Overprotective
Chapter V
I cried myself to sleep, and in the morning I awoke to a soaked pillow underneath where my eyes lay and dried tears around my puffy lids. I rose from my bed and stumbled over to the dressing table to look in the mirror. I looked a mess. I looked like I hadn't slept in ages.
There was a knock on the door. "Come in," I mumbled, not moving at all and still staring at the mirror.
Emma walked in, "Hello, Meredith. How-" she took one look at me, "Oh, good lord, what happened to you?"
"Nothing." I whined, while trying to hold back tears, "I'm fine, see." I attempted to force a smile, "I'm happy. Everything is alright."
"I don't believe that for a second." she kneeled beside me. "What happened?"
"Everything fell apart last night, Emma. Everything… James found out about Spencer, and it just created a huge mess. I don't know what to do. James will likely never speak to me again, and I really do not want to see Spencer right now. I broke both of their hearts." I began to sob again.
"Oh, Meredith, I'm sorry. There's no way to make it up to them?"
"I don't think so. Now I've lost a friend and a man I really cared for."
"It's all going to be okay. I'm sure it will work out eventually." she tried to sooth me.
"No, it won't!" I whined, "It's utterly hopeless…"
There was a knock on the door. "Meredith. It's Aunt Gwen. Are you ready to go?"
My heart skipped a beat, "No, Aunt Gwen. Couldn't you go to the church service without me? Please?"
"Why? What's wrong?" she asked through the door. She didn't sound like she cared, she just wanted to know for the sake of knowing.
"Nothing." I stated plainly.
"Meredith, it is not polite to carry on a conversation through a door. Let me in."
I looked at Emma, who nodded sympathetically and went to answer the door.
"My God! What happened to you?" my aunt rushed to me, "You look dreadful!"
"Thanks…" I spoke under my breath, and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand.
"Meredith Wynne Lowe, I demand that you tell me this instant why you're in this state? What happened?" she asked strictly.
"I had a slight altercation with a friend. That's all." I was still viciously wiping my eyes. Emma offered me a handkerchief which I gratefully accepted.
"Well… You're sure you don't want to go to the morning service with me? I could wait a little while for you to get cleaned up." Aunt Gwen said softly. I smiled at this offer, but declined.
"I'd rather just stay here for a while. Also I don't wish to hold you up. Go without me, and I'll see you later."
"Alright. If you're sure. Fine." she turned and left, shutting the door behind her.
"Now, let's clean you up." Emma said and took her handkerchief back. She began to wipe my eyes gently with it. "We're going to make you look gorgeous."
She went on to fix my hair to be in loose ringlets, and she applied my make-up in a way that nobody would ever have guessed I had spent the entire night crying. I looked normal again, but I certainly didn't feel that way.
She tied me into my corset, and my mind was elsewhere so I barely noticed the pain.
Emma then helped me into a white undershirt that gave me just an appropriate amount of cleavage, and a maroon skirt with a matching jacket. I looked ravishing, but for who? Now that James hated me, who did I have to look beautiful for today?
"You look ravishing." Emma smiled at me, "Now cheer up. Your smile is too pretty for you not to show it off."
"Thanks." I replied softly, staring down at my hands.
"Keep your chin up, Meredith. It will all work out. Trust me."
I nodded, "I'll try."
Emma left, and I plopped onto my bed. I wanted to just stay here all morning, but I also felt restless. If I stayed in this room, I'd just be alone and miserable. So I decided to go out on deck, assuming everybody went to the Sunday morning service and would be occupied for at least another hour.
I stared out at the ocean, and slowly walked to the railing. I stared down at the small waves caress the ship's hull.
I took a deep breath in, and then I slowly let it out. I took another deep breath, and then I was interrupted by a tap on my shoulder. I spit out the air and turned to see Adam behind me.
"Why are you out here and not at the morning service?" I asked with my hand to my chest. He'd nearly given me a heart attack.
"I was going to ask you the same." he stood beside me at the railing, also looking at the glistening waves. "I heard about last night."
"Oh…" was all I said, trying not to cry again. I couldn't cry. I wouldn't let myself. Not in public.
"Yea…. Spencer came in last night crying. He rarely does that. I asked him what happened and he told me the whole story. He's been pretty upset all night."
"Poor him." I said bitterly.
"I suppose you had a difficult night as well."
I turned to him with wet eyes. I couldn't hold it in entirely no matter how hard I tried. "What do you think?!" I let out a sob, and furiously wiped away one escaped tear.
