Love Throughout Time

Chapter 11

*Will*

With Millie safely in Agatha’s room, I step into my own, which is still dimly lit. I undress quietly, slipping into my bed clothes before turning off the light and settling in beneath the warm blanket.

But sleep escapes me. All I can think about is Millie. Her stories of the ship sinking seem so fantastic, they cannot really be true. Yet, she tells it all with such conviction, I’ve found myself floundering between believing every word and thinking her mad.

The latter is more likely the case. It has to be. To think she appeared suddenly from the future would be the ravings of a lunatic, and I don’t believe myself to be one.

Perhaps I’m drawn in by her beauty, and that’s what makes me wish to believe her. She’s truly the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Her strawberry blonde hair falls in waves around her shoulders. Even when it’s contained in an updo, a few strands tend to dangle delicately and attract my attention. Her bright jade eyes are so captivating, especially when they glisten in the light. Even the sound of her voice is as pleasant as music.

All these things captivate me, and perhaps that causes everything she says to seem to be true. One thing I do know is that I will protect her. She’s obviously in a vulnerable state, and I’ve seen the fear in her eyes. I decide that when we get to port in America, I’ll ensure she gets the very best care for her mental state.

Yet, I can’t help but wonder whether we’ll make it that far. What if she really is having premonitions about the ship sinking? Perhaps that part is true.

“I’m not sleeping well either.”

My brother’s voice startles me out of my thoughts, and I look up to see he’s stepped into my room. “I hope I didn’t make too much noise and wake you,” I tell him.

He shakes his head, adjusting his robe. “No, just an unexplainable feeling of unease. I probably had a bit too much of the braggarts in the billiards room. Care for a brandy?”

“Yes, please.” Tossing the covers aside, I reach for my robe. Sleep isn’t likely to come soon anyway. Perhaps the brandy will help. “I take it that some of our more difficult traveling companions were there. What was the discussion about this time?”

He hands me the drink. “It was tiresome… mostly just more talk about the pool incident. Half the men were appalled, thinking it a third-class passenger who somehow wandered into the first-class spaces. Many of those complained endlessly about security measures. Sir Duff-Gordon was going on about how they should be locked down below, and if the woman was not now in custody, that he would ensure she was arrested.”

My nerves rattle at the thought. The urge to protect Millie seems to come naturally to me.

He takes a sip of brandy before continuing. “Some of the chaps that were there tell the story as if the woman was throwing herself at them. They’re certain she was attracted to them and intent on becoming their mistress.”

I almost laugh at that because it’s so preposterous, but I’m also incredibly irritated.

“I see that look in your eye.” He smiles slyly. “And that’s why I was glad you’d declined the invitation to join us. You would have felt the need to defend the woman. Frankly, there were more than a few moments when I almost did as well. But I kept it to myself. None of them have any idea Millie is the woman in question.”

“I suppose it’s best I wasn’t there.” I take a long sip of brandy.

He takes a drink as well as we both step over to the sitting area to relax in the silk-covered chairs. “Precisely. Try not to pay any of them any mind. For most, it was only the drink talking. The others are harmless. Anyway, Millie seemed to handle herself well at dinner, despite her recent injury. You were certainly engaged in some extensive conversation with her at dinner. What did you discuss?”

I weigh the advantages of sharing her story with him. He’ll likely dismiss her as mad, yet I’ve always been able to talk to Edward about any topic. I see no reason to change that dynamic now. “She believes she is from the future.”

His eyebrows nearly touch his hairline. “Say again?”

“The year 2025, to be exact,” I continue, despite the look of credulity in his eyes. “I realize how this sounds, but hold your opinion for a moment. Not one man, including myself, saw the girl before she was suddenly in the water. Don’t you find it impossible that a room full of men would ignore a scantily dressed woman walking among them?”

“Perhaps, and I do find that odd, but from the future?” He takes another drink. “You must acknowledge that it cannot possibly be true.”

“I’m loath to believe it myself, yet her knowledge of the passengers is convincing,” I argue. “She was aware that Mr. Astor’s young wife is with child. How could she know such a thing unless she runs in the proper circles? She was quite familiar with the life of Mrs. Margaret Brown, and she knew that the young woman accompanying Mr. Guggenheim is not his wife.”

“She’s not?”

“No, apparently that’s his mistress,” I explain. “His wife and children are at home. I’m sure some of the New York socialites know that, but if Millie ran in those circles, someone would recognize her.”

