DANGEROUS GAMES
Chapter Six
Dinner hour came all too soon for
Savannah. She had actually found peace that afternoon while sitting out on the
promenade deck. Bruce had not returned to the suite since escorting her back
after lunch, leaving Savannah alone to think about everything that had happened
over the last seventy-two hours. She regretted everything she had done since
leaving Southampton. Of everything she had done, though, she most regretted
yelling at Thomas the night before. It wasn’t his fault, she thought to
herself. Why did I treat him that way? She had destroyed the only person
she cared for.
"Ma’am?" Jane asked
timidly as she poked her head through the open doorway.
Savannah turned her attention
from the lattice walls of the promenade to the entrance.
"Come in, Jane."
Jane tip-toed in, giving a small
curtsey before saying, "Forgive me, ma’am, but it is nearly five, and Mr.
Ismay will be arriving at six to escort you to dinner."
Savannah nodded and stood.
Glancing one last time at the spraying ocean below her window, she left for her
bedroom, pulling the promenade door closed behind her.
*****
"Hold on tight, ma’am,"
Jane said as she took hold of the corset strings.
Savannah wrapped both hands
around the dark mahogany bedpost and took a deep breath as Jane gave a strong,
steady tug. Savannah looked over her shoulder and caught a quick glimpse of the
clock that stood on her bedside table. Bruce would be back in half an hour to
escort her. She could not hold back the cringe that traveled through her as she
thought of him. His presence was enough to send her into a fit of nausea.
"There we are, ma’am. All
finished," Jane said while she inspected her work.
Savannah stared absentmindedly at
the polished brass fireplace that graced the wall of the sitting room. Her
hands, clad in their usual white gloves, rested on the mantle, one on either
side of the grand clock. Her eyes followed the second hand as it danced in a
circle around the face, each tick bringing her closer to dinner with Bruce.
When the door opened, Savannah nearly jumped out of her shoes.
"Ready, darling?" Bruce
asked as he fixed his bowtie and straightened his cufflinks.
Savannah nodded and took one last
look at herself in the mirror before taking Bruce’s arm and making their way
down the sterile white corridor towards the grand staircase.
She could feel the eyes of the
other passengers on her as she descended the staircase with her husband. Over
the course of the next ten minutes, she had her hand kissed more times than she
cared to count. The conversation around her seemed to fade away into an
inaudible murmur. Across the dark room, she spied Rose on Cal’s arm. Savannah
tried to catch Rose’s eyes, but they seemed to be locked on the carpet beneath
their feet. At least I’m not the only miserable one, Savannah thought
selfishly.
Dinner had become routine. The
same stupid people, the same mindless conversation, the same humorless jokes.
It had all worn thin on Savannah’s nerves. Somewhere between the third and
fourth course, Savannah was overcome by a feeling of claustrophobia. She looked
around her and felt as if the walls, the ceiling, the people, all of it were
closing in on her. Savannah stood quickly, her napkin falling to her feet as
she did. Everyone at the table looked at her quizzically as she began to
stammer.
"Please, excuse me. I…I’m
not well."
She picked up her skirt and
scurried from the bright and crowded dining saloon.
Savannah breathlessly climbed the
grand staircase. When she arrived on A-Deck, it was all she could do to keep
her feet. She found her way to the boat deck and claimed a bench as her own.
She sat silently in the cold, looking over the port side railing, staring out
into the pitch black night. She seemed unfazed by the cold as the wind whipped
around her. All was silent until Savannah’s sobs broke through the silence of
the evening.
Burying her face in her hands,
she cried freely for the first time since boarding the ship. Her shoulders
shook and her breathing was ragged as she allowed herself to express all the
frustration and anger she felt. It finally seemed as though Savannah had run
out of tears. Even though she continued to sob, her eyes were dry. After
several deep breaths, Savannah stood and smoothed her dress before re-entering
first class.
It was 9:30 when she returned to
her room. Jane was sitting in a chair in the sitting room writing a letter,
presumably to her family in Galway. Upon Savannah’s entrance, Jane jumped from
the chair, shoving the pen and paper into her apron pocket.
Savannah closed the door and
said, "Please, Jane, continue your letter. I won’t be needing you for
quite a while."
Jane nodded and thanked Savannah
before returning to the chair and continuing the letter she had begun.
Savannah closed herself in her
bedroom. Dropping her handbag on the vanity table, she sat on the edge of the
bed and stared out the porthole. Out in the corridor, she could hear ladies
gossiping on their way back to their staterooms. The gentlemen, she assumed,
were still held up in their ever-present cloud of smoke, enjoying their brandy
and cards. Savannah found herself feeling restless. Her legs were begging to
move, even if only to pace the floor of the promenade. After several minutes of
reading, Savannah finally gave in. She pulled her bedroom door closed behind
her and passed through the sitting room.
