Authors Note: I've made some errors, mostly in the fact that I had the officers stay with Liz, in her New York home, then after writing some more, I realized that I had inadvertently had them moved to another house that she also owned. The only one staying now with Liz and Henry, is Will Murdoch, for obvious reasons, to the reader. Just a note to my readers as well, I always try to incorporate some aspect of my real life into my writings, even if I change names, or dates etc. In this case, where I have had Julia's mother die from cancer, I actually did lose my mother to cancer nearly 4 years ago, in a short and painful illness. Anyway, to me it makes it a bit more personal, even if the readers don't know. I'd appreciate feedback, even constructive criticism, but please no flames. I'm a newbie at this, and this is my first fanfic, and certainly my first Titanic fanfic. Thank you for reading and God bless you all. missladybug62
Chapter 4
Wednesday - April 17, 1912 10:30 P.M.
After having disembarked, Elizabeth, Henry, Will, along with the other officers, made their way to the train station. From there, she had told them, would be a short train ride, to her home, which was about half an hour outside of the city.
11:30 P.M.
Home at last, finally, Elizabeth sighed!
It had been a long journey, since she had left months ago.
Once inside, Elizabeth turned to Will, Pitman, Boxhall, Lightoller, & Lowe and said, " Well, gentlemen, I have a big house here, and more than enough room for everyone. There are bedrooms on the second and third floors, including one smaller one, here on the first floor. So I'll let you settle in where you may."
Lightoller, who still felt uneasy around Henry, although he had apologized, said, " I do want to thank you Mrs. Wilde, for your hospitality and generosity, but I think that as soon as I possibly can, I need to catch another ship bound for home."
Elizabeth looked at Charles and said, " Well, Mr. Lightoller, I can't blame you there, but I do believe that there is to be a United States Senate hearing, on the loss of the Titanic and you may well have to testify. I'm not sure of this, as I only heard of it in the last day onboard the Carpathia."
Lightoller frowned and said, " Well, I don't want to offend anyone, so I will stay, if you and Mr. Wilde, are sure that it is all right."
Elizabeth glanced to Henry, who shrugged his shoulders, then turned to Lightoller and said, " Mr. Lightoller, if you're feeling uncomfortable because of me, then please don't. I have already forgiven you for your past actions. We all have mistakes, skeletons, if you will, that make us feel uncomfortable around others, at times. You are more than welcome to stay here with us. My wife has already invited you, and it is fine with me. Stay as long as you need, until you can get back home."
Having said that, Henry then took Elizabeth by the arm and said, " Well, Elizabeth love, let's find us something to eat, and then retire. I'm not only hungry, but tired as well." Then he motioned for the others to follow them on inside the house, into the kitchen.
Thursday - April 18, 1912 7:45 A.M.
Elizabeth sat up in bed, and glanced over at Henry who was still sleeping, and thought how good it felt to finally be at home. Even though she didn't like America anymore, she still loved her homes, and this one especially, with its homey feel, and the huge back yard, flowing into the fruit orchards. And she knew that she would never sell this home.
She slipped out of bed, put on a night robe over her gown, put her house slippers on, and quietly crept out of the bedroom, closing the door softly.
She made her way down to the kitchen and was more than surprised to find Will up, and seated at the table with a cup of coffee in his hand, and her Nana had come back.
Nana was actually her house maid, who came in every day to cook and clean, and had been with Elizabeth and her family for many years.
Elizabeth moved over to Nana's side, and hugged her.
Nana smiled warmly at young Elizabeth and said, " Honey, I'm so sorry to hear about that nasty business of the Titanic, for I knew that you were on that ship. I'm just so grateful to see that you're still alive and healthy."
Elizabeth then said, " Nana, I have something to tell you. Something else has happened, for the best, in my life, since I've been gone. I've met someone very special and well.. well.. I'm married now, Nana. I got married yesterday, actually, on board the Carpathia. I had met him on Titanic, and then when we were on board the Carpathia, he had asked me to marry him and I agreed. We were going to marry here in New York, but the Captain of that ship found out, and offered to marry us, saying that he wanted to help us out, since we had been through so much."
