Overprotective

Chapter IV

I woke up in the morning with a smile on my face that I didn't think could ever go away. Emma helped dress me, in a purple and off-white dress, and we didn't talk much, because I was in such a good mood I was in a cloud.

"Somebody seems happy this morning." Emma noted with a smile.

"Yes, I am." I couldn't control it.

After she was finished, I noticed I had a bit of time before Aunt Gwen came to take me for breakfast, so I grabbed the neatly folded tuxedo jacket off my dresser and went across the hall.

I knocked three times lightly, and waited for an answer. Finally Mrs. Welch came to the door. While fastening an earring into her earlobe she looked at me and asked, "What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if I might see your son, Spencer, for a moment." I discretely hid the jacket behind me, so she wouldn't be asking me why I was holding a piece of her son's clothing.

"Sure, come right in." she gestured for me to sit on the sofa so I did and waited.

A minute later Spencer entered the room, "What do you want?" he asked rather rudely.

I stood up and held up his tuxedo jacket. "I came to return this."

He reached forward and took it, and then looked at me impatiently. "Thanks. Goodbye." he turned to walk away, but I grabbed his arm.

"Why are you acting this way?"

"Because… Forget it. It's stupid."

"No, just say it."

"Last night I witnessed two silhouettes embracing in a dark, secluded corner of the deck."

"Oh…" was all I could muster to say.

"Yeah…" he crossed his arms and looked down.

"But why would that bother you? We're only friends-"

"Are you honestly that stupid, Merry? Over the past few days I've developed feelings…"

Now it was I who was staring downward, "I thought so…'

"I guess I'll just be seeing you around."

"Spence…. It was only a friendly kiss." I lied.

"That is horse shit, Meredith." he snapped, "Excuse me for the language."

"I didn't mean to upset you." I put my hand on his shoulder.

"You didn't. I just feel really idiotic."

"I wish I could fix this."

"I wish you could too."

I stood there, biting my lower lip and thinking. How could I make it up to him? "Spencer, I don't want you to be angry with me. How can I make it up to you? Your friendship means a great deal to me on this ship."

"Well…" he stared at me and smirked suggestively.

I froze for a moment. I guess the only way to get Spencer to quit being a whiney little boy was to give him what he had been wanting. I pulled him closer slowly and before I could make contact, he quickly pressed his lips to mine.

During this, I was mentally screaming at myself that this was wrong, and I felt a pang of guilt for James. I couldn't stop the racing thoughts, until I was interrupted by the realization that Spencer was forcing his tongue into my mouth.

He pulled away a few seconds later, and there I stood, wide-eyed and speechless.

I heard somebody clapping slowly and we both turned to the far corner of the room where Adam stood. "Very nice, I must say." he smirked at us both.

"I-" I looked up at Spencer, not sure what to do. "I will see you later."

"Yes, of course… Later…" he watched me leave.

I returned to my room and shut the door behind me before collapsing very ungracefully on to the sofa. I'm such an idiot! That wouldn't help anything. I was only leading him on more now. My heart was pounding, and my thoughts were racing.

A knock on the door caused me to jump. "Meredith?" my aunt's voice called from the other side.

"Coming, Aunt Gwen." I replied, and took a deep breath.

Aunt Gwen and I walked to the café again and got tea and a few scones to nibble on.

I was very quiet, thinking about how this situation could possibly get any worse. Spencer obviously had feelings for me, as did James. I liked them both, only Spencer I liked more as a friend. This was insane. Boys didn't usually like me. What was it about these two that made them attracted to me?

"Meredith?" Aunt Gwen was looking at me as I was broken from my thoughts.

"Yes?"

"It isn't polite to stare off like that."

"Sorry, Aunt Gwen."

That afternoon, I was standing by the railing, thinking. The breeze tickled my face, and once again caused my dark brown locks to escape from the pins. Only this time, I didn't mind.

"Good afternoon, Mer." James joined me by the railing.

I couldn't look at him. "Good afternoon."

"I wanted to let you know that after yesterday, I've been a much happier officer." he smiled, and I couldn't help but smile back. He placed an arm around my shoulders and led me from the railing for a stroll down the deck. I felt a bit more at ease. "You got a loose hair." he stopped and pushed the fallen strand behind my ear. "You're very beautiful."

I giggled softly, "Thank you. You're one of the few who think so."

"Now, come on. That can't possibly be true. I'm certain there must be hundreds, or perhaps thousands of men who've thought of you as beautiful. If one hasn't, he must be positively insane."

"You're flattery is causing me to blush, Mr. Moody." I grinned, while trying to cover my reddened cheeks with my hands.

He grabbed my wrists gently and moved them down. "Don't ever hide that pretty face of yours. That would be depriving the world of the beauty it desperately needs sometimes."

"James…" I couldn't come up with words to respond to that.

