Lieutenant Bertie Johnson was utterly miserable in the large private dining room that Mrs. Beatty had rented for her party. The flowers were making him sniff, his knees were hurting from standing stock still for so long and his commanding officer wasn't even here. The Collingwood was back in Scapa Flow, but since Beatty and Grandfather had been friends he had to come to this party for appearances.

The ladies that were there were eying him up like a particularly juicy peach, one of them even licked her lips like she wanted to take a bite. Women like that frightened him, especially when one of them came up and trailed her hand down his arm. "Is it true what they say about sailors, Lieutenant Johnson?"

He gulped, "S-s-say?"

"They s-s-say," She giggled, "That sailors like to have a girl in every port." She batted her eyes, the fingers of one hand tracing the pearls at her throat. "I could be your girl here."

Bertie jerked back, stumbling away. "My apologies, I d-don't feel well." God, he didn't want to be here, David always went to parties. But Admiral Beatty was smiling at him, waving him over.

He clapped him on his shoulder, "Not enjoying the ladies, Bertie?"

"I'm just feeling a bit green, sir." Bertie shifted, "Some food might help."

Beatty shrugged, "Ah, well, Ethel wants all the guests here before we start serving." He turned as the door opened, "And here are our last two!"

Bertie turned to look, and felt his mouth go dry. The captain was nothing remarkable, only standing out for being a Reservist, but the woman on his arm was absolutely stunning. Tall, blonde, with diamonds on her wrist and at her throat, a massive tiara in her hair. She looked at her husband with adoration, and when they approached the admiral, she spoke with a smile. "My apologies for our late arrival Admiral, I had to rush back to our room for something and we had to wait for the elevator to come back up!"

Bertie noticed how Ethel froze at her husband's side, while Admiral Beatty was clearly eying the woman. "Captain Murdoch, I don't think we've been introduced."

"Of course, sir," Captain Murdoch smiled, clearly pleased with the attention his wife was getting. "I should like you to meet my wife, Anastasia Murdoch. Ana, this is Admiral Beatty and his wife, Ethel."

Beatty beamed, nodding to Bertie. "And Lieutenant Bertie Johnson, I've taken a special interest in his career."

"How wonderful," Anastasia turned her smile on him, and he suddenly felt rather warm. "That must be quite an honor."

"Oh, y-yes." Bertie cursed his stutter. "I'm quite glad to be here."

She leaned closer, lifting her hand to pretend to whisper to him. "So am I, I enjoy every moment I get with my husband and those are far too few these days."

Ethel clearly wanted the attention back on her, "Oh I know, I relish every day I have with Davey." She simpered at her husband, who was still looking at Mrs. Murdoch. "I'm so proud of what he's accomplished, but it is such a trial to share him."

Admiral Beatty shrugged, his eyes travelling across Anastasia's jewels. "You simply must tell me about that necklace, I've never seen the like."

"Oh," Anastasia brushed her fingers over it. "This was a gift from a dear friend."

Ethel pursed her lips. "And the tiara?"

"New!" Anastasia beamed, "We got it yesterday."

"I'm sure the jeweler was glad to loan it to you," Ethel smirked, "There will be plenty of prospective buyers here tonight."

Captain Murdoch reached over and adjusted the tiara in his wife's hair, "Oh, I insisted on purchasing it. I find pearls flatter Anastasia like nothing else."

"He does love to pamper me." Anastasia leaned into him, smiling.

Her husband chuckled, "You deserve all that and more."

Bertie watched Ethel fight down a sneer, eventually regaining her charming tone. "Your children must be missing you tonight, I imagine they miss their father."

"Oh," Captain Murdoch almost started, glancing quickly to his wife. "We don't have any children."

"But sometime soon." Anastasia took his arm, a smile still on her face, although it looked rather brittle. "If you'll excuse us, Admiral, I believe we should make sure to meet everyone present."

Will whisked me away from the Beattys and the young lieutenant, leaning down to hastily whisper. "Ana, I'm sorry, I should have mentioned something to Beatty beforehand."

"It's alright," I mumbled, squeezing his arm. "Now I can see why you wanted to frustrate her tonight."

"I know you, you're already planning out the rest of the night."

