Ice & Iron (Titanic)

Chapter 11

"Red today, Miss Stacey," Joe said behind me.

I quickly whipped around to face him. "Are you observing which colour dress I wear every day?"

"Like I said, you're intriguing, Miss Stacey," he said. "You can learn a lot about a person by the colours and things they wear."

"Okay then, what can you tell me what you have learnt about me?" I challenged.

"You don't settle for one colour," he started off. "But you have worn the same style of dress since we have been on this voyage, only in a different colour. That means you love to keep things nice and simple."

"Well my life has been anything but that," I said sarcastically.

Joe looked at me. "You look like a second class passenger," he continued on. "But you're in one of the most expensive suites aboard the Titanic. Why is that?"

"I told you," I said. "We got the suite because my stepfather has connections." He thought Fifth Officer Lowe was my stepfather after seeing us on the bridge before.

"How did you and your mother afford an expensive suite like that?" he questioned.

"I already told you, we saved for a long time," I replied.

The truth was, Murdoch worked a lot of voyages and one of the best officers around, he was always getting paid a high salary. Mother also had a job as well, and I did some odd jobs for other people as well leading up to the voyage. Most of the money we earned, we put away for saving.

"After all, this is a once in a lifetime trip. When returning to Southampton, we won't be travelling in first class, most likely in second class. And he will be working."

"I have something to tell you," said Joe.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I saw you up on the bridge earlier with an officer," he admitted. "You were talking to him. So now you don't have to feel bad anymore."

"Okay," I said. "I noticed that you had seen us." I didn't tell him that I had also seen him talking to the two officers as well before I was on the bridge.

"So I'm guessing you're the young lady they have the private arrangement with for going up on the bridge?" he asked.

I looked at him, pretending to be oblivious to what he was talking about.

"I was talking to a couple of the officers before and they said that they couldn't disclose detail to a private arrangement," he said. "One of the officers I talked to was the same officer I saw you talking to."

"Oh, really?" I asked.

"Is that you?" he asked me.

"Well, if you saw me up there, then obviously it was," I replied.

"What is it like to be up there on the bridge?"

"It's a good view," I answered. "Like being on the point of the bow. You can see everything in front of you."

"Sounds great," Joe said. "Do you want to watch the sunset tonight?"

"Sure," I replied. "Where and what time?"

"The bow and when the sun starts to go down," Joe said.

I laughed. "I'll see you then."

"The red was fitting for tonight, Miss Stacey," Joe said when I walked up to him later that evening. We were on the bow, the sun was starting to go down, casting an orange glow and silhouetting the water in front of us. Murdoch wasn't up on the bridge, which was lucky for me.