Nana
stared at her sweet little Elizabeth, whom she had practically helped
raise. Then a smile lit up her face, and she said,
"
Well goodness child, where is he? Tell me, what's his name, where's
he from, how did you meet him on Titanic?"
Elizabeth's face lit up with happiness and Nana and Will could both see it shining in her face, and she said, " His name's Henry, Nana. Henry Wilde. I met him on board the Titanic. He was the Chief Officer on that ship. I first met him, when there was trouble between myself and some rather unsavory characters on board. He came to my rescue. Well, we spent some time together, granted not a lot, as you can understand he was busy, what with his duties and all. But somehow, someway, we fell in love. He was with me Nana, when I found out that mother had passed away."
Nana hugged her and said, " Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry about that too."
Then Elizabeth said, " I see you've already met Mr. Murdoch... This is William Murdoch, he too was one of the officers on board. I saved him and Henry from the waters. Oh Nana, it was just awful." And she started to cry as Nana hugged her again and said, " Hush darling. You're home now and you've got a new husband to care for you, and obviously some good friends. I made a fresh pot of coffee, of which your friend is now enjoying."
Nana turned to Will and said, " Mr. Murdoch would you care for some breakfast?"
Will replied, " Yes, ma'am. That would be so nice. And I would like it very much if you would call me Will."
8:00 A.M.
Henry woke up and turned over, to find that Elizabeth wasn't there. He did hear voices downstairs however, so he got up and dressed, then made his way downstairs.
As he came into the kitchen, he wasn't surprised to see his Elizabeth there, or Will, but to find the other woman standing there, apron on, and cooking up something that smelt absolutely heavenly.
Elizabeth came over to Henry's side, took his arm and then said, " Nana, this is my husband. This is Henry Wilde."
Then Elizabeth turned to Henry and said, " Henry dear, this is Nana. That's what I call her anyway. She's been with our family for many years. She comes in and cooks, cleans or just to keep me company, on occasion. I love her much, she's always been a real friend to me."
Nana walked over to Henry and said, " It's nice to meet you Mr. Wilde." Then she turned to Elizabeth and said, " Well, Mrs. Wilde, then? I'll still call you Elizabeth, though. Because to me, you'll always be little Liz."
Henry smiled when he heard her say that and then said, " Well it's nice to meet you too.." He wasn't sure what to call her, when Elizabeth said, " You can call her Nana, too, Henry. Everyone does, she's almost like everyone's grandmother. Isn't that right, Nana?"
He then said, " Very well, Nana. Please, call me Henry then, seeing as we're family now."
Nana filled them each a plate, and soon they were all seated, around a table full of good food, and friends.
After breakfast, Elizabeth said to Henry, " Would you care to see my yard, and my fruit orchards? It's quite a walk, but it's a nice day outside." And indeed it was, as the sun had come out now, and white, fluffy clouds drifting by.
Henry said that he would love to and then Elizabeth turned to Will and said, " Would you care to go, as well, Will?"
He shook his head and said that he was still tired and was just going to rest for awhile. Perhaps he could see it later. Elizabeth nodded, then turned and taking Henry's arm, led him out the back door.
10:45 A.M.
Nana was cleaning the kitchen, when she heard a knock at the front door. A soft one, but a knock, nonetheless. She knew that Elizabeth was showing her new husband around the orchards, and they would be gone for awhile. So she went to the door and opened it.
A young woman was standing there, suitcases by her side and Nana said, " Yes, may I help you, miss?"
Julia said, " Is this Elizabeth Wilde's home?"
Nana grinned, hearing the name was going to take some used to. That sweet little Liz, up and getting herself married. Then she said kindly, " Yes, it is. How do you know my Elizabeth?"
Julia said, " I met her onboard the Carpathia. I shared my room with her, after she was brought on board as a survivor of the Titanic. I got to know her somewhat, and we became pretty good friends. She told me where she lived, and invited me to come by. I'm sorry about the luggage, but I was supposed to return on the voyage, which my ship was interrupted by the Titanic disaster, but I just couldn't go. There's someone special here, that Elizabeth has invited to stay, and I couldn't leave. He's in bad shape, because of the disaster, and I can go on a cruise anytime."
