AN: Thank you for your patience, I planned on having this up a lot sooner (last week), but the current world situations have kept me a bit "preoccupied." I made this one a bit longer then originally intended to try and make up for it. Would love to hear your feedback on how the story is going thus far. Thanks again, and stay safe all!
Chapter 03: Encounters
11 April 1912
2:00 A.M.
Officer Harold Lowe was about halfway through his watch. He had just left the chart room and was beginning his outdoor rounds once more on the outdoor boat decks port side. Going through his mental inspection list he checked winches, pulleys, lines, davits and more. The evening's festivities, dinner, gossip and mingling, and late-night cocktails had ended, and the passengers had turned for the night. Tomorrow—rather later today, they would rise and do it all over again. But now they slept, in their cabins, not a care in the world making his rounds rather uneventful, for now.
He was walking aft on A deck when a few feet in front of him a woman burst through the doors from the grand staircase. He took note of how fast she was moving towards the ledge. 'She's not stopping...' Everything happened in slow motion. His years of experience playing to his calmness. "Miss, lookout!"
He reached for her shoulder with his right hand and tried to pull her back. Instead he got a fistful of her coat as it came flying off of her body. She looked like a ghost going across the deck in ethereal layers of white cotton, silk, and lace. As his right hand pulled back with the coat, his left wind-milled forward to reach for her again. This time he got purchase and felt a grip on her arm.
With a solid yank he pulled her back away from the ledge and her body was flung back onto him. They both fell back on the floor. He landed on his back; her small body slid up against his. He looked down at her, her arms were crossed covering her face.
"Miss! Miss are you okay?" Harold was holding her by her shoulders. She didn't move. "Miss, are you hurt?" He gripped her shoulders a little harder. Her eyes fluttered open behind her arms. Officer Lowe could feel her begin to move. "Miss…" He repeated. He looked down at the top of her head.
She brought her arms down by her side and tried to lean forward. Harold moved himself into a kneeling position behind her. He put his right hand on her back to help push her forward with his left hand in hers. She took his hand and steadied herself into a sitting position on the deck floor.
She stared blankly forward towards the ledge.
"You gave me quite the scare there miss. Are you okay?" Harold asked finally being able to take a deep breath.
She paused for a second and finally turned to face Harold. "I'm…"
She looked like a ghost. Her skin was a greyish yellow, her eyes were dull and full of sadness and anxiety, turmoil, and rage. Harold gripped her hand tightly and helped her stand.
"Let's go this way miss," he helped walk her up a set of steps up to the Boat deck. At the top of the steps underneath one of the funnels was a bench where he helped her to sit. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment.
"I'm—I don't know. I don't know what happened. I'm not sure what—" The woman started rambling as she sat on the bench, shaking her head with every word.
Harold looked into her eyes and saw the distress and cut her off. "Miss it's okay, please wait here one moment." About 10 meters away was the Officer's Mess. Running inside he opened the cupboard and found a tin with biscuits. There was a kettle on the warmer. Placing his hand near the kettle he could feel it was still warm, someone had recently made some tea. Picking it up he could tell that there was at least one cup of tea remaining. Grabbing a cup from the same cupboard he got the tin; he poured the remaining tea from the kettle into the cup. Carrying the tin under his arm he brought the cup of tea back to the bench.
Her frame was slumped over in what looked like despondent grief. When he sat down next to her, she straightened up suddenly gaining perfect posture. He placed the cup of tea in her hand. She looked at him and nodded, taking a sip. Taking a deep breath, she took another sip, another deep breath, and another sip. With each sip she took, her posture seemed to relax, dropping her façade a little more each time. Harold smiled; the tea was helping her relax.
She took one more deep breath and angled her face towards him, still without facing him directly. "Thank you, sir. I don't know what came over me." Harold noticed she had an accent, though very subtle. 'Or maybe she has a lisp?' He thought to himself.
He started. "Is this your first voyage on a large vessel?"
She nodded slightly, still not meeting his gaze. "It's okay miss, being on such a large vessel can certainly be overwhelming." He reached for her hand that was holding the teacup lifting it up towards her face, encouraging her to drink the rest. "Please drink the tea, it will help you feel better."
Harold took in her appearance as her face caught the glow of the deck lamps. She had dark hair with tight and lose curls framing her face. Most of it had been tucked away to the side in various ribbons. Large brown eyes had flecks of green and gold. Her face was decorated with very few freckles, one she had on her bottom lip caught his attention. Her skin was beginning to take some color back on, not so much the gray it was a few moments ago. Her complexion with the slight accent confirmed for him that she was not English. Overall, she was quite beautiful. Harold was not normally this delicate, he was a cut to the chase type of man. Now though, now he couldn't shake the feeling that this woman was somehow fragile, somehow in a great danger, no matter how sophisticated or put together she might appear.
