Violet twisted at the wire fastener on the top of the bottle of champagne until it released with a pop, the cork flying. Champagne sprayed from the bottle, sloshing onto the two men who sat at the table with her. Violet laughed and began to pour the champagne into the men's glasses.
"What are we drinking to?" asked Tommy Ryan, the Irishman Violet had met just minutes before in the third class general room. People were sitting around, talking and laughing, or dancing to the sounds of the fiddle being played.
"To my baby sister!" cried Violet, holding up the bottle. "She got married today. To Melody!"
The men laughed as Violet drank champagne straight from the bottle. She tipped it back and swallowed.
Tommy took a drag from his cigarette. "So where's the man you were with last night, Violet? I saw you dancing with him."
"He's on watch. He's an officer."
"Ah," said Tommy. "Well, in that case, do you fancy a dance?"
Violet placed the bottle on the table. "I'd love to, darlin'."
Tommy took her hand. They got up and went to the dance floor, where they began to dance, whirling around with the other couples. Soon, however, they were both out of breath and went back to the table. Violet grabbed the bottle of champagne and took another generous swallow from it. She offered it to Tommy and he threw it back as well.
Suddenly, the floor seemed to jolt and a groaning noise could be heard from somewhere in the ship. The dancers stopped and the music stopped playing. Concerned cries could be heard all over the room. Tommy's lips came off the bottle and he coughed and sputtered.
"Now what in the Sam Hill was that?" asked Violet.
"I don't know," said Tommy. His eyes grew wide. "You don't suppose . . ."
"What?" asked Violet.
"You don't suppose the ship hit something, do you?"
Violet's eyes widened. She felt a sickening twinge in the pit of her stomach, but she squashed it down. She smiled and laughed. "Naw, this ol' tub's supposed to be unsinkable. Even if she did hit somethin', it's probably fine." She grinned at Tommy. "Want to dance again?" The music was beginning to pick up again.
He smiled, taking a long drink from the champagne bottle. "All right," he said.
They danced again, but though Violet was smiling and laughing, she could help but feel unnerved. Finally, she grabbed Tommy's shoulder. "Tommy, stop . . . wait."
He stopped dancing and lay his hands on Violet's upper arms. "What's wrong?"
She looked at Tommy. "I think I need to go find my parents."
Harold lay on his back with Melody lying against him, her head on his bare chest. Harold's hand rested lightly on Melody's back. Both were deeply asleep.
Melody suddenly started awake. She raised her head. Something was wrong. She looked around the room. Many of the candles had burned out, others were melted down a bit.
"The engines have stopped," she murmured. That was what was wrong. She'd grown accustomed to the droning sound of Titanic's engines, and now that it had stopped, the difference was noticeable.
She turned to Harold, shaking him lightly. "Harold, wake up. The engines have stopped."
His eyes opened and he stared at Melody sleepily. "What is it love?"
"The engines have stopped."
"What?" he sat up, putting his arms around Melody. He sat very still, listening. He looked at Melody. "You're right." He pulled back the covers and swung his legs out of bed, standing up. He grabbed his pants from the floor and began to shrug them on. He looked at Melody sadly. "I'm sorry, Melody, but I should go see what is going on."
She nodded, but frowned. "I understand. I just wish you didn't have to leave on our wedding night."
He leaned over to Melody and kissed her passionately. "I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise. Then you'll have me all to yourself again."
Melody kissed him back and ran her hand down his back.
"Mmmm . . . stop that before I lose the will to go," he said, before kissing her again.
He reached for his shoes, slipping them on and tying them before putting on the rest of his clothing. He took his hat in his hand and came back over to the bed. He kissed Melody tenderly, guiding her to lay back down against the pillows. "Go back to sleep, my love. I'll be back soon."
Melody smiled. "Hurry."
He turned with a smile and headed for the door. He felt troubled, unidentifiable thoughts tugging at his mind. He turned back to look at Melody lying in the bed. "Melody, if I don't come back in a half hour, get dressed and come up by the bridge."
Melody frowned. "Why?"
"Please just do it, all right love?" he said gently.
"All right, Harold, I will." He saw a flicker of nervousness on her face.
"Good." With that, he left the room.
Melody cocked her arm behind her head and frowned. Something about Harold's demeanor bothered her.
Violet opened the door to Constanza and Richard's stateroom and looked inside. "Momma? Richard?" She stepped in and went to their bedroom. They weren't in bed, it was still made up.
Violet began to feel panic. When she'd come out on the deck, she'd seen people at the railing, looking over it at something below the bow of the ship. She'd run up to the landing next to two second class men wearing coats over their pajamas. There were large chunks of ice all over the deck. "What happened?" she asked.
"The ship hit an iceberg," said a man wearing wire-rimmed glasses. "I think everything's fine though."
Violet's stomach lurched. The bad feeling she'd had below deck was growing stronger. She turned and headed for the first class entrance.
Inside, people were standing around whispering to each other, looking up and down the halls. Violet jumped a bit when she saw Thomas Andrews go rushing by, several rolled up blueprints under his arm. She saw the Countess of Rothes standing outside of her room, speaking with a steward. The woman's eyes were frightened—she'd seen Andrews too. Violet's eyes met hers and they stared at each other. Violet dashed down the hall past her.
Now, standing in her parents' empty room, Violet was afraid. She left the room, heading for her own suite.
She opened the door to see many of the candles she'd lit earlier burning down. To calm herself a bit, she began blowing them out.
"Vi? Is that you?" called her sister.
"Melly?" she went to the bedroom door to see Melody trying to get into her corset by herself. She went to her. "Here, Melly, let me help you."