Nana smiled and said, " Come inside dear. Elizabeth and her husband are out in the orchards and won't be back for some time, but please, come inside. Would you care for something to drink? You look tired, dear."
Julia smiled warmly and said, " Thank you. And you would be? My name is Miss Julia Rose Graham, by the way."
Nana grinned widely and said, " Just call me Nana, everyone else does. I've been a part of Elizabeth's family, since she was a little girl. I come in and do the cooking, cleaning and whatever else needs to be done."
Julia stepped inside, bringing her luggage in and setting it down.
Nana led her to the kitchen and said, " Now, who was it you were looking for? Because Elizabeth has several other young gentlemen that were from the Titanic, but only one of them is here now. The others are at one of her other houses, on up the road a bit."
Julia caught her breath, hoping that it would be Will that was here.
Nana quickly brought a cup of hot coffee over and set it down in front of the young woman.
Julia looked up and said, " Thank you so much, Nana. Please, call me Julia."
Nana nodded and then asked for whom Julia was looking for, maybe she could help.
Julia sighed and said, " William Murdoch, is he here? Or at the other house?"
Nana smiled broadly and said, " Ah you're in luck, Miss Julia, for he is here. If you would like, I'll go and fetch him. I believe that he is in his room, lying down. I think that that young man has had a hard time, with this disaster and all. I understand that he was one of the senior officers on board, and he feels pretty devastated and is taking the blame personally. Not that he should, I told him. Accidents are just that... accidents."
Julia nodded and said that she had said the same thing to him, while yet still on board the Carpathia.
Then Nana stood and said, " Finish your coffee, Julia. I will go and fetch Mr. Murdoch for you."
Then she left the room.
11:00 A.M.
Will lay there on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, reliving the accident over, for about the millionth time, or so he thought.
A knock at the door, hardly disturbed him however, and he stood up, put on his coat and went to the door.
Opening it, he saw that dear old woman, Nana, she had asked them all to call her. She was like someone's grandmother, he thought to himself. Then he said, " Yes?"
Nana felt a smile creep across her face, for she felt sure that this visit was going to be a total surprise to Mr. Murdoch and she said, " Mr. Murdoch, you have a visitor, and she is waiting in the kitchen, for you."
He was startled by that and said, in a surprised voice, " Well.. well. I wasn't expecting anyone. I certainly don't know anyone here, other than Elizabeth, of course."
She smiled broadly and said, " Well this young lady seems to know you, as she said that she met you on board the Carpathia."
Will was poleaxed. That could be only one person.. Miss Julia Rose Graham. What was Julia doing here? She was supposed to be on her way to the Mediterranean, right about now.
He passed by Nana and said, as he walked away, " Thank you, Nana. I appreciate your letting me know that she is here."
Nana smiled, then went to her room, to rest for awhile, for she was tiring more frequently in her old age.
11:10 A.M.
Julia sat there, holding the cup of coffee in her hands, when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Oh, her heart was pounding fiercely in her chest. What would Will say, seeing her here now? And, of course, she hadn't even given a thought as to what her father would have to say. She had changed her mind, and disembarked, before the ship had even left port. Oh well! Although she also knew that her father would be highly upset, for he had paid for her ticket, and now here she was, not even going. But she knew that her father would understand, when she explained what had happened, and about poor William Murdoch.
She heard his voice, as he came into the kitchen and she turned around and cried, " Will!"
He moved over to her and said, " Julia! Whatever are you doing here, love? You're supposed to be on that cruise to the Mediterranean. Didn't you say that your father paid for your trip? Why ever are you here? Not that I'm not glad to see you, though." And a smile lit up both of their faces.
He reached over and touched her face, glad to see her again, and wished already that he could kiss her again, the way that he had, yesterday. It seemed to Will as if it were a lifetime ago, already. And yet, it wasn't.
11:45 A.M.
The back door opened and Elizabeth and Henry came in.