She took another sip. "I wasn't feeling well when I boarded and was at the doctors. When I woke up, I didn't know where I was and got lost. I couldn't find my way out and I think I was just overwhelmed and confused. I panicked." She finally met his gaze, her eyes and face coming fully into the light. He looked at her face, so fragile.
"Sounds frightening and disorienting." He tried to sooth her and share some sympathy. 'She must be the lady that took ill at Cherbourg.'
"It seems to me like maybe you had a panic attack, but no need to panic anymore miss." The woman nodded. They sat there for another minute in silence as she finished her tea. She took her last sip and a deep breath through her nose. Harold took the teacup out of her hand and placed it on the bench next to him. "Feeling better miss?" She nodded.
"Yes, much better officer, thank you." She looked up at the sky, no stars.
"Fifth officer Harold Lowe miss. I'm just glad I was there, or we may have had a man overboard situation." Harold spoke with a chuckle trying to bring some levity to the situation. "Here," he offered her the tin of biscuits. She put her hands up to refuse them. As she raised her hand Harold saw the streaks of red on her palm; her hand was bleeding.
"Miss, oh my, let me help you." He grabbed her left hand and began to unwind her rosary from it. As he pulled the cross from where it had embedded itself in her palm she winced. She has squeezed her hands so hard that the cross penetrated her skin and was in her hand.
"It appears your cross here cut your hand open. You must have been holding it for dear life." The woman nodded, "I was scared." She offered to him.
Harold nodded and pulled a handkerchief out of his jacket pocket. Taking the white cloth, he gently wiped off the little bit of blood that dripped from the cut. After, he wrapped it around her hand bandaging the wound. "It looks pretty superficial miss, but perhaps you should visit the hospital again to have them check it out tomorrow." He finished tying it off securely as she watched on silently. The corners of the handkerchief read "HGL." She thanked him.
"Officer Lowe you really need not fuss over me this much." She smiled and shook her head dismissively.
"I reckon I do ma'am, it's my job as officer. Now I must insist," he pushed the tin towards her once more, "it will help settle you." She stared at the tin, with a long pause.
"Here…" He brought the tin towards her hands.
Looking at him once more she took the tin. Opening it she slowly took one of the biscuits in her hand and took a small bite. Harold nodded and watched her. She chewed, feeling the treat melt in her mouth. He was right it did make her feel better, for now. She took another bite and smiled.
Harold smiled, "see now, I told you it would make you feel better."
She smiled back. A brisk wind hit them, looking up she saw the clouds move revealing the waning moon, only a crescent now. "Thank you, officer Lowe, you have done me a great kindness this evening."
Harold put up a hand to her, "no problem miss, simply doing my duty." She laughed, "you all truly believe in your duty." Harold looked confused.
She continued to stare up at the moon, it was so bright. Harold could tell she was finally calming down. Another gust of wind and she felt herself begin to shiver. The moon was gone again, the clouds blown back to cover it.
Harold stood, "wait here miss." He took off jogging towards the stairs he led them up. Down the stairs, on the floor by the door lay her coat, he picked it up and ran back to her. 'She must be freezing, she's only in her night gown and barefoot.' Bringing the coat back to her he draped it over her shoulders, as she had been wearing it earlier. She looked up at him as he stood over her.
"I was trying to sleep in the hospital, but my thoughts kept racing," she started looking down at her bare feet, wiggling her toes. "When I could not get to sleep, I thought maybe some fresh air would do me good. So, I left the room and got lost. There are so many corridors and turns, I didn't know where I was going. I felt trapped, as though I would never find my way outside ever again. I know that sounds ridiculous—as I say it I hear how ridiculous but in the moment I truly thought that I would never find my way out." She looked up at him. "Have you ever believed something that you knew obviously to be false Mr. Lowe?"
Harold nodded, "of course miss, I reckon most people have at one point or another." She smiled at him, "thank you for saying that Mr. Lowe." He nodded. Of course, he had felt that way, there wasn't a person alive who hadn't, we're all human. He looked at her coat and night gown, both looked quite luxurious. 'She's clearly a first-class passenger though, her lot likely think they are above feeling what most normal people feel.' Harold offered her a hand. "Let me escort you back to your cabin miss, I think you need to get some rest."
She nodded and took his hand and as promised, he escorted her to her first-class cabin, confirming his assumptions about her. At her door he took off his cap and placed it under his arm.
"Is there anything else I can assist with miss?" He asked before releasing her. She shook her head, "no officer, you've done more than enough this evening." She smiled at him, to her he had been truly an angel.
