Candy went back to her room at the dorm on a cloud. Terry had shown to Eliza and everybody, how important she was to him. But she also knew that Eliza hated losing, and that she was probably plotting her revenge already against Candy. So when she got in the bedroom, she found her two friends talking.
- Oh Candy, there you are! Said Annie.
- Hey girls! What's new?
- Well, Eliza exploded when she saw you leave with Terry...
- Oh...
- Yes, said Patty, she started to scream at everybody.
- She was in a bad mood for the rest of the day, until she came back with a smile...
- A smile? Said Candy.
- Yes, she talked to the Great Aunt about her pretend drowning and how Terrence Grandchester, the son of the duke of Grandchester, saved her life. So the Great Aunt allowed her to have a white party to thank Terry for saving her...
- To thank Terry? So Terry is the guest of honour?
- Of course, said Patty.
- And you're both invited? Asked Candy.
- Yes, said Annie, and we got the order to inform you that you're not invited...
- Oh, I don't care about Eliza's party... but I was wondering if Terry was going to go... he wasn't very impressed with viper Eliza's attitude and her lie on her pretend drowning.
- Oh, everybody could see that, said Annie and the way he took you in front of everybody to leave with you while refusing for Eliza to come with you....
- I was so proud, admitted Candy and we spent a wonderful evening together...
- We can see that, just by looking at you, said Patty.
- If Terry comes to Eliza's party tomorrow, she's going to do everything in her power to seduce him, said Annie.
- Oh let her try, she's got time to waste, said Candy.
- You seem pretty sure of yourself, said Patty.
- Patricia, Terrence is with me. Eliza has pretty good taste if she has fallen in love with him..., said Candy laughing.
- Well Candy, you're happy, that's all that matters, said Annie.
They burst out laughing. And Sister Margaret had to tell them to shut up and sleep.
The next day, when Annie and Patty were getting ready to go to Eliza's "White Party"...
- You two are very pretty, said Candy looking at them.
- I wish you'd come with us, said Annie.
- Accept an invitation from Eliza? I'd rather jump in the icy waters of the Artic Ocean...
They burst out laughing, all three of them. Candy went out to go see Terry and ask him whether he was going to the "White Party". She was climbing trees and jumping from tree to tree, when she fell in from of Sheila, Terry's white mare, with him all dressed in white...He was so handsome!
- Freckles?
- Terry, hi.
- Hi. You're not going to Eliza's party?
- The Charming Eliza and I are not in very good terms. So I was just walking around...
- You weren't coming to see if I was going?
- Euh, yes... I'm going to walk by the lake, since apparently you've got other plans...
He looked at her smiling.
- That's a wise way to ask me not to go to Eliza's party.
- I didn't ask you for anything.
- Come on Freckles, it's me...
Candy looked at him.
- Ok. How could you even consider going?! She asked him.
- Because I thought you were going to be there....
- Oh really? What on earth would give you that idea? The lovely way she behaves with me?
- She didn't invite you, didn't she?
- Of course not! She wants you for herself! If I'm there, she won't have all your attention...
- So, I won't go the party anymore...
- You don't have to do that, you know...
- I want to spend my time with my girlfriend, instead of suffering the presence of an unbearable girl who's mean to my Candy
- Oh Terrence, said Candy smiling.
"Snow-White" he heard in his head, but he didn't want to think about that. He didn't want Candy to get angry again.
- Are you coming? He said giving her his hand; we're going to go for a little ride by the river...
She smiled and took his hand and she climbed on Sheila in front of him. She turned around and he kissed her on the lips.
- You forgive me? He said.
- If you forgive me my jealousy...
- You've got nothing to fear from Eliza.
- I know Terrence... I forgive you.
- And I forgive you... let's go for a row boat ride...
- All right...
They went by the river and they got off Sheila. Terry tied her to a tree. They saw a man who was renting row boats.
- Can we have a row boat? Asked Terry.
- Of course, Master Terrence, said the man, take this one, but don't stay too long in the water, because the weather is going to get bad...
- All right, said Terry, we're going to have just a quick little ride. Come on Miss Freckles.
They got on the row boat. He started to row and they were riding slowly on the water. Candy was smiling and Terry too, but for a second, he had the impression he saw her with red hair... But he didn't pay attention. Those daydreams again. But it was becoming more and more frequent.
- I found a book in my father's library, said Terry.
- Another Shakespeare book? Said Candy.
- No... a book kind of eerie...
- Eerie?
- Yes, or premonitory... it's about a shipwreck; The Titan, who was said to be unsinkable and it hit an iceberg and sank with most of the passenger because they didn't have enough safety boats...
- Like the Titanic, said Candy softly.
She didn't really know what to say, it was to read her book she was on the deck of the Titanic, in first class and when she met Terrence...
- You could've read the book before getting on the Titanic, you could've avoided losing your brother and your lover boy wouldn't be dead..., said Terry.
- My lover boy, like you call him, would've been on board anyway... but Jack would've been alive... if I had read the book before and managed to convince him to take another boat...