He put his hand on my back just over my shoulder blade. "Meredith, stop. Please."
I took a deep breath. "This is all so idiotic. I can't wait to get off this god-awful ship. I don't think I've ever wished for New York to be closer."
"Spence feels awful, Mer. He was telling me this morning how he wishes he could find some way to put everything back in place. He wishes he could make you not angry with him anymore."
"I'm sorry, but as of right now nothing he says or does can make this better."
"Clarissa is avoiding me." he said, changing the subject.
"What happened?"
"I'm not sure. She fell ill this morning, and when I asked if I should escort her to the doctor she got very defensive."
I nodded. I understood why. Clarissa was experiencing morning sickness.
"Don't worry. Probably just a bout of sea-sickness. That's bound to make a person irritable. She'll come around once she's feeling better."
"I hope. Over the past few days I've really come to care about her, you know? If she was sick I'd want to take care of her." he smiled, "She's really beautiful. Her hair is like golden silk, and she has this sort of glow about her. She's radiant, and she lights up any room she walks into. Don't her eyes remind you of a lake? They have that pale green color. I can't help but stare."
I smiled back at him. It was adorable how much he cared about her. "She is one of the prettiest girls I've ever met." That was the truth. I was almost jealous of how beautiful Clarissa was, and her ability to, as Adam put it, light up any room she enters.
"How she ever came to like me I'll never know. I don't deserve such riches. I don't even deserve to be on the same ship as such beauty."
"Oh shush. You do too deserve to be on the same ship as her, and she likes you because you care and you make her laugh. She's been going through some rough times lately and needs a laugh every now and then."
"Rough times? Like what? What happened?" he asked worriedly. I shouldn't have said that.
"Nothing." I answered after hesitating for a moment, "Nothing at all. Really."
"Are you certain?" he stared at me suspiciously.
"Yes. Of course, Adam. Leaving England was hard for her. That's what I meant."
"Alright." He dropped the subject, and I sighed a breath of relief.
"Why are you out here?" I asked again, remembering we'd strayed from that subject.
"I didn't feel like attending the church service. I also noticed your aunt leaving your room without you, and I thought I should find you to make sure you're alright."
"Well, I'm fine. Thank you. I'm just feeling like a pretty awful person now. Look at the mess I made." I put my forehead on the railing.
Adam placed his hand on my back and rubbed it soothingly, "You're not an awful person, Mer. And everyone makes mistakes. The worst mistake though would be not taking any measures to fix what you've done. Trust me, this is mendable."
I picked up my head and nodded. I knew there was one way to show James I cared. It was something I dreaded, but perhaps this action could prove to James that he's important to me. I had to go find my brother…
Adam walked with me for a little while, and we just talked about life back home. I believe he was being friendly and trying to calm me down. It was working.
The morning church service finally let out and a few people had come onto the deck to enjoy the sunshine. To my displeasure, Spencer was one of them.
He stopped as soon as he saw Adam and I, and only stared.
Adam put his hand on my back and led me forward. "Adam." I hissed, "Stop. What are you doing? I don't want to-" and suddenly I was right in front of Spencer.
"Hello, Meredith." he said nervously.
"Hello." I responded bitterly, crossing my arms and looking away from him.
"Well, perhaps I should be going." Adam said and walked away.
"I should be going too." I turned to leave.
"No, wait!" Spencer said and I turned around, "Merry, I'm sorry."
"That's nice."
"I really am. Perhaps you are too…"
"Why are you looking for an apology from me?"
"Because you lied to me. You told me you cared for me. Did you really think that this entire situation would work out in your favor if you lied?"
"I wasn't exactly thinking. All I knew was that you didn't want to be my friend if we weren't something more."
"You could have told me the truth."
"I did!" I yelled exasperatedly. "You didn't want to speak to me then, remember?"
He was quiet. He knew I was right.
"Spencer, just leave me alone. I need to fix this mess somehow. I don't know how to do it, but I will. Good day." I walked past him, towards the bow of the ship.
Up ahead I saw my brother, Harold, speaking to another crew member. I got a feeling of butterflies in my stomach, and as much as I was dreading this, I knew it had to be done. James wanted me to make peace with my brother, so now was the moment.
I began walking towards him, and it took a moment for me to register that I was actually moving. There was not turning back now. "Harold." I said as I was right in front of him.
He looked surprised, "Meredith…"
"I was wondering if I might speak to you."
"Sure." he looked to the other crew member who seemed to get the hint and left. "I thought you wanted me to leave you alone."
