*Chapter 14*
Meanwhile, at lunch, Claire was about to go and search for Clara, when she spotted her, dancing around, as if she were floating, into the dining room.
She looked rather unsightly, as though she had awakened from sleeping, perhaps.
Claire snickered.
Noelle gasped and looked away in astonishment.
"Hey, we thought you'd never come!" Claire laughed, pulling out a seat for Clara.
Clara giggled, and ordered Chicken a la Maryland, when the waiter approached her.
Noelle leaned over to ask of Clara's whereabouts in the previous 20 minutes.
"Where have you been?" Noelle hissed.
"Outside, mother. My apologies."
"You look a fright. What were you doing, outside?"
"The wind caught up with me, and blew me over."
"Right."
Noelle frowned, as she could smell cologne on Clara, an unfamiliar smell.
"What's that I smell? Have you been near men, Clara?"
Clara realised it was Lightoller's cologne that she could smell.
"Uh." Clara started to stutter. She looked down. "Err...not exactly, but an officer who smelled rather strongly of cologne helped me back to my feet."
"Hmm." Noelle continued on with her meal.
After lunch, Claire and Clara headed back to their staterooms, to discuss various issues of what they do, upon arrival in New York.
Meanwhile, in the officer's mess, Lightoller was sitting at a table, reading a newspaper, when Murdoch just walked in casually. Lightoller looked up and smiled.
"Mr Lightoller, Charlie, I hear that you've been kissing little girls. Is this true?" Murdoch had a disgusting smirk on his face the whole time. No doubt, he was a nice fella, but when he had an opportunity to tease, he snapped it up.
"And where might you have heard that, Mr Murdoch?" Lightoller looked away from Murdoch, doing exactly as Clara had done earlier in the morning.
"I have my sources."
Lightoller suddenly stood up, frustrated.
"What? You spy on us? You know, Murdoch, you can get so low."
"Stop it now, you two." Smith (the captain) stalked in, and separated the men who were about to pick a fight.
"Murdoch, continue you break elsewhere, for 5 minutes, please."
"Yes sir." Murdoch hurried out of the room.
Smith motioned for Lightoller to sit down, and then, he sat down as well.
"As you are aware, Mr Lightoller, we have a policy on the White Star Line, and that is, that you, as an officer, are restricted from intimate contact with passengers."
Lightoller, who had been staring at the floor, suddenly jerked his head up, eyes wide open. He knew he was in trouble, now.
"I know you care deeply for Miss Sherbrooke, but she is a mere passenger! Not to mention, a young girl, as well. What will you do when she gets to New York and never sees you again? Will you get off with her?"
Lightoller seemed embarrassed by it all.
"I would, err...um..." Lightoller tried to say something.
"All I'm saying for now is stay away from the girl. You are not to see her again, Mr Lightoller."
Smith got up and left the room, leaving Lightoller on his own.
"But I love her." He said, softly, to himself.
Meanwhile, at lunch, Claire was about to go and search for Clara, when she spotted her, dancing around, as if she were floating, into the dining room.
She looked rather unsightly, as though she had awakened from sleeping, perhaps.
Claire snickered.
Noelle gasped and looked away in astonishment.
"Hey, we thought you'd never come!" Claire laughed, pulling out a seat for Clara.
Clara giggled, and ordered Chicken a la Maryland, when the waiter approached her.
Noelle leaned over to ask of Clara's whereabouts in the previous 20 minutes.
"Where have you been?" Noelle hissed.
"Outside, mother. My apologies."
"You look a fright. What were you doing, outside?"
"The wind caught up with me, and blew me over."
"Right."
Noelle frowned, as she could smell cologne on Clara, an unfamiliar smell.
"What's that I smell? Have you been near men, Clara?"
Clara realised it was Lightoller's cologne that she could smell.
"Uh." Clara started to stutter. She looked down. "Err...not exactly, but an officer who smelled rather strongly of cologne helped me back to my feet."
"Hmm." Noelle continued on with her meal.
After lunch, Claire and Clara headed back to their staterooms, to discuss various issues of what they do, upon arrival in New York.
Meanwhile, in the officer's mess, Lightoller was sitting at a table, reading a newspaper, when Murdoch just walked in casually. Lightoller looked up and smiled.
"Mr Lightoller, Charlie, I hear that you've been kissing little girls. Is this true?" Murdoch had a disgusting smirk on his face the whole time. No doubt, he was a nice fella, but when he had an opportunity to tease, he snapped it up.
"And where might you have heard that, Mr Murdoch?" Lightoller looked away from Murdoch, doing exactly as Clara had done earlier in the morning.
"I have my sources."
Lightoller suddenly stood up, frustrated.
"What? You spy on us? You know, Murdoch, you can get so low."
"Stop it now, you two." Smith (the captain) stalked in, and separated the men who were about to pick a fight.
"Murdoch, continue you break elsewhere, for 5 minutes, please."
"Yes sir." Murdoch hurried out of the room.
Smith motioned for Lightoller to sit down, and then, he sat down as well.
"As you are aware, Mr Lightoller, we have a policy on the White Star Line, and that is, that you, as an officer, are restricted from intimate contact with passengers."
Lightoller, who had been staring at the floor, suddenly jerked his head up, eyes wide open. He knew he was in trouble, now.
"I know you care deeply for Miss Sherbrooke, but she is a mere passenger! Not to mention, a young girl, as well. What will you do when she gets to New York and never sees you again? Will you get off with her?"
Lightoller seemed embarrassed by it all.
"I would, err...um..." Lightoller tried to say something.
"All I'm saying for now is stay away from the girl. You are not to see her again, Mr Lightoller."
Smith got up and left the room, leaving Lightoller on his own.
"But I love her." He said, softly, to himself.