"Vi, what's going on? The engines stopped. Harold went up to see what was going on but he hasn't come back yet."
Violet hurriedly finished tightening the laces and tied them. "The ship hit an iceberg. I don't know if it damaged the ship or not, but I saw that Andrews feller go by with some blueprints." Melody turned to face her. She looked scared. "Melly, I don't like this."
"Neither do I. Where are Momma and Richard?"
"I don't know. They aren't in their room." She went to the night table and blew out the remaining candles before moving to the dresser and extinguishing those.
"Harold told me to go up by the bridge if he didn't come back in a half hour. It's almost been a half hour." She was shrugging into a dark blue dress.
Violet went up behind Melody and hurriedly began to button the dress up for her. "Then you should go up there. I'm going to go look for Momma and Richard."
They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Melody slipped her feet into a pair of shoes and ran for the door while Violet searched for their coats. She opened the door to see a uniformed man standing there. "Yes?"
"Madam, the Captain has asked that passengers put on their lifebelts and come to the lifeboats. It's very cold outside, so I suggest dressing warmly."
"Why?"
"Nothing to worry about, Miss, routine drill. I'm sure you'll be back in your room before you know it."
Melody thanked the man and shut the door. Violet came into the room, holding their coats. "As Meemaw would say, that sounds like a load of horse puckey. Melly, go and find Harold. I'm gonna find Momma and Richard and I'll meet you up on deck." She tossed Melody's coat to her and began to put hers on.
Melody opened the closet and pulled down two life jackets, giving one to Violet. Violet shook her head. "I'll be back for it as soon as I find Momma and Richard. Ain't no big hurry. This ship is huge. If it's goin' down, we have a while."
Melody swallowed, unsure of that. She said nothing, however, and headed for the door.
Harold was on the promenade deck. Melody could see him with some other officers, talking. She stood shivering for a few moments before walking over to the railing, looking down. She gasped when she saw how high the water had come up on the bow of the ship. She turned and looked back up at Harold. He saw her.
She jumped and covered her head when suddenly the ships rockets fired, leaving green trails in the sky.
"Go inside," he mouthed at her, before dashing off in the opposite direction.
Melody looked around. Nearby stood a father holding a little girl in his arms. She saw the streaks of light in the sky and smiled, pointing at them. Melody looked back toward where Harold had gone. She began to walk in the direction of the grand staircase.
Violet ran down the deck and dashed through the first class entrance. She was nearly out of breath from searching and still hadn't found Constanza and Richard. She followed the corridor until she reached the first class smoking room. She ran inside, where she spotted Constanza sitting on a settee with Richard. "Momma!" she cried, dashing over to them. "What are you doing in here? We're supposed to be gettin' on the lifeboats." She grabbed Constanza's hand.
"No darlin'," said Constanza. "I'm stayin' right here with Richard."
"What are you talkin' about, Momma? Come on."
Richard put up his hand. "We ain't goin' nowhere, honey."
"But . . ."
"No buts," said Constanza. "We're stayin' here." She leaned forward a bit. "I need you to listen to me honey, all right?"
Violet nodded, confused.
"You know how I been coughin' a lot lately?"
Violet nodded again.
"Well honey, when we were in Rome I went to see a doctor. He checked me out and told me that I have consumption. I've been coughin' up blood since we got to Europe. I only got so much time left."
"Momma! Why didn't you tell me?"
"I wanted to wait until we got back to Texas. I didn't want to ruin this trip for you.'
"Momma . . ."
"Don't Momma me. I did what I thought right. But now I'm too sick to get on a lifeboat, honey. The chill in the air would kill me even if I did get off the ship."
"But we can bundle you up to keep you warm. Richard can help you. I can find Melly and Harold, and we'll . . ."
Constanza shook her head. "I just can't, honey."
Richard nodded. "They are only letting women and children on board, Violet. I can't leave your Momma alone."
"Please try to understand," said Momma.
"No!" cried Violet. "This is damned foolish! Now come on, Momma."
"No, Violet. Now you listen to me. I want you to find your sister and go up on deck and get in a lifeboat. You two need to get off this ship." Constanza's bottom lip quivered.
Melody was startled. Constanza never cried. She leaned down and hugged Constanza and then Richard. "I'll go, but I'm gonna see what's what and then I'm comin' back for you two."
"No, Violet . . ."
Violet ran out of the room and back toward the exit to A deck. She stopped. "The life vests," she said to herself. She turned and ran back toward their staterooms.
She burst into her parents stateroom and grabbed two life jackets before dashing back into the hall and to her own door. She picked up her life jacket and put it on. She was about to run back out the door when she remembered Meemaw's comb.
Constanza would be furious if she lost it. She ran to Melody's room, where she knew the comb would be. She found it on Melody's dressing table among the candles. She shoved it into her coat pocket. Violet turned and caught the toe of her shoe on the hem of her skirt. She pitched forward, hitting her head hard on the bedstead. She rolled onto her back, seeing stars as she slipped into unconsciousness.
Titanic had begun to list to port. Melody was starting to panic. She hadn't seen her parents or Violet. She was about to head for the first class entrance once again when Harold came running up to her. "Melody," he breathed. "Come along. I'm going to put you on one of the next lifeboats."
"I can't go yet! Momma and Richard haven't come up yet!"
He tugged at her arm. "I'm sure they've already left on one of the other boats, Melody. Please come with me." She stood fast, staring at him, her eyes hard. "Please," he said. "I'm your husband. I don't want to lose track of you."
Melody's face softened. "All right." She took Harold's hand and headed for the port side.