Ice & Iron (Titanic)

Chapter 7

Friday, 12th April 1912

The next morning I threw off the cream coloured bed covers with the anticipation of excitement. Tonight was finally the family dinner with just the three of us! For the first time in weeks. Last night I hadn't been able to say goodnight to Murdoch and it saddened me. But I was determined to see him this morning and then hopefully during a day, finally topping it off with dinner. I couldn't wait for tonight to come, even though the day had just begun. This morning was the second morning we had woken up on the Titanic. The overall vibe of being on such a magnificence ship was dimming, but I still had areas left unexplored, it took hours to cover one section as it was massive. By the time the ship had docked in New York, I would have covered all the areas to be explored.

"Morning Stacey," Mother said as we met in the sitting room. "Will you have breakfast with your mother this morning?"

"Yes, of course," I replied. I was hoping to put off seeing Joe for as long as possible today. See how long that would last if he was following me around. Mother didn't understand, all see could see was young love.

Love? I'd never had a boyfriend before or been kissed. I tended to usually avoid boys. And they avoided me. It was a win-win situation. Maybe... Had I been shutting myself in the closet for too long?

"Are you going to see that boy again today?" she asked.

"Maybe," I replied, shrugging. "He's a bit weird in my opinion. I haven't really spent time with boys before."

"How is he weird?" Mother asked, grabbing her coat. It was a bit cooler today on the Atlantic Ocean.

"He follows me around and always asks questions," I explained. "I don't want to tell him about Father, and I think he's trying to pry information out of me about him."

"Why don't you tell him about William?" asked Mother. "Most girls would feel like about having a stepfather with that high of a status as a good thing."

"He was on the Olympic last year when it collided with the Hawke," I told her. "And so was Father. I don't really want to tell him until I get to know him better."

"Okay," said Mother. "But tell him before the voyage is over. Remember, honesty is always the best policy."

As we walked towards the dining saloon for breakfast, I thought about that conversation. If I could prevent it, Joe would not find out that the First Officer Murdoch is my stepfather. There was just something I sensed that wasn't quite right whenever Joe mentioned his name.

At breakfast, we grabbed a plate each loaded with another delicious breakfast. I decided to have fresh fruit and Mother had the smoked salmon. One of her new friends spotted us and waved us over to their table. We sat down and Mother immediately began talking. I looked around the dining saloon and didn't spot Joe anywhere. I let out a sigh. I was safe....for now.

"Do you go to school back in Southampton?" one of the ladies, Ruth, asked.

"Yes," I replied. "The local school. I'm in the eleventh grade."

"She's involved in a writing group," Mother explained. "But she doesn't really try to talk to others."

Thanks, Mother. I'm right here. I can hear everything you say about me.

"I have friends!" I exclaimed. We weren't overly close, but they did talk to me and didn't seem to mind the fact about my stepfather. The only thing was that Irene and Grace were closer to each other than I was to them. They both also went to the local school as well. I met Grace because we were in the same writing group and she introduced me to Irene, whose family own the local news shop in Southampton.