━━ There Will Be Time
❛ officer harold lowe
may be the first person
to ever tame the wild heart
that belongs to
miss katherine davenport. ❜
[ titanic ]
[ fifth officer harold lowe x oc...
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❛CHAPTER FIVE, orphic ❜
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April 11, 1912
A CHORUS OF CONVERSATION filled Titanic's first class dining saloon. The room was filled with some of the world's richest aristocrats. John Jacob Astor and his wife, Madeleine, sat at a table with Benjamin Guggenheim and Madame Aubart; the young Mrs. Astor sat with an arm across her abdomen in a sheepish attempt to hide her belly, swollen with her unborn child. Nearby, Lady Duff Gordon and the Countess of Rothes were deep in conversation with one another while Cosmo Duff Gordon, William Carter, and Archibald Gracie discussed the latest politics over glasses of expensive wine.
Katherine Davenport was seated at a table with her mother and the Browns, joined for dinner by Thomas Andrews, Bruce Ismay, and Captain Smith himself. The young woman stayed silent as she listened to Mr. Andrew and Mr. Ismay explain the meaning behind the name of the ship they currently sailed on. Captain Smith, still dressed in his uniform, sipped on a glass of wine beside her.
Maxwell Brown was directly across from her. He'd tried to claim the seat beside her, though thankfully, the Captain had chosen it as his own before he had the chance to. Now, the older bachelor tried to get Katherine's attention from across the table; despite his futile attempts, however, she acted as if she didn't notice him.
Her mind was on something other than the dinner and her companions. Although she never was one to join in on the stale conversations of her fellow first class passengers, tonight she allowed herself to zone out completely. She felt restless after her time with Mr. Lowe earlier that evening. The spacious dining saloon felt stuffy, and the people around her somehow seemed even more insufferable (she had nothing against Mr. Andrews or Captain Smith, although Mr. Ismay had an ego big enough to convince her that he had to be compensating for something!) She found herself wondering when she'd have the chance to seek the officer out once more.
Nearing the end of dinner, Katherine was itching to be dismissed so that she could get some air on the boat deck, though she grounded herself to reality as she felt a presence behind her. A hand rested on the back of her chair, and she glanced to the side to see the familiar dark uniform belonging to an officer. It was Harold!
He leaned down and whispered something in Captain Smith's ear, to which the older man nodded and told him that he'd come right away. Harold straightened as the Captain stood to his feet, finally looking down to meet Katherine's surprised gaze. He turned to leave, though before he did so, he rested a hand on her shoulder momentarily and shot her a warm grin.
She could do nothing but stare after him with her lips parted in shock. Her shoulder felt as if it were on fire where he'd touched her, and she suddenly felt as if the temperature had raised several degrees. She could feel several curious eyes on her, but she refused to turn back to the table.
