The next morning was a sunny and warm day without any clouds. Valkyrie hadn't slept very well during the night and was happy about the lovely weather as it perked her up. She had been lying in bed for several hours tossing and turning without being able to sleep even though she was completely exhausted. She simply hadn't been able to stop thinking about how close she had come to taking her own life and that it was only thanks to Skulduggery Pleasant that she was here, alive. If he hadn't discovered her in time…

Valkyrie had shivered as she had lay in bed with the covers wrapped around her and the darkness as her only company, as her parents had been fast asleep a few feet away in their own bed. They had been overjoyed when Caelan and Bliss had returned with her unharmed. When they were told that a third-class passenger had saved their daughter's life, they had been surprised but at the same time happy that the person had chosen to do such a selfless act.

"Caelan was so happy at the news that he decided to invite Mr. Pleasant to dinner tomorrow night," Valkyrie had told her parents, smiling to herself as she saw how Caelan winced at her words.

"Really?" Melissa had said, turning to Caelan with a smile. "That was really kind of you, Caelan! Then we will have the opportunity to thank this Mr. Pleasant face to face for his heroic deed."

"Yes, I have my moments," Caelan had replied with a stiff smile before excusing himself and walking into his own cabin.

Melissa and Desmond had hugged their daughter and questioned her about what had happened when she almost had fallen into the sea and Valkyrie had told them the same story, she had told Caelan and the other crewmen. Melissa had been on the verge of tears and had hugged her daughter tightly while her father had put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently.

Once Valkyrie had fallen asleep, she had had a nightmare about what would have happened if Skulduggery hadn't managed to pull her up. She had dreamed of how he had lost his grip and how her body had fallen, fallen down along the bow of the ship. It had felt as if she had been falling for hours before her body fell below the surface of the water. Once underwater, her entire body had frozen into ice, and she had been unable to move. She had sunk deeper and deeper below the surface until all she could see was darkness. It was only when her frozen body reached the bottom of the sea that she woke up with a pounding heart and cold sweaty body.

Now walking on the deck of the Titanic with her mother and a few other ladies from first class, the nightmare was just a thing of the past. Valkyrie let the warm sun warm her body and she laughed at something funny that the young woman walking beside her had just said. Her name was Tanith Low, and she was a few years older than Valkyrie, but not as old as Skulduggery.

Valkyrie had met Tanith two days ago and hadn't gotten to know her very well yet, but that was something she intended to change as Tanith was the only one of the women who had shown a genuine interest in Valkyrie and understood what Valkyrie was going through because she had already been married once, despite her young age. Her husband had passed away a year ago while out driving his carriage. Some robbers had attacked the carriage believing that Tanith's husband had a lot of money on him and when they realized that was not the case, they had shot him before fleeing the scene.

"He was a nice man and a good husband, and I will mourn him, but all I want right now is to enjoy my single life before I have to get a new husband to be able to survive when the money starts running out," Tanith had said to Valkyrie when she had told her about her husband's untimely death.

Valkyrie had been staring at Tanith with her mouth open, causing Tanith to laugh. "Close your mouth, Valkyrie. That is not an attractive look."

"Shut it," Valkyrie had replied with a laugh. "I don't understand how you can talk about your late husband's death so easily. You say he was a nice man, but I find it hard to believe when you show no emotion whatsoever about the whole thing."

Tanith had shrugged and given Valkyrie a small smile. "It's been over a year since the incident, our marriage was arranged and we didn't love each other, so I don't think you should be too surprised that I don't show more emotion. If Caelan were to die suddenly, you wouldn't mourn him either, would you?"

"No, I wouldn't. I would laugh and feel joy," Valkyrie had replied. "Then I'd probably throw a party to celebrate."

Tanith had laughed and put her arm around Valkyrie's shoulders. "That's the spirit, girl!"

Where the two young women now walked on the deck of the Titanic arm in arm, one would not believe that one of them had considered taking her own life the night before. Both women laughed and looked happy. If it weren't for the fact that Tanith was blonde and had blue eyes you would have thought, they were sisters.

"Valkyrie!"

Valkyrie and Tanith stopped in mid-stride when they heard a male voice call out to Valkyrie. They looked up and could see a young man waving at them a little further ahead with a smile on his face. From the corner of her eye, Tanith saw Valkyrie smile widely and her eyes light up, making Tanith suspect that she understood who the young man was. The news of what had happened to Valkyrie the night before had spread like wildfire during breakfast and all the first-class passengers who were part of Valkyrie's parents' circle had talked about nothing else all morning.