I chuckled, "Of course I am, my love. By the end of the night dear Ethel over there will be furious." Another captain was waving us over, and I immediately fell back into my common attitude at any society party. I was light and happy, blushing at any comment paid to me, gazing adoringly at my husband, and doing everything to keep eyes on me and away from Ethel.

One comment made me laugh out loud though, and not in a ladylike way. A captain had bowed over my hand, then looked to Will. "You know Captain Murdoch, we were supposed to bring our wives, not our daughters."

I was laughing so loud that I drew far too much attention and had to wave to Will to reply while I collected myself. He had flushed a bit, "Anastasia is my wife, I can assure you."

"Oh yes," I had finally gotten control of myself. "I have a penchant for older men in naval uniforms, so William appealed to me straight away."

It was shortly after that that dinner was to be served and we were called to assume our places at the table. Cards were marking out places, each name elaborately written by Ethel no doubt. I glanced to Will as we took our places to the left of Beatty's at the head of the table. It positioned me across from Ethel, and Will to my right was across from Lieutenant Johnson.

It also meant that Beatty himself was to my left, and he even deigned to pour a glass of champagne for me. "I cannot believe that Captain Murdoch was keeping you a secret from all of us."

"Oh, thank you." I took the glass, enduring a furious look from Ethel that left no doubt in my mind that the original seating placement had not included Will and I seated so close to the Admiral. I wondered who he'd switched our cards with. I glanced to Will, seeing him accepting a glass from the wait staff. "I'm not usually in Scotland."

Ethel, a waiter shaking out her napkin, raised a brow. "You don't live in Edinburgh?"

"I'm afraid not," I replied, sipping at my champagne. "While I do love Scotland, I am spending most of my time in Southampton, tending to my business."

"You're in business?" One of the captains further down the table piped up.

I nodded, "My family runs a successful shipping company."

"I've always found a woman in trade rather distasteful," Ethel smirked over her glass, "Even if it is successful."

I kept a smile on my face, "Oh, I view it as a duty to my father, who loved me so much he left me half his fortune and his company." I enjoyed the way her expression fell for a moment before she fixed it. "Of course, all I really do is supervise everything. I have a very capable staff." I took the moment to slip my hand over Will's, "Although we are considering purchasing a house up here, so that I could be closer to Will when he has leave."

He covered my hand with his own, "And I have to admit, I am rather greedy with her time when I have leave."

"You must be quite successful to be able to simply buy a house on a whim." Ethel pursed her lips, "My father was quite successful in business too, his estate was worth millions."

I ducked my head, setting the pearls in the tiara to swaying. "We're quite comfortable, I can assure you."

"How comfortable?" Ethel smirked, "My father left me twenty million, you know."

Will tried to cut in, "We really don't discuss money-"

"Oh, come now, Captain Murdoch." Beatty chuckled, "We clearly both have an eye for ladies of means." He turned to me, his eyes bright as they focused on somewhere lower than my eyes. "You can tell us, my dear, I promise we won't breathe a word of it."

My stomach was knotted around itself, and I took a deep breath. I spoke matter-of-factly, recounting the latest report from Mr. Welton. "My father left my mother and I thirty-five million each, along with equal shares of our company. Through investments and expansion, our company is now valued at roughly a hundred million." I could see I had everyone's attention now, and felt my cheeks burning. "I have access to ten million in cash for personal needs, although I try to live modestly."

Beatty raised his glass to me, and nodded his head to Will. "Well done." The first two courses, a salad that Ethel stabbed at with more ferocity than necessary and a soup that I only sipped at, seemed to pass with Will mostly receiving congratulations for marrying into money and discussion about the war.

It was only while the poultry course, duck with mushrooms, was being carved and served that Ethel spoke again. "Well, I must assume you're a part of some decent society."

I speared a piece of duck on my fork, "New York, where I usually live."

"New York City," She smiled, "I have to admit, even living over here I do my best to keep up with all the gossip back home." That smile suddenly turned sly, "I remember seeing the names Anastasia and William in quite a few articles."

Will was clearly doing his best to hold his tongue, "Probably from our wedding, it was quite the event."

"Oh, I'm sure." She batted her eyes, "Now how did you two meet? I just, I can't imagine how it happened! A reservist and a society lady."

I took a sip of wine, "Will was working as an officer on an ocean liner I was a passenger on. We met a few times and I guess you could say we took a fancy to each other."

Ethel pounced, "What ship?"

