by Lisa Shea
Robert’s voice was rough. “We want to help.”
She looked between us with growing understanding. “You understand the penalties. If we are caught, it will be torture and death.”
“We understand. And we know that, if nothing is done, all will be lost. Every life saved is precious. Every life will be a candle in a dark night.”
“We do document the families,” vowed Irena. “We keep careful track of each child and who they belong to. That way, when this is all over, the children can be returned to their homes.”
My gaze shadowed. “You can do that, if it helps you to ease any worries about what you do. But know that, for nearly all the children, you are rescuing the only member of that family who can be rescued. The rest will be killed.”
Her face paled in shock, but it seemed that somehow she had had this same sense.
I twined my fingers into Robert’s. “We’ll meet you here tomorrow, with just a few items. Things you can tuck into your undergarments. And then the day after, a few more. That way you can safely get them out. I’ll also start gathering up information on small children. I’ll talk to the parents. Make them understand the threat. Whatever we can do to help, we will do it. Just let us know.”
Her eyes shone, and she looked between us. “Thank you. Thank you for everything.”
I shook my head. “No, Irena. Thank you. You are the guardian angel for all who live here. You are the reason that thousands of lives are rescued. Your strength and courage, in a time when many did nothing, is a beacon for us all.”
Her face glowed.
Footsteps sounded, and she glanced around. “I have to go. But tomorrow. Here.”
I nodded, stepping back. “We will be here.”
She spun and vanished into the shadows.
Robert looked around in concern. “And now we have to get you back home, or there will not be any tomorrow to begin the operation.”
I moved quickly at his side, my heart hammering against my ribs. Would this be when I was taken away? I had made the critical contact with Irena Sendler, a woman whose actions during World War II were stunning in their bravery. I would do my very best to support her efforts. And Robert and I would have precious weeks or months together, before the inferno descended.
Was that enough?
We moved along shadowed alleys and deserted streets, finally coming back to my door. We walked up the long flights of stairs, coming to my apartment.
I shook my head and took his hand, moving along the hallway. One more door, and we were stepping out again on the roof.
I walked toward the edge, to stare out at the rows after rows of buildings. In the soft moonlight they almost seemed serene. Beautiful. Structures which would endure the years. But I knew better. I knew that within the blink of an eye they would be ripped down. Destroyed in fire and ash.
And all would be lost.
A flicker of hope lit within me. Not all. For thousands of children would be saved, thanks to Irene.
At my side, Robert’s voice was rough. “What did you think of what I told your father, earlier in your apartment?”
I blinked, then turned to look at him. He had made up that lie of us getting married, in order to convince my father to give me my jewelry.
I smiled and nodded, taking his hands in mine. “That was brilliant. You were right. If I had simply asked for the items to give them to Irene, he never would have allowed it. But by your saying we were to be married, he gave them to me without prompting. It was the exact right thing to do.”
His gaze held mine, deep. “But how did you feel when I said it?”
Warmth swept through me.
He had said he wanted to marry me.
His face glowed as he read my gaze, and he nodded.
Then he lowered onto one knee.
Butterflies billowed in my stomach, a tumult of joy and confusion and desperate hope. “Robert?”
He looked up into my eyes. “Elizabeth, I know we might not have much time together. If what you say it true, it could be only months or weeks before this world comes crashing down on us.”
He took in a breath. “I want to spend that time we do have with you. I want to treasure every moment we have together. Every breath. Because what we have here is precious. If we are to spend our days risking our lives to save the innocent children, then I want my nights to be with you safely nestled in my arms. If we spend our last hours fighting, side by side, to hold the soldiers off, so that a few more Jews can vault the walls and escape into the night, then I want to do that as man and wife. To let the world know how much I adore and treasure you.”
My eyes welled with tears, and I found my head nodding before the words came tumbling out. “Yes. Yes, yes, yes.”
He rose to his feet, his face steady with resolve. “Then let’s go down and talk with your parents again. Tell them that we’re pushing up our plans. That we want to marry now. That every sunrise will offer fresh hope and every sunset will shine across the goals we have accomplished.”
I stepped forward to curl up against his sturdy chest. “Soon,” I murmured. “We can tell them soon.”
His arms came around me, his lips pressed to my forehead, and immense peace flowed through my body.
I drew my arms to wrap around his back. I was his, he was mine, and nothing could ever change that. Nothing could ever take that away from us.
I spoke against his chest. “Whatever you hear, whatever you see, don’t let go.”
He ran his hand down my hair. “I won’t.”
There was a clatter from the far wall, and a flicker of motion ran down his arms. But then they held me more tightly, keeping me cradled against his chest.
Tears streamed from my eyes, and I nodded. Elizabeth and Robert would be all right. They would be more than all right.
I was ready.
The thunk was not a jarring blow as if my head had been caved in by a block of masonry. Rather, now that I was calm and at peace, I could see that it was more a mental wrench. As if my thoughts, soul, and core were being twisted in competing spirals. It staggered me - and I gave in to it.
Silence.