Henry was very impressed with the size of the land, and the fruit orchards, which were already beginning to bring in an abundance of fruits.
He said, " Elizabeth, you're very fortunate to have this land. It should provide well for you, and well, now for myself. I see why you love this place and don't want to sell it."
Elizabeth sighed and said, " Yes, I was born here, too you know."
Henry shook his head and said, " No, I didn't know that."
Just then, they heard voices in the kitchen.
Elizabeth turned to Henry and said, " Will has a visitor, obviously. Because the other voice isn't Nana's."
He took her by the arm, and they went into the kitchen.
Elizabeth and Henry were both surprised to see Julia sitting at their kitchen table, with Will seated next to her, both sitting there, obviously very chummy with each other, and sitting next to each other, very closely too, Elizabeth observed.
Julia stood to her feet and Elizabeth came over and hugged her and said, " Why, Julia, didn't we just leave you yesterday?"
Henry said, " What happened to your voyage, Miss Graham?" He still couldn't get used to calling her Julia, even though every one else was.
Julia sighed and said, " I just couldn't leave, knowing that Will here, needed me. I can take a cruise any time, but I have to be here with William. Oh, Elizabeth, I hope that I'm not intruding by dropping by, like I have."
Elizabeth smiled and said, " Nonsense, Julia. I told you to come and visit, and I meant it. If you want to stay for awhile, I have rooms available."
Julia felt a blush warm her cheeks and she said, " Really? Only if you're sure about it. I don't want to intrude on you or your husband."
Henry then replied, " Nonsense, Miss Graham. You're not intruding on anyone here. You're more than welcome to stay. I know that Will needs someone to care and to listen to him. And preferably someone from outside of the disaster, someone that wasn't involved in it. No, you were right to come, Miss Graham."
She then said, " Mr. Wilde, I would feel much better if you would call me Julia. Every one else is."
He chuckled softly, then said, " Then, by all means, please call me Henry."
Elizabeth said, " I've a grand idea, for you two. How about a picnic? Will, the orchards are way out back, you'll have to walk a bit, but you could take Julia out there and it's such a nice day. Stay as long as you want, you two can have a nice long chat. I'll be glad to fix you a picnic basket."
Will's eyes lit up and he said that yes, that would be most agreeable.
Elizabeth and Henry both noticed how Will's attitude and demeanor had picked up, since Julia's arrival.
Then Elizabeth said, " Ok, you two, run along into the living room and I'll put something together. But first, I need to go and check on Nana." Then she said, " Henry, would you come with me?"
He nodded and followed his wife.
12:00 P.M.
Elizabeth knocked on Nana's door. When there was no answer, she pushed the door open gently and made her way over to the bed.
Nana opened her eyes and saw her Liz standing there, and in the background, she could see the husband, Henry as well. Henry and Liz, she thought, it sounded so nice, and they were such an attractive couple, as well.
Elizabeth sat down on the edge of the bed and said, " I just came in to check on you Nana, and see how you're feeling. You know, you're looking just a bit ragged."
Nana smiled and said, " Oh my little Liz, don't be such a fussbudget. I'm quite all right. Just getting up in years, that's all. I'm getting a little more tired than usual, but nothing to complain about."
Elizabeth stood and said, " Very well then, Nana. Go on back to sleep. I'll check back on you later, before dinner."
Nana nodded and then closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
Once they had left and closed the door behind them, Elizabeth turned to Henry and said, " I'm worried about Nana, Henry. She doesn't look well at all, despite what she says."
He took Elizabeth by the arm and led her down the hallway and then upstairs to their room and said, " Well, Liz love, she's getting up in years. You heard her, it's just a natural part of aging."
Elizabeth shook her head and said, " No, I don't believe it, Henry. I still think something isn't quite right. I'll just have to keep an eye on her."
He pulled his wife to him and said, " Lovely Liz, always worried about someone else. Very well, keep an eye on her, and if she needs anything, we'll get help for her."
Liz looked up at Henry, put he arms around his neck and said, " I love you, Henry. You're very good to me, and to my family now. Nana has been with me since I was about five years old, I suppose. She came here, just a few years before my father's death."
