Chapter 38
Andrew
Dumfries
April 15, 1912

It wasn't unusual for there to be bickering first thing on a Monday morning in the Hume household, especially among the girls. Kate and Grace often had it out with one another, Grace demanding respect as a working woman while Kate still attended school with Andy. But there was something in their voices which made him sit up in bed.

Alice was still sleeping beside him. The clock on the end table read eight o'clock, but by the way both girls' voices were raised, he wrapped himself in a robe and quickly came downstairs.

They were both in the sitting room. Grace had the morning paper clutched so tightly in her hands that her fingers were stained with ink while Kate paced around the room, sobbing uncontrollably.

"What the devil is going on?" he asked, making both girls jump. Grace immediately came to his side, turning the paper to the front page so he could read it.

TITANIC SINKS ON MAIDEN VOYAGE: 1500 REPORTED DEAD

The blood drained from his face.

"That's Jock's ship, Da," Grace said, fighting back tears herself. Kate was now doubled over on the nearby armchair, clutching her sister as she continued to sob.

"Hush!" Andrew said, growing annoyed. "We don't even know what's happened."

Grace pointed to a paragraph underneath the headline. "Nellie will be alright, but I'm not sure about Jock."

Andrew followed her finger to the passage. Women and children were loaded first while the man bravely stayed behind, assuring their families were safely aboard lifeboats before themselves.

Andrew wordlessly went back upstairs, leaving Grace to console her hysterical sister. Alice was still sleeping, oblivious to the commotion. He got dressed as quickly as he could, knowing he had to find out for himself what were rumors and what was true. He ran into Andy in the hallway who had just woken up and was still rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"Where are you going?" he asked. It was rare to see his father try to leave the house without a violin case slung over his shoulder.

"Ask your sisters," he said bluntly. "When your stepmother wakes, tell her I went to the newspaper office."

He left, the front door slamming shut behind him as he stumbled outside. Dumfries was unusually quiet for a weekday morning. Everyone he passed on the street was reading the same paper Grace had shown him, their mouths wide and whispering to one another in bewilderment. Somewhere down the road a paperboy was shouting, "Titanic sinks in Northern Atlantic! Over fifteen-hundred dead!"

People stared after Andrew as he walked. He had made himself a well known figure in the community both at church and through the local school. Jock was a celebrity himself between his musical abilities and grand adventures at sea. Everyone knew the Humes were the only family in Dumfries that were affected by this terrible news.

Andrew froze midstep, a scowl appearing on his face.

Well, almost every family.

He had forgotten about the Costins. It was always a relief to Andrew knowing Jock was away at sea instead of handfasting with a girl from a lowly family. He had seen Jock and that girl parade around, completely unashamed in their displays of affection for one another.

He was torn from his thoughts as he heard raised voices around the corner. He nearly ran to the sound to see if he wasn't the only one who had come to the local paper's office to confirm if the story was true.

"I say, what kind of practical joke is this?" one man said, beating on the closed door that was locked.

"This is the unsinkable ship!" another woman cried. "My nephew works for The White Star Line! What game are you playing?"

Andrew remained across the street, horrified by the situation before him. The office was closed, with its curtains shut and no response from inside. Many out front were passing around that morning's paper, questioning every detail.

"Mr. Hume!"

A short, pudgy man ran across the street to him, clutching a newspaper. Andrew recognized Jock's old schoolteacher, Mr. Stewart, who had been the reason Jock had wanted to study violin, although Andrew would never admit it.

"Do not fret about Jock," Mr. Stewart said, panting. "I've got the paper from Liverpool and they're reporting everyone survived. It's all rumors, you know. These papers just want to compete for the most dramatic story. They hate anything with a happy ending."

Andrew remained silent but took the paper from him, casually flipping through the first two pages and briefly reading through the article. The Liverpool paper was a much more reliable source as this was where The White Star Line's offices were stationed. They would have much more information compared to these buffoons all the way out here in Scotland.

"Look, it's Mr. Hume!"

Before he could stop what was happening, he was surrounded by swarms of people and escorted to the other side of the street to the paper's office. Many were shaking his hand or clapping him on the shoulder. Half of the crowd was offering their condolences while the other half assured him Jock was still alive.

"Nellie and the children will be just fine," one woman said. "Women and children first is what the paper said."

Andrew stared blankly ahead, letting himself be jostled about.

Nellie.

Ever since she got married he had pushed her from his mind. And then there was Leana, his grandchildren…

What if no one came back?

It wasn't until a group of women started giving him flowers and saying they were sorry for his loss that he finally spoke.

"Enough!" he snapped, causing the entire crowd to fall silent. "Enough of your well wishes and consolation. All of this is just rumors until we hear from The White Star Line."

Many were taken aback by his abrasive tone, muttering to themselves before retreating and going home. Andrew turned on his heel and nearly ran back towards his house. He knew if he stayed there a moment longer he'd collapse. This was all too much. It was a maiden voyage of an unsinkable ship!

When he came home, Alice, Grace, Kate, and Andy were all waiting for him in the sitting room.

"Any news" Alice asked, racing to his side and taking off his coat.

Andrew held out the Liverpool paper. "Some papers are saying everyone lived. I fear I'll have no choice but to go to Liverpool to find out the news directly."

"Liverpool?" Grace said, still holding the same paper from that morning. "But that's half a day's journey!"

"Would you rather I wait and let your sister cry herself into hysteria?" he barked. Kate's cheeks flushed as tears were still streaming down her cheeks and her nose was swimming with snot.

Grace didn't say anything, but from the way she pursed her lips together she knew he was right.

"I'll go to the ticket office," he said, rubbing his forehead. "I need to go upstairs and write some letters first."

He dashed upstairs before anyone could say anything else. He shut the door to his office and leaned against it, sliding down until he was sitting on the plush carpet. He pressed his face into his hands and let the bitter tears he had been holding back loose.

Jock, his dear boy. What would he do if he lost Jock?