The days began to roll in to each other, and O'Brien found herself feeling restless and bored, caged up like a wild animal. She could see a routine developing; she'd get up, dress Cora for breakfast, have a cigarette, dress Cora for lunch, have a cigarette, dress Cora for dinner, have a cigarette and then maybe travel back down to the bar in third class, which wasn't as fun as she'd first imagined it to be. She had a few hurried conversations with the barman, Sidney, but there was nothing traded of great interest. He was nice enough, but didn't really stimulate her brain too much. She took to staying in the suite, a book Cora had given her propped open on her knee. Each night Cora returned, a little less bounce in her step, a little less life in her smile.
O'Brien was sat in her room, back resting against the headboard of her bed. The book was on her lap, but the words were meaningless on the page. She'd been on the same page for the last half an hour, her mind unable to concentrate. Her legs twitched with irritation, and she snapped the book shut, flinging it onto the tiny table squashed in the corner. She half wished she was back at Downton. At least there she constantly had something to do, people to talk to. Cora was gone most of the time, and so she found herself longing for some proper conversation. She missed her cigarette breaks in the yard with Thomas when the two of them would gossip under the veil of smoke, eyes darting wildly around in case they were overheard. She rubbed her eyes in frustration, letting out a great sigh. She got up off her bed, pulling out a cigarette as she made her way outside. Her eyes glanced to the clock as she passed through the sitting room. 11 o'clock... It was still early. Cora probably wouldn't be back for another hour or two.
She took her usual spot by the railings, lighting up and savouring the taste of the cigarette in her throat. The freezing air was slightly refreshing on her skin, and it seemed to blow away her previous irritation of restlessness. The winters in Yorkshire could be brutal, but this air was piercingly cold. She could almost feel ice particles forming in her lungs as she took each drag of her cigarette. She'd never felt a chill quite like it, so she quickly finished her smoke and flicked the bud over the side into the blackness before turning to go back inside. A slick shiver ran through her as she closed the door, rubbing her hands together in an attempt to warm them. The door leading to the corridor suddenly opened, and Cora's face appeared around it. She had the same expression as the previous night - tired and weary.
"Oh, hello O'Brien. I didn't think you'd be here." She clasped the door shut, turning to flash a small welcoming smile at her maid.
"I decided to stay here tonight, m'lady. I hope you don't mind." O'Brien moved towards Cora, helping her with her coat and hat. Cora uttered a small 'thanks' as O'Brien put them away.
"Of course I don't mind. In fact, I'm glad to have caught you."
"Oh?" O'Brien entered the room again. Cora collapsed onto the couch, rubbing her neck sorely. She glanced up at O'Brien, sighing tiredly.
"I had to excuse myself early tonight, I don't think I could have sat for another second with going completely mad." She gave a small laugh. "I'm afraid my patience for small talk with those people has run dry. You wouldn't believe how bored I was! It think I'd rather have afternoon tea with the Dowager on a bad day, I think."
O'Brien offered her an amused smile.
"Would you like some tea, m'lady?"
Cora paused for a second, before surprisingly, she shook her head and stood up.
"No, not tea... Wait here a minute, O'Brien."
She disappeared into her room, leaving O'Brien stood there in confusion. What was the bloody woman doing now? Her question was answered almost immediately as Cora entered the room again, a golden bottle in one arm and two glasses in the other. She placed them down on the wooden table and turned to look at O'Brien with a small smile on her face. She dropped into one of the chairs, her gaze locked on her maid.
O'Brien didn't know how to feel... Dumbfounded that this woman who depended on her to brush her hair and dress her was able to sneak a bottle of brandy past her usually watchful gaze, or impressed for exactly the same reason. She tried to hide her questioning gaze, but Cora obviously detected it.
"I'm not completely hopeless." she said playfully, unscrewing the lid to the bottle and pouring the golden liquid into the two glasses. O'Brien stood, unsure of what Cora wanted her to do.
"For heavens sake, sit down O'Brien." she said with a tiny chuckle. O'Brien sat, and Cora pushed a glass towards her across the small table. "You're not going to pretend you're a stranger to brandy, are you?"
O'Brien shook her head.
"No, m'lady." She remained still, and Cora rolled her eyes, giving the glass a small push closer to O'Briens hands. What was happening? Cora was usually so proper... She never thought she'd be sat opposite her sharing a bottle of brandy with her. She watched as Cora put the glass the her lips, and copied her action. It tasted much better than the obviously cheaper whiskey from the third class bar.