He takes another sip of his brandy and contemplates this for a moment. “So, most of these people are at the top echelon of society. It’s possible to hear talk about their personal lives outside of New York. She probably just reads a lot of those horrible gossip rags. No doubt all that information can be gleaned from them. That hardly means the girl is from the future.”

He has a point, but it’s not just the social gossip that strikes me as believable. I consider telling him about the ship sinking. That’s unbelievable as well, but less so than telling him Millie is from the future.

“I think I’ll have one more before turning in,” he says. “That should get my mind off everything that’s transpired and help with sleep. This is quite excellent brandy, in any case. They’ve certainly taken care with the liquor selections on this ship. Care for another?”

“Please.” Perhaps it will help me sleep as well. He refills our glasses, and we sit quietly for a moment while I decide the best way to tell him about the ship sinking. I know it’s for the best that he’s aware. That way, we can both prepare just in case there’s some truth to Millie’s claims. I would never think of telling Agatha, but I do need my brother’s awareness to protect her.

I decide the best way to say it is directly. “Millie is also adamant that the ship is going to hit an iceberg and sink.”

I’m thankful I’ve waited until he swallowed to speak, as he begins laughing immediately. “Will, that’s preposterous. First she’s from the future, and now she’s saying this unsinkable ship will sink?”

“I want to think it’s ridiculous, but her explanation has merit.” I lean back, thinking of all she told me. “Apparently, the side of the ship strikes the iceberg, tearing into it. Due to some miscalculations with the engineering, water overflows the bulkheads despite the sealed compartments, and she flounders.”

“That woman spoke of this ship’s construction?” he asks.

I nod. “Yes, and she seems quite knowledgeable.”

“Well, surely there’s an explanation for that,” he says. “Most women know nothing of this sort of thing. Perhaps her father is a shipwright.”

“No, her father passed away when she was a small child,” I explain. “It’s just her, her mother, and sister. She says her mother is quite knowledgeable about this ship in particular.”

“How odd.”

“It is. Yet, her explanation seems quite plausible.” I take a longer sip, nearly finishing off what’s left in my glass.

“I doubt that it’s even possible,” he argues. “You and I have followed Titanic’s construction since the beginning. It seemed no expense was spared. How would there be faulty engineering?”

“It has to do with weak rivets, apparently,” I say. “Perhaps they misjudged the strength required.”

He shakes his head. “I hardly think so. As I said, they spared no expense. Why wouldn’t they use stronger connectors than necessary?”

All I can do is shrug. “Perhaps they cut corners more than they admitted. It wouldn’t be the first time a company has done as much. You and I have seen that in our father's competitors.”

“True, but still, this is one of the largest passenger ships ever built. How could she falter?”

“I’m just saying the explanation she gave is plausible.” I take the last sip of my brandy, setting the glass on the table beside me.

“I’ll give you that,” he says. “But all this relies on the word of a woman who believes herself to be from the future. You cannot expect me to believe that.”

“I don’t,” I say. “But our sister’s life will be in danger if she’s right. Perhaps she has premonitions where she believes she is from the future, yet these visions themselves are true. We cannot completely discount them. It’s best to be prepared.”

“In what way?” he asks. “Assuming for the moment that the ship will sink, which it will not, what might we do to prepare? We’ll ensure our sister and Millie get settled in a lifeboat, and that’s all we can do.”

I nod gravely. Ship’s orders are usually to save women and children first. “Because ships such as this don’t have sufficient lifeboats for everyone aboard, that may prove difficult.”

“Surely there are enough for the women and children in first class,” he argues.

“I would hope so.” It seems downright evil to only think about the first class passengers, but I do not draw Edward’s attention to his statement.

He finishes his brandy. “And perhaps you’ve had too much to drink for tonight, as have I. I’m grateful for one thing. This conversation has made me exhausted. No doubt sleep will find me now.”

I nod again, hanging up my robe as I get ready for bed. He pauses at the door and turns to me. “Just don’t go falling in love with a lunatic, Will.”

He turns off the lamp and steps into his room before I can respond. I lie back in bed, staring at the dark ceiling above me. Falling in love? That’s preposterous. I’m simply trying to ensure her safety.

Yet, she is strikingly beautiful, and thoughts of her have invaded my every waking hour since I pulled her out of the water.

I’m not falling in love with her, am I?