Meg was sitting in a small waiting area near Charlie’s private hospital room, attempting to take deep breaths and calm herself when she heard multiple sets of urgent footsteps and looked up to see Jonathan leading an older, well-dressed couple, followed by a younger, equally as nicely outfitted couple, and a few servants down the hall. She knew this must be Charlie’s family, and her anxiety over Charlie not remembering her morphed into nervousness at the thought of meeting them. She had no idea if they even knew who she was.
As they drew closer, she realized the men had their arms around their wives, as if they wouldn’t believe Charlie was alive until they saw him for themselves, and she pushed her own selfish thoughts away. She was certain they had more important matters on their minds than who she was and why she was here.
“How is he?” Jonathan asked as he stopped a few feet away. “Is the doctor in?”
Meg stood, her leg
Jonathan’s voice was quiet and calm. Meg had known he wouldn’t let her slip away, that he’d notice before she could even get through the door. “I… I was trying to get out of the way.”He knew it wasn’t the truth, yet he said nothing. “I think it would be best if you did as Mrs. Ashton suggested and went with Carrie to the hotel. She’s been a lady-in-waiting for years. She’ll be able to attend to your needs and can help you find proper attire tomorrow. When you are dressed like yourself again, I’m sure you’ll feel much better.”She felt no need to attempt an explanation regarding the fact that she was currently unsure whether she was Mary Margaret Westmoreland, wealthy heir to the Westmoreland Textile Factory, or Meg West, Third Class Passenger. It was late. They were exhausted. She nodded.“Do you want me to tell them who you are?” It was a whisper in her ear so close she
Meg’s new gown was simple, but it felt much more elegant than anything she’d worn for weeks, except the night she’d gone to dinner with Charlie, of course. It was a royal blue color, which she knew went well with her eyes. Carrie had gotten her a charming new brush and comb set and had lovingly helped her work out all of the knots in her hair without supposing how they might have gotten there. Meg remembered there had been a crown of icicles around her head not long ago. Thoughts of the hours she’d spent in the lifeboat, soaking wet and then freezing, praying for Charlie in her mind and then aloud, made her shudder, and she pushed them away, back into a corner, into the same compartment where she kept remembrances of the awful things her uncle had done to her.“You look absolutely stunning, Miss West,” Carrie said, smiling at Meg’s reflection in the mirror.“Thank you, Carrie, but please do call me Meg,” she insiste
Meg was certain Charlie must have remembered what she’d told him then. Bertram Westmoreland was the only bastard he could’ve been speaking of. She dropped her eyes to the floor for a moment in concentration before returning them to Jonathan’s face. “If I tell the Ashtons who I really am, do you think they will be angry?”“No, and certainly not if you tell them why you’ve kept it a secret.”“Do you suppose they will keep my secret? I’m still not certain what I plan to do.”“Do you mean as far as your mother is concerned?”Meg nodded. There was a knock at the door, and a male voice shouted, “Room service.” Carrie entered the room and smiled as if she was apologizing for intruding. The conversation froze in place as Carrie and the gentlemen set up Meg’s breakfast on a table across the room, and then he left, Carrie returning to the bedroom.Jonathan had sca
Charlie’s house was unlike anything Meg had ever seen before, and she could scarcely believe she was engaged to the man who lived here. While she could easily imagine it sitting out of town on a few hundred acres and still being imposing, it was situated between two other similar dwellings, though Charlie’s was by far the most impressive. It resembled a French chateau and reached at least three stories into the air, though Meg thought the turrets might count for one more. She stood outside on the sidewalk next to Fifth Avenue trying to catch her breath.“It’s stunning, isn’t it?” Jonathan asked at her elbow. “His mother picked it out. Charlie was far too busy with his work at the factory and his other interests to go house shopping.”“I don’t even know what to say,” Meg admitted. “It’s breathtaking.”“He can explain the history to you once he’s feeling up to it. At le
Charlie chuckled, and Meg felt her blush meet the apples of her cheeks. While she wanted to add it was best of all to know he remembered her, she couldn’t say that in front of his family.“Charlie was just telling us about how you’d gone back into the bowels of the ship to rescue a little girl,” Pamela explained. “Your lady-in-waiting’s daughter?”Meg looked at Charlie who gave her a reassuring nod. “Oh, yes,” Meg said. “Ruth is more like my niece than anything else. She’d lost her doll and slipped away from her parents. So I went down to find her.”“It seems odd to me that the daughter of a First Class passenger’s lady would go all the way down there to find a doll. Is that where she was being accommodated?” Grace’s inquiry had even more questions behind it, and while Meg could understand why the older sibling was suspicious of her intentions, she felt her abdomen ti
“Hello, gorgeous,” Charlie said, reaching for her hand, and Meg gave it to him. “How are you really doing this morning?”She couldn’t help but smile at him. His hand was much warmer now than it had been for days. The tips of his fingers were rough in spots where they’d suffered frostbite, but she was glad to see they were healing. “I’m managing,” she admitted with a shrug. “It’s nice to see you know who I am today.”Charlie’s green eyes grew wide for a moment. “What does that mean?” he asked.Meg exhaled deeply through her nose. She’d done this same song and dance more times than she could count, and since she’d brought the topic up, she knew she'd have to say more, but she was determined not to go into a lot of detail because it always upset him to learn that he didn’t know who she was. “There were times, before, when we were on Carpathia,
The family walked in, discussing what the newspapers were saying about the sinking, and Meg tuned them out. She had no interest whatsoever in learning the misinformation being spread across the world as if it were fact.“Charlie, you’ve got some color in your cheeks,” Pamela noted as she returned to her spot on the sofa. A small smile played at the corners of her mouth as if she thought she could guess why that might be.“Meg’s presence always makes me feel better,” Charlie assured her. Grace let out a small scoffing snicker and was met by another sharp look from her mother. Charlie either didn’t notice or didn’t care to acknowledge it. “We actually have some information we’d like to share with you, but first we want to caution you that what we are about to tell you cannot leave this room.”“My god! Is she carrying your child?” Grace leaned forward in her seat so far, Meg thought she m
“Now, will your lady be returning to your side, or will you need to keep Carrie?”The question was another good one. “If you say Kelly’s new home is far away, then it wouldn’t be easy for her to attend to me here. And, I believe she was planning on staying home with the girls.” She was looking at Charlie, but she would’ve accepted a response from anyone.“I plan to give Daniel that foreman’s position that just opened up,” Charlie said to his father. “His arm is currently in a cast, but he’s a fine young man, and I know he will be able to do the work.”Mr. Ashton nodded. “Of course, I trust your judgment.”“That position will come with an apartment, and he will make enough so that Kelly can stay home,” Charlie explained to Meg.“Very good then,” Pamela stated. “That solves that. I’ll let Carrie know.”“But