For once, Sarah thought, Cora seemed right. Her eyes darted over the side of the ramp as they climbed towards the entrance of the vessel. There were hundred of faces looking up, waving to presumably friends and family who had already boarded and were hanging over the rails, peering down through the steam. A jolt of fear shot through her as her gaze switched, looking past Cora's head and sticking onto the huge metallic monster. It made her feel slightly dizzy, and never had she felt so small and insignificant. She glanced at Cora nervously, swallowing hard as they reached the top.
"Good morning, madam. Welcome to Titanic."
She heard Cora busy herself with the officer.
"If you'd like to follow this gentleman, Lady Grantham, he shall show you to your suite."
They followed a young man to their suite, which was just as grand, if not more, as some of the rooms in Downton. The last of their luggage was being carried into a side room. O'Brien peered into the room, nodding a small thanks to the the last of the men as they made their exit from the suite. Luckily, they hadn't packed much. Well, she hadn't. Cora's cases were full to the brim with dresses and shoes and hats, and god knows what else she thought important to bring.
"This is the main lounge, my lady." she heard their guide saying to Cora. "Your bedroom is just there," his voice was traveling around, obviously showing Cora each room. "This is your maids rooms, and there are two storage rooms for your belongings. It's White Star Line policy that each room has a sufficient amount of lifejackets for its passengers, but I wouldn't worry about that. This door leads outside, to your private deck area. If you have any questions regarding your voyage, my lady, please do not hesitate to ask."
"Thank you." She heard Cora say, and the gentleman left. O'Brien took off her coat and hat and began her work on sorting the luggage out. She found it very difficult to get excited over her room. She doubted very much that it would be much different to to her room back at Downton - small and grim. It was better than nothing, she supposed. She had visions of her being shoved in a cage like room in third class... Or even worse, steerage. A small shiver ran down her spine. Technically, she wasn't a first class passenger, or even a second. But she certainly wasn't going to be seen dead down there! She snorted to herself, closing the door of the closest as she finished sorting Cora's clothes out. Steerage!
"O'Brien? Would you come here?"
Her eyes did a last swoop of the now tidy room before she went back into the main room, but Cora wasn't there. Her gaze flickered to the door which led outside, now stood ajar. She made her way not the deck, the salty ocean air hitting her in the face. Cora was stood at the railings, gazing out into the distance. She turned to look at O'Brien as she approached, flashing her a small smile.
"All finished?" Yes you, daft cow. While you've been out here admiring the sea, I've been sorting all of your bloody clothes!
"Yes, m'lady, everything's been put away."
Cora said nothing else, but turned back to gaze outwardly again. O'Brien turned to look, too. There was complete open space, miles and miles of nothing but ocean. There was an occasional sparkle from the evening sunlight bouncing off the surface, but that was it. She never thought she'd see anything as big as the ship they were on, but even the ship seemed tiny compared to the sheer openness of the ocean.
"It does give one a sense of complete insignificance, doesn't it?" O'Brien said nothing, glancing quickly at Cora as she spoke. "I do love voyages, though the Atlantic air is a bit too cold for my taste." The Countess hummed pleasantly before turning back to O'Brien. "Have you ever traveled by ship before, O'Brien?"
"No, m'lady." she responded, shaking her head.
"Really? What a shame... I can't wait for you to see New York, it's such a change from Yorkshire." She flashed O'Brien another smile. Another silence fell between them. Cora seemed deep in thought, perhaps reliving memories of her childhood home. O'Brien stood awkwardly, not wanting to disturb Cora's trail of thought. She pushed her attention back to the horizon, a sudden influx of memories and visions of Yorkshire and Downton spilling into her mind. Perhaps this is what Cora enjoyed so much... The openness of the ocean seemed to wipe her brain of any current concerns or worries, and she instead delved into memories of the past. What a strange feeling!
Her eyes snapped back to Cora as she suddenly turned to her maid and gave a small sigh.
"I won't be getting changed tonight, O'Brien... First night of a voyage, and all... J. J. Astor has invited me to dine with him and his wife, so take the evening to yourself." She patted O'Brien fondly on the arm and made for the door back inside. She paused just before entering. "And O'Brien... I wouldn't wander too far, either. The stewards on these kind of ships can be stricter than Mr Carson." And she was gone.
O'Brien watched her go, a small frown appearing on her face. A night to herself?! What exactly was she supposed to do with herself stuck in this room? She couldn't exactly go into the first class bar for a drink, and she would be damned if she went down into third! Lady's maid to the Countess of Grantham drinking in third class!
She paused her trail of thought. What on earth was she thinking? She was working class, just like all of the people in third class. She was exactly the same as all of them... A feeling of shame suddenly hit her. She could see her fathers disappointed face. Oh god, Sarah O'Brien. All these years of being surrounded by Lords and Ladies, jewels and diamonds had pulled a fake veil over her eyes. Cora saw nothing more than the services she paid O'Brien for. They weren't the same, and they certainty weren't friends.
