Chapter 1
Author's Notes: This is entirely fictional, and none of the characters, except Mr. Frank Mayfield, and Miss Annalise Barton, belong to me. The idea came to me, and I just jumped on it. It makes for a little mystery on board the great ship, and of course, since I love happy endings, it just had to end that way. Please review.. Constructive criticisms are more than welcome, but please no flames. I get hurt easily :
7:00 P.M. Thursday, April 11, 1912 - On board the R.M.S. Titanic
The luxurious liner, R.M.S. Titanic, had just left Queenstown, Ireland and was now headed, for the open seas.
The passengers in each class, were all settling down to life on board, prepared to spend the next week, in the lap of luxury.
Even the third class passengers, who weren't used to such a luxury. For indeed, even the third class on Titanic, was equal to the first class area on some of the other White Star Line ships, and other shipping lines, as well.
Up on the Boat Deck, a young first class woman, Miss Annalise Barton, was gazing out over the waters, so deep and mysterious, while trying to figure out what to do with a pesky suitor, who kept troubling her so.
He had followed her now for months, from one place to another, begging for her to marry him. And she would have none of it.
Why, the gentleman was absolutely loathesome, and she'd have nothing to do with him. But, she could hear his footsteps, for he had boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg, knowing fully well, that Annalise Barton had boarded in Southampton. And not wanting to be too obvious, he had waited a day later, and boarded in Cherbourg, with some of the other first class passengers, including Molly Brown, the Astors, and Mr. Benjamin Guggenheim and his mistress.
Frank Mayfield followed the stunning young woman, aware that he was making a nuisance of himself, but he was desperately in love with Miss Annalise Barton, and he did so want to marry her. He felt sure, too, that if he persisted, long and hard enough, that she would eventually fall in love with him, if she weren't already, and then marry him.
7:30 P.M.
Annalise turned around to find the man fast approaching, and she pulled her shawl tightly about herself and turned to face the man, willing to have this end and now. For she didn't want him to ruin her time on board this beautiful ship.
She stood up to her full height of 5' 4" and said, " Excuse me, Mr. Mayfield. You must cease and desist from following me. If you do not stop, and you persist on this, I will have to bring this to the attention of the Captain of this ship."
He was dismayed and said, " Oh, but Miss Barton, I only want to declare my feelings for you, to let you know how much you mean to me. I love you, my darling Annalise."
She was horrified and said, " I don't know you really, Mr. Mayfield. Please, I'm asking you to leave me alone."
He turned to leave and said huffily, " Well, then, this isn't over with yet, Miss Barton. I can assure you of that." And he walked away, hurriedly, hands in his trouser pockets.
She was now definitely troubled and wondered if she should find one of the ship's officers and have this brought to the attention of the Captain. No, she thought, to herself, she would wait it out. Perhaps he might get the idea now, that his attentions were unwanted and most heartily unwelcome.
8:00 P.M.
Annalise took a deck chair, and almost immediately, a steward appeared by her side, waiting to be of any assistance.
She smiled at the young man, who was obviously nervous and said warmly, " I would like a cup of hot tea, please, sir, with a wedge of lemon and sugar as well, if you wouldn't mind."
He bowed gallantly, nodded and then left, in the direction of the kitchen galley.
8:10 P.M.
He returned soon, bringing a cup of hot tea, complete with the saucer, a little table to set them on, and then set it all down, with the spoon, sugar bowl, creamer and the a little plate with lemon wedges on it. All set neatly upon a lace doily.
Annalise was enchanted with the service, as would normally be expected, in first class, on any ship, but then again, she thought, with a smile, this was not just any ship. This was the Titanic, the world's largest ship built by man, and supposedly unsinkable.
She sat there for some time, lost in thoughts, when she heard a chair being pulled up next to her, and she turned and was dismayed to find Mr. Mayfield sitting next to her.
Annalise stood up hurriedly, leaving her cup of tea sitting there, and said in a most agitated voice, " Please sir, I have asked you to leave me alone. Your attentions are most unwanted, and most heartily unwelcome. I've asked you very kindly, sir. And now, I'll have to bring this to the attention of the..."
Like a predator, he reached out and grasped her arm in a vise like grip and pulled her up to him and hissed, " No, I'm not going to take that, Annalise. I love you, and I want you to marry me. Please.. can't I make you love me, somehow?" Then he reached over, touched her face with his hand, while she cringed and tried to back away and he said in a low, menacing voice, " I won't take no. Now, just come with me, Annalise."
And he started trying to walk away, holding on to her tightly, and Annalise was beginning to become frightened and she could feel her heart pounding violently inside of her chest, and tears filling her eyes. As she walked past the railing, she grasped onto the railing, and pulled away from him, then leaned backwards and said, in a gasping voice, " Now.. get.. away.. from me.. you monster."
He leaned forward, reached out and slapped her across the face.
Then in disbelief and sheer horror, she felt him pushing her backwards over the railing, and she started to scream, in sheer terror. She knew from reading, that it was a 70 foot fall from the Boat Deck to the waters below.
8:45 P.M.
On the Bridge, the Captain was watching the ship, and the charts showing that the Titanic was making a smooth and steady 22 knots. This would be his most impressive ship, and for him, it would be his final command, as he was to retire, upon his return to Southampton.