"Meredith…" he looked at me with the handsome stare he always had.

I leaned forward to kiss him, but then realized we were in public.

"So has your voyage been enjoyable so far?"

"Yes, actually. It has. A tad crazy at times, but none the less enjoyable."

"What have you been doing, anyway?"

"Mostly just talking to you, or the Welches, or that other girl, Clarissa. I even made friends with my stewardess, Emma. They're all very nice people. I've also been spending some quiet times in my room writing down each day's events in my journal."

"Oh, a journal? Am I part of it?"

"Now you are."

"What else have you written about?"

"Nothing really. Nothing of interest, anyway. I wish my life had more adventure in it."

"Not all adventures have to be dangerous or grave situations of which you must overcome using strength and agility, like in some books and stories. An adventure can be something that makes you feel excited. Like falling in love is an adventure. It can be the feeling of learning something new. No life is wasted with dreariness and indolence. Everyone has something in their life that stands out and makes them proud, or makes their heart beat fast. That, Meredith, is adventure."

"That makes sense." I felt stupid because I couldn't come up with an intelligent response to match that.

We kept walking along the deck, until I froze in my tracks. I saw Harold up ahead. He approached, not noticing I was there.

He stopped walking. I think he noticed now. He was looking right at me.

"Hello Harry." James greeted him politely.

"James… What's going on here?" he asked suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing to be worried about. I was merely showing this young woman around the deck."

"Oh… Well just remind my sister that crew and passengers aren't supposed to mix romantically."

I spoke up, "James, please tell my insolent brother that I am aware of that and that I do not need him looking out for me."

"Tell my sister that perhaps sometimes she needs looking out for. She can be rather stubborn sometimes, and very immature."

"Tell my brother that he is a piece of sh-"

"Enough! Do I look like a telegraph?!" James snapped out of annoyance.

I looked down out of embarrassment.

"Sorry, James." my brother said, and went on his way.

James was looking out towards the water, with an annoyed look on his face that gradually softened as he witnessed the tiny waves roll across the sea.

"James… I'm sorry. That was very juvenile of me…"

"It's alright. I just wish you would patch things up with Harry. He's a friend and colleague of mine, and you're a friend of mine too. I just want everybody to be on good terms with one another."

"I'll work on it…"

"No, you won't…"

"You don't understand, James. He abandoned me. He left my family and everything in Wales behind without caring who he hurt. I was left behind to deal with my distraught parents. I also lost my best friend and role model. Being only six years old, you can imagine how that felt."

"I understand that hurt you, Mer, but you have to move on. Being angry with him won't change a thing. The only thing you can do is move on from this. Get to know your brother again and make up for lost time. It's the only productive solution."

"I suppose you're right. I'm just angry with him. I want him to feel what its like to have family not care."

"But you obviously do care since you're so upset."

"So what if I do? Of course I care, I just don't want him to know that."

"Listen. Harry is upset. He feels awful. I think this has gone on long enough. Just go talk to him. Fix this. You won't regret it."

"I'll try. I cannot guarantee anything, but I will try to talk to him."

He put his arm around my shoulders again. "Good." he looked around to make sure nobody was near, and then lightly kissed my forehead.

We walked around the deck for a few more minutes, talking and joking about nothing in particular.

A woman approached me. "Hello Meredith." Clarissa greeted, smiling from underneath her sun hat.

"Good afternoon, Clarissa. Allow me to introduce my good friend, Mr. Moody. You may have seen him for a moment last night?"

"Oh, yes. I remember seeing him." she commented and then extended her hand to him. "I'm Clarissa Buller-Hewitt."

He gently shook her hand and smiled. "Pleasure to meet you."

"So, Meredith, I heard about this morning."

I froze, giving her the dirtiest look I could muster. "Whatever do you mean?"

"I-" then she got the hint, "I meant how you spilled a cup of tea. Dreadful, isn't it? Will that stain come out of your aunt's dress?"

I smiled at her gratefully, "Yes, I believe it will."

"I'm glad to hear it. Well I suppose I'll be off." she stated, and then continued aft.

"I should be going too. I have a shift soon." James muttered.

"Alright. Will I be seeing you later?"

"Perhaps. I may try to get some sleep during my next break, but I'll come find you sometime tonight. Don't you worry."

"Okay. I'll see you tonight." I leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, but I saw some people approaching. "Goodbye James."

"Goodbye, Mer."

I decided to head inside and see what kind of activities people were up to in there.

I turned into a corner of a corridor and saw Spencer coming my way. I tried to go back the other way before he saw me, but I was too late. "Meredith! There you are. I've been looking for you."

"Oh, hello, Spencer. I was looking for you too." I lied, so he wouldn't assume I felt odd about this morning, which I did.

"How was your morning?"

"It was fine. I drank some tea, and enjoyed some fresh air on deck."

