April 10th, 1912
11am
The traffic became increasingly troublesome the closer they got to Southampton; it was of course to be expected, considering the fact that in just an hours time, the greatest ship ever built by the hand of man would set sail on her much talked about maiden voyage. The R.M.S Titanic was reputedly the largest, and most beautiful, of her kind and in setting sail, history would be made. Already, people were clambering to the docks in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the beautiful liner herself.
Persephone sat in the back seat of the car, her hand folded neatly inside that of her grandmother, Ada Locke. Just ahead of them sat Muriel and Grady Barrett, who were already making plans for their new life in America - despite the fact that they had yet to set foot on the vessel which would take them there. She looked up, a hint of a smile appearing in the corner of her lips as she heard the driver cursing passers by as they lounged in the roads, talking and gazing around. The energy and excitement all around them had reached fever pitch, and in the heat of the moment people had clearly forgotten the importance of steering clear of moving vehicles.
"Soon, we will be in Southampton. Are you excited, Persie? A new start for all of us... a new chapter in our lives, and it all begins today." Ada nudged her granddaughters arm and smiled warmly - and despite her best intentions, Persephone found herself smiling back. The kindness and warmth of her grandmother had always been her weakness; she wasn't the slightest bit excited about what was to come, but for Ada, she felt that she should at least make the effort to pretend that all was well.
"Of course, Grandmama. The Titanic is the grandest ship in the world, and we will be the first to travel on her. How could I not be excited?" She said, squeezing Ada's hand, blinking and looking away when she saw the doubt in the old lady's eyes. A quiet sigh escaped Persephone's lips; she should have known better than to lie to the person that knew her best. Grandmama could always tell when she was lying; she could read her like a book.
"I know that you are... less than pleased about all of this. But know that it is the right thing to do, even I am of that opinion. It is what your grandfather would have wanted. For you... for me, your mother; for all of us. He would have wanted us to be happy, and we all know how poorly things were working out for us in London. The memories... they brought naught but hurt; at least now, we can start again. Start anew. I hear say that Grady already has business ventures planned in New York... ventures which he believes will bring in a great deal of money. And are you not pleased by the idea of being reunited with Georgiana and Joshua?" A crooked smile appeared on Ada's lips, and once again, Persephone smiled back at her and tried her best to remain calm and collected - even though she felt tears stinging at her eyes. These days, the mere mention of her late grandfather brought upon her some overly emotional response. It had been over a year since his death, but she still failed to comprehend how difficult life had become without him in it. The behaviour which her family so despised had all stemmed from her constant need to find a distraction, so that she would not spend every waking minute thinking about him. Everyone else seemed to have moved on with their lives, even Grandmama was coping - but Persephone just could not shake off the grief which had all but completely taken over her life. She thought about him daily... she cried for him daily, and the thought of leaving behind everything she knew and which reminded her of him pained her even more than she could even begin to explain. She had been most unwilling to leave London, and had openly disagreed with her family's plans right from the very start. She had had so wanted to remain in London, just as her mother had promised she could at first, until the incident with Lord Helmsley. From then on, both Muriel and Grady had been adamant that she would accompany them to New York - and in the end, she'd had little choice but to go ahead with their plans, for she knew deep down that without her family's support, she simply could not survive. She had no money of her own, and as of yet she remained unattached and with no sign of making a marriage anytime soon. She had no other close relatives with whom she could stay with, either; her father resided in London somewhere, or so she had heard, but he was all but a complete stranger to her and would not relish in having his estranged daughter forced upon him in the blink of an eye. The fact of the matter remained, that if her immediate family decided to move to New York, then she must go with them.
"Maybe so, but that does not mean that I am happy about this. I do not wish to leave England behind, for this is the only home I have ever known! I have friends here... I had a future here! What if things go awry in New York, Grandmama? What then? We return? It might be too late by then!" Persephone shook her head and heaved a sigh, resting her head against the window and gazing out at the people who passed her by - some of them finely dressed and visibly rich, whilst some of them wore rags and carried but a single suitcase in their hands. She had never before seen such an odd mixture of people in a single place.
"You are so alike, you and your Grandfather. He was stubborn as a mule too - and ALWAYS overly dramatic. Now stop sulking, and ready yourself... we are here." Ada let go of Persephone's hand, just as the car came to a stop and the driver climbed out.
Persephone felt her heartbeat quicken as the door was opened for her, and a hand appeared. She gratefully took it, and removed herself from the car as quickly and as elegantly as she could. All around her, were people of all different social standings, characterised only by their clothing. She did not look up at first, and instead kept her eyes lowered - whilst one hand still rested on the car door.
"Is she not beautiful, Grady?" Her mother said, obviously in awe of what she was seeing.
"The most beautiful, darling - a floating palace, if ever there was one!" He replied, climbing out after her and coming to stand beside Persephone. "Persie?"