Valkyrie raised her hand and waved back at the man, causing Tanith to raise her eyebrows meaningfully. "Someone you know, Valkyrie?"

Valkyrie nodded. "You could say that."

The moment the young man saw that the women had noticed him, it didn't take long for him to reach them. Standing in front of them, he took Valkyrie's hand in his and kissed the back of her hand with a twinkle in his eye. "Miss Cain, we meet again."

Even though Valkyrie knew it was highly unacceptable behavior considering she was betrothed to another man, she couldn't stop what was happening: she blushed and giggled in delight. "Mr. Pleasant, it's an honor to meet you again. I am terribly sorry for the way we ended things last night."

"It wasn't your fault, Miss Cain. I totally understand why your fiancé is so protective of you. I probably would have reacted in a similar way if I were the one to marry you."

Valkyrie blushed even more and had to look away to collect her thoughts. When she felt herself regaining her composure, she turned to Tanith. "Tanith, allow me to introduce Mr. Skulduggery Pleasant. It was this brave young man who saved me last night."

Tanith turned to Skulduggery. "So, this is the mysterious Mr. Pleasant?" She let her gaze wander over Skulduggery and then nodded. "I can see why you've taken a liking to him, Valkyrie."

"Tanith!" Valkyrie whispered in horror, looking around to make sure no one was listening to their conversation.

To her immense relief, she saw that both her mother and the other women were far ahead of them. They had not realized that Valkyrie and Tanith had stopped to talk to Skulduggery, which was good considering that most of the first-class women couldn't keep quiet. If they saw that Valkyrie was standing there talking to an unknown man, it wouldn't take long before Caelan found out about it, which in turn would make his jealousy flare up thousandfold. Valkyrie had no idea what he could bring himself to do, but she knew that it wouldn't be anything good.

Skulduggery laughed and held out his hand to Tanith who shook it. "Nice to meet you, Miss Tanith."

"Are you looking forward to dinner tonight, Mr. Pleasant?" Tanith wondered, giving Skulduggery a knowing look. "I assume you will be at your best and that you will be dressed up as well?"

"So, you mean I can't come in my everyday clothes?" Skulduggery said with an ironic tone and an equally ironic smile on his face.

Tanith gave Skulduggery a look which said that this was not a good time for telling jokes. "I take that as a no. Luckily for you, I happen to have some of my late husband's clothes with me that I am going to give away when we get to New York. I think you are about the same size as him."

"I can't…" Skulduggery started to protest, but Tanith just shook her head.

"No buts. Didn't your parents teach you that it is impolite to refuse a gift?" Tanith asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I apologize. Thank you very much, I really appreciate it." Skulduggery gave Tanith a smile before bowing.

"That's how it should sound." Tanith smiled and turned to Valkyrie. "I'm going to leave you two alone for a while. You have some things to talk about."

"You don't have to…" Valkyrie began, but Tanith cut her off.

"No buts. I am going to keep your mother and the other women occupied, so you need not worry Valkyrie." Tanith turned and started walking back in the direction they had just come from. As she left, she said to Skulduggery "When you're ready, you can come over to my cabin, Mr. Pleasant. Say you are looking for Mrs. Tanith Low and someone from the crew will point you in the right direction."

Skulduggery and Valkyrie looked after Tanith as she left. As she disappeared into the crowd, Skulduggery turned to Valkyrie and extended his arm. "Could I have the great honor of showing you around the ship, ma'am?"

Valkyrie laughed and placed her hand in the crook of Skulduggery's arm. She let him pilot her around the deck while they talked about everything. Valkyrie was surprised at how easily their conversation flowed, as if they had known each other for a long time and not just a few hours. Skulduggery had a voice like velvet that she could listen to for hours without tiring. He had a relaxed body language and was close to both smiles and laughter.

"I'm curious as to how it is that such a young girl like you, who seems to have everything on the outside, would try to take her own life on the world's most luxurious ship?" Skulduggery asked, looking seriously at Valkyrie.

"You have every right to be Mr. Pleasant."

"But?"

"It's nothing I want to discuss. You probably wouldn't understand anyway."

"Test me."

Valkyrie looked at Skulduggery with a raised eyebrow. "Was that a challenge?"

"If you want, I can start by telling you about my upbringing and how I came to be on board this ship."

"Let it be heard."

Skulduggery smiled a mirthless smile. "Just a word of caution before I begin: it's not a sunshine story."