- If you had read the book before? You read the book after the shipwreck?
- Try, during....I read it on the boat, on the Titanic...
- What?
- And if you can believe it, I tried to ask the Captain not to go towards icy waters... but he didn't listen of course. The White Star Company wanted to beat all the records... like it wasn't enough to have the biggest boat in the world....
- You read the book on the Titanic and nobody, of course would listen to you...
- Until we hit the iceberg, said Candy with a sad tone, I didn't want to be right, believe Terrence...
Terry was cold all of a sudden, a freezing cold. Without knowing why. The wind started to blow hard.
- Oh the weather is getting bad earlier than expected, said Candy let's go back Terry.
- All right, said Terry who was still cold and who's head was starting to spin
But the weather became really bad all of a sudden. The wind started to blow hard and the water on the river started to get really agitated. It started to rain hailstone which pinched the skin when it hit it. But for Terry, it was like the hailstone were penetrating his skin... the wind was so strong that the row boat capsized and they both fell in the water which had become very cold with the blowing wind... Candy was trying to hang on to the row boat.
- Terry! She scream.
- Candy! Hang on hard!
He slipped and hit his head on the row boat. He started to see the young girl on the Titanic, with her book and her red hair, the laughs, the cries of the young girl, the dances, the kisses... Snow White... the cold, the iceberg, the boat sinking...
- Terrence, kiss me, had said Snow White
He kissed her and he felt the impact with the icy water which had separated them. Everybody was screaming for a while until they shut up forever...
- Blanche! Blanche! Snow White, where are you? Blanche!
But Blanche didn't answer, he had lost her... It was dark, so he couldn't look for her under the water. He managed after an ultimate effort to climb on floating closet and he passed out exhausted... he was shivering with cold, like everybody and he felt the water pushing him... Help will arrive and he was going to see Snow White and they were going to get married and have 7 little dwarfs...he said to himself to give himself courage, but help didn't come, and he felt his life slipping away... he opened his eyes on a boat. He thought he was in heaven, he didn't know what had happen.
Candy saw Terry hit his head and she swam to him, despite the difficulties, and she was able to swim with him to shore. His eyes were closed...
- Terry! Oh Terry! Open your eyes, please! Don't die on me! Terrence!
She examined him and she saw that his heart was not beating. Oh No! He couldn't be dead! She decided to do mouth to mouth. Miss Pony had showed her how to do it in case one of the children had an accident in the water. She laid him on the ground and opened his mouth, and she blew inside. Then she did the little massage on his heart with her hands... she repeated the gestures 3 times and Terry finally started to cough and water came out of his mouth, he opened his eyes. The hailstones storm was getting stronger... he looked at her, with her wet hair; it looked like it was reddish...
- Snow White? He said
- Yes, said Candy without thinking, it's me Terrence.
- Snow White! He said taking her into his arms and hugging her hard, oh my God, I found you! Or more like you found me! You saved me!
Candy realised he was living the shipwreck of the Titanic...He finally remembered the tragedy! Thank God! The wind continued blowing and the hailstones were still falling pinching their skin.
- Terrence, we have to go inside the castle, said Candy, we're going to catch a cold
- All right, but after the freezing water, I think were have a pretty good chance to get sick.
She walked with him to Sheila, who was a little agitated because of the hailstorm. They climbed on her and they went to the Grandchester castle. His mind was clouded, he didn't really understand what was going on...They arrived at the castle and the foreman came to help them and he took Sheila to the stables. He had been looking out for them ever since the storm started, if his young master and his horse were coming back. Candy got it with Terry in the castle. One of the maid had lit a fire in the fireplace so they could get themselves warm. The staff knew Candy; they saw her everyday at the castle with the young master.
- Terrence is soaking wet, said Candy
- And you too Miss Candy, said the maid, I lit up a fire in the chimney, go get yourself dry and warm... I'm going to bring dry clothes for you and the young Master
- Thank you, said Candy shivering with cold.
She took Terrence in front of the fireplace, on the couch. She started to take his wet clothes off. He let her do it, still a little woozy by the events; he didn't know where to start. His white blazer was now dirty and so were his white turtle neck pullover, his cape, his pants... and his...
- Terrence? She said, can you take it from here?
She smiled and she started to take her clothes off. Terry had his back turned.
- There's a pink robe my mother left for you over there, he said softly
- For me?
- Yes, to thank you for softening me, she said she's going to take you shopping the next time you're in New York ...
- Oh, said Candy moved.
She finished taking her clothes off and she put on the robe. Terry was also wearing a robe the maid had brought in earlier and he was sitting in front of the chimney. She went to sit next to him. He looked at her in silence for a while. Everything was coming back to him...
- Snow White?
- Yes, Terry it's me...
- Oh my God! He said standing up, oh my God! I was with you on the Titanic! And I'm your lover boy!!
Candy stood up and looked at him; she had tears in her eyes.
- Terry...
- Now I understand why you were speechless and we saw each other again on the Mauritania; you thought I was dead! You had the impression you were seeing a ghost! Oh my God!!