He leaned over and kissed her, and then said, " Well, it's been a long day, Liz, I think that perhaps we should retire to our rooms for awhile."
Elizabeth said, " You go on in there and wait for me, Henry. I'll be right back. I said that I would make a picnic basket for Will and Julia." He nodded and went inside, to await the return of his lovely, young wife.
12:30 P.M.
Elizabeth had put the finishing touches on a picnic basket, and called Julia and Will into the kitchen. Then she said, " Will, if you go through the kitchen, out this small hallway, there's a door that leads out into the back yard. If you keep walking, the orchard is only say, about half a mile out back. And there's about five acres of orchards, so you'll have plenty to see and do, if you choose. The fruits are beginning to bloom, so feel free to help yourself to fresh fruit, as well."
He smiled at Elizabeth, then hugged her and said in a quiet voice, " Thanks, Elizabeth. I appreciate this, really I do."
Then he turned to Julia and said, " Well, Julia love, come along then." And he took the picnic basket, and with the other hand, took Julia's in his.
Elizabeth stood there for a few moments, watching Will Murdoch and Julia Graham cross the yard, and head out back towards the orchards.
1:30 P.M.
Will held the picnic basket in one hand, and Julia's hand in his other, and they walked slowly across the back yard, which was enormous, and on to the orchards, beyond. Will had never seen such a piece of property, and thought that Elizabeth was blessed to have all of this.
He couldn't imagine leaving a place like this, and yet, he knew, that Elizabeth longed to return to Ireland. That she didn't want to stay on in America. He wondered why that was, and meant to ask her so, later.
Finally, he found a nice shady spot under an apple tree, and set the basket down. Then he turned to Julia and said, " Well here's a nice spot, Julia, let's stop here, shall we?"
Julia nodded and he took the blanket, that Elizabeth had thrown in with the food, and spread it out onto the ground. She had thought of everything, Will, thought, to himself.
Julia sat down and smoothed her skirts out about her, and Will dropped down and sat next to her.
He leaned back against the tree and gazed over at Julia and said, " Really, Julia, why didn't you go on that voyage?"
She sighed quietly and said, " Because Will, I just couldn't leave you, that's all. I kept thinking about you, and well.. you've been through so much lately, and I guess, suddenly it just didn't seem that important to go on a cruise. Oh I know, my father's going to pitch a fit when he finds out. After all, he's paid for a cruise, that I'm not on now. But I'm sure that he'll understand when I tell him. And I would like for you to meet him. We live about an hour or so north of here."
Will
took her hand in his, and held it tightly and rubbed his fingers
across the back of her soft hand, and said absentmindedly,
"
Well, I'm glad that you're here, Julia, and that you didn't go, but I
surely don't want to be the cause of your getting into trouble with
your father." It was bad enough, he thought, that he would
probably take a lot of slack from his old man, mostly he thought, for
surviving, which hadn't even been of his own doing, but from a
woman's no less!
Julia moved over closer to Will and said, " Will, I'm so glad that I came back. I didn't want to go, after having met you and seen all that you had been through. I only want to help, in some way. I'll listen, if you want to talk about what happened."
He sighed and then said, " Oh Julia love, it was perfectly awful. I was on deck that night, it was my shift, from 10:00 P.M. to 2:00 A.M. Everything had been going seemingly well, the ship was gliding through the waters, the weather was cold, but clear. The stars were shining brilliantly above, no moon however. Then at 11:40 P.M., out of the clear blue, the bridge telephone rang. Our sixth officer, James Moody, answered it, then turned to me and said, ' Iceberg, right ahead!'. We both ran out on deck, and sure enough, straight ahead of us, a huge wall of ice loomed..."
There was a pause, as he swallowed hard, and tried to regain his composure.
Julia held on to his hand, and squeezed it gently and said softly, " It's ok, Will."
He wanted to believe that she was right, and perhaps it would be, if she stayed here with him, for he surely didn't want to be alone right now.
