The Point of No Return

Chapter 2

I ended up staying on third deck far longer than I had anticipated. Fabrizio and Jack had left us after the first hour or so, but I hadn't even realized exactly how long I had been there until Tommy pointed out that it was getting close to dinner.

"Shit," I cursed and glanced up at B-Deck, almost expecting to see Cal or Lovejoy standing there.

Tommy raised his eyebrows at my language and laughed – even though I had cursed several times throughout the afternoon, it still seemed to catch him. "Y'know, yer quite the first class lady," he said.

"Oh, I know, I have such wonderful manners," I rolled my eyes and smiled at him. "But I should probably go. That son of a bitch will probably be sending his valet out to murder me if I don't show up at dinner." I grimaced and sent a halfhearted wave before starting to leave. But once again Tommy stopped me before I could reach the gate.

"Any chance o' you coming back down tomorrow?"

"And spend another day with you?" I grinned and winked at him. "I will definitely be back tomorrow. I'll come down after breakfast." My smile widened and I leaned up quickly to kiss his cheek. He still had a look of surprise on his face as I walked back up to the first class deck.

I couldn't get him off my mind as I made my way back to my room. If my mind wasn't trying to imagine what tomorrow would be like, then it was filled with images of his face and remembering all the fun we'd had today. I wished with everything I had that I hadn't come back up. I should've asked to join him for dinner instead. The last thing I want was to leave his company.

Tommy had made me laugh harder than anyone else could. And he had a sense of freedom about him too. He said whatever was on his mind without a care of what reaction it might bring about. And that freedom seemed to be contagious. It was so easy for me to be myself around him. I could be sarcastic and make jokes, and literally let my hair down without getting scolded for it. He didn't mind that I smoked cigarettes or cursed out loud when I was frustrated.

"Welcome back, Miss Hockley," Lovejoy's ice cold voice broke me from my thoughts of Tommy. "Your brother would like to know if you'll be joining the group for dinner, or if you'll be returning to the filth of steerage."

His words filled me with a rage. "You can tell my brother that the people I've met today are worth more than all the money in the world. And I will be skipping dinner."

I shoved past him to walk into my room, but I found Cal waiting for me in there, and Lovejoy followed in right behind me. "Both of you get out of my room!" My voice had grown far too loud, and I was bound to attract attention from the people in the rooms around us. But, as I would've said if I were talking to Tommy, I really didn't give a fuck.

"How dare you talk to me that way," Cal snapped and grabbed me by the upper arms. "You are not third class trash, Emma, and I won't allow you to act like it either. You are a Hockley, damn it!" There was a glint of rage in his eye and I knew if I pushed too far, he would strike.

But sometimes I just can't help myself.

"Unfortunately," I replied and raised my eyebrow challengingly.

And that did it. One second he was glaring at me, the next I was on the floor holding my cheek.

He didn't look at me again as he started for the door. He paused in front of Lovejoy and told him, "Stay and make sure she gets ready for dinner. And then afterwards, make sure she finds her way to the dining room. Carry her there if you have to."

Trudy, one of the maids that had accompanied us on the trip, came in a moment later. I assume Cal sent her in with strict orders to get me dressed and cover the mark he had surely left on my face.

"Oh, Miss," she gasped in shock when she saw me still in the floor. She rushed over to help me up, and I almost refused. But when I saw the genuine concern in her eyes I accepted her hand and thanked her as she pulled me to my feet. I felt like she probably would have made more of a fuss, but Lovejoy's hard stare had us both moving mechanically. We knew any wrong moves would be reported to Cal.

"What would you like to wear tonight, Miss Emma?" Her voice was soft, timid even. And she looked partly horrified, realizing that she would have to help me dress with a man in the room. I would imagine we were both bothered by the same idea – that he would be standing there watching when I was clad only in undergarments while Trudy laced up my corset. I would've told her we needn't bother with the thing, but that would only get me in more trouble.

So instead, I just sent her a soft smile and a tiny nod; just enough to let her know I understood and I felt the same way. "It doesn't much matter to me, Trudy. You can pick one out for me, if you don't mind."

"Yes, Miss." The same timid voice followed by a small curtsey. I suddenly felt a surge of guilt run through me. Why should Trudy have to help me dress? Why should she have to follow orders and feel terrified of what my brother might do should she do something wrong? While I began to hate the first class even more, my thoughts once again drifted to what Tommy was doing and I wished that I was there with him.

After lacing me in to the too-tight corset, Trudy helped me into a dark purple dress which was overlaid with black lace and then sat me down at the vanity to help me with my hair. While she brushed out the knots that had formed after my day out on deck, I began working on make-up. While it was worse than I'd been expecting, I had certainly gotten off easy. I was used to Cal's bruises, and this was far from the worst one he'd given me. I covered the purple mark quickly and efficiently, so that it hardly showed at all – the only problem left was swelling, but there wasn't much I could do about that.

Trudy did my hair in a simple manner – just using a carefully placed comb to hold the top portion back and away from my face while the rest was allowed to hang down my back. Then she finished off my make-up for me – I was good at covering up marks, but I had always had trouble figuring out the specifics like lipstick and rouge and the like. If I had it my way, I wouldn't wear make-up period. It made my face feel heavy and took forever to wash away.

When she finished, the reflection in the mirror showed that I had been fully transformed back into the first class girl I was expected to be. I resisted the urge to smash the mirror and instead walked over to Lovejoy, wordlessly letting him know I was ready and wouldn't put up another fight.

We were both silent – mainly because we both knew that our hatred was mutual and we therefore had nothing to talk about – as he offered me his arm and then escorted me to the first class dining room.

Hello again!

I want to take a moment and thank you all for your kind reviews. They really did make me smile, and your support is much appreciated. I hope that all of you are enjoying reading this story as much as I am enjoying writing it. I am hoping to have the next part out sometime this week, depending on how much work my professors fork out.

Much love,

Meagan