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Will swallow nervously. "Oh, I can't remember. They moved me around so much that all my berths blend together."

"William, Anastasia, and an ocean liner." She tapped her chin, and as soon as her eyes lit up, I knew we were doomed. "It wasn't Titanic, was it?"

That brought the clatter of cutlery and the buzz of conversation to an end, every eye turning towards us. Even Lieutenant Johnson was staring wide eyed at Will and I. I glanced over, seeing Will's face pale and his jaw set. I wormed my hand around his under the table, took a breath, and pasted a calm expression on my face. "It was, Mrs. Beatty."

"Such a tragedy," She sniffed, "I certainly hope William here didn't suffer too much in the papers, given how much they attacked the few male survivors."

"It was not pleasant." Will took a breath, "None of us officers were treated well."

Ethel could have rivaled a pirate for bloodthirstiness, "Especially to the one on watch during the collision. I imagine the accusations of cowardice were quite painful."

I glanced down, giving his hand a squeeze. "William is the bravest man I have ever met, and I doubt anyone at this table has been through what he has." I took a look down the entire table, even looking over to meet Beatty's gaze. "In fact, I'd say he's the bravest man here."

A captain farther down the table was offended, "Are you saying that there is not an ounce of bravery among us?"

I turned to stare at him. "I am saying that none of have faced the decision to cast your life aside in an instant to save just one person. You may tell yourself that you could do it, that a death in battle is a worthy one, but you have not had to stare that decision in the face. William has, and he did not hesitate for a moment. If not for him, I would have died that night, like my father did."

Will reached over, "And if not for her, I would have died as well."

"You lost your father, my sympathies, my dear." Admiral Beatty actually patted my hand, "But at least you found yourself a fine man."

"I did." I looked to Will, seeing a bit of color in his cheeks. "And I wouldn't trade him for anything."

Ethel sniffed loudly, waving her hand in front of her face as if fighting off tears. "Oh, I am so sorry. If I had known about your father, well, I would never have mentioned it!"

"If you knew about the ship we were on, then you knew about my father." I growled, earning a glare from Beatty and Ethel stopping her act. "Perhaps we should just move past this."

"I agree," Beatty sat straight. "Onto happier topics, we'll be heading out on a cruise soon." That restarted the conversation, which washed over me like a wave. I was still staring at Ethel, furious that she had brought up that ship. She knew what she was doing, and she had clearly been enjoying it.

My attempt to keep Will's past buried was fruitless now, and I could laugh at Campbell if he tried to blackmail me with that again. It would be all over the squadron by tomorrow and the fleet by the end of the month, sailors gossiped like fishwives. Ethel would be quite pleased by that, and I cursed myself for pushing her too far. I had only wanted to outshine her, she would have a dozen parties where she was the focus, but apparently having attention away from her for one night was too much.

After the final course, a massive custard studded with berries, the table broke up into smaller groups to converse over drinks. Will was pulled away by a captain, giving my hand a squeeze as he left. I was bracing myself to have to speak to Mrs. Beatty again when a soft voice spoke behind me, "M-M-Mrs. Murdoch?"

I turned, seeing Lieutenant Johnson standing here with a drink in his hand. I smiled, "Lieutenant Johnson, is that for me?"

He looked down to the glass of port in his hand, suddenly extending it. "If you want."

"Perhaps you could order one for me." I chuckled, "I haven't tried port before."

"This one is quite g-good." He waved to a waiter, who quickly brought me a glass. I took a moment to study Lieutenant Johnson. He was a handsome young man, more than likely from some important family if Beatty was paying attention to him. His stutter had clearly made him shy, for I noticed some of the society girls Ethel had brought clearly making eyes at him to no avail.

I took a sip, letting the fortified wine sit on my tongue for a moment. A slight taste of dry red wine, but quickly covered by a sweetness that hid the taste of alcohol. "You were right, this is quite nice."

He blushed, "Well, I just thought you might enjoy it." He glanced around, dropping his voice. "I'm sorry you went through that, not just the shipwreck but Mrs. Beatty bringing it up in front of everyone."

I sighed, a sad smile on my face. "Thank you, Bertie. That's very kind of you."

"I-I won't say anything about Captain Murdoch." He glanced to Will, currently looking as if his teeth were being pulled while he talked. "He seems like a good man."