*
I was looking out over row after row of buildings from a fairly impressive height. Above me was not an ebony sky full of stars, but rather the bright blue of day, dusted by floating clouds. All along either side of me were cheering people waving and hollering. Down beneath me were massive throngs doing the same. The men wore featureless combinations of dark suits, dark slacks, and white shirts. The women wore dresses of varying levels of elegance - some slender and gauze-like in pastel colors, others more tailored in black and white check.
A deep bass horn sounded from behind me, and I turned.
I was on a ship. A massive, shining-brass-detailed ship with a bank of four smokestacks, each at least sixty feet tall.
Tight fear closed in my throat, and I looked more closely at the fashion of the women standing around me.
Large, showy hats draped with ostrich and peacock feathers.
Close-fitting dresses with high, empire waists and squared-off necklines.
It was the 1910s.
I was on the Titanic.
8 – Titanic Destiny
I breathed in the sharp tang of Cork Harbor, looking around at the elegant, smiling passengers on the first class deck. They were thrilled to be a part of the maiden voyage of the Titanic. The “unsinkable” ship.
They had no idea that, in a few days, we would plow into an iceberg in the frigid North Atlantic Ocean. That there were not enough lifeboats to handle all passengers and crew.
That over one thousand five hundred lives would be lost.
I looked down at myself, expecting to see the classic long, white dress edged with exquisite embroidery. Instead I was in a tan muslin dress of far simpler design. My hair was neatly tucked into a bun at the nape of my neck.
Sharp laughter came from before me, and my eyes came up again.
It was like the Titanic movie had come
to life. Anna and Sofia stood before me, their elegant updos glistening in the sun, wearing the most exquisite dresses I had ever seen. Anna was in royal blue chased with gold thread, the patterns swirling and weaving amongst sapphires and pearls. Sofia had chosen crimson with bronze and the trio of feathers in her hair matched perfectly. Rubies cascaded along her neck.
Anna nudged Sofia in the side. “It’s our little school-mouse. Thinks she belongs on the First Class deck just because her father’s a Dean at Oxford. They should be down in steerage with the rest of the new-money folk.”
Sofia’s eyes shone with mirth. “Maybe we could talk with the captain about that, once we’re fully clear of Cobh. I’m sure he wants to please his important passengers.”
I looked between the two women. I knew I should be annoyed with their jibes. Furious at their taunts. But I could only find deep sadness soaking into my bones. They treasured their status. Their baubles and trinkets. But did that matter, in the end? When the icy deep sucked down the ship, it would kill man and woman, old and young, whoever came into its grip. John Jacob Astor IV and Benjamin Guggenheim had owned mind-boggling amounts of wealth – and yet their frail human bodies perished in the icy waters of the North Atlantic Ocean.
And we had just left the last port of call.
I held the women’s eyes with my own, my voice low and serious. “What makes you truly happy?”
Anna blinked in shock. For a moment there was a glow of interested awareness.
Sofia crossed her arms in front of her delicate décolletage, her brows drawing together. “Not being around low-class pretenders like you.”
I shook my head in sadness. “There is so much to learn about our world. Each time you close a door, you lose that opportunity. And you might not have time to realize that, before it’s too late.”
Sofia’s mouth opened in shock.
A voice called to me from further down the deck. “Elizabeth!”
I followed the sound. It was Mary, in a pale peach dress which, like mine, was simple but well cared for. It fit her slim figure perfectly. I ran down the deck to her, drawing her into my arms. “Mary!”
She giggled merrily. “You silly, it’s not like we’ve been apart for ages. We just ate breakfast together.” Her eyes drew out to the departing Irish coastline. “But isn’t it grand? We’ll be at sea! The wide ocean! And then, Boston! Oh, it’s so lucky that your father was invited to speak at that conference at Harvard. And that he let me come along with you!”
Guilt flushed through me. It was my fault that Mary was on this doomed vessel? If I hadn’t invited her along, she wouldn’t be facing horrific death when we plowed into that iceberg in three days.
She looked into my eyes and laughed, tweaking my chin. “Now, don’t go looking like that. My sea-sickness is done with, and I’m having a stupendous time. This will be a trip of a lifetime.”
Her eyes rose to look behind me, and her gaze shone with appreciation. “Especially with him on board.”
I turned.
It was Robert.
God, he was handsome. He was standing along the sun-lit railing with his parents. Both men were stunning in full black tuxedoes with white linen shirts. His mother was draped in exquisite ivory silk, the fabric cascading in waves down to the polished wood deck. A peacock-feather hat matched perfectly.
Mary’s voice was an eager murmur. “I thought he went to Oxford, didn’t he? It’s a shame you were away at boarding school during those years. Just think if you two had been in the same place … at the same time …”
I flushed. I could imagine that exact thing.
A high woman’s voice came from behind me. “Oh, look, dear, surely that is Lord and Lady Argento. Didn’t you say the boy was a student you spoke with on several occasions? That should be enough of an introduction for us to go over and make ourselves known to them.”
I turned.
My father and stepmother might have been dressed in the style of those around them, but even I could see that there was something gaudy – almost pretentious – in their outfits. My stepmother’s dress was a little too pink, and the matching jewels along her neck were just a bit too large. My father’s handkerchief in his tuxedo breast pocket was more an ornate flower than a functional accessory.
