A/N Next chapter, and a big thanks to all the reviews. Hope you like. ^_^

Chapter Eleven ~ After Dinner Party.

After dinner Rosa and Mia went to the third class party. And what a party it was. Even Philip seemed to enjoy himself. He danced with Lottie most of the night, but put her down occasionally to take Rosa's hand. He was a charming dancer, too good for this third class ball.

The music was loud, and uplifting, with far more soul then the gentle violins serenading the upper classes as they ate. The passengers provided the music, and there were some highly talented people, giving up their evening for other's enjoyment.

Mia sat happily watching, clapping her hands in time to the beat. It was almost impossible to sit still.

"You are a wonderful dancer, Philip." Rosa said laughing.

Philip put his hands around her waist, and pulled her tighter towards him. He smiled. "You have no idea."

Then Philip took Lottie up onto the dance floor with him. "Shall we?"

She nodded with a laugh.

"Lottie is happy." Mia said.

Rosa looked at her. "Yes she is, for the time being. But is it enough?"

"You said being happy was the most important thing."

Rosa smiled. "Yes, yes I did."

"I don't understand."

"Neither do I." Rosa said with a laugh.

Mia stood up, shakily. The room was packed and it was hard to move. She glanced through the dancing crowd with awe. Balls back in England had always been formal affairs, and the dancing was very different. This was a more colourful affair, a more one on one style.

Suddenly there was a scream, and one of the women jumped on to a chair. Other girls were screaming, and pointing, running and causing utter commotion. Mia craned her neck to see what they were shouting at. And then it ran straight at her. A huge disease filled rat, with a long tail. She ran to Rosa, who laughed. As the rat scuttled from the room, several of the men gave chase, rat hunting was a particularly favourite sport aboard ship. The women began to settle down, and some ventured off their chairs and back on to the dance floor.

"Do they have rats in first class?" Mia asked.

Rosa just laughed.

It was about ten o'clock when Rosa left the party to take Mia to bed. She snuggled her up in the linen. And ruffled her hair. "Sweet dreams." She said, with a smile.

Mia beamed at her. "We'll be in America soon."

"I know darling."

"Will you still be my sister?"

Rosa laughed. "Of course I will."

After Mia had dozed off to sleep, Rosa returned to the celebrations as she had promised she would. Meanwhile the officers on the bridge, stared out at the ocean. One was holding an iceberg warning in his hand, the other had a pair of binoculars. The Captain had already retired for the night.

Rosa enjoyed the rest of her party in riotous spirits. Lottie and Philip had gone off together to a quieter part of the ship.

At one point a young man grabbed her hand and pulled her up to dance. "Conrad Tiller." He said, happily.

She smiled. "Rosa Darcy."

"I know, fame spreads on this ship."

"Fame?" She shouted over the noise of the chattering voices and joyous music.

He nodded. "Third class hymns."

"Oh that wasn't me. It was all Philip Herlington's idea."

"Modest as well as beautiful." He said.

"I've never been called beautiful before, Conrad Tiller."

"Now that does surprise me."

Rosa skipped off to bed, she noticed with a sigh that Lottie's was empty. Mia was sleeping soundly on the bottom bunk, breathing slowly as she cuddled the warm sheets.

"Night." Rosa muttered, as she climbed into bed. And Sunday began to draw to a close.

The pitch black night consumed the sky, the stars twinkled softly millions of miles away. Fredrick Fleet stood in the crow's nest, trying to warm his hands from the cold. And as Rosa settled into bed, and closed her sleepy eyes, dreaming of America, dancing, and for some odd reason Conrad Tiller, Fredrick Fleet's eyes met with a looming object in the distance. The adrenaline pulsed through his body, as the iceberg consumed his vision. He shouted to alert the officers below, who roared into action. The ship seemed to come alive, moments before it's death. Officer Murdoch ordered the engines to be reversed. But alas he made a tragic error, with devastating results. A ship turns quicker the more forward motion it has, stopping and reversing the engines was a grievous mistake. Each second the propellers stole from the ship's headway was a precious one. In later years, many people h criticised Murdoch's actions, but it's all very well to be sitting in an office saying 'had the ship turned a few more inches, she would have missed the berg all together.' Or 'she should have hit head on, then only two compartments would have been flooded.' Yes, it is all very well to say that in the warmth and safety of land, but when you have a matter of seconds to decide it is a very different story.

And so the Titanic, moved closer and closer to the berg, with no way of stopping it, the officers on the bridge watched with dread.

Rosa stirred softly in her sleep.