"He is," I sipped at my port. "You can talk to him, you know." I raised a brow, "He might even have a spot open; his ship is very nice."

Bertie blushed, "Oh well, I'm afraid I'd only be a hindrance."

"Oh, I don't believe that, not for a minute."

"My current captain despairs of my skill," Bertie looked away, "Especially at navigation."

I extended my arm, "Well it just so happens my husband is a dab hand at navigation, and he has experience tutoring promising young officers." I lifted my elbow, "Shall we?"

Bertie slipped his arm through mine, every inch the gentleman. "I wouldn't want to put your husband in a difficult position."

I extended my hand to Will, who was clearly relieved to get away from his current conversation. "Darling, I have a proposition for you."

Will glanced to Bertie, "Does it involve leaving?"

"Soon," I promised, "But Lieutenant Johnson here could use some help with his navigation. I don't suppose you'd be willing to tutor him tomorrow? Teatime could work, if you think so."

I watched as Bertie shifted under Will's gaze. Will took his time taking the measure of the young man, who eventually lifted his head to meet my husband's eyes. Will nodded, "Teatime, Lieutenant Johnson. We're in the Royal Stewart suite, you're welcome to come up and join us. Bring your books with you." Will wrapped an arm around me, "So long as my wife doesn't mind us taking over the table to work."

"I wouldn't have brought him over if I wasn't alright with that." I teased my husband, enjoying as Bertie quickly stumbled over himself in thanking Will. His stutter was quite apparent, but it only made him rather adorable as he excused himself to fetch another drink. I looked to Will, "You don't mind, do you?"

He shook his head, "Not at all, he seems like a good lad."

"I thought you would like him," I leaned closer, lowering my voice. "Plus, it will help you with Admiral Beatty."

Will nodded, his eyes a bit distant. "I suppose it will, however I just remembered I wanted to speak to him. If you'll excuse me?"

He left me with a kiss on my cheek, and I swirled my glass of port as I watched him approach Admiral Beatty. The two of them headed off, and I turned to the rest of the guests. The other captains were speaking happily to their wives, sweethearts and the society girls Ethel had brought. I couldn't help but notice that their eyes kept glancing to me though, and I tossed my head a bit to draw even more attention as my jewelry flashed.

Unfortunately, I caught the wrong attention as Ethel Beatty fluttered over to my side. "Oh, Mrs. Murdoch, I feel we got off on the wrong foot." She batted her eyes, "We Americans need to stick together over here." A hand was thrust forward, clearly meant for me to take. "Come along, we'll get your properly introduced to our set."

I muttered a curse directed at my husband as she pulled me along.

Admiral Beatty led Will to a side room, clearly a tea parlor when the tables were set and not hosting the seats of the chairs to create more room. Beatty took a slug of his glass of whiskey, "Well, you asked to speak to me privately."

Will stood straight, "May I also speak freely, sir?"

"I suppose," Beatty winced, "It's about my wife, isn't it?"

Will nodded, "Yes, sir." He took a breath, doing his best to control his temper. "What she did at dinner was incredibly rude and traumatizing to not just my wife, but myself." Beatty glanced away, and Will continued. "She made us remember one of the worst moments in our lives, and made sure that everyone at the table heard what she said." Will shifted on his feet, "It will likely even make it to the papers and they'll be calling for my head."

Beatty snapped up at that. "Now that, I won't allow. What good are newspaper censors if I can't have something kept secret?"

"Thank you, sir." Will gave a short nod. "But the insult to my wife, I can't stand for it. You need to take Mrs. Beatty in hand and have her apologize to Ana."

"Captain Murdoch," Beatty sighed, bringing a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Ethel is not a woman I can take in hand. If I order her to do something she will go and do the opposite just to spite me."

"There has to be some restitution to my wife, sir."

"What if they became friends?" Beatty raised a brow, "She can take your wife shopping tomorrow, they can bond, and soon they'll be thick as thieves."

Will did his best not to snort, "I don't know how well that will work."

"We'll try it." Beatty made for the door, hesitating a moment. "I am sorry for what she said, Captain. The two of you didn't deserve it."

Will followed his commander back out to the party, finding that Ethel had already commandeered his wife. Ana was practically on display to the other captains, Ethel drawing all of their attention to the workmanship of Ana's necklace, and incidentally her bust. Ana's eyes flicked to him, a small smile breaking out. "My apologies, gentlemen, but it appears my husband has returned."