- Terry...
- And that's why you kissed me the first time, you were hoping to trigger my memory... and I was saying to myself that you didn't seem like the easy girl type! Why is your hair blond now?
- This is my natural colour, the red hair was so I won't be recognised if Damien Leighton and his parents had the police looking for us.
- What about "Blanche"?
- When Miss Pony and Sister Maria found me in the snow, when I was a baby, she wanted to call me Candy Blanche, or Candy White...
- And I was calling you "Snow White"
- And you didn't know that "White" was my real last name
- How could you stand me?
- I knew the happy young man from the Titanic, and I knew he would come out one day...
- Oh my God, Snow White, every time I called you "Snow White" you were pretending to be jealous.
- I'm sorry if I took advantage of the situation...
- Took advantage of the situation?
- Yes; I knew who you were... and I knew you loved me since the Titanic...
- Well, apparently, even without the memories from the Titanic, I was still attracted to you... oh my God what you must've felt when you thought I was dead...
- I lost Jack and I thought I lost you too. There was Anthony, and I lost him too... To see you again on the Mauritania, was a dream come true, a dream I never thought would come true one day
- And I was a snotty nosed kid...
- You were my Prince Charming, my Terrence and you were alive!! But you didn't know who I was... I wanted to tell you so many times, but I didn't want to traumatise you. I spoke to a doctor on board who told me it was better to let you remember on your own... and you would've probably think I was crazy...
- Candy, he said softly.
- You don't feel betrayed?
- No, I'm the happiest man on the planet....
He approached her. They were both in front of the chimney.
- You're the one I saw in my dreams and who made me happy. You're the one I want...Candice Blanche Snow White Andrew... I love you.
Candy had tears in her eyes.
- I love you Terrence Graham Grandchester...you're my Prince Charming...
He smiled and he leaned and he took her lips very very softly. She tied her arms around his neck and responded to the kiss. They were so happy to have survived the Titanic. Terry stopped and looked at her;
- Sensational, he said, and I'm the one who taught you...
- I felt like laughing every time you would compliment me on something you taught me, she said smiling.
- And I was jealous of myself and Mireille Dubois was on the Titanic, flirting with me...
- I wasn't comparing you to another boy, I was talking about you... but I couldn't say anything and I had to continue taking your anger...
He went to sit with her on the couch in front of the fire. He took her in his arms; she had her head on his shoulder.
- I'm sorry, Candy, he said softly.
- No, it was kind of cute to see you make a jealousy scene for yourself, said Candy smiling.
- You were an enigma; one minute you were kissing me, and the next one you were angry with me for no reason...
- No reason? Think hard, Terry...
- Euh...you got mad when I told you I was promising girls marriage so they would became nicer... oh... I did the same thing with you on the Titanic with you...but with you I meant it...
- Really? I didn't mean it, or more like I thought I was having fun, but there was the shipwreck and I lost you, I realised I really wanted to be with you... so when you told me that you used to say that to girls for fun...
- You thought I was having fun with you on the Titanic.... And you got angry... I didn't even know what I did to make you angry.
- I know, Annie, my sister, I whom I confided in, told me I was being ridiculous. I was mad at you not only for something you didn't remember, but also for something I didn't even take seriously on the Titanic... something I already knew... she told me that I found you again... that I used to cry every night because I lost you and that I had my miracle and also once your memory would come back, you'll need me and that I shouldn't abandon you...
- That's why you didn't dump me...
- And also because I love you with all my heart...
- Oh Candy! He said holding her against him, you cried every night for me...
- Yes, she said with tears in her eyes, I thought I wouldn't see you again; I wanted to die with you...
He kissed her for a long time and then they remain silent for a while. Terry broke the silence.
- You loved Anthony? He asked.
Candy remained silent for a while, before she answered.
- Anthony was there for me, before and after too. He heard me call out your name while I was having nightmares after the shipwreck and I told him the truth; that I was in love with you and that you had died on the Titanic... he was very patient with me and little by little I opened my heart to him. But it was brief, he died the day we were celebrating my official adoption...
- I'm sorry, he said sincerely.
- You're not a little jealous?
- Yes, but you thought I was dead...
- You can't imagine how happy I was to see you on the Mauritania... even if you were making fun of me. I wanted to jump to your neck, but you didn't seem to recognise me... at first I thought you were doing it on purpose, but I realised that you really lost your memory. I even thought at one point that it wasn't you, but your twin brother of something... I asked Georges, my Uncle William's assistant, and he told me it was you, Terrence Grandchester, the son of the duke...
- Twin brother? He asked with a mocking tone.
- Yes... you were looking at me like I had just fallen from the sky...
- That's because I fell in love with you, as soon as I saw you...without knowing I already loved you....
- When you fall in love, you make fun of freckles? You were more polite on the Titanic, a real gentleman, who didn't care I was a third class passenger...
- I saw a girl with green eyes, red hair and freckles, with your book, you were adorable...
- Oh Terry...