Then he went on, ... " the iceberg was straight ahead. I changed the heading and position of the ship, so that the berg would pass by on the starboard side, which is the right side, for your information, Julia love. But it was too late! The ship was going too fast, 22 knots, and we were only 37 seconds away from the berg. Well, anyway, the ship grazed up against the side of the 'berg. The grinding sound was unmistakable. I knew that we had hit the berg, and I could hear the grinding and tearing of the side of the ship."
He paused again, let her hand go, then opened the basket and found a bottle of champagne and two glasses and said, " Here Julia love, let's have a drink, shall we?" For he sure as hell needed one, now.
Julia took the glass and sipped on hers, while she watched Will down his drink, then poured another, and after polishing off the second one, he set the glass down, picked her hand up in his again.
Then he went on, once more ..." Captain Smith came out on the deck and asked what it was, and I had to tell him that we had hit the 'berg and that I had tried to 'port round it, but hadn't had enough time. After that, it was just an utter chaotic mess, as we started uncovering the lifeboats, and I went around to the passengers, rousing them up and out of their beds, ordering them into life jackets, and then, up onto the Boat Deck."
Julia sighed and listened as Will continued on, ... " There was, of course, general chaos, and confusion. In the beginning of the tragedy, no one believed that the Titanic would sink, and so therefore, there were not many people that would come outside, much less on to the upper decks, where the lifeboats were. But then, about an hour after the collision, it became very obvious, to all concerned, that the ship was in fatal trouble. I, of course, was loading boats, and I'll just skip most of that, because there isn't much to tell, until the part where Elizabeth came out on deck."
He stopped for a moment, poured some more champagne and took a sip, this time going a bit more slowly with his drink, and then resumed... " Henry was on top of the Officers' quarters, trying to unleash one of the collapsible boats, and Elizabeth came out, shouting up to Henry, asking how she could help. Henry, I could see, was quite shocked to see that she was still on board, and hadn't yet gotten into one of the boats. But she was quite adamant, and Henry couldn't force her to, so he accepted her help. She started cutting the rope, and then a huge wave came up on deck, and that's all I remember, Julia love. Until I woke up, and found myself on board the Carpathia, later that day."
He sat there for a long moment, silent, lost in his own thoughts.
Julia leaned over and kissed him once more, on the cheek, and whispered, " It's going to be all right, Will. Really, it will be. You'll see."
He turned and pulled her to him and kissed her, the way he had been wanting to, since last night, as he had waited to disembark.
Will let her go for a moment, and gazed at her thoughtfully and then said, " You're so sweet, Julia. Thank you for caring so much. I'll not forget it, or you either. Would you mind if I were to kiss you again? I'm sorry I didn't ask, I should have."
She felt a blush warm her cheeks and she said shyly, " It's quite all right, Will. I didn't ask to kiss you, either. I just wanted to show you that I care for you. And I care about what happens to you. And I wouldn't object if you wanted to kiss me again. I rather fancied it, Will."
A smile crossed his face, and he leaned over towards her and brought her up against him, then kissed the pretty girl. Ah but he could stay here with her, like this, all day. And for the time being, time meant nothing.
He let his arms go around her and brushed her hair away from her face as he kissed the sweet lips. How could he have wished to have died, when he had this to live for?
Julia sighed quietly and moved over closer to Will, and laid her head against his shoulder.
He put an arm around her, as they sat that way, in silence, under the apple trees.
The day was warm and sunny, and the apple trees were blossoming, and Will found himself sitting there, next to this sweet girl, who cared for him, although she hardly knew him. He wondered, silently to himself, how he could have managed to get this lucky in life? A second chance at life, and now, this pretty girl, here with him?
As they sat there together, Will said, " So, tell me Julia, about your family. I know that you mentioned having brothers and a sister, as well."
She laughed softly and said, " Yes, my two older brothers are John and Luke, they're both married, each with children and John lives in New York City, and Luke, well he lives near our father. My younger sister, is Daisy Marie and she is married as well, and lives about an hour north of where my father and I live. So you see, we're all pretty close and we get together quite often. Daisy and her husband have two children and are expecting a third child, in about two months."
Then Will said, " Tell me about your father, Julia. And your mother, as well."