He held out an arm, ignoring the exaggerated groans that came from the others as he swept her off. "I'm sorry I left you to the sharks."

"The only shark is that Ethel." She grumbled, "Can't we go up?"

"Just a little longer," Will promised, knowing that it would take time. The first captain to leave endured teasing, and the ladies quickly turned themselves to extending out the party. More drinks were brought, cigars were offered to the men and a record player was brought in to allow for some dancing.

Beatty himself insisted on taking Ana for a spin, and Will couldn't help but focus on how the man was toeing the line of propriety with where he placed his hands. He was so focused on the admiral that he didn't notice Ethel until she put her hand on his shoulder, her lips by his ear. "You must be quite proud of yourself, Captain."

Will tried to shift away, but she followed. "I try to stay humble, Mrs. Beatty."

"And yet you married such a proud woman, and got your hands on enough money that the word humble will never apply to you again." The whisper of her breath against his ear made him shiver. "I wonder, did you aim for that iceberg to speed things along? Her father must have been quite healthy, no one would blame you for hastening towards your goal."

Will stood at that, glaring at her. "My only goal then was to save the woman I love, now if you'll excuse me."

The song had just ended, and Ana came right back to him. "Admiral Beatty was just telling me about how Ethel wants to go shopping together tomorrow."

Ethel looked to her husband, flabbergasted, while Beatty simply nodded. "I think it's a wonderful chance for you two to spend some time together. After all, you both have so much in common."

Only Will could see how brittle Ana's smile was, "Of course, Admiral."

"David, you can call me David." Beatty's smile was a bit too friendly.

Will yawned widely, "If you'll excuse us sir, I believe we're going to head up for the night."

"Up?" Ethel was now hanging off her husband.

Ana nodded, "Yes, when you get here tomorrow just have them send up word to the Royal Stewart suite and I'll be right down." She wrapped her hand around Will's, "Now, husband, I am absolutely exhausted." Will didn't need another excuse to escort his wife from the party, although he did take one look over his shoulder. Ethel was red faced and speaking quickly and harshly to her husband, who looked equally as combative.

He was still chuckling over it when they got back to their rooms, helping Ana untangle the tiara from her hair. "You enjoyed tweaking her nose, didn't you?"

"I did," Ana admitted, reaching for her earrings while he unfastened her necklace. "Although I wasn't expecting her to bring up Titanic."

Will grunted, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing his lips to her shoulder. "I'm sorry she brought that up, although you won't believe what she said while you were dancing."

"What?"

"She implied I crashed the ship to kill your father and get your money quicker." He hugged her tightly to him, "Ana, I tried so hard to find him. He came up to me once," Will winced, remembering the cold of that night. "He said it was up to me to take care of you and your mother, his girls he called you, but then he was gone." He pressed a kiss to her neck, glad to have her warm in his arms. "I will always regret that I couldn't save him for you."

She turned suddenly in his arms, her hands on his cheeks. "Oh God, I never told you."

He leaned back, taking her in. Her hair was disheveled, her dress was slipping off one shoulder and her eyes were slightly glassy. She was utterly beautiful, and he pressed a kiss to her lips. "Told me what?"

She leaned her forehead against his, "We, my parents and I, we were coming back from seeing doctors in Europe. Father was forgetting things, and after the sinking." She shivered slightly, "He, he found a steward and sent him off with a message for me if he got rescued." Her hands were suddenly tight around his shoulder. "He stayed behind deliberately; he didn't want to face a day where he forgot us." Ana took a breath, her voice shaky. "So don't blame yourself Will, he never intended to leave."

He clutched her tighter, drawing her head to his chest. "Ana, you should have told me."

"I didn't know you blamed yourself."

"Oh, that doesn't matter." He ruffled her hair, "But you carried that alone for so long, we're supposed to share our burdens."

Ana chuckled, "I'm taking on a burden for you tomorrow, hopefully it will stop Ethel from spreading any more gossip."

"I'll be waiting to hear all about it."

"Be nice to Lieutenant Johnson, will you?"

"You make me sound like a strict taskmaster."

"Well, do you feel like being strict tonight?"

"With you? I'm content to follow where you lead, at least tonight."