Page 69 of The Missing Pages
Marian Thayer slapped Archibald’s wrist. “Stop teasing the poor man.”
Father waved down the waiter to fill Captain Smith’s glass.
“We are in the most capable hands and we need to make a toast to him! I hear from my friends at the White Star Line that you’re retiring after we reach New York.” Father lifted his flute of champagne. “To your final voyage!” he said, his smile spread across his face.
Everyone lifted their flutes in his direction. “Thank you, the captain said. “It’s been an honor to serve the White Star Line for so many years.”
Lucile Carter leaned in and asked the captain something I couldn’t hear, while her husband eyed the clock. Both of us, it seemed, had other places we wished we could be.
It was just after ten when I met Ada in the library. Entering the room, I caught sight of her in profile. Her dress was a repeat from the first night, her hair simply arranged in a bun, but to me she was as ethereal and beautiful as if she had stepped off one of the canvases of Frederic Leighton’s paintings.
“How was dinner?” I asked her after I tapped her on the shoulder.
“It was lovely. I dined again with Mr. William Stead and Mrs. Stonington, a widow from Boston. The conversation was again rather riveting,” she shared. “Afterward, I went and checked on theRubaiyatin the ship’s safe and it’s still there. So everything is as it should be.”
“Almost,” I said. “After tomorrow, they should be better. I don’t want you to have to eat one more dinner here with strangers.”
“They’re not strangers to me anymore, Harry. They’re new acquaintances.” She corrected me. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’ve been taking care of myself for some time now.”
I quieted. I realized at that moment one of the reasons I was so drawn to Ada. She wasn’t like any other woman I’dever encountered before. As strong and adventurous as my mother appeared to me, she still had grown up in a world that provided everything she needed and more. She had gone from the Elkins mansion to the Widener’s, each transition graced by an abundance of comfort and protection.
“What is it that you wanted to show me?” I asked. I had been curious since she’d mentioned it hours before.
“I know it’s scandalous to suggest.” Her face flushed. “And perhaps it’s the wine I had during dinner, but I have a bold request. I prefer to show you in private. If we promise to be careful, do you mind meeting me in my room?”
Indeed it was scandalous, and I knew I had to take every precaution not to be seen. Luckily, I was also braced, having had a pre-dinner drink with my father.
Ada left the library first. I waited fifteen minutes before getting up and heading toward her cabin. Sangorski had purchased for her a single berth not a stateroom, which would have been far too expensive. But for thirty pounds, she was still afforded her own private room with a shared bathroom down the hall.
Ada’s room was on the E deck, far from the staterooms of my parents or their friends.
I knocked on the door quietly and she invited me in.
Inside the immaculate room, I found Ada holding a wire. “I wanted you to read it here so I could see your face.”
Possibility to extend your stay in New York. Private collector interested in us representing him at auction. Please wire when you arrive. B.A.Q.
My face transformed while reading Quaritch’s telegram. When I looked up, Ada was standing so close to me, I could inhale the traces of her fragrance.
“This is wonderful news!” I exclaimed. My mind was already rushing, thinking of how a longer stay could transition into an official courtship.
I came closer. Our faces were inches apart.
“Yes, it is,” she said, as she let me kiss her.
My hands reached to touch her hair. Then the velvet of her earlobe.
I kissed her neck. I kissed the knob of her collarbone. Everything about Ada felt new. Her lips tasted like fresh peaches. The rhythm of her breath felt like song.
“Harry.” She said my name so softly I could barely hear it.
I wanted to inhale every part of her. Breathe her deeply into my lungs. And for once, I was at a loss for words, as her silk dress fell to the ground.
It was barely an hour later when we were both startled to discover the boat shuddering. The lampshade next to Ada’s bed began to vibrate, and I felt the boat suddenly dip to one side.
“What’s happening?” Ada was nestled beside me, her hand resting on my chest.
I wasn’t sure what to tell her.