"I did. But now I feel like I really need to talk to you."
"Why the sudden change of heart?"
"I promised a friend of mine that I'd try to fix our situation."
"Your situation. I tried to be nice, but you wouldn't let me into your life. You made this a situation."
"I believe we're both at fault. Anyhow, I made a mistake and now that friend is angry with me. I need to set things right, and one way to do that is to settle our dispute."
"So this isn't because you actually want to talk to me. This is about you trying to mend a friendship? You're so unbelievably selfish, Mer."
"Harry, I-" I took a deep breath and prepared for what I was about to say, "I actually did want to talk to you. I've wanted to for days. I've just been so angry with you. I was hurt, and I didn't want to forgive you."
"I'm sorry I hurt you. I just don't understand how. I went to go make a life for myself."
"But you left me. Harold, you don't understand, but you were my hero. I looked up to you and when you left I was alone. When I was six I didn't have many friends. I played with you, and then suddenly you just up and left without any explanation."
"I said goodbye."
"You told me you were going away for a little while and that you'd be back soon and you'd take me fishing. Well it's been fifteen years, Harry. That's a little more than 'soon'. You were never going to come back, were you?"
He looked down, ashamed, "Probably not…."
"Our mother was distraught for weeks, and father wouldn't even talk to anybody."
"It was because of him I left. He wanted to make me an apprentice, but I wanted to be paid for my work."
"I waited for you to come back. I'd sit on the swing in our front yard, every single day for a year, waiting for you to return. You never did. And all I wanted was for my best friend to come home…" I fell forward and wrapped my arms around him. I believe he had a surprised look on his face, but then embraced me as well.
"Merry, I'm sorry. I really am."
"I was just a little girl, Harry. I needed a role model and you left. You abandoned me."
He kissed my cheek, "I'm not going anywhere at the moment."
"But you will be. I'll be in New York, you'll be at sea. We won't see each other again."
"I can visit you in New York, and I will. That's a promise I'm definitely going to keep. Believe me."
"Please don't abandon me again…" a tear escaped from my eye and was absorbed into his blue officer jacket.
"I won't, Merry. I promise."
I loved how he was calling me Merry. Spencer did sometimes, but it was so much better to hear it from my brother. He used to call me that all the time when I was a child. He was one of the only people I let call me that. I was Meredith to everybody else. Although now I couldn't stop the Welch boys from calling me Merry, so I just gave in and let them.
"Would you like some tea?"
"Sure." I nodded, and he led me to the bridge and into a room called the officer's mess hall. It was a small room with tables and a little kitchen attached to it. I sat down at one of the tables.
"I'll be right back. I'm going to make the tea." he disappeared into the kitchen to put on a the teakettle.
I looked around at the plain white walls that were the same shade as the hallways. The wooden tables were sturdy, and everything seemed clean for the most part. That was the thing about new ships. Everything was clean and used for the first time. Even my room, which would be used for many voyages to come, would still have been slept in first by me. Such a magnificent ship she was. Shame this was the only chance I'd have to be on her.
Suddenly the door to the mess hall opened and James walked in. Upon seeing my face, he started towards me. Oh no…
He sat down in the seat across from me. "Hello, Meredith."
I was silent. Why was he speaking to me? He was angry with me. I was puzzled out of my mind.
"It's alright, Mer. I'm not mad at you."
"What?" now I was very confused.
"I spoke to your friend. Mr. Welch. He came and found me a little while ago."
"What did he say?"
"He told me that he liked you and that he sort of pressured you into kissing him. You just didn't know what to do and he was too stubborn to take no for an answer."
I nodded, because it was true. I couldn't believe Spencer found him and told him what really happened.
"I was actually about to smash his face in for it, but we were able to have a calm man to man conversation and sort this all out. We were able to come to a conclusion." he stood up and moved to sit in the seat beside me.
"And what conclusion would that be?"
He leaned in towards me slowly, "That you're still mine." and he kissed me softly, then pulled away with a smile. I grabbed his shoulders and pulled him to me again to kiss him strongly, surprising him and myself by my boldness. We didn't part until we heard the clearing of somebody's throat. There was Harold standing before us holding two cups of tea.
"James… What on earth do you think you're doing to my little sister?" I've never seen his eyes so wide before.
"Oh… Harry… I was just-" he had no idea what to say to get out of trouble. Neither did I. "There really is no explanation for this other than I care for her."
"Do you both have any idea how bad this is? Crew and passengers are not supposed to mix romantically. You could get in trouble, plus my little sister is too young for you, James."
