The Point of No Return
Chapter 7
On the morning of April fourteenth, I was pacing the small floor space in the Riley's cabin. After telling Sarah the news at dinner the night before, she insisted I spend the night in the spare bunk in their cabin. She said it wouldn't be proper for Tommy and me to share a room before we were married. And it was on Sarah's door that three small knocks came. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard them. My anxiety and excitement combined caused my mind to jump to the conclusion that it was Lovejoy and he was going to drag me away.
"Calm down, Emma," Sarah said soothingly. She gently put her hand on my shoulder and eased me down to a seated position. She sent me a soft smile and went to open the door.
I sighed with relief when it was Rose who squeezed herself in to the cramped room. I jumped back up and hugged her tightly, allowing her presence to temporarily rid my stomach of its butterflies.
"Tommy told me I would find you here," she said once I'd released her. "I brought you something." She held out her hand and I realized she had brought down one of my favorite combs.
"Thank you," I grinned and immediately went over to the small mirror and began trying to put up my hair. But my hands wouldn't stop shaking.
"Here, you just let me take care of that," Sarah said and took the comb from me. Her hands moved with agility and she had my hair done beautifully in no time.
"You look like a princess," Áine said as she smiled at me.
I let out a shaky laugh and smiled back at her. "Thanks, sweetie," I replied. It was a strange thing to get used to. Being told I looked beautiful in my most casual dresses. If I had dressed like this for tea in first class, no corset, make-up, or anything of the sort, it would be seen as improper.
"Tommy won't be able to take his eyes off you," Rose grinned.
"Speaking of, I think it's about time we go," Sarah said. "Mass is about to start. Áine, Sean, get your shoes one. Quickly now, we don't want to make Emma late for her own wedding, do we?"
OooOOooO
"Before we end today's service, as I'm sure many of you have heard by now, there are two passengers who wish to be married. Will Thomas Ryan and Emma Hockley please join me?"
Rose gave my hand a quick squeeze and flashed me a reassuring smile as I stood up. My heart felt like it was going a thousand miles a minute as I made my way up to the front of the room.
Tommy had one of those irresistible smiles on his face as I stood by his side and we joined hands. I returned the expression whole-heartedly and tried to breathe normally as Father Byles began the opening prayer.
"Father, hear our prayers for Thomas and Emma who today are united in marriage before your altar. Give them your blessing, and strengthen their love for each other. We ask you this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever."
Whenever I had been forced to attend weddings in the past, I had always felt they dragged on for ages. Yet my own seemed to pass by in a flash. Before I knew it, we were saying our vows.
"Thomas and Emma, have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage? Will you honor each other as man and wife for the rest of your lives? Will you accept children lovingly from God, and bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church? If this is so, please respond 'I will.'" Father Byles first looked at Tommy.
"I will," he said with no hesitation.
Father Byles turned his gaze to me. "I will," I replied.
"Since it is your intention to enter into marriage, join your right hands, and declare your consent before God and his Church." Tommy and I did as requested before Father Byles moved on. Once again, he looked to Tommy first and asked him to repeat after him.
"I, Thomas, take you, Emma, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life." He still hadn't stopped smiling and he adjusted our hands so that our fingers were laced together, seeming to fit perfectly together.
And then it was my turn. "I, Emma, take you, Thomas, to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life." My voice had started to crack by the end, but I managed to hold it together.
As we had discussed the night before, we skipped over the exchange of rings. Instead, he went right to saying: "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to present to you for the first time as husband and wife, Thomas and Emma Ryan. Thomas, you may now kiss your bride."
Tommy quickly pulled me into his arms, pressing his lips to mine as our fellow passengers applauded. I smiled into the kiss and wrapped my arms around his shoulders.
Rose approached and hugged us both as soon as Father Byles dismissed everyone. "I'm so happy for you," she whispered as she hugged me tight. I couldn't help but hear the hint of sadness in her voice. My heart hurt for her when I remembered she was still trapped, forced to be with my brother. I smiled at her sadly, wishing there was something I could do. "I have to get back though. I'm supposed to be at the first class service."
"It's okay," I told her. "I'm just glad you were able to be here for the service. Thank you."
"It was good of you to come, Rose," Tommy added as he slipped his arm around my shoulders.
After saying goodbye, she left quickly, no doubt wanting to get back before her absence was noticed. And I couldn't help but notice Jack disappear as soon as he noticed she was gone. I began to wonder why she had left without speaking to him, but I was quickly distracted as Tommy and I were approached by dozens of people – some who we'd met before, some we hadn't – as they came up to congratulate us.
It wasn't long before another party broke out, much like the one on Friday night had been. A wedding reception, of sorts. It seemed a bit early to be drinking, but that didn't seem to stop anyone else, so I didn't let it stop me either.
I had just finished dancing with Áine and Sean when Tommy came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "I think it's about time we got back to our cabin, Mrs. Ryan," he whispered in my ear. His warm breath on my skin gave me goosebumps and I couldn't help but blush at his suggestion. I suppressed a giggle and nodded. There was a devilish grin on his face as he took my hand and led me out of the general room. As we left I saw Fabrizio laugh and point us out to Helga and Sven, but I don't think anyone else was sober enough to care or pay much attention.
OooOOooO
At 11:40 PM on April 14th, 1912, my new husband and I were half asleep, wrapped in each other's arms. But we were both pulled out of our doze as the ship shuddered. I sat up quickly, holding the sheet to myself, and looked at Tommy in confusion. "What on Earth was that?"
He shrugged and began to get up and I heard a small splash as his feet hit the floor. "This can't be good," he said, his voice quiet. And then in an instant he was in motion. He tossed me my clothes before beginning to put on his own. "Get dressed. We need to get up on deck."
When I got out of bed I realized why he was so worried. There was already nearly three inches of water on the floor.
I know what you're thinking and here is my answer: Yes, that page break means that all the time between them leaving the reception and when they feel the impact of the burg was spent in their room. Interpret that however you will. And I will also ask you to forgive me for any mistakes I made in the wedding ceremony. I'm not really religious, let alone Catholic, so that scene was based entirely on internet research and I don't know how accurate it is.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Unfortunately, it will be the last of the happy chapters, as you probably have already figured out. As always, I have to thank you all for your wonderfully kind reviews. They really do keep me going, it just means so much to me how nice you all are.
Much love,
Meagan