The Titanic Sisters

by Patricia Falvey

  I stood up and tried to compose myself. How could I be so jealous of a dead woman who had never done me any harm? I made up my mind there and then to let all thoughts of Mary go, and concentrate on my duty to Lily.

  I opened my bag, took out the books I had brought with me from Ireland, and hugged them like old friends. They were much the worse for wear after the journey on the Titanic and the long trip from New York to Texas, but they had survived intact, just as I had done. As I fiipped through their pages, a small curl of excitement rose in my stomach. I was finally living the adventure promised by the stories they contained. Fate had handed me a wonderful and unexpected gift, and I was determined to make the most of it.

  The evening after we arrived, two visitors burst into the house disturbing the calm quiet of the place. Lily ran to the door to greet them.

  ‘Uncle Hans, Aunt May!’

  Laughing, the man reached down and picked Lily up, swinging her around in the air.

  ‘You have grown, mein kleine mädchen. Soon you will have to pick me up instead.’

  ‘You’re silly, Uncle Hans.’

  Aidan rushed towards them wearing a wide grin.

  ‘What a surprise!’ he said. ‘I wasn’t expecting you until the end of the week. Come in. Come in.’

  ‘We couldn’t wait,’ said the woman called May. ‘We were so excited to see Lily again.’

  Aidan led the visitors into the living room where they sat down in the big leather chairs and beamed. Rosa scurried away to get drinks, while I stood to one side not knowing what to do. Aidan had apparently forgotten I was there. It was Lily who rescued me, bounding from May’s side over to take my hand and pull me back towards her.

  ‘Aunt May, this is Miss Delia, my governess. She came with us all the way from New York.’

  Aidan coughed. ‘I’m sorry, I forgot my manners. Hans and May, this is Miss Sweeney. She’s been Lily’s governess for over a year. She’s from Ireland.’ He turned to me. ‘This is Mr and Mrs Humboldt. They are my dearest friends. Hans is also my business partner.’

  Hans Humboldt stood and gave me a small bow. ‘I am delighted to meet you, Miss Sweeney. It seems we are both immigrants. I am from Germany. I hope you will come to love Texas as much as I have.’

  When he had given his formal little speech, he sat down. He was a short man with a round belly that strained the buttons of his jacket. He had a bald head and small round spectacles. His blue eyes struck me as mischievous, at odds with his formal manner. He reminded me a bit of a leprechaun.

  His wife, May, stood up and enveloped me in a hug that nearly knocked the breath out of me. She was at least a foot taller than her husband, and her voice was loud, deep and a little raspy.

  ‘Well, darlin’,’ she began, ‘my name is Mayfiower Humboldt. Welcome to the great Republic of Texas. This ain’t like any place you’ve ever seen or are likely to see. Don’t you mind my Hans, he thinks he needs to act as proper as if he was still in Germany. Now sit down here beside me and tell me all about yourself.’

  Mayfiower Humboldt was American, but she sounded nothing like anyone I’d met in New York. She drew out her words in a long drawl, often adding syllables where there was no need for them. She was what the Irish would have called a ‘handsome woman’. She was tall and lithe and had high cheekbones and wide-set brown eyes. Her skin was tanned, and her black hair was coiled thickly beneath her extravagantly adorned hat. But for a few wispy lines at the corner of her eyes and mouth, I would have guessed she was years younger than her husband.

  ‘I’m so glad you’re here,’ she went on. ‘I was afraid Aidan would come by himself and he and Hans would be so preoccupied with their little ole business that I’d be left out entirely. Mary and I were the best of friends, and I surely miss her. But here you are, another Irish girl. I aim for us to be great friends too.’

  I nodded and smiled, although my heart sank at the mention of Mary’s name yet again. I was relieved when Rosa brought in the drinks and Mayfiower turned her attention back to Aidan and Lily. When Rosa announced dinner, I excused myself, intent on going to my room. I had never dined with Aidan or his guests in New York and did not expect to do so here.

  ‘Where are you going, Delia?’

  I turned around to see Aidan standing behind me.

  ‘I am leaving you to your guests.’

