Chapter IV: "Stargazing"
A/N: This is a chapter I have been looking forward to ever since I started the story. Again I cannot thank The Cowgirl Bookworm enough for her help. There's pov scene in here that I know you will appreciate! I hope you all like it! SSD
April 14th 0100
It had seemed like forever to get up to the deck quietly. Cecily was accustomed to moving around in the dark, due to her sleeping issues.
Once she got outside, it was much easier to see. The sky was almost perfectly clear, a baseball game could be played. It was a perfect night for stargazing.
Almost immediately Cecily found Ursa Major. She used the pointer stars to find Polaris the North Star. Always in the same place, easy to find.
She was looking for her next constellation when she heard steps behind her. Cecily moved her hand towards her Bowie knife when she heard, "Cecily, what are you doing up?" Harry must have gotten off a watch.
Fumbling for her words she replied, "I had heard that the nights had been really clear so I decided to go stargazing. They're really beautiful aren't they?"
"Yes you- I mean they most certainly are," he agreed.
Cecily heard him slip up, but paid it no attention. Making up her mind she said, "You can join me if you like. I don't mind the company."
Why did I say that?
She was so busy mentally berating herself she almost missed Harry's question, "Why are you up so late?"
"I, uh, don't sleep so well when I travel. Train or ship. It does not matter. Takes me a long time to fall asleep," Cecily replied not daring to look at those chocolate brown eyes. There was also a fact that she did not want a repeat of last night's lurid dream!
"Cecily are you sure it's alright I am here? If you'd rather be alone, I can leave," Harry was being so nice.
"You do not have to leave. I really like that you are here with me. Do you realize that other family and those who work for my family, you are the first person I can be myself around," she was babbling.
"Cecily…" he began to say but she cut him off.
"To many in first class, I am the Ice Queen. I have had to play that role for ten years, only able to break character around people I can trust," babbling onwards.
Harry's eyes went wide, she finally noticed, and what she had said finally hit her.
"I am so sorry. I told you too much. Please forget what I said, I'll head right back to my stateroom," her face bright red, she made to leave.
What happened next, was something Cecily had not expected. Harry grasped her face, leaned down and kissed her. Her mind went completely blank, all she could do was follow his lead. Her hands went up to his shoulders.
This was the first time that she'd been kissed that she had actually liked it. And this one blew all of the others out of the water.
One of Harry's hands moved from her face to the collar of her coat. Cecily did not feel trapped in the slightest, another surprised.
When Harry ended the kiss, he replied in a low voice, "You worry far too much Cecily. You are not any kind of Ice Queen to me."
His words sent a shiver down her back, though she was not cold. Cecily needed to say something but her tongue would not work. The first thing that entered her mind was, "God…"
"Not quite Him," Harry sound a bit too pleased with himself before asking far more bashfully, "Is this something you would like to do again?"
Again lost for words, Cecily just nodded. Damn straight she wanted to do that again!
Leaning in to continue the prior activity, before they could get anywhere a voice called out, "Lowe, your watch ended nearly an hour ago, what are you doing still up and about? Get up here, now!"
"Bugger, that's Murdoch. Hide. If he sees you, we're both in for it. I'll find you after I'm done talking with him," Harry muttered.
Cecily went off, using some knowledge Roland had shared with her. Though she doubted severely he had ever considered she would be using the information like this!
0130 April 14th
It did not take Lowe that long at all to get to the bridge, but when he did, there was something off about him, Will Murdoch noticed. A shifty look about him and a slight flush to his skin.
"When I was a junior officer getting off a late watch, the only thing I wanted to do was get back to my cabin and sleep. And yet here you are. What are you up to Mr. Lowe?"
"I was stargazing sir," Lowe replied looking at a point past him on the bridge.
"Mr. Lowe these stars have been our companions for the past three nights. And now you decide to spend what little free time you have staring at them? Try again, Mr. Lowe.
"I was enjoying the night air sir," Lowe was still looking anywhere but at him.
"So the air on the first class promenade is better than by the bridge?" he had Lowe now.
However before Lowe could try to talk his way out of this one, the sound of a bench crashing into the deck rent the air.
Lowe's eyes went wide in alarm.
"Mr. Lowe, you stay right where you are," Will growled as he went to look.
Unfortunately whomever had made the noise had hidden themselves rather well.
Once he was back on the bridge Will replied, "Whoever was with you, seems to have some knowledge on how to hide on ships."
"I assure you sir; I was on my own enjoying the night air and stargazing. That is all," the younger man said while trying not to while trying not to flush.
Deciding to impart one piece of advice, "Mr. Lowe for the sake of your career that the next time you go "stargazing" to do so in a private place where you cannot be seen. Or heard. Pick up that bench on the way back to your cabin. No detours beyond that."
0145 April 14th
That was too close, Harry thought as he walked on the way back towards officer's country.
While he was righting the knocked over bench he heard Cecily murmur, "You need to work on your lying." She walked over wincing.
"I'm sorry. I do try not to lie to my superiors very often. I suppose I should practice more often. Perhaps you could join me for some stargazing again tomorrow and provide some improvements for my method," he asked cheekily.