I sighed, "Harold, I'm twenty one years old, in case you've forgotten. I can do what I please, and he's only three years older than me. That's not a huge difference."
"Fine." he looked to James, "Just know that if you break my sister's heart or hurt her in any way, I'll hurt you twice as bad. And please do keep the kissing to a minimum when I'm around."
"Will do, sir." he saluted sarcastically.
"Moody, I am senior to you in ranking. Do not test me." Harold said sternly, and then broke into a smile, "Now go grab a cup of tea and sit with us. That's an order."
He followed my brother's orders and joined us at the table. Harold dug out a pack of playing cards and they taught me how to play blackjack. I was a rotten card player, and I lost nearly every round. I got lucky only twice. Harold and James were both very competitive with each other.
Around six o'clock I had to rush back to my room to meet Emma so she could help prepare me for dinner. She was there waiting for me when I arrived, and I opened my door to let her in.
"Judging by the smile on your face everything is good now?" Emma asked, while looking through my wardrobe for a dress.
"Yes, everything is perfect. You were right. Everything worked out fine. Spencer went to James and fixed the whole problem, and I even talked to my brother."
"That's great, Meredith." she pulled out a dark navy blue dress with black beads, "How about this one? It's stunning, and it will really bring out your eyes."
"That dress will be perfect, Emma." She helped me into it after she tightened my corset. "This dress makes your eyes look bluer."
She then touched up my make-up, and moved on to my hair, "Do you want me to leave it down in the loose ringlets instead of pinning it up? It still looks beautiful, in my opinion."
"Pin a few back away from my face, but leave the majority of it down." I suggested, and she listened. I smiled at my own reflection in the mirror. I did look good, and I had Emma to thank for that. "You did a wonderful job, Em. Thank you."
"You're very welcome, Meredith."
Aunt Gwen knocked on my door.
"I'll be seeing you later, Emma." I smiled as we walked to the door.
My aunt was waiting there in a modest, ivory gown. "Meredith, dear, are you feeling better now?"
"Yes, Aunt Gwen, I am. I feel much better."
"Everything has been worked out?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good. Now let's go eat. I'm starved."
She and I once again proceeded to the first class dining hall on D deck.
There I saw the many people all dressed in their best, as usual. Back home I rarely saw anybody in clothing like this, and the only time anybody wore their nicest clothes was for church on Sundays. But those outfits were nothing compared to these extravagant gowns.
I saw Spencer a few feet away from me. He looked sad, and I smiled at him so he'd know everything was okay. He nodded back at me, but still didn't appear to be any happier.
Aunt Gwen and I sat with the usual company of Mr. and Mrs. Welch, Adam, and Spencer, and a few other people I didn't know very well. Adam decided to sit beside me to my left, and Aunt Gwen was on my right. Beside her was Trina Welch, then Mr. Welch, and then Spencer who looked distraught still.
"What's wrong with Spencer?" I asked Adam quietly.
"He's upset that another man has you. But he's happy that you're happy."
"I hate seeing him like this. But what can I do?"
"I'm not sure. I'll attempt to talk some sense into him later. He's just been having a rough day."
I decided to change the subject to get my mind off of Spencer. "Have you spoken to Clarissa yet?"
"Not really. I went by to see her, but she said she was busy. Although she wouldn't specify with what. I don't know why, but I'm afraid she doesn't want to talk to me anymore."
"That's impossible. I'll go see what's up with her after dinner, if you'll talk to Spencer for me and find out a way I can fix this. I owe him anyway, since he spoke to James and everything is better now. I want to patch things up."
"You got a deal."
So after dinner, I went in search of Clarissa. I found her, leaving the table in the corner of the room, where I assumed she had been eating alone.
"Clarissa!" I called to her, waving my hand so she'd see me. She looked up like a frightened fawn.
"Meredith. How lovely to see you." she stated unenthusiastically. "What brings you here?"
"I was eating dinner." I responded, trying not to sound insulting. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, of course. I'm fine." she began walking away.
"And you actually expect me to believe that?"
"Yes, Mer. Now leave me."
"What is going on?" I grabbed her arm somewhat harshly. "Adam says you won't even speak to him."
"I don't know what he's talking about. I did talk to him."
"Barely. Come on, Clarissa. Tell me what's wrong." she looked into my eyes and sighed.
"Fine…" she pulled me over to the side of the room. "This morning I got sick, and Adam was suspicious. I almost told him the truth… But I got too scared to. And then I've been paranoid out of my mind that he knows."