His thoughts were broken, by the sounds of screaming, coming from somewhere further down the Boat Deck. Good heavens, it was a woman screaming. He, and several of his officers ran out of the bridge, and down the stairs, to the Boat Deck, to find a horrifying scene playing out in front of them.
A gentleman, if you could call him that, had some poor woman by the throat and was trying forcibly, to push her overboard.
William Murdoch, and Henry Wilde stared at each other for a moment, and before they could reach her, the girl slipped over the edge.
8:55 P.M.
Captain Edward Smith couldn't believe what he had just seen. A poor girl had been pushed over the edge of the ship, and as he raced over to the railing, he could see the girl's hands, hanging on for dear life. Good Lord, he thought, never had he ever seen anything like this, in all his years at sea.
He ordered Mr. Murdoch to take the man into custody and Mr. Wilde to help him pull the girl back over.
As he leaned over the edge, and stared into the girl's frightened face, he reached out and said, " Come on love, take my hand. We'll get you back on board, in no time."
Annalise tried desperately, but was so frightened that she was going to slip and fall to her death.
Tears were running down her face, and she was shivering from cold, and yet, she could see the man, with his hand out to her. He was the captain of the ship, she recognized his face.
Captain Smith turned to Mr. Wilde and said tensely, " You had best get that emergency cutter boat, ready and out, in case this young woman falls into the water. I can't seem to get a grasp on her hand, and I think she's so frightened now, that she's not going to let go. Go and get that boat ready, and when Mr. Murdoch gets back, you and he get in that boat, take an extra hand or two."
Good heavens, he thought, as he could see the fear etched on her face. Why ever would a man do something this outrageous?
He reached down towards her and said once more, in a kind voice, " Please Miss, take my hand. I'm not going to let you fall, love."
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see two officers, and two other seamen, getting an emergency boat ready and they were lowering it already. Good night, she didn't want to even think about falling into that water, but what if she did? Would those men be able to get her out of there before she slipped under the surface?
And, she wondered, did one sink right to the bottom or did one come back to the top? All of these were thoughts, and not very pretty ones, that were now running through Annalise's head.
So, struggling valiantly once more, she pulled herself up more towards the railing, and praying silently, she let go with one hand, and trying desperately to use her feet against the side of the ship, pushed herself up some, and managed this time, to catch hold of the captain's hand and he grasped her by the arm, then pulled her up more, until he had her by both arms and hauled her back over the railing, and set her on her feet.
Then, she promptly fainted.
Captain Smith ordered the emergency boat brought back to the side of the ship, and raised back up, and hooked back up to the falls. Ready, in case, of another emergency. Damn, he thought, and she had looked pretty frightened. Not that he could really blame her. Hanging there, in suspension, between the boat, and the water, a 70 foot drop, which could have easily killed her, he thought to himself.
A small number of people had gathered around, mostly first class passengers, some of the women, murmuring sympathies, for the poor girl, but after seeing that she had been brought safely back on board, they dispersed. Leaving the poor girl, insensible, and the Captain standing there.
When Mr. Murdoch and Mr. Wilde, both returned, he said, " Send for the old Doc, will you? I dare say, this poor lass needs to be seen." Then to Mr. Murdoch.. " You did get that man taken into custody?"
Murdoch nodded and muttered an oath under his breath, that something like that should ever have happened, and to a pretty, young lass. Probably scared her to death, he thought. And was it any wonder, that she was insensible now?
Annalise came around, however, before the doctor even arrived, and she stood to her feet, still shaking terribly, and looking quite confused.
When Dr. O'Loughlin arrived moments later, she was seated on a bench, and both Mr. Murdoch, Mr. Wilde, and Captain Smith were standing there, trying to decipher what had happened, and why!
Dr. O'Loughlin, when he heard what had happened, said, " Well now, lassie, don't you worry about a thing. I'm sure that you're quite all right now. Must of been scary though. But don't you worry, because Captain Smith won't let that happen again. He's had the man arrested, and he won't be coming out now, until we reach New York."
That was of much interest to Annalise, and then she quickly related to the Captain and both of the officers, how the man had been following her around, for some time now, and then he had gotten violent with her, only moments before he had tried, well actually had, thrown her overboard. Only her quick reflex, in reaching out for the railing, had kept her from plunging 70 feet below, into the inky, dark waters of the North Atlantic.
After the doctor had declared that she was going to be quite all right, she stood up and said, " Would you please excuse me gentlemen? I'm very tired now, and just want to return to my stateroom."
The Captain said, " Are you in first class, Miss.." He still didn't even know her name.
She let a small smile cross her face and she said, " Yes, Cabin B24. Miss Annalise Barton."
He sighed, then said, " Very well then, Miss Barton." Then he turned to Will Murdoch and said, " Why don't you see her back to her room, Mr. Murdoch?"
Will Murdoch smiled, saluted the captain, turned and left and said, " Well then, I shall see you to your room, Miss Barton. Captain's orders." He smiled as he said that, and he then led her off, to her stateroom.
All was well that had ended well for Miss Annalise Rose Barton. For the voyage of Titanic had been a smashing success, and they had reached New York, and it was a gala reception for both the ship's crew and the passengers.
The End