"As you said to me just now: test me."

Skulduggery laughed before letting his gaze wander out over the sea in front of them. He stopped in front of the railing and let his forearms rest over it. "I grew up in a small village deep in the woods of England where the winters are harsh and the summers extremely hot. I lived together with my father, mother, older brother, two little sisters and a little brother in a small cabin that was only big enough for a maximum of three people so that there was a lack of space is not an understatement, exactly.

My mother is a housewife, and my father is a logger. We had to turn over every penny he earned to afford food, but for the most part we managed to have enough food to keep us from starving. My older brother and I were often out hunting when food was scarce, which unfortunately became more and more common as we got older."

"Why was that?"

"Because my father was an angry alcoholic during the hours he wasn't out working in the forest. I can't tell you how many times he abused my mother, but it was often, and it was painful. He also attacked us children sometimes, but not as often. It was mainly my younger siblings who suffered much of his fury when he was done with our mother, as me and my older brother fought back. The older we got, the more we could defend the rest of our family from his tyranny. Unfortunately, many times it led to bloody wounds, and I have several scars on my body that have appeared thanks to my father."

Valkyrie stared at Skulduggery with wide eyes and a hand over her mouth in a horrified gesture. "But my God… Why didn't your mother leave him?"

"Because, as I said, she had no work, and she had five children to take care of. There is no job she could have taken that earned her enough to measure up to all of us and she refused to let me and my older brother work until we were old enough."

"Does she still live in the cabin with your father?"

"Unfortunately, she does, but at least now she has my youngest brother who can protect her from the worst blows. My older brother works in London at the same time as he takes care of our little sisters who he has managed to get into a good school, which will mean that they will be able to get an education and hopefully have the chance to find a profession that they will enjoy. I hope that eventually he will succeed in persuading both my mother and brother to leave father, but so far, he has not succeeded."

Valkyrie placed a hand on Skulduggery's shoulder and squeezed it gently. "I'm so sorry, Skulduggery. I'm surprised that you can see life so brightly when you've had the upbringing you've had."

"It is thanks to my mother, Valkyrie. No matter how much pain she was in or how sad she was, she always had time for us children and did everything she could to make us happy. It is thanks to her that I can feel joy and happiness."

"She sounds divine," Valkyrie said, smiling.

"She is." Skulduggery turned to Valkyrie. "Now that you've heard my story, maybe you'd like to share yours?"

Valkyrie sighed. "After hearing your story, my worries feel so pointless. You'll think I'm ridiculous, maybe even a wimp."

Skulduggery looked deep into Valkyrie's eyes before saying in a serious voice "No, I won't, Valkyrie."

So, Valkyrie told Skulduggery about her upbringing. How throughout her twenty-year life she had been taught how a nice girl from first grade should behave. What she can and cannot say, how she must dress, what is acceptable to do and what is not, that she will never have to work if she finds a good man who can provide for her and that she is expected to stick with this man whether she loves him or not. That she will stand up for him through thick and thin and that she is expected to give him children if he wants any.

If so, she must not demand that they protect themselves during their intimate moments and that she must be prepared for those moments to come at any moment without warning. The only reason why she should not have intercourse is if she is menstruating, as it is a period in a woman's life that is considered "dirty" and makes her unattractive.

When she finished telling her story, she felt as if a great burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She laughed before a sob went through her body. She felt tears running down her cheeks and she quickly wiped them away. She didn't dare look at Skulduggery because she knew then she wouldn't be able to hold back the tears, and she didn't want to embarrass herself in front of him or any of the other passengers on the ship.

"And then you've met my future husband as well. Caelan comes from a fine family that my father has had a good relationship with for many years and if it wasn't for the bad investments he made that nearly ruined him, I wouldn't have to marry Caelan."

Skulduggery whistled low. "Then I understand why you were so desperate last night and wanted to leave everything behind."

Valkyrie laughed a mirthless laugh and wiped away a few tears that were about to roll down her cheeks. "Yes, living in first class is not as glamorous as many people think. I understand the allure, especially if one has grown up in a similar way as you have. It's true that we always have plenty of food on the table and never have to worry about freezing, going hungry, or having to walk around in torn clothes, but that doesn't mean we're happy. As you said before Skulduggery, we seem to have everything, but in reality, we have nothing. In any case, not what I consider to be the most important thing."

"And what is that, Valkyrie?"

Valkyrie turned her head and looked straight into Skulduggery's eyes. "Happiness."