"I think that can be arranged," Cecily replied with a mischief filled smile.
He could not help it. He had to kiss her again, though it was a much quicker one.
And it earned him a half hearted swat to the chest from Cecily who hissed, "As much as I enjoyed that, you need to think of your job. Murdoch is going to ride it pretty hard later. I should get back to my cabin."
1100 April 14th
Something was not right with Cecily. Mina had fully been expecting to go over to her niece's stateroom in order to drag her out of bed for the Divine Service.
Not only had Cecily been awake, she was already dressed. And smiling at 8:30 in the morning. Her niece was many things, but a good morning person was not one of them. She had to be ill!
When Mina asked what she'd done the night before Cecily had replied that she had gone stargazing and would not elaborate further.
For the past thirty minutes, Cecily's eyes kept flicking towards the front of the room, but Mina had not quite caught what or who she was looking at, despite her best efforts.
The off duty officers were also there, in what she and Cecily knew as "mess dress". Roland detested mess dress. Her nephew preferred the service dress blues and was looking forward to the new issued shipboard khaki uniforms.
Wait one damn bloody minute!
It was when Mina was looking towards the officers that out of the corner of her eye she followed Cecily's glance. Harold was up there and also sneaking a glance at her niece.
Taking full advantage of her niece's distraction, Mina pinched her niece on the leg. Her yelp was covered up by everyone standing up to sing.
"Now I know what you were really up to last night till two in the morning!" Mina said.
"I told you already, I was stargazing then I ran my left knee into a deck bench on the way back to my stateroom," Cecily whispered back, massaging said knee.
"Still sticking to that story? More likely you were staring into his brown eyes," Mina said with a smirk.
Nothing. Not even a blush. All she said was, "You are losing your touch, Aunt Mina."
The service was soon over. Dogging her niece's steps, "This conversation is not over. I will get it out of you by the time we get to New York."
1430 April 14th
From what he'd heard from Moody, Will had piled on Lowe every bit of meaningless errands he could think of all over the ship, running the Welshman ragged.
Heading up to the officer's mess, Charles asked, "Will what did Lowe do to earn all of the nuisance work you laid into him?"
"Mr. Lowe was in dire need of encouragement to improve himself in multiple areas," Will replied curtly as he finished his lunch.
"Which areas are those," Charles inquired.
"He thought that he could deceive me last night that he was not conversing at a minimum with a female passenger. His lie was that he was stargazing. As the Yanks say, that was bullshit," Will answered.
Deciding to share some information, "I may be able to shed some light on who the female passenger may be," Charles began.
"Go on, start talking."
"It was late evening on the 11th. An older woman form first class asked to speak to Lowe, saying that it would only take a short time. I saw no problems with it and went to get him. All she wanted to do was thank him for the return of her niece's good mood. Shortly into their conversation, her niece arrived. I could have set Lowe's pants on fire for all that he was paying attention to my presence. His entire focus was on her. After they left, I found out that Lowe had know the girl, Cecily and her brother when they were children. And that it had had been nearly twenty since they'd seen each other last," Charles finished taking a drink of water.
"I didn't get a good look at her. Though she managed to knock over a deck bench when she was hiding earlier. What does she look like?"
"Dark brown hair, green eyes. Not horribly tall. Quite the violinist from what I've heard as well. According to the other junior officers, Lowe didn't shut up about her that night," Charles replied.
He could not help but joke, "You know Will, I recall you having a similar reaction when you saw Ada for the first time!"
1800 April 14th
Where was Jack? Ever since he had met that red haired girl from first class Fabrizio's friend had been a ghost. He had barely seen him since winning those tickets in Southampton from those Swedes.
At the rate he was going, Jack was going to get himself killed. Likely by that girl's fiancé or his bodyguard.
While he was glad he was going to America, Fabrizio still missed Palermo and his mother. Even when he left to go see the world, he tried to send her a letter every so often to let her know what he was up to and that he was still alive.
She had given him a Saint Christopher medal before he left, saying that it would protect him on his travels. So far it had worked.
Fabrizio hoped that it continued to work.
2000 April 14th
Cleaning his new pistol was relaxing for Patrick Hearst. He had bought it while he was in Belgium.
The famous Ice Queen was on board. He had heard all about her from his friend Paul Thornton. He'd had no chance to speak to the chit.
She certainly was pretty though, with bewitching green eyes. Patrick had a few more days to try something on Cecily Lethbridge.
2335 April 14th
Aunt Mina had not been kidding when she had said the conversation was not over. For the rest of the day Cecily had been interrogated by her aunt in an attempt to find out what she had been doing in the early hours of the morning.
The endeavors had ended in failure. She was sure that the following day would be filled with further interrogation attempts.
Since the Divine Service, she had been unable to see Harry at all. Cecily strongly suspected that the senior officers had kept him hopping all day. Especially the one that had nearly caught them, Murdoch.
Playing her violin usually helped clear her mind, but not even Clair de Lune could get her mind off of this morning's kissing.
At least now I know what all of the fuss is about Cecily smirked as she put the violin that had once been her mother's back in it's carrying case.
She was nowhere near being tired.
A/N 2: So… What did you all think? What was your favorite part? SSD