Titanic- The Curse

The Curse Of The Ship.

The day after the Golds arrived, Mrs Gold asked why Henry and I didn't have a glamorous wedding? I informed her that Henry was worried about the ship, he wanted me to have his last name in case the worst happened. Mrs Gold began crying, she said, "I'm sorry, but that's just like Henry, he loved you so much. Have you bled yet?" I lied and told her I had, it came the day after reading her letter. The sadness in her face was palpable, she desperately wanted that baby, but it wasn't to be. Mrs Gold inquired about Ruth, how she was handling the situation and if she is a good maid to me? I told her that Ruth has been taking great care of me and that she will be with me until I die. This pleased Mrs Gold, she always said that Ruth was a good girl. I asked what happened that night in Cork with Henry, Mr Gold shook his head as if to not ask, but she said, "he went into a bar, he got drunk and belligerent, he began calling the patrons fenian bastards, the police were too late getting there and a group of men jumped him." I asked were they punished? The Golds explained the police found the people responsible, they'll be dealt with. I knew this meant they would be hung.

Mr Gold gave me a cheque, it was well over a million pounds, he asked me to put it into my account the next day, he doesn't want to see me without money. Fredrick turned up at the house, Mr Gold wouldn't let him in, he knew he had been around my mother who had consumption. Fredrick was drunk and shouting outside my door, angry that my mother had left him on the streets. Mr Gold gave him a cheque for £1000 and told him to go away. Fredrick took the cheque and bounced off every lamppost on the way towards the train station. I told Mr Gold he didn't need to do that, he said, "he may not have been your biological father, but he like you is still family." I happened to feel bad, Ruth could see my guilt ridden face and she came and said she had prepared a meal for us all. I told Ruth that after what we suffered that she isn't my maid any longer, she's now my companion. Mrs Gold smiled, she said, "that's a beautiful thing to do, but we will need help?" Mr Gold says, "Genevieve, this is our daughter in-laws home, if she doesn't want a maid, then she doesn't have to have one. We are big and ugly enough to cook for ourselves. We weren't born with silver spoons in our mouths." Mrs Gold replied, "oh Henry Gold, you are right. I must admit, I have missed cooking. If we all pull together, then we will save some money on housekeepers." Henry smiles, "I have missed your meals, those maids, with the exception of Ruth, were bloody useless. It's no wonder our Henry was sick always." Mrs Gold began to cry, she looked towards me and exclaims, "it's a shame when you married that he never left us a little gift." The guilt suddenly rushed over me, I maybe shouldn't have destroyed what was inside of me. Ruth never felt a pang of guilt, she knew as my companion, that she would share my rooms, perhaps even my bed? I know Mrs Gold knew this, she told me a story of her companion Rosemary, they were inseparable until she met Henry, their friendship ended right then and there. Mrs Gold even intimated that their relationship was sexual. I know she will know Ruth and I will ultimately become lovers.

That first night, Ruth joined me in my room, she pulled out the cot and lay it in front of the fire. I looked at her auburn hair shining in the firelight, as she brushed out her tumbling curls. I tapped on the mattress beside me, she swung her legs around and placed her brush on the dresser, she took off her chemise and she was naked down to her panties. Ruth lifted the blankets, she slid under them, I pulled her closer to me. We never made love that night, i was still bleeding heavily, but it was nice to be naked beside a warm body. That night, Ruth woke up screaming, she was yelling over and over that she was drowning. I pulled her close, I whispered in her ear that it was ok, she was safe in a warm bed. I pulled her close to me, then I swore I'd get her some sleeping medication the next morning. Ruth woke before me, I felt a kiss on my forehead, she whispered, "thank you for making me feel safe." The following week my mother was to be buried, I decided that I would go to the funeral. I needed to see my sister Geraldine and my brother Robert. I also needed to make sure they were taken care of. I got up with Ruth, she was pale from the nightmares, we cooked breakfast for ourselves and Mr and Mrs Gold. I knocked on their room, but they were already up. It seemed they had been house hunting, they wanted a place of their own. It was obvious by the look of Mr Gold's face that he knew Ruth shared my bed. I had finally stopped bleeding, I was feeling more myself, but I had this guilt I couldn't shake. I read in the papers that Mr Gold sold his mills for millions of pounds, no wonder he gave my stepfather £1000, me a million. Mr and Mrs Gold wanted to attend my mothers funeral, but they couldn't and they sent a bouquet of flowers instead.

Mr Gold found a property around ten miles from mine, it was much larger, I wondered would they be hiring housekeeping? It turns out they weren't, they just wanted the house for them to live out their final days. I was perplexed as to what this meant? Was something wrong? I overheard Mr Gold tell Mrs Gold that they would find the best doctors to look at her. The shame overtook me, I had defrauded them, but they were so good to me in Belfast. I wasn't Mrs Gold, I was an imposter, I had this urge to tell them, Ruth seen this in me and she begged me not to. It would break their hearts. Titanic wasn't just a cursed ship, she was a disease and she was spreading, she turned me into something I was not, a thief and a liar. I received word via letter from my cousin in Cork, the church didn't hold up their end of the deal, they weren't giving the families their dues. I approached a bishop in New York, he contacted the Vatican and they swore to send an emissary to make sure those people got their fare share. That too was a lie. The church gave those families a measly £100, they kept the rest. Agatha had a friend, a cardinal, he promised to visit Cork, he will personally make sure the people got their money. The cardinal kept his word, he made sure the church gave those people their dues. The church was furious, but it wasn't their money to keep, there was a legal document signed by the priest that those people were to be the given restitution. The cardinal had came back with proof and the letters arrived again thanking us. The curse of that ship even seeped into the Catholic Church, although the greed of that church is palpable. That ship was cursed and we don't know if the curse of those that boarded her will ever end.