It was still a little early , so she went back to her room and retrieved her cigarettes, lighting one up when she was back by the railing on their deck. She inhaled deeply, leaning to peer over the edge. A couple of drinks couldn't hurt, and she had no little jobs to do. Everything she'd packed for Cora had been new or undamaged. And Cora had told her to have the evening to herself. She smirked smugly to herself at the thought of everyone at Downton seeing her now.
She waited until the sun had disappeared over the horizon, flicked her cigarette over the side and made her way back inside. She didn't have a clue where to go, so she was going to have to wing the journey down to third class. Surprisingly, it didn't take her very long. No one stopped her on her way, and she presumed her black, unimpressive dress allowed her to pass by unnoticed. Only returning to first class worried her... They probably didn't stop people going down a class or two.
It wasn't long before she found what she was looking for. The bar was small and dark with only of couple of people sat around the room. Not one of them paid her an ounce of attention as she approached the bar. The barman nodded to her.
"Is that a lady's maid uniform I see there?" he said, watching her as she perched herself on a bar stool.
"It might be." she replied, eyeing him suspiciously.
"Hmm... Let me guess then..." he turned away from her, reaching for a glass. "Whiskey?"
She nodded curiously and the barman flashed a smile at her as he poured her a drink and put it in front of her. He held out a hand, which she took carefully.
"Sidney Alexander at your service." He put his elbows on the bar, watching her with interest. She gave a tiny nod, placing a few coins on the counter. "Tell you what, you tell me your name and we'll call that payment."
"I can pay for my own drinks, you know!" she shot, throwing him a glare.
"No doubt about that, miss." He stared pointedly at her, a playful grin appearing on his face. Urgh! She scowled at him, before giving in.
"Sarah O'Brien."
"Well it's nice to meet you, Sarah O'Brien."
She put the glass to her lips and took a small swig. The liquid burned her throat, but it had been a while since she'd last had it, and she was glad for the feeling.
"How did you know?"
"About the dress? I used to work as a valet in Oxfordshire, I'd know that uniform anywhere."
"And now you're a barman?"
He smiled. "Now I'm a barman." He picked up a dirty pint glass and started to clean it with the rag that had been slung over her shoulder. He gave a small shrug. "Tough times, we all have to make our own way, don't we?"
"We do indeed." She took another small sip.
"So what brings you down here? Most servants wouldn't dare step foot in anything lower than first class."
It was her time to shrug. "I'm not a first class passenger, am I?"
"Ahh, keeping to your roots?"
"Something like that."
Sidney's attention was stolen by a couple of passengers who'd entered the bar, and O'Brien noticed the room becoming busier with every hour. After a few more drinks, she gave Sidney a nod goodbye and made her way back up to first class. She was stopped only once by a gruff looking steward who did actually remind her of Carson. After explaining herself he finally allowed her to pass, and she hurriedly returned to their suite. Cora wasn't back yet, so O'Brien decided to treat herself to a last cigarette. She lit it up, leaning over the railing. The temperature had decreased rapidly, and she found herself shivering in the Atlantic air. So this is what Cora had meant earlier. She heard a door closing inside and turned to see Cora peering out at her.
"Ah, O'Brien... you're still awake. I thought you may have gone to bed." She stepped out onto the deck, pulling her shawl around her. "Did you enjoy your evening?" she asked, standing beside O'Brien at the railing.
"I did, m'lady..." She quickly exhaled the cigarette smoke that had caught in her lungs, and stubbed the cigarette out. "Sorry."
Cora shook her head, a small smile on her face.
"Don't apologise. So what did you get up to?"
"I only went for drink, nothing too exciting I'm afraid."
"Oh? It sounds more exciting than my evening." she sighed, peering out into the darkness. She rolled her eyes when O'Briens quizzical expression liked at her. "They're all more or less the same... The evenings, I mean. I was excited to leave for New York because it's where I grew up... I don't know, it'd be nice to go back to how life was when I was a child for a few days. No boring dinners or false small talk with people who don't even care." She shrugged her shoulders, letting out a small sigh. O'Brien watched her, a little unsure of what to say.
"Well... It's only for a few more days, m'lady. When you get back to New York I'm sure you'll feel much better." Cora flashed her an appreciative smile. "Now let's get you out of the cold, m'lady. We don't want you arriving back in New York with a cold now, do we?"
Thank you for reading up to now! This chapter is a little slow, and more or less just a filler, so hopefully the next few chapters will be a little more action packed! ;) I do apologise if there are any factual errors, as I'm not an expert on Titanic policies/rules sadly! Cheers very much for your lovely reviews too, as always, they make my day! :D
L xx