Harold Lowe has managed to claw his way up the career ladder of the British merchant marines, rising from a ship's boy to a master mariner with one of the world's elite passenger lines. Along the way, he's learned to master not only his craft, but...
A long-awaited reunion is coming! Also, I love Storytelling Harry, so here he is for an encore :)
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The next morning, Harry was back, waking her with a breakfast of tea and a bowl of hot oatmeal. He gave the oatmeal a snooty expression. "The doctor says it will fill your stomach and give you strength, but it looks like plaster." He wrinkled his nose. "I'll try to filch you some ham and eggs later, when he isn't watching."
They kept the conversation over breakfast as light as possible considering the circumstances. She knew he wanted to keep her spirits up, and in turn, she didn't want to burden him unduly with her own worries. They carefully avoided any discussion of the disaster - or their future. Fortunately, his unsettled look from the night before had vanished, and she made a mental note not to demand more from him than he was willing to give.
She was scooping the last of the oatmeal - which wasn't nearly as tasteless as Harry had implied - onto her spoon when he said with a gleam in his eye, "I have a few surprises for you today, Corrine."
"Good ones, I hope?" she said lightly.
"You'll see soon enough," he said mysteriously, and got to his feet. "I'll be back in awhile." He reached out and caressed her cheek with his hand, took up the dirty dishes, and left with a wink.
Idly, Corrine sat in the bed, moving her legs up and down as she waited. Just as she was starting to get bored, and wonder where Harry had gone off to, she heard the sound of female voices outside of her room. Her heart leaped; she would have recognized those voices anywhere. Sure enough, the door flew open, and there stood Kate and Katie.
The three girls had a tearful but joyful reunion. Katie, always the demonstrative one, curled up in bed next to Corrine. "I'm so sorry, about everything - especially Thomas," Katie wept, as Corrine held her.
"Nonsense - it's not your fault at all. How were you to know he was a total wanker?" she said soothingly.
Kate goggled at her language, but Katie snorted through her tears. Then she grew serious again. "I would have rather died myself than lose you, Corr." She put her head on Corrine's shoulder. "Thank God for Harry," she murmured.
"Indeed," Corrine quietly agreed.
"You know," said Katie, regaining some of her usual effervescence, "It's because of me that he went back to the wreck to look for you."
"Katie-" Kate warned, rolling her eyes.
But Corrine, intrigued, gestured for her to continue. So Katie - above Kate's objections - explained about the tea leaf prophecy, and how when Harry had overheard the conversation, he decided to take a boat back to look for survivors from the sinking.
"Katie, he was going to do that anyway, no doubt, with or without your interference," Kate retorted, exasperated.
Katie waved off her protests airily. Then she turned serious. "The tea leaves were right, Corr. No, they were," she said firmly, holding up a hand as Corrine tried to laughingly protest. "You were dead when Harry found you. I know, because I talked to a man that was on that terrible boat with you, and he told me. You had stopped breathing and everything. They had all given up on you - all but Harry."