My stepmother latched a hold of my arm, her gaze steadily on my father’s. “Think of Elizabeth. Think of the opportunities you’ll be denying her by not helping her into society.”
Normally I would have resisted her machinations at every turn. She was clearly trying to use me as a pawn to further her own social climbing. But today, I didn’t care. All I cared about was getting near Robert and finding out what we were to each other.
If we were anything at all.
I brought my eyes to my father’s. “I would like to meet them. Surely they would be pleased to thank the man who helped guide their son through his formative years.”
My father puffed up at that, and he nodded in satisfaction. “True, true. Well, let us go present ourselves.”
My heart hammered against my chest as we stepped across the breezy deck. The group turned at our approach, Robert looked around –
He stared at me as if I was a ghost.
There were voices around us, introductions, delighted awareness, and still his eyes held mine. They searched my face, as if seeking –
His mother’s voice came with playful amusement. “Robert, dear, have you been in the sun for too long? Your father asked if you had ever met Miss Elizabeth during your years at Oxford.”
He slowly shook his head, his gaze not leaving mine. “No. Never. I’d have remembered it.”
His mother’s mouth quirked into a smile. “Well, then, Elizabeth’s parents are going to have tea with your father and me, to get further acquainted. Perhaps you might keep Elizabeth entertained?”
He nodded.
Her eyes sparkled, and she glanced at her husband. “Shall we, my dear?” In a moment the four of them were moving toward the ship’s core.
Robert barely seemed to notice them leaving. His eyes soaked me in.
I glanced around us at the crowds, then walked toward the front of the ship. He followed at my side.
I found a smile creasing my lips as I looked down across the lower levels of the ship toward the bow. Countless re-watchings of the movie Titanic had embedded a certain scene in my mind, involving that bow. But that one moment of levity was brief, and what would come in three days would involve heartache beyond all measure. So many of the innocents – and most especially those second-and third-class passengers on the decks below me – would fall victim to the hubris of the ship-makers and the implacable forces of nature.
I leaned against the railing, staring at the bow. So many lives lost – and for such mindless reasons. Regulations were outdated. Additional lifeboats might block the view from some of the cabins.
I ran my hand through my hair.
Robert found his voice. “Do we … have we met?”
I placed my hand over his, turning. “Do you remember Warsaw?”
His face paled in shock. “But how could you …?”
I held his gaze. “Tell me.”
His jaw firmed. “I dreamed … I dreamed we were trapped in a maze of horrors. But that you stood against it. And you said …”
His eyes shone, and he drew in a breath. “I dreamt that I had the immense honor of being your husband.”
I glowed.
He did remember.
Even though in this timeline we had never met, the dreams were still filling him with what we had gone through.
I twined my fingers into his. “Did you dream of the Navajo?”
He was nodding now. “That I remembered from my studies of the American frontier. And Pompeii, and feudal Japan – those all made sense.” His brow shadowed. “But the latest dreams – the ones where we were married – what nightmare was that?”
I stepped to him. “That is a nightmare yet to come. That will be the darkest depths of World War II.�
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His throat tightened. “But when is World War I?”
I gave his hand a squeeze. “That’s a brief two years away.”
His gaze shadowed. “Two years. Are we meant to do something about that conflict? Is someone who is critical to that situation on board this boat?” He glanced behind him at the men in tuxedoes and crisp shirts. “Certainly there are many men of power present.”
Two years? We only had three days …
The tragedy we were unstoppably racing toward overcame me, and suddenly my vision blurred with tears. In an instant he drew me in against his sturdy chest and I curled up within his arms. Sobs welled within me and I gave myself over to them. There was just so much pain. And there was nothing I could do to stop it. I had a sense that I was not being sent to these times and places to avert the disaster. Who knew what powerful ripples through time such action might cause. By changing who lived and who died, I could inadvertently cause far more harm than good.
My voice groaned out of me, rough with pain. “We can’t save them all. So many are going to die.”
His hand stilled on my back. His voice came with shocked awareness. “Do you mean … this ship? It will sink? But surely –”
I drew back from him, wiping at my eyes. “It will sink,” I stated with certainty. “And there will be both chivalry and heart-rending selfishness during those final moments. Some will give up their seats so others can live. But by and large the less wealthy passengers will drown while the glittering nobles claim spots in half-empty lifeboats.”
Robert’s eyes drew down to the decks of the second and third-class passengers before us, his eyes shadowing. “Does it happen soon?”
I shook my head. “April fourteenth. Eleven-forty p.m.”
His brow creased in confusion. “But in my dreams, in the other times, we were always together when action had to be taken. You’re saying the sinking is three days away.” His hand raised to gently touch my cheek, and a turmoil of emotions swirled within his eyes. “Do we solely have these three precious days together?”
I took in a breath. “In the Warsaw Ghetto, the … dream … was of a time before the final riots. The critical juncture involved meeting with Irena and beginning our efforts to save the children.” I looked to him. “Or did you dream of anything beyond that night on the rooftop?”