A million stars reflected on the surface of the Atlantic on a freezing April night, as though the ocean were a mirror to the heavens above. In the distance, the low vibration of a steamer grew louder, giving way to the splashing of water as the sharp bow ofTitanicsliced through the waters.
In the wheelhouse it was dim, but an undercurrent of activity could be felt, as instruments were checked, the helmsman shifted slightly on his feet and the nearby sounds from the wireless room carried over, thedit dit ditof the Morse key breaking the silence.
William Murdoch, the ship's First Officer, exited the officer's quarters on the boat deck and made the short walk towards the bridge. Second Officer Charles Lightoller, wearing his overcoat and a turtleneck jumper, came out to meet him on the starboard bridge wing, as was their custom when handing over. It was shortly before 10pm, when Charles would soon turn in for the night and William had the watch until 2am.
"Evening Lights, how goes it tonight?" Murdoch rubbed his hands together, his breath forming a frosty cloud as he exhaled. "Och, but it's cold."
"Evening Will. Same old up here, the skipper has gone to bed and I can't wait for mine either. I'll be a sight warmer than you poor bastards," he chuckled. Charles walked them over to the chart room, giving Will a brief rundown of their position and speed, Smith's last instructions and any new messages from Bride Phillips since he came on shift.
Their preparation done, they returned out onto deck.
"Did ye ever find those binoculars for the lookouts?" asked Murdoch, turning up the collar of his greatcoat.
"Haven't seen them since Southampton," replied Charles, before nodding and starting to turn away. "Well I'll be off on my rounds." He threw a wave over his shoulder as he walked away. "Cheerio!"
The sound of his footsteps receded along the deck. Murdoch rested his forearms on the wooden railing of the bridge wing, letting his eyes adjust to the dark and the wind generated by the passage of the ship. Goodness, but it was cold. His eyes watered a little and he squinted as he slowly started to make out the bow of the ship ahead of him.
He was glad he'd asked one of the able seamen to go close the forward hatch earlier, it would have been much too bright to see anything worth a damn otherwise. A minute or two ticked by, as he enjoyed listening to this beautiful new ship moving smoothly through the water. God, he was lucky. Finally his hard work and years of dedication were starting to pay off. After this trip, the Chief who had temporarily displaced him would go back to another ship and he would go back up to his rightfully earnt position.
He heard them before he saw them. A shrill shout, almost a shriek, and a male voice laughing. Suddenly the crew door at the fo'c's'le flew open, and two figures burst out, a young woman with flaming red hair, wearing a long flowing dress and she was pulling along a man, who closed the door with a slam behind them as they exited onto the forward well deck. The two were in fits of laughter, almost doubled over.
The woman pulled him round with her in a graceful arc, the train of her dress billowing out behind her like a cloud before it was whipped around by the wind. Will looked down at them as they gazed at each other, laughing, spinning around. They really shouldn't have been down there, but he smiled at thr sight despite himself.Ah, young love, he thought. He could see how intensely they looked at each other, faces red from laughing so hard.
The man managed to speak in between gasps.
"Did you see…. those guys' faces?" They stopped spinning, the woman pulling close to the man, who wrapped his arms around her waist. "Did you...see..." He stopped speaking as she put her hand to his lips, murmuring something that Will couldn't hear from his perch above.
The space closed between them, the woman kissed her beau passionately, throwing her arms about his neck. Will turned away then, smiling to himself. He felt a good sight warmer now.
A memory came back to him then, of a stolen moment on a voyage not unlike this. Ada, his beautiful Ada, held close in his arms in the shadows of the promenade one late evening on the Runic. They'd struck up a conversation on the very same deck three days into the voyage.
Now, here they were, almost to England and he couldn't let her get away. He'd taken her hand and pulled her away from the rest of her group who were out taking in the night sky. The vast spread of stars above had been breathtaking, but none as beautiful as her. She'd laughed in surprise as he held a finger to his lips and guided her around between a lifeboat and the side of the covered promenade.
He held her as closely as he dared, while remaining respectful of her modesty. "My dearest Miss Banks, I must speak freely, before we reach port and I lose my chance."
She looked up at him, a soft smile on her face. "Well then, you had best get on with it then Mr Murdoch," she teased. He liked how her accent made his name sound new and different in her mouth. She didn't fawn over him as other women usually did, and he enjoyed the way her eyes sparkled, and her mouth quirked when she'd keep him on his toes with a joke.
"Miss Banks…." He trailed off as she murmured "Please, call me Ada."
"Aye, Ada… may I call on you after we reach Southampton? And write to you while I'm away? I know you are only there for a while before you travel, but I fear that while you are in Europe a beautiful lass like you might forget this sailor, far away on the seas." She laughed then, "Of course you may, Mr Murdoch, but know I would not forget the man who loves books the way I do, who took me stargazing at sea, and helped me arrange a game of deck cricket."
He smiled at the memory of her batting down most of the officers on the ship. They hadn't thought a woman would be very good at cricket, but the New Zealander had proved them wrong.
Ada squeezed his arms as she smiled back at him. He returned the gesture. "William, if ye please, Mr Murdoch is my father." She ducked her head and smiled at that. Will thought she looked even more beautiful then. He reached out, and lifted her chin. "May I kiss you, Ada?" he breathed softly, his icy blue eyes locked on hers.
He heard the smile in her voice. "You may…. William." And slowly their lips met, as theRunicsteamed on into the night.
Officer Murdoch was torn from his reverie by three sharp metallic clangs- the Titanic's bell. He whirled around, squinting into the darkness ahead, his gloved hands grasping the bridge wing rail. Somewhere in the background, he was aware of the bridge telephone ringing shrilly.
A vague shape was ahead, it felt like an eternity that he waited, his breath expelling in frosty clouds, until the hulk coalesced in front of his eyes. As the realisation hit him, he turned on his heel and ran into the wheelhouse shouting.
"Iceberg, RIGHT AHEAD!"