the first class rooms, miss. But everything on the Titanic is grand, 'tis really the 'ship of dreams' they call it. Will that be all then, miss?" Vanity nodded, and the stewardess turned and left, pulling the door closed behind her.
Left alone, Vanity made to explore every inch of the room, to assertain to herself that it was, indeed real. She had been told of the luxury of the Titanic, but even her wildest imaginations could not compare with this. Everything was new and shining, from the washstand in the corner to the cleaning bed knobs on the bunks. Vanity looked at the bunks, longingly, she had suffered the misfortune of being placed in a cabin where she was the sole occupant, she had always pictured sharing the trip over with another girl, her age to talk to her. She had imagined an Irish girl, like herself, perhaps going to America to seek her fortune of visit relatives, someone like herself she could while away the hours with.
She walked over to her bags, which had been fetched up by a porter - another comfort Vanity was unaccustomed to- and took out her hairbrush.
She wandered over to the mirror on the washstand, and shook her hair out, a cascade of blonde ringlets, then looked up, surveying herself in the mirror.
Although she was the orphaned child of a butcher, Vanity had, until her seventeenth birthday, been a ward of an elderly gentleman, Judge Turpin. He had provided for her well, but now it was time for Vanity to obtain a husband. She was being sent over to her America for that purpose only, to find a suitable husband. Vanity was beautiful, she knew it even now as she looked into the mirror, but she knew nothing of the ways of men or flirtation, never having had a female role model. Judge Turpin had been a bachelor, and Vanity had never had so much as a governess.
She let herself out of the room, into the corridor, intending to go the 'gathering room', as the stewardess had called it, hoping to meet someone of interest there. She had just started down the corridor, looking around at the walls and fine woodwork on the doors, when she felt herself collide with another being.
"Excuse me, Miss," She felt a hand on her shoulder to steady her and a kindly male voice.
Vanity looked up and saw a handsome man wearing stylish, elegant dinner attire, even nicer than that of Judge Turpin's. She blushed, clearly this gentleman was of high importance.
"Oh, sir, I beg your apology, I was not looking where I was-"She realised he had still not taken his hand of her arm- "going" She finished lamely.
Vanity blushed again when she realised he was looking at her intensely, surveying her. "I'll just go, then-"
"No, please don't leave!" He stepped out in front of her. "You haven't told me your name,"
"I'm-my name is-but you're a stranger! I must go, goodbye!" And before he could stop her, she fled in the opposite direction down the hallway.
Thomas Andrews was left, standing in her wake, his hand still warm from where it had touched her.
"Who are you?" He repeated, though she was long gone. Thomas had been on his way to the engine room when she had bumped into him, and from the moment he saw her, he had been taken away by her beauty.
He shook his head.Now was not the time for idle thoughts.
Working title: Once More, With Feeling
By Mel Docwra, loosely based on Stephan Sondheim's Sweeney Todd in addition to James Cameron's Titanic.
Dedicated to my beautiful horse, Trifle, (1977-13/8/2003).He was loved by everyone, was a faithful horse and my closest and best friend. He will be missed.
Chapter One- Even as he saw her
Vanity Garber looked around the freshly white washed room.
"This is for me?" She dropped her bags on the floor, turning to face the stewardess.
"Why, yes Miss, this is the room you were assigned," The stewardess said checking the papers she held in her hands. "Is there a problem?"
"But surely they save such fine rooms for the rich folk, don't they?" Vanity had never seen such splendour in her life.
The stewardess laughed. "Pity you can see the first class rooms, miss. But everything on the Titanic is grand, 'tis really the 'ship of dreams' they call it. Will that be all then, miss?" Vanity nodded, and the stewardess turned and left, pulling the door closed behind her.
Left alone, Vanity made to explore every inch of the room, to assertain to herself that it was, indeed real. She had been told of the luxury of the Titanic, but even her wildest imaginations could not compare with this. Everything was new and shining, from the washstand in the corner to the cleaning bed knobs on the bunks. Vanity looked at the bunks, longingly, she had suffered the misfortune of being placed in a cabin where she was the sole occupant, she had always pictured sharing the trip over with another girl, her age to talk to her. She had imagined an Irish girl, like herself, perhaps going to America to seek her fortune of visit relatives, someone like herself she could while away the hours with.
She walked over to her bags, which had been fetched up by a porter - another comfort Vanity was unaccustomed to- and took out her hairbrush.
She wandered over to the mirror on the washstand, and shook her hair out, a cascade of blonde ringlets, then looked up, surveying herself in the mirror.
Although she was the orphaned child of a butcher, Vanity had, until her seventeenth birthday, been a ward of an elderly gentleman, Judge Turpin. He had provided for her well, but now it was time for Vanity to obtain a husband. She was being sent over to her America for that purpose only, to find a suitable husband. Vanity was beautiful, she knew it even now as she looked into the mirror, but she knew nothing of the ways of men or flirtation, never having had a female role model. Judge Turpin had been a bachelor, and Vanity had never had so much as a governess.
She let herself out of the room, into the corridor, intending to go the 'gathering room', as the stewardess had called it, hoping to meet someone of interest there. She had just started down the corridor, looking around at the walls and fine woodwork on the doors, when she felt herself collide with another being.
"Excuse me, Miss," She felt a hand on her shoulder to steady her and a kindly male voice.
Vanity looked up and saw a handsome man wearing stylish, elegant dinner attire, even nicer than that of Judge Turpin's. She blushed, clearly this gentleman was of high importance.
"Oh, sir, I beg your apology, I was not looking where I was-"She realised he had still not taken his hand of her arm- "going" She finished lamely.
Vanity blushed again when she realised he was looking at her intensely, surveying her. "I'll just go, then-"
"No, please don't leave!" He stepped out in front of her. "You haven't told me your name,"
"I'm-my name is-but you're a stranger! I must go, goodbye!" And before he could stop her, she fled in the opposite direction down the hallway.
Thomas Andrews was left, standing in her wake, his hand still warm from where it had touched her.
"Who are you?" He repeated, though she was long gone. Thomas had been on his way to the engine room when she had bumped into him, and from the moment he saw her, he had been taken away by her beauty.
He shook his head.Now was not the time for idle thoughts.