"That's nice." he said, and then there was an awkward sort of silence between us.

"So…" I searched my mind for anything to say to break the discomforting quiet.

"Would you like to wander around?" he suggested, since we were standing right in the middle of the hall.

"Sure." he took my arm and linked it with his. Off we went, but this still didn't fix the silence.

"I-" he began to say, until he was interrupted by a dark-haired man coming towards him.

"Spencer Welch! How nice to see you again." the man greeted with an insincere smile.

"Caledon Hockley?" he asked, and the man nodded. "It's been a long time."

"Yes, it has. How is your father?" Caledon asked.

"He's splendid. How about your parents?"

"They're good. Still incredibly wealthy, so of course they are doing well." the man chuckled haughtily to himself.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"This is my good friend, Meredith Lowe." Spencer gestured to me.

Caledon took my hand, and instead of shaking it, he kissed the back. I cringed. "What sort of business is your family in, Miss Lowe?"

"My parents aren't exactly in wealthy professions. I'm traveling with my aunt, Gwendolyn Quinley. She's a widow to a railroad owner."

"Ah, yes. I think I met her two nights ago. Lovely woman."

"Yes, she is." I replied softly.

"So, Spencer, we should have a smoke sometime and discuss business. I trust your father's steel business is going well."

"Yes. Very well."

"Hockley Steel was considering buying Welch Steel Co." Caledon laughed. "That or putting you out of business entirely."

"Leave my father's business alone, Hockley." Spencer was annoyed now. I could see his face reddening and his knuckles whitening a bit as he tensed up.

"We'll see. All's fair in love and war, but not so much in business, Mr. Welch."

"Mr. Hockley, leave Spencer alone, and don't even bother with Welch Steel Co. Are you really that greedy? Is your business not profitable enough for you? Stop being a selfish jackass and leave other thriving industries alone."

Spencer was shocked, but then his lips curled into a proud smile.

Caledon looked shocked too, but this morphed into anger. "Take that back, Miss Lowe." he demanded tensely.

"No. I don't have to. I meant what I said. Now please, sir, if you will, leave us to our stroll."

"Fine. But you'll regret speaking to me in such a manner. Nobody speaks to Caledon Hockley that way, Miss. You'll surely learn that soon." he turned and began to walk away.

"You didn't have to do that, Mer."

"I know I didn't have to. I wanted to. Something about him irritates me. He acts so fake and arrogant."

"I've never liked him. Our families know each other, and I'm forced to act civil."

"I hate the way people are in this society. They're all so snooty and proper. I wouldn't fit in at all. And my aunt intends to make me a match with some wealthy bachelor. That'll be easier said than done. No gentleman is going to want a girl like me. I don't fit in."

"Sometimes it's better not to fit in. As you can see, Adam and I are different even though we were raised in this society lifestyle. I find it to be much more fun to be different and to be myself. Otherwise I'd just be one of the crowd."

"I'm glad you're not one of the crowd. That would be so boring. We're different, and it's a very good thing."

He smiled. "Yes, it is a very very good thing." He leaned in towards me, and I turned away quickly. "I should probably be off. I told my aunt I'd meet her for tea."

"Oh. Alright then. I'll see you for dinner?"

"Of course." I hurried off down the hall. Once I had found my stateroom, I shut the door behind me and leaned against it. Spencer definitely had the wrong idea. My small act of charity towards him seemed to have just made everything worse.

I waited for Emma to arrive. She showed up a little later than usual.

"Good evening, Meredith." She quickly ushered me towards my chair and began to apply powder to my cheeks. "I'm sorry I'm late."

"It's alright, Emma. It's not like you work for me."

She pulled my hair up and pinned it back. "How was your day?"

"Very… confusing." I responded.

"How so?"

"I found out Spencer has feelings for me. And we sort of kissed."

Emma let out a soft gasp, "but, miss, what about James?"

"That's the issue. I care for him, not for Spencer. I kissed him out of charity and to keep his friendship, but I fear I've only made it worse."

"What are you going to tell James?"

"I'm not going to tell him anything. I hope he doesn't find out."

"Good luck hiding that."

Emma finished my hair and make-up, and then helped hook me into a dark orange gown.

"I love this dress on you. It's stunning." she smiled.

"Thank you. It's one of the dresses I picked out myself when I went shopping with my aunt. She chose most of my outfits, but she let me have this one."

There was a knock on the door. "Meredith? We have to go now."

"Coming, Aunt Gwen. I'll be out in a moment." I grabbed my small purse off the dressing table.

Emma walked out of the door, and left after her, locking my door behind me. Aunt Gwen was waiting there in a high-necked gown.

"Come now, we'll be late." she said hurriedly as we walked.

Once at the dining hall, we searched for our usual company. My aunt spotted Mr. Welch and his wife speaking to another gentleman, and she dragged me over with her.