"He has absolutely no clue. He just thinks you don't want to see him anymore."
"That's not it at all. I do want to see him, I'm just afraid of how he'll react."
"If he cared about you as much as he says he does, and believe me he does, then he'll understand."
"I'm so afraid of his mother telling him, because I'm sure she knows. She's done nothing but judge me for the past four days. This is why I won't eat dinner with them, and why I've been trying to stay away from a lot of people. I'm afraid of somebody saying something about me being pregnant. If he finds out I want it to be from me, but I'm too afraid to tell him."
"Calm down. It's all going to work out." I attempted to make her stop rambling because I could tell she was getting more upset.
"How can I calm down? It's all I can think about."
Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. "I have a way to get your mind off of it. Come with me."
I led her down to my room, and we waited about twenty minutes. "Meredith, what are we waiting for?" she asked, when suddenly there was a knock.
I answered the door and there was Emma. I stepped aside to let her in, but she immediately froze upon seeing Clarissa. "Who's she?" she whispered to me.
"A friend of mine. Emma, meet Clarissa Buller-Hewitt. Clarissa, meet Emma Winfield."
Clarissa stood up from my chair and stretched out her hand to Emma. In return she nervously curtsied.
"Emma, stop. Clarissa isn't going to care if you act like a stewardess or not."
"Yes, honestly, I don't mind." Clarissa still had her hand held out.
Emma shook her hand nervously and smiled, "So, what's going on?"
"I thought we could all get together and talk or something. You're both nineteen, and I assumed you'd get along well. Plus, you have no idea who Clarissa is, right? You've never even heard of her until now?"
"I don't really know much about the passengers here except for the gossip I heard occasionally, but I've never heard a word of her."
I turned to Clarissa, "See, here is a person with no clue of anything about you, not even who you are. Here is somebody who will not judge you."
"Good, because I need somebody not to judge me. I've gotten enough dirty looks on this ship."
Emma spoke up, "I'm not even going to inquire as to why. It doesn't matter to me."
Clarissa grinned and turned to me, "I like this girl."
I laughed, "Me too."
We sat around, talking for a while, when Clarissa had an idea. "Why don't we go for a walk? Em, would anybody notice you're out?"
"Well the uniform is a sort of dead giveaway that I'm not supposed to be hanging around passengers." she gestured to her stewardess outfit.
I rushed to my wardrobe and pulled out a long maroon coat, "Here, put this on." I handed it to her and then Clarissa took the white hat out of her hair. "Now nobody will know you're a stewardess. We just have to avoid any of your coworkers."
We went up to the deck, and since by now it was about half past eleven, it was nearly abandoned.
"I haven't really been out on the deck much. My work is mainly inside and then I just go back to my quarters while off duty." Emma stated. There was a handsome fellow who looked a little younger than thirty years old a bit further down the deck staring at her, and she was staring back.
"Ooh, I think someone has taken a liking to you, Miss Emma." Clarissa teased.
"Yeah, Em, looks like you've got an admirer." I said, and she giggled, still looking at the stranger.
Suddenly I heard a few yells from far away. I couldn't understand what was being said from where I was, but it didn't sound good.
"What do you think all the yelling is about?" Emma asked, and I was about to respond when I saw a large looming figure ahead.
"Ice…" Clarissa gasped
The ship was slowly turning, and we looked about to miss it, but then there was a slight rumbling beneath my feet as the hull of the ship collided with the iceberg. A few chunks fell onto the deck, and I pushed my friends back even though we weren't exactly near the ice.
We passed the iceberg, and a few people were not looking over the side of the ship to see the damage.
"Do you think it's anything serious?" Emma asked.
"No, likely nothing more than a close shave. It's going to be alright. The Titanic's crew is more than capable to deal with this." Clarissa commented and then they both looked to me, waiting for my say on the matter.
"I think we ought to head inside. Come." I led them back to B deck towards my room, where I met Adam in the hall.
"Meredith, did you girls see what happened? We felt something, and the engines have stopped."
"We've hit an iceberg. We saw it. I'm not sure how bad it is though." I told him.
"Come into our room. Please." he opened the door to his family's staterooms.
Clarissa and I entered, and Emma stayed back, "I'd best go see if there's anything I can do. I'll see you later." she took off my coat and handed it to me.
In the main room, Mrs. Welch was sitting on the sofa, and Mr. Welch was leaning against the mantle. Spencer was standing in the far corner.
They saw Clarissa standing behind me. "What is she doing here?" Trina asked rudely.