Her only words to Jane were,
"I’ll be back later."
Savannah cruised through the
white hallway again until she came upon the grand staircase. She looked up at
the frosted glass dome. The light that gleamed through cast shadows against the
stairs as people came and went. With her gloved hand on the railing, she slowly
descended the stairs, an air of grace surrounding her. She continued to go down
until she reached the reception room on D-Deck, just outside the dining saloon.
Savannah entered the now-deserted dining room and wandered amid the freshly set
tables. For the first time, she truly looked at the room. The white paneled
walls and backlit windows completed the Jacobean décor. She glanced down at the
plush carpet beneath her feet and took notice of the intricate floral pattern.
Savannah was ashamed to say that this was the first time she had noticed all
these details. The ship truly was a wonder.
Savannah returned to the
reception room. Glancing around, she saw a grand piano sitting quietly in a
corner. She sauntered over to it, sliding her fingers along the graceful lines
of the case and down along the rim of the key cover. Sitting down on the
upholstered bench, she slowly lifted the cover and revealed a full set of
perfect ivory keys just begging to be played.
Savannah removed her gloves and
set them down beside her. Placing her fingertips on the cold ivory, she closed
her eyes and allowed the music to flow through her. Without a thought, the
haunting melody of Moonlight Sonata flooded the room and echoed up the
deserted staircase. Savannah felt the music take her over as she began to move
her body to the rhythm of her song.
Unbeknownst to Savannah, Thomas
had been inspecting the kitchen while she explored the dining saloon. As he
made his way back to the grand staircase, he heard the music echo around him.
He followed his ears to the source and saw his beloved Savannah. He crept up
behind her and stood perfectly still as she continued to play the heartrending
tune. When she seemed to reach the end, he placed his hands on her shoulders
and lowered his lips to her ear.
He felt her freeze beneath his
hands as he whispered, "You are much too beautiful to be playing such a
sad tune."
Savannah dropped the key cover
back into place with a loud thud and grabbed her gloves from the bench.
Wrenching from his grasp, Savannah stood and hurried off to the grand
staircase.
Thomas followed her, desperately
trying to find the right words.
"Savannah, please," he
managed as she climbed to the second step.
He stood before her, breathless
and inarticulate.
"Please," he began,
trying to take hold of her hands. "Savannah, I…"
"I can't," Savannah
whispered.
Thomas raised an eyebrow at her
and asked, "What?"
Savannah whispered again, "I
can't do this."
There was no confusion this time.
Her words hit Thomas in an almost audible thud.
"Why not?"
His voice cracked a bit from his
anger and sadness.
"I can't do this with you,
this relationship. It has to end."
She looked away from him. She
couldn’t stand that look, the one she had seen when she left him the night he
had comforted her, and the one she would now remember for the rest of her life.
"But…but I thought we…what
about…" he whispered.
Savannah could feel her tears
growing. She snapped at him, trying to hide her sadness with anger.
"It didn't mean a thing, all
right? Just forget about all of this."
She started to walk away when
Thomas grabbed her arm and turned her back to face him.
"No." He shook his
head. "I don't believe you."
He stared up at her and tried to
read her face.
"What do you mean?" she
asked, anxious to get away from him and the pain she was feeling.
"You're lying," he
stated simply, his eyes still red from the tears he was holding back.
"I'm not a liar,"
Savannah said softly. "It’s just that…I’m…"
Her eyes darted around his face.
"You’re what,
Savannah?" he barked in frustration.
"I’m married!" she
shouted back at him, her tears now falling and her hands shaking. "I’m
married to Bruce Ismay. Your boss, in case you forgot! I can’t see you anymore,
Thomas," she finished before reaching up and wiping away a tear.
Thomas nodded, trying to absorb
everything Savannah had thrown at him.
"You’re serious this
time," he muttered softly. "Mrs. Ismay, your acquaintance has been a
pleasure, but it’s time our relationship came to an end."
Thomas took her hand and kissed
it softly, just as he had done when they first met.
Then he looked her in the eye,
kissed her forehead, and whispered, "I’ll miss you." He left her
again, this time forever.
Savannah crawled into her bed and
stared up at the ceiling. She had finally broken her ties to Thomas. She
thought she would feel liberated at this moment, but all she felt was anger and
sadness. Her eyes grew heavy and soon she was asleep, dreaming of the time she
and Thomas had spent together.