Ice & Iron (Titanic)

Chapter 4

After dinner, Captain Smith gratefully let Father have some spare time to talk to Mother and myself before resuming back to his duties.

"You'll need to relieve Mr Pitman at ten o'clock," Captain Smith had said to him.

"What did you think of the dinner?" he asked.

"It was simply marvellous," Mother replied. "I definitely picked a good husband with the perks that came with being married to you."

We laughed. "I love the music," I added. "They played such wonderful tunes. I've never heard music like that before."

"There will be music played every night during the night," said Murdoch. "But Captain Smith will be delighted to hear of your feedback."

We walked back up the Grand Staircase and made our way along the corridor back to our parlour suite. Some passing passengers had questioning looks on their faces when they saw an officer walking with us. Father was wearing his First Officer's uniform, which he looked very handsome in.

Mother unlocked the door to the suite and we all stepped inside. I sighed with relief. Now we didn't have to act to formally. We finally had some alone time. I checked the clock; nine forty. We had twenty minutes before Father had to leave again.

Father sat down on the plush couches in the sitting room and took his cap off, resting it on the table beside him. Mother went into her bedroom to change out of her dress. "These are lovely rooms. I'm glad it worked out for you two to stay in this suite," Murdoch said.

"It's so big," I said, sitting down on the couch beside him. "What are the officer's quarters like?"

"Good," he said. "They're just behind the wheelhouse. My room is on the port side of the ship. Just like this suite. If you walk along the main deck until you come to the bridge, you'll be there."

"I wish you were staying with us."

"Me too, Stacey," Murdoch said. "But I must stay in the officer's quarters because I am an officer. If I was a passenger, I would be here with you and your mother."

"When do you have an afternoon or night off from duties?" I asked. "Do you all take turns keeping watch of the ship?"

"There's always officers and crew on a lookout," he explained. "Tonight, the three of us at dinner had that time off before going back to work to relieve the others who worked during that time, either on lookout or doing rounds. The first night everyone is needed. But starting tomorrow night, we'll take turns either having an afternoon or night off."

"When are you off?" I asked.

"So far I have the night of the twelfth off and the afternoon of the fourteenth off," he said. "For the twelfth, the three of us will be able to have a family dinner again. But my afternoon where I'm off for the fourteenth I'll be resting as I'll be in charge of the bridge that night, it's a long night shift."

"Dinner together for the first time in a while?" Mother said, emerging from her room to hear the last part of the conversation.

"We also have that holiday in New York to look forward to," he said to Mother as she sat on the other side of him.

I stood up from the couch to allow Mother and Father to have some time alone, and went into my bedroom, closing the door behind me. Inside, I gently unclasped the locket chain from behind my neck and held it in my hand. Gazing at the photo, so much had changed since then. I was older and Father spent more time at sea. He had ever since had had been promoted to being the First Officer on voyages. I put the locket back down on the bedside table next to the silver chain with suite key.