Persephone pretended not to have heard him, for she had finally looked up - and her eyes and attentions were now fixed firmly upon the most glorious ship she had ever seen. A true work of art, and by far one of the most incredible achievements known to man. The R.M.S Titanic loomed over them, stretching out for what seemed like miles and basking proudly in the late morning sunshine as crowds gathered around her waving to the passengers already onboard, who were waving and calling out gleefully from the decks. Suddenly, she forgot her uncertainty - and a genuine smile crossed the length of her lips, for as unhappy as she was about travelling to New York, even she could not deny the beauty and majesty of the Titanic. She was every inch as beautiful as the press had reported her to be, and more so. Persephone felt her mother take her arm, and at that moment tore away from the daydream of a few moments previous. Beside them, Grady and Ada barked orders at the men who had come to assist them with the luggage. Persephone blocked out all of their voices, concentrating only on her... the beautiful Queen of the Ocean, so she had heard her called. They made their way through the crowds, Persephone and her mother walking arm in arm whilst Grady and Ada followed closely behind.
"Tickets! Tickets! Darling, do you have our tickets?" Muriel exclaimed, just a hint of nervousness appearing in her voice as Grady pushed to the front and pulled out their boarding passes. A sigh of discontentment escaped Persephone's slightly parted lips, for it suddenly all felt so real... there would be no turning back now. The officer at the top of the gangway smiled and took the passes, examining each one in turn before he handed them back and stepped aside. Everyone entered, but Persephone lingered in the doorway, which earnt her a strange look from the waiting officer.
"Good day, Miss. Welcome to Titanic." He inclined his head politely, and with a small smile Persephone passed him and stepped inside. The ship was a showpiece, that was for sure; lavish decorations and pictures hung from the walls, and the smell of fresh paint hung in the air. She and her family gently pushed through the crowds, and made for the first class entrance which stood proudly a short distance away. The importance of separating the three classes on board had already become visible to her, and for a moment she felt quite disgusted by how easy it was to distinguish between individuals based on nothing but wealth and social standing. It is most unfair. To her, equality had always been important; her grandfather had taught her not to judge someone, just because they were different, but the care taken to make sure that first, second and third class passengers would never have cause to collide was startlingly obvious.
"We have adjoining cabins, of course. BEAUTIFULLY decorated, or so I have heard - all of the furnishings, brand new and individually hand made especially for Titanic. Thomas Andrews truly is a genius, that much I can see already... to have designed a ship so grand as this. The White Star Line is lucky to have him! Speaking of which, I hear Mister Andrews himself is travelling to New York with us! Fancy that! And Mr Ismay, too. I wonder if we will come across either of them? Perhaps we can invite them to dine with us one evening!" Muriel wittered on, clearly excited and without a care in the world as she lead the famly through the corridors in search of their cabins, which were located up on A-Deck. Persephone, meanwhile, was more interested in her surroundings than anything her mother had to say; she longed to explore the grand ship which would be her home for at least the next week or so. There would be so much to do, and many an interesting person on board with whom to converse with. It made the idea of New York seem much less excruciating, and she was determined to at least make the best of a bad situation.
"Ah, here we are! A-Deck, cabins A39 through to A41." Grady announced brightly, signalling to a passing steward who quickly approached - clipboard in hand. He took everyones names, and once confident that everyone was who they said they were, he presented Grady with a key before hastily bowing and speeding off in the opposite direction. As per usual, Persephone was the last to enter - and when she did, her mouth fell open as she took in the grandeur of the lavishly decorated rooms inside. Once again, she noticed how fresh and new everything looked and smelt; portraits hung from the walls, and a mahogany fireplace lit the room - a dramatic, exceedingly beautiful centrepiece.
"My things?" Persephone turned on her heels, just as a small group of maids and serving boys entered with all of their suitcases. Picking out her own, she took it from one of the girls, holding it close to her - as if fearful that it might be misplaced, otherwise. "Thank you. Now if you don't mind, I wish to unpack - and settle into my new suite."
Persephone smiled, ignoring the objections of her stepfather and the disappointment in the eyes of her mother and her grandmother as she swept past them and made for her cabin. Clearly, they had all hoped that she would stay and share in their excitement, but in truth all Persephone wanted was to be away from them; she wanted to see the faces of those down on the docks, as Titanic departed. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and she was determined not to miss out. So, once everyone thought she had retired to her suite once and for all, she slipped out of the door at the far end of her sitting room and headed in the direction from which she had come. The sound of the ships great horn, mixed with the excitable cheers of the crowds below filled the air as she found herself out on the boat deck. Passengers from first through to third class had all gathered by the ships railings, waving and calling out to the people they would soon be leaving behind - perhaps forever.
"All aboard!" A man whom Persephone presumed to be an officer yelled, just as the gangway was removed and the large ropes from the pilings were pulled away, finally freeing the magnificent ship from the confines of the docks.
"And so it begins..." Persephone uttered, rushing to join the people who hung over the railings. The ships horn gave another loud blow, and then she burst into movement - her maiden voyage finally taking shape.