  He smiled directly at me and my heart missed a beat.

  ‘We’re not in New York now. In Texas we have no such stupid rules. Come!’

  He took my elbow and guided me to the dining room. His closeness and the heat of his hand on my arm unsettled me to the point I wanted to fiee. Instead, I braced myself and took my seat without daring to look at him. When Mayfiower led us in a prayer of thanksgiving for the meal, I bowed my head and thanked fate again for bringing me to Texas.

  Early the next morning, I ventured out of the house. Rosa had said the morning was the coolest time of the day and best for walking. The street was lined with trees and fine houses set back from green, well-trimmed lawns. Each house was of a different style, large and elegant. Mayfiower had told me that the street was named Swiss Avenue, after two Swiss brothers who had built the first house here. Many of the richest people in Dallas lived here. And it had the only paved street in the city, Mayfiower said, and a private trolley to take residents into Dallas. It occurred to me that Aidan’s house, while still beautiful, was modest in comparison to its neighbours. I smiled to myself. I was not surprised that Aidan’s house would refiect his impatience with the showiness so prevalent in New York. It was one of the many things I liked about him. I sighed, remembering how much more relaxed he had been at dinner last night. Perhaps the move to Texas had made him more at ease. I hoped that our new-found relationship would fiourish.

  At the end of the week Aidan and Hans Humboldt left for the oilfields. Aidan was anxious to see his wells – Hans said a few had come in while Aidan was in New York, but none of them were ‘gushers’. Aidan was planning to acquire some new leases in the hope of expanding production. The oilfields were located south-east of Dallas near a town with the curious name of Shotgun City. I laughed when I heard it.

  ‘Crazy, ain’t it?’ said Mayfiower. ‘But it sure describes the place. I wouldn’t even call it a town, just a bunch of ole tents and lean-tos. It used to only have about four hundred souls but now it’s closer to four thousand and growing every day – folks of every cast and creed coming there hell-bent on making their fortunes in oil.’

  I was horrified. ‘Will Aidan and Hans be sleeping in a tent?’

  She laughed. ‘Oh no, honey. They stay in rooms above the saloon. It ain’t the Biltmore, but it sure beats the other places. Although I don’t suppose they’ll get much sleep. Any night some drunken cowboy is liable to ride his horse down the main street shooting off his pistols. You can see why the town got its name.’

  I listened in amazement. I had never imagined such a place existed and part of me was dying to see it. I was disappointed that Aidan had gone off without me. Suddenly I realized Mayfiower was talking to me.

  ‘The men have left us girls by our lonesome. But never you mind, Delia, I intend to keep you entertained. I aim to show you everything Dallas has to offer. I can tell you it’ll be much more fun than them ole oilfields. You and me’s gonna have ourselves a ball.’

  Good to her word, she called for me the next morning and together we boarded the trolley. I asked Lily to come with us, but she shook her head, hardly looking up from the fiour she was rolling out under Rosa’s watchful eye.

  ‘I’m making tortillas with Rosa,’ she announced.

  I had no idea what tortillas were, but she seemed very content, so I didn’t press her.

  The ride from Swiss Avenue to Dallas was short, and soon we were on the main street. As the trolley trundled down the middle of the street, I looked from right to left trying to take in all the sights at once. Buildings two and three storeys high lined the street, all of them displaying bold signs in large lettering indicating t
heir wares. Furniture shops were crammed next to liquor stores and dry goods stores on one side of the street; leather goods, hat shops and saloons on the other. Horse-drawn carts were lined up along the street on both sides, men loading and unloading goods. The scene had the cheerful feeling of Donegal Town, but it had a throbbing energy beyond anything I could ever have imagined in Ireland.

  ‘We’ll get off at the next corner,’ said Mayflower.

  I followed her down onto the pavement and looked around. We had reached an area where the buildings were much taller and built mostly of stone and brick. Many of them appeared to be banks, but she led me to a building with red canopies overhanging large windows and an ornate front door.

  ‘Neiman Marcus,’ she announced proudly. ‘They carry the best merchandise in Dallas, shipped all the way from New York City. They put the other clothing stores to shame.’

