Serenity

The Dance

"Where are we going?" It felt forbidden to Rose, yet all she could do was follow the rhythm of her heart, listening to how it was telling her to go with it. What did she have to lose in this game they were playing? There was no competition, winner, or loser, just pure freedom for a short time.

It reminded her of the fairy tales she used to sneak off to read as a child, plucked from her father's grand library. Her stomach churned at the thought of returning to her world at night's end. Her carriage would turn back into a pumpkin, and then she would have to return to Cal and Mother.

She squeezed Jack's hand anxiously, which he gave a reassuring squeeze in response.

"You'll see."

Once they were inside steerage, a fantastic Irish jig hit her cheerfully. She couldn't help but smile at how such a sound changed the entirety of the mood, her anxieties disappearing as quickly as they appeared.

Jack clutched her hand tightly as he led her down a line of stairs, and she followed, his giddiness infectious.

The Third Class General Room had been transformed into a dance hall. Crowds of men and women danced away to the ad hoc band, who were gathered around the upright piano and honking out lively, stomping music on the fiddle, accordion, and tambourine. People of all ages were dancing, drinking various beers, ales, and wines, smoking, laughing, and, as Jack pointed out, even brawling in the corner. She didn't see that every day, in her world at least. Aside from hushed whispers from her mother, gossiping about other members of society going to slumming parties.

And yet, this world, it all seemed so normal, so trivial, as though she had walked onto the set of a stage of an ensemble cast all performing for themselves and no one else.

"See, now this is a party."

Rose glanced around, suddenly self-conscious, but no one batted an eye as Jack led her through the throngs of people to the centre. He nodded to Fabrizio, who was chatting to a familiar Norwegian blond again. He assumed they had barely spoken since that afternoon; the language barrier was an obvious issue. He pointed out Fabrizio to Rose in the crowd.

"That is Fabrizio, he is my friend, he's Italian and understands very little English. He travelled across France and England with me. The young girl he's with is Helga. She is travelling from Norway with her family and does not speak English. See how they're still enjoying their time?"

They watched them laugh and dance together. Rose watched as Jack waved to them, and they waved back, recognising them from that morning when she had sought out Jack.

"They appear to be so..." She paused, watching them for another moment, the sparkle of something glinting within their eyes. Rose could only feel a slight pang within her chest. "So free, so adoring of each other. So in love." she wavered slightly.

Jack laughed, not seeming to notice. "He wishes. They only met yesterday. But I am sure that he's in love with her already."

Rose shook her head, amused, as she allowed Jack to pull her further into the crowd. People smiled at her; they nodded and said 'hellos' in their native tongues, whereas others bumped into her, clearly enjoying their dance, and when they didn't apologise, she found she liked them even more. Their dancing was not as stiff and choreographed as the ones she had participated in at various galas and cotilions throughout her adolescence.

"How did the two of you converse, with the language barrier and all?"

Jack shrugged. "We manage just fine now. When we met, he knew no English, and I knew no Italian. We nearly fought a few times until he got caught on."

They came to a table where Tommy sat with the Swede, with whom Jack and Fabrizio were bunking with.

"This is Tommy; he is another friend; he's from Ireland."