Julia sighed, wishing that she didn't have to talk about her mother, as it was still painful for her to think about, much less talk about. However, she would, for Will's sake.
She took a deep breath, sighed, then said, " Will, my father is a grocery store owner. He runs a small grocery store in upstate New York, where we live. Our house is in the mountains and so it's a small community, where everybody pretty much knows everybody. He's lived there most of his life, running this small store. He comes down to the city, meaning New York City, about once every two or three months to buy stock, for his store. He met my mother in New York City, they fell in love and he married her, bringing her back to Glendale, the little town, where we live at. You'd like it there, Will, it's so pretty."
He waited for her to go on, for he wanted to hear about her mother as well.
She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to bring up mental images of her mother, which was getting harder as the years went by. A tear slipped from one of her eyes, sliding down her face, silently. She brushed it away quickly, then said, " My mother died five years ago, and it was after a sudden, but painful, illness. Will, my mother died from cancer."
And as she thought about it, once more, seeing how her mother had deteriorated, and wasted away, and in so much pain, she started to cry. Julia had not wanted for Will Murdoch to see her like this, and she stood to her feet, to leave.
Will reached out for her arm and pulled her back down and said softly, " Please, don't leave Julia, love." And then he took her into his arms, holding her close as she cried. Julia put her arms around Will and felt, for the first time, what it was like to have this kind and handsome man, hold her against him. She had already experienced what it was like for him to kiss her, and she wanted him to do so, again. But at the moment, she was just too upset.
Tears spilled from her eyes, and onto his uniform coat, and she sniffled some, and wiped the tears away. Oh, she couldn't believe how much it could still hurt. And she knew that her brothers, and sister Daisy, and her father, all felt the same way, even now, more than five years after mother's death.
Will held her to him, and ran his hands through her hair, and whispered, " It's ok, Julia love. I can imagine that it would still be painful to think about, and I'm sorry that I've asked, and brought the pain back for you."
Julia sniffled some, brushed the errant tears away and closed her eyes, keeping her arms tightly about Will. She felt good sitting here, letting him hold her this way. And perhaps, she thought, that he might feel something for her as well.
She felt his breath, warm against her skin as he whispered, " Julia, love, I'd like to kiss you again, if you'd let me."
Julia sighed, lifted her head from his shoulders and said quietly, " Yes, Will, I would like for you to."
He let a slow smile cross his face, as he leaned over her, and pressed his lips against hers, feeling her softness against him, and smelling the warm, soft fragrance of her skin, hair...
Good heavens, he thought, he was just crazy for this pretty girl.
He kissed her and then some, leaving her breathless and weak with desire.
Will laid the pretty girl back on the grass, then lowered himself over her and continued to kiss the sweet girl. Good heavens, but he wanted to make love to her. He knew that he must have been insane to think like that, here he wasn't married to her, much less engaged, but by jove, he did so want to make love to her here, under the apple blossom trees, the sun shining down on them, a cool breeze blowing softly.
Julia held on to Will, as he kissed her some, then quite suddenly, he let her go and moved away from her, knowing that to continue that way, would only lead to folly, for both of them.
Unless he married the girl, he couldn't do that to her. And it would be utter disrespect for her, if he continued to carry on that way.
The suddenness of his move away from her, left Julia with an ache in her heart. She feared that she was falling in love with Will Murdoch.
Will then opened the picnic basket and said quietly, " Well, Julia love, shall we have some of this delicious food that Elizabeth packed up for us? We did come out here for a picnic. I'm sorry if things got rather off track."
If he was referring to the fact that he had kissed her, and held her some, then she wasn't one bit sorry and she said, " Well, Mr. Murdoch, if you're referring to the fact that you've kissed me some, then I shall not say that I'm sorry, not at all."
He noticed the way she had returned to the rather formal, 'Mr. Murdoch', instead of Will.
Then he looked at her, let a smile cross his face slowly and then he said, " Well then, neither am I, Julia, neither am I. I rather enjoyed that."
Then she blushed some and they sat there in silence, as they took out the food and set it out on the blanket, while Will poured them each a glass of champagne.