  I had been in some of the clothing stores in New York, but this one was more than their equal. Artful window displays almost compelled you to come inside. And inside did not disappoint. Soft lighting and delicious aromas combined to seduce customers to stay and shop. Well-dressed women moved about, examining fashionable coats and dresses, trying on hats or stopping to examine jewellery displayed beneath glass-topped counters.

  ‘All the new oil-rich women shop here,’ Mayfiower said, more loudly than was necessary, ‘and of course some from the old cotton and ranching families. Next time we come we’ll buy ourselves something fine.’

  I gasped. ‘But I could never afford any of this,’ I said, gesturing around.

  She winked at me. ‘Maybe not, honey, but Aidan sure can.’

  I was astonished and a little angry. Did Mayfiower think that I was the sort to take money from a man? I decided to leave it alone – there was no point arguing with her.

  Our outing to Neiman Marcus was followed by lunch in the nearby Adolphus Hotel.

  ‘Best damn hotel in Texas,’ Mayfiower declared. ‘Just look at these chandeliers, and you could sink up to your ankles in the carpeting.’

  The restaurant was formal, with white tablecloths and fiowers. The first-class dining room on the Titanic had probably been just like this, I thought. But for all the formality, there was no hint of stuffiness. I found myself not even worrying if my table manners were up to snuff. I was beginning to like this aspect of Texas life.

  ‘Can I ask you a question, Mayfiower?’

  ‘Shoot!’

  ‘How did you get the name Mayfiower? It’s so unusual.’

  She gave a loud, husky laugh. ‘It was my momma’s doing. She was from back east and, though she loved my daddy, she thought she was better than other folks round here. My momma held her nose up so high she’d of near drowned in a rainstorm, and that’s the truth. Her people had come from England on the ship, the Mayfiower, so she decided to name me after it so as folks would realize how important she was.’

  I smiled. ‘And did they?’

  She laughed again.

  ‘Oh, honey, they wouldn’t have cared if she’d been born in a barn. Nobody round here is impressed with things like that. I got stuck with this name for nothing.’

  ‘I rather like it.’

  ‘Most folks call me “May”, but there’s them that still uses the full name.’

  ‘Well, I shall call you Mayfiower.’

  Now I understood why Aidan had been so anxious to get out of New York and back here to the wide, open spaces where he could breathe easily, and people took one another at face value. Thinking of him now made me blush. I looked up to see if Mayfiower had noticed, but she was busy talking with a friend who had happened by, so I indulged myself in my secret longings. I had grasped at every bit of attention Aidan had sent my way in the last few days, and I was hungry for more.

  But now he had gone off to the oilfields, to this Shotgun City, and who knew how long he would be away. My heart sank at the thought. Of course, I would have plenty to do with Lily’s lessons, and Mayfiower was determined to entertain me with more trips to Dallas. And while these pursuits would be rewarding and enjoyable, they would not make up for Aidan’s absence. I knew I was being foolish, but my days would be empty without him. I was shocked at how much a part of my life I had let him become over the last year.

  Suddenly Ma’s words came into my mind: You’ll never amount to anything, my girl, and you may as well chase away any dreams you have of things getting better for you in the future. They won’t. You don’t deserve it. I bit my lip to keep from crying out, ‘You’re wrong, Ma. I do deserve happiness. I do.’

  ‘Is everything all right, darlin’?’ said Mayfiower.

  I smiled back. ‘I’m grand, Mayflower.’

  She stood up from the table and walked towards the door. As I followed her outside, my smile disappeared. Indignation, anger and resolve took over. I was not the old Delia any more. This new Delia was going to reach out and seize her chance at happiness.

  No matter how often I broached the topic of going to visit Shotgun City with Lily, my pleas fell upon deaf ears. At first, he just shook his head. Later he’d utter a curt ‘No!’ Finally, in exasperation, he turned to me one day and put his face close to mine.

  ‘I want to hear no more of it, Delia. I have said “no” a dozen times. It is no place for a young woman, let alone a child. The place is filled with roughnecks and criminals. As your employer, I am responsible for your welfare, and as Lily’s father I am responsible for her life. Let this be an end to the matter.’

