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Ship of Dreams
She had not expected to find herself standing here aboard the largest cruise liner in the world, a Third Class passenger, staring back at the ever shrinking dock of her native Southampton, wondering where she was headed, how she would get there, and whom she would become upon the other side.
Yet, here she was at midday on a cold, windy April 10, staring out at a myriad of faces she, thankfully, did not recognize, wearing someone else’s dress, her hair down and billowing in the breeze, leaving everything behind, starting anew.
Well, perhaps not everything. The fresh wounds mingled with old scars, both figuratively and literally, and she couldn’t help but think about the baggage she carried with her, despite the one small carpetbag she had stowed below deck earlier before coming aboard to fake a smile and wave at strangers. It would take some time to let the lingering memories fade, let the wounds heal, let the scars dissipate. At least now, on this new journ
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“The ocean’s out there,” Jonathan Lane probed with a small nudge.With a slight blush, Charlie Ashton pulled his attention away from the young lady who had caught his eye and shrugged. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I was lost in thought.”Jonathan shook his head knowingly. “I understand this isn’t where you expected to be, but we may as well make the most of it. It isn’t everyday one finds himself on the maiden voyage of the greatest vessel ever to sail the seven seas.”Charlie laughed, picking up on the sarcasm in Jonathan’s tone. “God Himself could not sink this ship,” he replied, quoting the often repeated phrase.“Aye, but The New Yorker might,” Jonathan stated, gesturing at the wayward steamship floating aimlessly away from the docks. “Come on, let’s go over here where we can get a better look,” he insisted, placing his hand on Charlie&r
Ghosts of Southampton Distractions
The First Class stateroom Charlie Ashton occupied had come at a considerable price, but when he booked his passage aboard the RMS Titanic on the morning of its maiden voyage, he had been pleasantly surprised that the famous ocean liner even had availability in its most luxurious accommodations. Jonathan had returned from booking the fair stating that J.P. Morgan, the owner of the vessel, had recently cancelled his own reservation (a possible omen that had caused Charlie to raise his eyebrows) which had left one of the finest staterooms available. Despite the fact that the very owner had determined not to make the maiden voyage, Charlie’s desperation to leave England had led him to board the ship, the idea that perhaps the Titanic was not as unsinkable as previously mentioned only a drifting thought in an over-crowded mind.Staring at the frothing waters below as the disturbance of the vast hull made her way through otherwise placid seas, he couldn&rsqu
Ghosts of Southampton Missing
It had taken some probing, but eventually, Charlie had agreed to join Jonathan for some fresh air outside on one of the boat’s many promenades. However, a compromise had been negotiated; rather than sauntering about amidst the over-dressed, overly formal members of First Class, Charlie had insisted on traveling down to one of the lower decks where the pressures of sophistication would be replaced with an air of excitement at the journey. Happy to be leaving the cabin, Jonathan agreed, and they made their way to C Deck where mostly Third Class passengers could leave the cramped quarters of Steerage for some fresh air and a view of the ocean.As they ambled about, discussing the various features of the vessel, Charlie was reminded of how fortunate he was to have such a scholarly valet. Jonathan had done quite a bit of research about the boat before they boarded. Likewise, he soaked up information from overheard conversations and discussions with other gentlemen of his pos
Ghosts of Southampton Encounter
Taking a deep breath, Meg proceeded, knowing she had no choice but to retrieve Ruth, though she was ashamed to admit thoughts of slowly backing away crossed her mind. The crew would determine who her parents were eventually, wouldn’t they? Charlie would keep her safe until Kelly and Daniel could come and get her, no doubt. Pushing those thoughts aside, and praying that he did not recognize her or ask any questions, she marched onward, trying to focus on the child and avoid those green eyes at all cost.“Ruth!” she admonished, “there you are! Aunt Meg has been looking everywhere for you, sweetheart.”Ruth hung her head only slightly before meeting Meg’s eyes and saying, in her angelic baby voice, “The scarf blew away!”“Oh, my,” Meg said, shaking her head. “Next time, wait for Aunty Meg, darling.” She opened her arms and Ruth came to her, still clutching the scarf in her balled up fist.
Ghosts of Southampton Revelations
“Mummy!” Ruth yelled, rushing into her mother’s arms just as soon as Meg had the door open, despite the fact that Baby Lizzy was sleeping, as were her parents.“Shhh!” Kelly scolded, still smiling at her little one as she flung her small body into her arms. “We mustn’t be so loud when Baby Lizzy is asleep,” she reminded.“Sorry!” Ruth whispered sharply, almost as loudly as her normal volume. “Guess who I met!”Meg took a deep breath and tossed herself onto her bunk. The furniture in the room was sparse, and there wasn’t much space between the five occupants. Daniel was snoring on the top bunk above where Lizzy and Kelly were sleeping, and Ruth had the bunk above Meg. Though she had been tempted to ease back out the door, she knew this conversation was inevitable, and she may as well get it over with.“Who did you meet?” Kelly asked as Ruth climbed into the crowded be
Ghosts of Southampton Dinner
“Why if it isn’t Mr. Charles Ashton. Whatever are you doing here, darlin’? I thought you was planning on sticking around in Southampton for a while,” an older, well-dressed woman asked as Charlie entered the First Class Dining Hall. He recognized her, of course, as millionaire Molly Brown from Colorado. He wasn’t too surprised that she would find a way to make a prying question sound innocent enough.“Mrs. Brown,” he replied, “it’s nice to see you. It seems I had a change of plans and am now available to join all of you on what is sure to be an historic maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic.”“Well, it sure is nice to see you as well,” she gushed, not letting him get by so easily. “Where is your lovely betrothed, Miss Westmoreland? I would love to meet the young lady in person.”Charlie hesitated, staring into her eyes for a moment to ascertain whether or not she already knew
Ghosts of Southampton Molly
By the time he reached his cabin, the peculiar thought had almost left him completely. He knew Jonathan wouldn’t expect him back for several hours, assuming he would not be able to escape the lounge. He poured himself a brandy and made his way out to the private deck. The evening was chilly, but the air felt good, and he was hoping it would clear his mind. While visions of little Ruth and her intriguing aunt were welcome thoughts, his mind kept returning to the events of the last few days that had led him to his current position. It all seemed a bit surreal, but then so had his entire engagement, quite honestly, and only now that it seemed to be over did he feel he could finally get on with his life at long last.He had arrived in London to attend to a few business matters, both on behalf of his father’s steel company as well as the new celluloid manufacturing company he was starting on his own. His father had made a name for himself in the steel industry early on
Ghosts of Southampton Shady
Charlie nodded. He had heard that before, but considering Mary Margaret was engaged to be his wife, and she was Bertram’s family, he never thought she was at any risk. The uncle had lived with Mary Margaret’s parents even before she was born. The older brother of Henry by a considerable margin, he had wasted away his portion of the family inheritance before Henry even graduated from university, and by the time the younger brother began his textile company, Bertram was eagerly awaiting any opportunity to profit from his brother’s hard work. Charlie had met him a few times when he had come to New York on business, and though he had been frightening as a young child, he seemed like a harmless old man now. Molly seemed to think otherwise. “Do you think something shady was going on?”“I’m not sure,” Molly replied, finishing her drink. “I know one of the girls was saying Bertram wouldn’t take no for an answer once several
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