"What's this in aid of, m'lady?" she asked as Cora took another sip. The Countess gave a small shrug, flashing a smile at O'Brien from behind her glass.
"I don't know... Now's a better time than any to get to know each other better, I suppose. And I don't think I could get through a whole bottle and survive." she tapped the bottle of brandy on the table, placing her glass down. She studied O'Brien for a second before reaching across from her chair to one of the counters. She pulled a small box off it, and O'Brien watched as she placed a pile of cards on the table. "Can you play?" she asked, shuffling the cards in her long hands. O'Brien nodded, taking another sip of her drink. Cora began to sort the cards out, sliding a couple over the shiny wooden surface towards the maid.
"I'm afraid I'm not very good." Cora said, rolling her eyes slightly. O'Brien shuffled her cards in her hand, a small smile appearing on her face. She looked up to see Cora finish her glass of brandy off, and raised an eyebrow. Cora caught her eye and laughed gently, shrugging her shoulders again. "It was a really boring evening, O'Brien."
O'Brien let out a laugh of her own, shaking her head.
"I'm not judging, m'lady." She lifted her own glass up and drained it dry, keeping her eyes firmly on Cora's. Cora raised her own eyebrows, her smile turning into a grin as she unscrewed the lid of the bottle again and refilled their glasses.
They started their game, and O'Brien realised soon that Cora wasn't lying about her skill. She had grown up with these kind of games as a child, playing with her brothers and parents, so she was fairly confident in her ability. The laughter between them increased as the amount of liquid in the bottle got lower and lower, the room became stiflingly hot.
"Oh..." O'Brien lay her cards down on the table. "You seem to have won, O'Brien." Cora put her own cards down. "Well done... And thank you for at least pretending I wasn't so dreadful at the game."
"It's quite alright, m'lady." O'Brien laughed, shuffling the cards neatly back into a pile.
"Perhaps when we get back to Downton we could play a little more. You could teach me a few tricks."
"Certainly, m'lady."
Cora rubbed her neck, stretching in her arms out in front of her.
"My, it is hot, don't you think?" Cora pushed herself to her feet, and the two women made their way out side, the cold air soothing on O'Briens face. She held the door open for the countess, following her over to the railing. She knew how cold it was from their breathe on the black backdrop of the ocean, but the brandy seemed to be warming her blood, shielding her slightly from the ice particles in the air. They stood in silence for a few moments, staring out into the darkness.
"Are you looking forward to seeing your mother, m'lady?"
"Yes, of course." Cora paused for a second. "I... I do hope she's alright."
"I'm sure she is, m'lady."
"We've never always seen eye to eye... I couldn't wait to get away from her when I was of age. I wish I'd of made more of an effort to see her over the years."
"You're making an effort now, m'lady. You've had your own girls to look after, and the whole of Downton to run... I'm sure your mother understands."
Cora flashed her a lopsided smile.
"I don't say it often enough... But I really do appreciate your work, O'Brien. And your company. Especially you company." She squeezed O'Briens hand gently.
Her reply was on the tip of her tongue, but something just past Cora's ear stole her attention. Cora frowned at the sudden loss of concentration on O'Brien face. Her expression turned fearful though, and Cora spun round.
"Oh my god..."
Huge, sparkling but so menacing looking that it caused Cora to back into O'Brien in panic. The most enormous block of ice was towering over them, glaring down at them. O'Brien felt like some sort of tiny creature of prey, the iceberg her hunter, her killer. She felt Cora's hand clasp tightly around her own as the floor beneath them shuddered, and a terrifying screeching sound fell all around them. O'Brien stumbled, and Cora's hand slipped from her own as another loud noise fell crashing around them. Giant pieces of the white beast rained down on them as the ship scraped along the side of it, crashing onto the polished wood. She heard Cora cry out, and as O'Brien threw her arms over her head, she saw Cora go down with a thud.
"M'LADY!"
She felt a giant thump on her head and she staggered again as the pain sent her head spinning. She lunged towards Cora, who was lying on the floor, a small trickle of blood seeping down her cheek, but felt her foot collide with something on the floor. She lost her balance on something slippery, perhaps a piece of ice, and went flying into the wooden panels of the deck. She felt the wood crush into her head, and she gasped at the sudden impact. She could feel her sight darkening, and her limbs became heavy.
"M'lady...!" She fought for breath, desperately reaching out her hand to Cora's seemingly lifeless body. But it was no use, she was too far away. Her nails scratched at the wood as a last desperate attempt to reach the Countess before the darkness surrounded her vision, and her body fell still.