"Alrighty miss, you have yourself a good night's sleep now, you'll be needing it." He smiled and walked away. What she didn't anticipate was that she actually would get a goodnight's sleep. Putting the tin on the desk in the cabin she saw all her belonging strewn around the room, making her feel more at home. She let her coat fall onto the floor and slipped into bed. Under the weight of the sheets and the comforter she got the first restful sleep she had in months.
…
11 April 1912
11:45 A.M.
Isabel sat at the vanity across from her bed as Carla combed her hair. She was dressed in a white and green silk gown, the long sleeves ending at her wrist with ruffles. Her wrists bore a beautiful tennis bracelet studded with jade stones. Carla pinned her hair into a bun that rested at the crown of her head leaving some curls free to frame her face. Carla added a few jade stone pins at the base of her bun. She finished off the look with matching jade earrings. "There you go my Lady, bella." Carla admired her work. Looking at Isabel's stunning beauty in the reflection of the mirror truly brought her joy. Isabel's hazel eyes contrasted with the green accents of her ensemble. Seeing the beauty that the lady had grown into made her spirits soar. The young girl she knew so many years ago was gone, before her was a true woman, a true lady.
"Thank you, Carla. Looking my best will make me feel confident." Isabel smiled at her own reflection. Turning her head from side to side the earrings bobbed slightly.
"No need to be nervous my lady, you are a vision of beauty." Carla rested her hand on Isabel's shoulder trying to reassure her. "You say so Carla, but the thought of facing officer Pitman makes me uneasy. I feel so embarrassed about the whole situation." Isabel had told Carla that officer Pitman had checked on her the night before when she woke. Carla expressed her gratitude for the officer since she had been told to leave the hospital suite. Isabel decided to omit her later encounter with officer Lowe in her telling of the evening's events to Carla.
"Lady Isabel, there is no need to feel embarrassment. He was doing his duty which he is obliged to. You are doing yours by expressing your gratitude. It's the way of the world my lady, no need to be embarrassed." Carla reassured her as she walked over to the desk picking up a white handkerchief. "Here, I was able to get the blood out for you," she reached to give the handkerchief to Isabel.
"Carla you are a miracle worker!" Isabel squealed as she took the fabric, she would be able to return it.
"Not a problem miss, nothing a healthy bit of salt couldn't fix. I asked one of the stewards to deliver me some and it came out no problem." Carla beamed having made her lady so happy. "Now please relax. Enjoy some lunch, I heard from the other maids that the Café Parisien is quite delightful." Isabel picked up the handkerchief and tin along with her decorated green fan. She did a quick spin for Carla. "All good?"
Carla nodded, "always my lady, always." Carla smiled, she had not seen Isabel so sheepish in so long, so animated.
"Great, I will see you later today. If you would like to, you should go view the ship pushing off, we should be leaving Queenstown shortly." Isabel was satisfied with what Carla had done and wanted to give her a bit of fun.
"Really, you wouldn't mind?" Carla was holding in her excitement, how exciting it would be to see the ship leaving the dock.
"Of course, Carla, go and enjoy. Now I'm off!" Isabel waved at Carla and left the suite.
…
Isabel left the suite and walked down the corridor to the main area of the deck. There were people bustling about near the lift and the top of the grand staircase, everyone in a rush to get a seat for lunch of course. Looking around she saw the door leading to the promenade deck. Looking around she realized, she had no idea where the bridge was located. She walked down the promenade deck, down the stairs to B deck. 'Someone around here has to be able to help me…' She stopped and looked around when she saw a man in uniform walking up the stairs. She walked up to him and called out. "Excuse me, sir, excuse me…" She called out to him, being careful to not raise her voice too loudly.
A man wearing a blue uniform and cap turned around to face her. "I'm sorry ma'am, did you say something?" He reached for his cap as he spoke.
"Sir, I am looking for officer Pitman, he did me a great kindness and I would like to extend my gratitude. He said I might find him at the bridge." She spoke clearly and succinctly.
"It's hard to say where he might be, I'm not sure what his schedule is, and we are about to push off so he might be preoccupied. I can escort you to the bridge in the case that he is there, but I am not so sure."
Isabel guessed the man was an officer, he was dressed remarkably like officer Pitman and officer Lowe. He looked quite handsome, but his tone of voice was intimidating. He wasn't loud by any means, but he was certainly very firm. "Yes, I would appreciate that. Thank you." Isabel followed the man up the stairs back up to A deck, and up another set of steps to the deck that she had been on the night before, the Boat Deck. The rays from the sun touched her face and caused her pupils to contract rapidly. She elegantly unfurled her fan and used it to shield her eyes as they adjusted to the bright open air. He escorted her to the forward end. They passed along first-class passengers taking in the sun. Little boys ran along the railing, looking down below at the docks along the verdant land of Queenstown. As the young boys trotted along the wooden planks, young girls calmly strolled. Isabel stared at them, thinking of her time as a young girl with her father.