"Vernon, Trina, how are you?" Aunt Gwen greeted with a forced smile.

"We're well, Gwendolyn." Vernon Welch grinned at us. "How about yourself and your lovely niece?"

"We're very well, thank you. Right, Meredith?" she looked to me.

"Yes, ma'am. We're doing marvelous. Thank you for asking, sir." I stated politely. Aunt Gwen seemed pleased.

"Will you both be sitting with us tonight?" Trina Welch asked.

"Yes, we will be. Where will we sit?"

An older woman came over to us. "Katharina Welch? How are you?"

"I've been wonderful." Trina turned to us, "Go find a table and my family will join you soon."

So Aunt Gwen and I found a vacant table and sat down while we waited for the others to join us.

"Hello, Meredith." I looked up and saw Spencer standing behind my chair. He sat in the chair beside me.

"Hello, Spencer." I replied softly. "Where's Adam?" I asked, hoping to start a conversation that wouldn't be awkward.

"I'm not sure. I haven't seen him all afternoon. He's probably sneaking around with Clarissa."

"I take it your parents still aren't alright with her?"

"Not one bit. But Adam is infatuated with her, and I also think she's a great girl. Whatever happens, happens, right?"

"Right." Mr. and Mrs. Welch arrived at the table to join us.

"Spencer, where's your brother?" Trina inquired.

"I think he was feeling a bit ill this afternoon. He said he might go lie down." Spencer lied.

His mother nodded and turned to converse with somebody else.

"Nice save." I commented to him.

Dinner wore on, as did the boring chatter amongst the elder adults. I ate slowly, occasionally interrupted by a comment from Spencer. We didn't talk much though.

After dinner, I felt somebody pulling on the back of my seat. It was Spencer attempting to gentlemanly pull out my chair for me.

"Thank you." I turned to follow my aunt, when Spencer's hand caught my elbow.

"Merry, it's a nice night out. Would you like to… take a walk… with me?" he asked awkwardly.

I felt bad turning him down, so I agreed. He linked arms with me and we headed up to the boat deck.

"So…." I hissed, searching my mind for words to start a conversation with.

"I was thinking, Mer… about this morning."

"What about it?" I asked hurriedly.

"Well, I just can't get it out of my mind. I felt something between you and I. Something unavoidable, Merry. I know I've only known you since Wednesday, but I do care for you. I want you to know that."

"Well," I was a bit taken aback, although I knew this all very well already, "I care about you too." I meant I cared as a friend, but I knew if I said it that way he'd be hurt.

"Yes, but do you care for me? In a romantic way as I do for you." he stared at me expectantly.

"I-" I stammered a few times, trying to figure out a delicate way to put it. "Of course." I looked down at my feet, feeling remorse for my lie.

He wrapped his arms around me tightly. "Oh, Mer!" he was stroking my hair, "Merry, I'm so glad to hear that."

"What's all this?" we pulled apart to see James standing there looking on.

"James…" I said, staring at him, and then looking back and forth between him and Spencer.

He was quiet, suspiciously looking at us.

"Good evening, sir." Spencer greeted and then from behind me wrapped his arms around my shoulders. "Wonderful evening, isn't it?" I could sense by the tone which he spoke in that he was smiling uncontrollably. He began to nuzzle his face into the crook of my neck and collarbone. I froze.

"I suppose so…" James answered slowly, "What is going on? Meredith?" he looked to me.

I was silent. I didn't know what on earth to say. I was caught, and the jig was up.

"We kissed this morning. She told me her kiss with you was merely a friendly one." Spencer explained, and I could now see the anger building up inside James.

"James, wait. I- I can explain this entire misunderstanding."

"I'll just leave you and your lover alone." James said in a tone that stung me emotionally. He proceeded to turn away.

I caught his arm. "James! No! He is not my lover. You have to believe me!" I begged.

"I don't think I'll ever let myself fall so fast for a lady again, if one could even call you that. I should have expected I'd get hurt." his eyes bore a hole right through my heart. He escaped my grasp on his arm and left.

I didn't stop him, instead I turned to Spencer. "You imbecile! Why?! Why did you have to ruin everything?!"

"Because I care for you. You told me it was only a friendly kiss with him! I heard you say that you cared for me too…"

"Well, I don't. The kiss we shared was the friendly one. I cared for James, Spence. Not you. We're just friends. Although right now, I don't even think we're that."

"Fine by me." he crossed his arms.

"Fine." I tried to hold back tears as Spencer stormed off, and I was left standing all alone.

Sorry that took a while. Thank you for reading chapter 4 of Overprotective. It is now the evening of April 13th, 1912 in the story. One more day until the collision. What events will occur? You'll just have to read chapter 5 to find out. Thanks. Chapter 5 will be up soon. Please review. Love, Kell.