FORMALITY
Chapter Eight
I dressed, and we went down to
dinner. We chose a table for six. Rob’s father had walked out on deck and
gotten a wave of seasickness. Next to our table was a big oval table, where
Rose was, and Mr. Dawson, the artist.
He and Rose walked up to Rob and
I.
"Jack, this is Isabelle
Martin and Robert Wellington," Rose said. Jack took my hand and kissed it.
"I believe we’ve met before.
We bought a wonderful drawing from him a few days back," I said, smiling.
Rose was smiling, obviously much happier than the night before.
"Oh, aren’t his drawings
wonderful?" she asked, her eyes gleaming.
"Yes, they are," I
agreed, nodding at Jack.
"Thank you." Jack
smiled.
"See you at services
tomorrow?" Rose asked.
"Yes. I’ll see you
there," I said. I turned to Rob, who had just finished whispering
something to Jack, smiling. Rose and Jack walked to their table, and Rob pulled
out my chair for me at our table.
"We must act as if we’ve
never met," I leaned over and whispered to him, and he nodded in response.
He sat on my left, Mother on my right, Marie in front of me, Father next to
Marie, and Rob’s mother on his left.
"How has the trip been for
you, Mrs. Wellington?" my father asked kindly.
"Oh, just lovely! This is
the best sea crossing I’ve ever had so far," she said.
"Yes, I agree," I said,
"Have you visited the Turkish baths yet, Mrs. Wellington? They have
wonderful massages."
"No, but I do hear it’s
excellent. Maybe I should head down there one day. I could use some
relaxation." She laughed. I smiled at her. Rob slipped his hand into mine
under the table and squeezed it.
"Isn’t the swimming pool
near the Turkish bath?" my father asked.
"Yes. That’s where I went
today," I said.
"Really? I went there today
also!" Rob said, looking at me with his twinkling green eyes.
"Did you have as much fun as
I did?" I asked, smiling.
"Oh, I think I had more
fun," he said, squeezing my hand again. Across the table, Marie coughed.
She knew that we were there at the same time. I looked at her, challenging her
to be a tattletale. She just looked at her plate. There was a moment of silence
as the waiter came by with appetizers.
"Have you ever seen such
good weather during a crossing?" my father asked. "It’s amazing. The
sea is like a millpond. In all my years, I’ve never seen it so calm."
"Indeed! My Arthur usually
dreads ocean crossings and gets sick, but the Titanic is such a smooth sailor
he didn’t get sick until this afternoon when we walked on the boat deck,"
Mrs. Wellington said.
"And how is your
husband?" I asked.
"He’s doing well. The
seasickness is passing, and he’s staying away from the smoking room to help his
sickness." She winked at me. I smiled at her. On my right, I heard Mother
fidget in her seat. She leaned over to whisper to me.
"Will you accompany me to
the powder room?" she asked lowly in a harsh tone. I nodded and released
Rob’s hand. I followed her out onto the D Deck landing.
"Aren’t we the chatty one
tonight?" she asked haughtily once we were outside the dining area.
"Can’t I talk with my fellow
passengers?" I asked.
"Isabelle, I told you not to
make eyes at that boy!" she harshly said in a low voice. I rolled my eyes
and sighed.
"One moment you’re telling
me to be interested, and the next, you’re scolding me for it! I don’t
understand you, Mother." I turned to go back before Mother could stop me.
I truly didn’t understand her. Rob could do and be whatever he wanted. He
didn’t have to follow in his father’s footsteps, and I didn’t have to marry for
money. And I wouldn’t.
As I walked back to our table, I
heard a chorus of "To make it count" coming from Molly’s table. I
wondered what that was all about. Rob smiled at me as I sat down again, and our
hands once again found each other’s under the table.
Dinner was actually interesting;
my sister, for once, was quiet, but I caught her glancing at me once in a
while, and besides a few frowns, Mother wasn’t that bad. I looked over at
Molly’s table. She had them all laughing. That was what I liked about her. She
was practical and funny, even though she might exaggerate from time to time.
"Miss Martin, shall I escort
you to your room?" Rob asked me, his eyes telling me something else.
"No. She’ll stay here,"
my mother quickly answered for me. I didn’t even look back at her. I smiled at
Rob, took his hand, and he helped me up.
"It was a pleasure meeting
you, Mrs. Martin," he said as we walked out of the dining room. "If
you don’t mind me saying, your mother is a piece of work." Rob laughed.
"You’re lucky you don’t have
to live with her. She’s always telling me to look for a husband, or at least
seem interested in looking, and so I did tonight. And what does she do? She
snaps at me for it," I said as we walked out onto the boat deck.
"Shh…listen," Rob said.
In the distance, I heard faint music.
"Would you like to dance,
milady?" Rob asked, smiling slyly.
"We can’t go down
there!" I exclaimed happily.
"No. We won’t go in. We’ll
just dance on the well deck down there," he said, leading me down. I
willingly went along with him, and I could hear the music quite well out on
deck.
We stood facing each other, my
left hand on his shoulder, my right hand in his. Slowly, we began moving, until
we were dancing to the beat of the music. I was laughing the whole time, unable
to control my laughter. He was smiling and laughing along with me, both of us
having the time of our lives.
We leaned against the rail after
we danced, in silence. I broke the comfortable silence between us.
"Rob, when we get to New
York, I want to run away with you," I confessed. He smiled at me, quite
surprised.
"Run away?" he asked,
his one eyebrow raised. "Where are we going to go?"
"Anywhere but Philly,"
I said. He nodded and pulled me closer.
"I wouldn’t mind taking you
with me," he said, smiling.
"Well, then, where are we
going?" I smiled back.
"Have you ever been in the
western US?" I shook my head in response. "Neither have I. We’ll
explore it together, every state." We smiled and kissed passionately.
"It’s chilly out here, isn’t
it?" Rob commented. I nodded, and he took off his jacket and draped it
around my shoulders. He put his arms around me to warm me up.
"One more dance to warm us
up?" he asked. I smiled and nodded, and we danced one more time before he
led me back to my room.
I was just climbing into bed when
Becky came in.
"Miss, your mother wishes to
speak with you. It’s urgent. I’m sorry," she said.
Oh, no, I thought. I’m going to get it.
"All right. Thank you, Becky," I said, patting her shoulder on my way
out. I took a deep breath before turning the knob to my mother’s room.
She was pacing, not a good sign.
"What’s wrong with you? You
were such a good child...I don’t know what to do about your behavior. I
specifically told you to ignore that Wellington boy, and I find out that you
went off romping with him after dinner," she said, her face reddening. Well,
where do you think I’ve been this whole voyage? I thought to myself.
I took another breath, closed my
eyes, and looked at the ground when I opened them.
"You’re not to see him
again. Do you understand? Why can’t you behave like Marie?"
"Oh, Mother, stop. You want
to know why I’m not like Marie or you? I’m not a stuck-up snob," I snapped
at her. At this, her face reddened even more and her eyes widened. By now, I
was ready to cry.
"Don’t you talk to me like
that," my mother spat out, striking her hand across my cheek. "I’m
your mother, and you obey me."
Tears splashed my cheeks. My left
cheek stung badly. I needed to get out of there fast. I shook my head as Mother
turned for the door. I ran down the deserted hall to Rob’s stateroom and
knocked on the door. He opened it, blinking. When he saw I’d been crying, his
eyes immediately saddened, and he took me in his arms and closed the door.
"My...mother..." I
said, my face buried in his chest. Rob just gently rocked me and stroked my
hair. He kissed my cheeks, my neck, and my chest, so gently. And I let him,
easing my back on the bed, placing Mother in the back of my mind.