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...
This interlude takes place during the chapter 'Interference'; as a brief reminder, Corrine takes Lightoller's warning about Harry to heart, and when she's on the well deck with Katie the next morning, she leaves without acknowledging him. 'The Note' picks up with Harry's POV that afternoon.
An alternate title for this interlude is 'The Return of the King' ;)
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Harold sat on his settee with a blank piece of paper on his lap and a completely blank mind in his head.
What was he going to say to her?
He was terrible at writing letters. He had an entire stack of fresh creamy White Star stationery sitting in his secretaire chest, and he hadn't used a single sheet. He had thought about writing to his favorite sibling, Edgar, but what would he tell him? Besides, like Harold, Edgar was a sailor; he likely wouldn't get the letter for months, and by then any news would be stale. He wasn't all that close to any of his other siblings - he and his sister, Ada, had nursed a years-long rivalry, for one - and his father... well, that wasn't happening. Although they had established an uneasy truce a few years ago that allowed Harold to return to Penrallt occasionally, the animosity that was always lurking just beneath the surface could be stoked to a flame again with a few careless words. Anyway, the best time to post a letter would have been yesterday at Queenstown, and he had been too... preoccupied the night before that to write at all.
But the letter he had to write now was important - and necessary. He needed to tell Corrine... what? That he had spent an hour with her the day before, and wanted more - much more? That he had gone to look for her so many times today that the stewards working that end of the boat deck were starting to think he was daft? That he couldn't understand why she didn't wave at him this morning - why she pretended she didn't see him?
Yes. That last one. Why had she left? What had he done wrong?
There was only one way to find out - he had to meet with her again. And writing a formal letter to request such a meeting seemed like a harmless enough plan. But he knew even the act of writing and sending a letter would reveal that she had gotten into his head - and he wasn't quite ready to admit that to himself yet, much less to her. So it had to be phrased delicately. He mulled over it for a little while, wrote several disastrous drafts where he disclosed far too much, and crumpled them up in frustration. Ultimately, the version he decided on was simple: 'C- I would like to talk to you about this morning. Can we meet? Please give Mr. Kieran a time and place.'
He looked the note over one more time, signed it with a bold, dark, "H", and folded the paper twice.
Now, to deliver it. He already knew he wasn't going to do it in person. First, it would be exquisitely awkward to hand her a note revealing his interest in her and wait there while she read it. Second, he hadn't the slightest idea of where she was berthed or how to find her. Third... well, passing notes was a bit childish, and would only appear sophisticated if he were able to compel an underling to handle it. So he had decided to make a steward do his dirty work for him.