Isabel and the officer walked up to the boat deck and forward on the starboard side until they reached the bridge. As they approached Isabel could clearly make out the gaggle of men in uniforms, all men in the same shades of blue, some wearing caps, some wearing sailor's hats. Then she sees the man, the mustache, who had saved her the day before. "Oh, he is here, how wonderful." Isabel said out loud as she spotted him. The officer escorting her saw officer Pitman standing at the bridge, it looked as though he was about to walk around to the port side of the bridge as they approached.
"Mr. Pitman," her escort started as he reached for the retreating man's shoulder. Officer Pitman turned around to face the officer. When he saw Isabel at his side his mood clearly lifted.
"This passenger has indicated that she needs your assistance. I offered to escort her here to you, but I must leave now as we depart the port. I leave her with you now." Her escort finished and officer Pitman nodded. "Thank you, sir, I can handle it from here." The officer that had escorted her nodded at officer Pitman, turned on his heel and walked away, back in the direction they came from.
"Officer Pitman, I just came to properly extend my gratitude. Thank you for ensuring my safety as me and my lady boarded and thank you for your continued service when you came to ensure I was well in the hospital."
Herbert was soaking up the attention she was giving him, and so close to his peers. Maybe they would take notice of this beautiful lady praising him. He could not hide his glee and a smile slowly crept up onto his face.
"Lady Isabel, its no problem at all. Like I told you last night, just doing the duty that is expected of me. Besides, you thanked me yesterday, it surely wasn't necessary for you to interrupt your day to say thank you once more." He tried to sound humble, but the praise was getting to him.
"Yes, this is true, but I still wanted to properly express my gratitude—not in a sleeping gown and robe." Isabel let out a small laugh, Herbert joined her. He looked down at her hand and saw that she was holding a handkerchief and a tin box. He eyed the tin for a moment thinking that it was remarkably like those provided in the officer's mess for the office. On top of the tin was a handkerchief embroidered with letters "HGL." He looked back up to meet her gaze.
"Well miss, it was my pleasure to assist you. I would be happy to do so again at any time. I must go now; I am due to start my rounds now. I hope your trip continues to be a pleasant one, and now that you know where I am if you need anything, I expect you will come find me." Herbert flashed a smile at her, waved, and walked away.
Isabel stood there and watched his retreating figure. She saw officer Pitman approach another officer, They exchanged a few words before Pitman continued walking away. As she watched officer Pitman continue retreating, she realized that the man he had been speaking to was officer Lowe! Quickly walking over, she called out to him. "Officer Lowe!"
Harold looked up and saw Isabel. "Miss, glad to see you doing better this afternoon." Harold stood and stared. The jade jewels gleaned in the sun. Her complexion was sun kissed, her hazel eyes with flecks of gold. Her face looked fatigue, but substantially better than what she looked like the night before. She certainly did not look like the other wealthy passengers he had seen.
"Yes, I am doing much better today, thank goodness." She smiled and paused, taking a moment to stare at him. "Officer, I would like to return these to you," she extended her hand and placed the tin and handkerchief in his hand. "My lady Carla was able to clean your handkerchief. I wasn't sure if you would still want it after I used it, but it is your handkerchief so if someone were to dispose of it, it should be you." Harold looked at the items in his hand from the night before. He smiled. "Why thank you miss, that was very considerate of you."
Looking at her eyes again he saw fatigue. He started walking down the Boat Deck away from the bridge and she walked beside him as they continued their conversation, feeling the ship begin to move away from the docks as they walked.
…
Herbert approached Mr. Lowe as he saw him arrive at the bridge. "How was boarding, anything to report?" Harold stood on the bridge wearing his officer's cap. "Everything went smooth, gangways shut. Keep an eye out on the riggings near the Well Deck. I suspect someone may have been fooling around as they were sprawled out ready for someone to trip." Herbert nodded.
"Alright then. I'll see you later this afternoon." With their exchange finished, Herbert started heading to the port side for his watch. He was about to go around the corner to begin his rounds when he heard Isabel's voice calling out. Herbert's ears perked up, 'oh she needs me….' Herbert, thinking she must have forgotten something stopped and turned to greet her, already sporting a huge smile. When he turned he saw her speaking with Mr. Lowe. She handed him the objects she had been carrying, was she giving him a gift? Why was she speaking with him? 'HGL,' he thought as his smile fell. Why did she have his handkerchief, why were they walking away together?