  With that he turned on his heel and left the house, letting the front door bang shut behind him. I sat down on the nearest chair. All the air had gone out of me, like a pierced balloon. I realized I couldn’t keep pushing Aidan on the matter, or he would ask me to leave once and for all. I sighed. I should be grateful for this chance I’d been given in Dallas. From now on I’d dedicate myself to educating Lily as best I could and being satisfied with the scraps of time Aidan would see fit to give me.

  He’d been growing more and more distant ever since we arrived in Dallas. The morning on the train had raised my hopes that romance could fiourish. The truth was that the minute he’d set foot at the house in Dallas and saw Mary’s fiowers, Aidan had begun to pull away from me. Her ghost would never leave him alone.

  There was a sudden rustle at the door and Mayfiower strode in without knocking. She took one look at me and stopped.

  ‘What’s wrong, darlin’?’

  ‘I’m all right, Mayfiower. Just a bit disappointed.’

  She waited for me to continue. ‘It’s just that Aidan won’t let Lily and me go to Shotgun City. I’ve tried telling him it would be good for Lily to see where he spends his days, and that I’d like to learn something about the oil business. But he keeps saying no. He says it’s not safe.’

  ‘He’s right, darlin’. The only women there are hussies. They sure ain’t no ladies, and the men don’t treat them as such.’

  I looked at her. ‘But I really want to see it, Mayfiower. I expected Texas to be exciting, and Dallas – well, Dallas . . .’

  ‘You think Dallas is the dullest place in the world.’ She laughed. ‘You’ve no idea how many girls your age growin’ up on ranches and farms’ round here would give their eye-teeth to come to the big city. And here’s you dying to go out to an ole oil patch. Seems to me your thinking is all upside down.’

  ‘I know. I must seem very ungrateful.’

  Mayfiower gave me a shrewd look. ‘If I didn’t know better, Delia, I’d say you’re pining more for a certain man’s company than for adventure.’

  ‘Is it that obvious?’

  ‘Don’t you be expectin’ that Aidan knows your feelings. He’s oblivious to these things, like all men. But I can see it in the way you look at him.’

  ‘Wouldn’t matter if he did realize it. He’s still in love with his wife.’

  Mayfiower nodded. ‘I’d say there’s truth to that. He and Mary were very much in love. It’s been hard on him all these years since she died. But, honey,’ she rose an
d came over and patted my knee, ‘no good to come of moping over it. It’s about time he started to think of his future – and Lily’s. We’ve got to get us a plan, you and me. Faint heart never won fair lady – or, in this case, fair gentleman.’

  ‘But . . .’

  ‘Now no buts, darlin’. Ain’t the first time I’ve played matchmaker. I’ve coaxed the most stubborn of men into marriage in my time,’ she paused and giggled, ‘including my Hans.’ With that she picked up her bag and made for the door without ever saying what she’d come for in the first place.

  After she left, I sat lost in thought. Part of me wanted to plead with her not to interfere, yet a small sensation deep down inside began to fiutter. I recognized it as hope. I shoved it away. No. If Aidan O’Hanlon wanted me, it would have to be of his own free will and not because Mayfiower Humboldt had played some trick on him.

  DONEGAL

  1913

  NORA

  Istood outside the hotel watching Ben’s car pull away, a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I’d never felt so lonely. All the glittering possibilities that New York once held for me were gone. No life of luxury, no admirers, no rich husband! My dreams were destroyed and now I was going home to lick my wounds. I wondered what sort of greeting I’d get. Surely Ma and Da would be happy I was alive. I tried to picture the scene, but my memories of Donegal and the people in it were faded, like ghosts.

  I fought back angry tears. The old Nora wouldn’t have stood for this self-pity. She would have fought and spat and connived her way to a future that suited her. But the old, hard Nora had faded, replaced by the soft Nora that Mrs Shaw had brought out. I wanted to curse the woman for changing me the way she had, but I couldn’t. I’d loved her and always would, and that was the size of it.