"Mother, don't speak to her that way." Adam snapped.
"Well, I don't want her hanging around you, dear."
"I'll just leave." Clarissa was shaking slightly, I could see it.
"No!" Adam grabbed her arm, "Stay. Please." then he turned to his mother, "What problem do you have with her? She's sweet, beautiful, and in our class. What more could you want? Tell me, why do you hate her?"
"Please, Adam, just let me leave. I don't wish to stay here any longer." she wished to run. I wanted to help, but I didn't know how. It wasn't my place to interrupt.
"No, Miss Clarissa. Stay." Trina Welch smiled evilly, "Adam, let me tell you what I've heard about your little miss sunshine over there. Do you remember your Uncle Louie's friend, Mr. Tyrus Barks? The man you met that afternoon, along with his lovely wife, Sophie?"
"Yes, I remember him, but I don't see what he has to do with anything. I've met him once." I saw Adam grab Clarissa's hand and hold it tightly.
Clarissa was shaking more now, and she had a look of utter shame on her face.
"His wife almost left him last month, because he was having an affair with a nineteen year old harlot."
"She is not a harlot!" I yelled, and then stepped back meekly, surprised I had just said that.
Adam looked at Clarissa, completely shocked. "You… You had an affair, with Mr. Barks?"
She couldn't even muster a nod.
"What's more is that I hear she's also carrying his love child. He knows, of course. Almost everyone does. But he sent Clarissa packing. Now she's here, making a mockery of herself by gallivanting around the Titanic with my son."
"Are you really carrying his baby, Clarie? Is all of that true?" Adam looked her straight in the eye, and she diverted her gaze.
"Yes." she muttered. "It's all true."
"Wait, but isn't Mr. Barks like, fifty?"
"He's forty one." Clarissa answered softly, near tears. "I should be going." she turned to leave, when a steward knocked on the door.
"Sorry to convenience you all, but the Captain would like everybody on the boat deck as soon as possible in warm clothing and lifebelts." he stated politely.
"Thank you. We'll get right on that." Vernon Welch answered from where he was sitting.
The steward moved on to the next room, and Clarissa fled to the hall. I went after her, and Adam followed. To my surprise, so did Spencer.
"Clarissa…" Adam began to say something, but wasn't sure of the words.
"I'm so sorry, Adam. I should have told you. I'm damaged goods. I know you want nothing to do with me, and I'll just be going back to my room where I'll be spending the remainder of the trip." she was struggling to hold back a sob.
Adam placed his hands on her shoulders. "Clarie, I want you to tell me what happened, in your own words."
"Well…" she took a deep breath, still holding back her sadness, "I was vacationing in France with family, and Mr. Barks was on a business trip. One thing led to another, and the affair continued in London. I thought we were in love. He told me I meant everything to him and that I was the one he wanted to spend his life with, but when his wife learned about me, he told me it was over. Just like that." now she covered her mouth to suppress a sob, "Tyrus wouldn't fight for me."
Adam looked her intensely in the eyes, "I'll fight for you." she sniffled and looked at him too, searching his eyes for a glimmer of sincerity. I assume she found it, because she then threw herself against him, molding against his body in a tight embrace. He stroked her hair gently, "I swear to you, I'll fight tooth and nail just for the chance to be with you, Clarie. I don't care about Mr. Barks, or about the baby. I'll help you through this."
"But, I don't wish to be a burden. You're family won't allow it-"
He cut her off. "I don't give a damn about my family. I can make it fine on my own. I want to be with you."
She kissed him softly, and I smiled. He was sweet, and just the kind of man that Clarissa needed.
I looked over at Spencer only to find he was looking at me as well. I think he had been the whole time because I could feel his eyes boring a hole into me.
Spencer cleared his throat and announced, "I hate to break up this display of love, but we ought to get up to the deck like the steward told us."
"He's right. Whatever this is, it cannot be good. Let's go." Adam said, taking Clarissa's hand.
Then up we went to the boat deck, with no clue as to what was in store.
Sorry for taking a while. This is the longest chapter so far. I hope it didn't disappoint. Anywho, the sinking has begun, Clarissa's secret is out, Mer is continuing her fling with James, she's mended things with Harold, and Spencer is still being emotional and sulky. At least he felt bad enough to explain things to James and fix everything, so he isn't that selfish. I hope you'll all continue reading. I'll get chapter 6 done soon. It should be pretty exciting. Please review. I love getting reviews. They let me know people are actually reading and enjoying. Thank you. Love, Kell.