5:00 P.M.
Elizabeth and Henry were seated out on the back porch, watching the sun begin to slowly sink in the western sky, and both were wondering where on earth Will and Julia were, when Elizabeth suddenly spied them, making their way back from the orchards and said, " Well, Henry, there they come. At last!"
Henry laughed softly and said, " That Will Murdoch, I'll tell you something else. He's one hell of a skirt chaser. He loves going after the women. I wasn't surprised when he asked that Ada Banks to marry him, however I was saddened to hear that she had dumped Will. Why she would've done that, is beyond me."
Elizabeth sighed and said, " I know. I couldn't figure that one out, as Will Murdoch is such a sweet, kind man. If Julia gets together with him, she'll be one lucky woman."
Henry turned around to look at Elizabeth, and said, " I swear, Elizabeth, I think that you might have liked being with Will Murdoch."
Elizabeth stared at Henry, and until he started to laugh, she was sitting there feeling rather offended, although in her heart, she knew that it was true. If she hadn't of come to know Henry, then she might very well have ended up with William Murdoch.
He laughed and said, " 'Tis all right, Elizabeth. It doesn't matter now, does it? After all, you're here with me now." He then reached over and took her hand in his, and squeezed it tightly.
He would take her upstairs soon, and make love to her again, to his pretty Liz.
9:00 P.M.
It was now dark outside, Elizabeth and Henry had retired to their room, leaving Julia and Will to themselves.
At that moment, Will wondered what the other guys were doing, as they were now ensconced in one of Elizabeth's other houses, only a short ride up the road. He didn't know what to do with himself, and he didn't want to hurt Julia for anything in the world, but being here and alone with her, why it was more than he could stand.
Julia sat there for some time, then said, " Will, let's go for a walk out in the yard. I'd like to go outside and watch the stars come out, and feel the soft breeze again. It's a bit stifling in here."
Will agreed and stood up. He took her by the hand, and they went out through the kitchen and out the back door.
A gentle breeze was blowing through the trees, and Julia could see the faint sliver of a quarter moon, and stars all around, twinkling brightly. Shining down on her and Will, she thought, rather romantically.
Will took a seat on the porch and motioned for Julia to sit. She had hoped that they would have made their way further on out, towards the orchards again. Perhaps yet they still would, she thought silently to herself. So she took a seat next to Will.
He slipped his arm around her shoulders and she moved over closer, so that her skirt was brushing up against his trousered leg. Slowly she leaned her head over against his shoulder and looked up at the sky.
A cluster of stars fell at that moment, and Julia let out a sigh and said, " Oh that was just something else, was it not, Will?"
He chuckled softly and said, " Yes, it was. It surely is beautiful and so peaceful here. I wouldn't mind staying here and not ever leaving."
It was then that Julia said, " Will, can I ask you something?"
He glanced over at Julia, then said, " Sure love, ask away!"
Julia snuggled over closer to Will, then said, " Tell me about your father, Will. What do you think he will have to say, about the Titanic, I mean? I'm sure that your family will be so thrilled that you survived."
Will wasn't so sure about that and said, " Well, love, since I come from a family of seafarers, I'm not so sure my father will be thrilled that I survived. I mean, death at sea is an honorable way to end one's career. And to my father, probably the only way to end it."
Julia gasped and said, " Oh, no, Will! You can't be serious. I'm sure that he'll be so happy just to be able to see you again."
He sighed, wishing that it were so, but in all probability, it wouldn't. Captain Samuel Murdoch would, more than likely, feel publicly humiliated by his son's very survival, even though it hadn't of been his responsibility, but Elizabeth Barton's, well Elizabeth Wilde now. And that, would make it all the worse, plus the fact that William Murdoch had been the officer on watch, at the time of the disaster.
After sitting there for a few minutes, Will let his arm go from around her shoulders, and stood to his feet, then said, " Come, Julia let's walk back out towards the orchards. It should be a nice view of the heavens from out in the open countryside."
Julia stood up as well, straightened her skirts and then took Will's proffered hand, and walked out into the backyard and into the open fields.
