Клаудия Грэй – Fateful (страница 7)

I don’t even have to ask if she’s a foreigner. I just know. Her skin is a deep tan, her thick hair such a perfect black that it almost has a bluish gleam, and her brilliantly embroidered skirt and shawl aren’t the kind of thing I’ve ever seen anyone in England wear.

But I’ve always heard that foreigners were dirty, and this girl isn’t. As strange as her clothes are, they’re clean, and actually rather pretty. And I’ve always heard the “English rose” described as the ultimate standard of beauty: delicate frame, pale skin, pink cheeks, and fair curls. I’ve always rather liked that description, because it applies to me—at least it would, if I ever got to wash up properly and wear something nice. And yet this girl, dark and statuesque as she is, is far lovelier than I am.

Even more surprising: She’s not hopping up to greet me, begging my pardon, or welcoming me to the room. In fact, she seems more displeased to be sharing a room than I was. Even though I’m English—as though all the world didn’t look up to England!

“Who are you, then?” she demands. Her accent is thick, but her English is good.

I put my hands on my hips. “I’m Tess. And who are you?”

“Myriam Nahas. Why are you on this ship?” It sounds almost like she’s asking how I dare to be here.

“I’m ladies’ maid to the Honorable Irene Lisle, daughter of the Viscount Lisle, who is traveling with her mother and brother to do the season in New York.” I say it as grandly as I can. Their titles ought to give me some credit here, at least. They don’t. Myriam couldn’t look less impressed. So I snap back, “Why are youon this ship?”

“I’ve left Lebanon to join my brother and his wife in New York City.” Pride shines from her, and yet I can also see how tired she is; she has already traveled all the way from Lebanon, and she still has an ocean to cross. “He has a garment business there that is doing well. I can help sew for him. Perhaps that doesn’t sound very fine to the likes of you, but it suits me.”

It sounds fine enough. I’m jealous, in fact. Myriam is aboard this ship for the same reason I am—to emigrate to the United States—but unlike me, she has family and a job waiting for her.

Maybe that’s what annoys me about her. Or maybe it’s that she isn’t being deferential and obedient, like I would have expected from a foreign girl. Most likely it’s just that she seems to be annoyed by me first, for whatever reason. But our eyes are narrowed as we stare at each other, and I sense a power struggle in the making.

“I have taken one of the bottom bunks,” Myriam adds. “They shift around less with the moving of the ship.”

“Then I’ll take one as well.”

“Others will be in this room with us. They, too, will want bottom bunks.”

“They’ll be out of luck, won’t they?”

Her eyes narrow. “They will attempt to persuade one of us to move, and it will not be me.”

I sit down deliberately on the other lower bunk. “I don’t intend to settle for less just to make you more comfortable.”

“Nor I.”

“Listen here. I’m an Englishwoman, and this is an English ship.” That ought to settle her.

Instead, Myriam folds her arms and lifts her chin, and despite my annoyance with her, I can’t help but notice the perfection of her profile. “You are a servant,” she sneers. “I answer to no one but myself.”

Anger flushes my cheeks, and I open my mouth to tell her what I think of impudent foreigners—but then the door to our cabin opens again, revealing our other two roommates. The first lady is ancient, seventy-five if she’s a day; the second is older. They totter in, carrying little more than carpetbags, with their snowy-white hair atop their heads in braids. I don’t recognize the language they’re speaking, but a badge on one of their cases has a flag that I think is Norway’s. Their wrinkled faces crease into smiles of welcome, and whatever they’re saying to us sounds friendly.

And there is absolutely no way either of them can take a top bunk.

I clamber up to one of the top bunks instantly, and turn to snap at Myriam to do the same—but she already has. We stare at each other, shocked to realize that, despite our sour tempers, neither of us is actually that bad. It’s almost funny. If we knew each other any better, I think we’d laugh.

Instead, I flop back onto my bunk. It’s not as soft as the ones in first class, but it’s better than back home. Comfortable as anything. I imagine it as a magic carpet, whisking me away to another, better world.

“Do they tell stories about magic carpets in Lebanon?” I ask Myriam as we walk down the corridor on F deck.

“I believe you are a few centuries behind the times,” she says, but not unkindly.

Though I still think she’s rather rude, and she still seems to have her back up where I’m concerned, we’ll get on well enough for a few days’ journey. As I don’t need to return to the Lisles until shortly before the ship gets underway, I decided to take a walk belowdecks, and she’s joined me. Hopefully I can talk to her about emigrating to America; she’s the first person I ever met who has the same goal as I do.

Of course, I don’t intend to admit that’s my goal. Nobody can know until we reach New York City. But I might find out some things anyway.

Although there’s still plenty of bustle in the corridors, that has slowed down somewhat as everyone has found their bunks and is getting themselves settled. Amid the hubbub of the corridors, I see a ship’s officer, which surprises me—I’d have thought that only stewards would come down to steerage. Even better, I recognize him; it’s the friendly man who helped me on the dock.

He remembers me too. “I see you’ve got yourself sorted out.”

“Very well, thank you, sir.”

Then he glances at Myriam, no more than a simple look—and just like that, he’s caught. Her beauty holds him fast, as if he were a fly and she were honey. Myriam likes the look of him too, I can tell. But she doesn’t simper or act silly in a rush to make conversation, the way I have the few times I’ve been able to talk with young men in the village pub. She simply smiles back at him, slow and warm, completely unhurried. This is obviously a much better way to handle it. I must remember this for later.

The officer pulls his hat off his head, as though we were gentlewomen. “George Greene, ship’s seventh officer, at your service.”

“Myriam Nahas.” She inclines her head only slightly. Her eyes never waver from his.

“Tess Davies,” I say, just so neither of them forgets I’m standing here. “It’s a lovely ship.”

“Finest in the White Star fleet. Finest in the world, if you ask me.” George gestures toward the doors at the far end of the corridor, the ones blocked off that we’re not supposed to enter. “Would you like a bit of a tour? Haven’t time for much, but I could show you ladies around the lower decks. More down here than meets the eye.” When Myriam hesitates before answering, he quickly adds, “We have first-class amenities down here, so that will be useful to you, Miss Davies. Knowing how to get between different classes of the ship, I mean, since you’ll be running about so much.”

It’s nice to be called “Miss Davies,” as if I were a proper lady. And I don’t think he’s just trying to impress Myriam, either, at least not with that; real kindness and politeness shine from George’s blue eyes.

“It would be very interesting to see more of the ship,” Myriam says, as though George’s company hasn’t anything to do with her decision to come along.

George, anxious to please, leads us through F deck, showing us the third-class dining hall first. Long wooden tables reach from side to side of the enormous room. This, too, is bright and cheerful—better than the servants’ table downstairs at Moorcliffe by far. “And there are decks outside for you, too,” he says. “You won’t be cooped up all journey, like you would on most ships. Titanic has a lovely deck just for third-class passengers, so you can have a bit of fresh air.”

Myriam folds her arms. “Such special treatment to people who just had to be combed and picked over as if we were dogs.”

They combed the third-class passengers? Looking for lice, I realize. How insulting. Thank goodness George told me to enter through the first-class passageway.

The poor man can’t apologize fast enough. “Begging your pardon, Miss Nahas. It’s crude and unconscionable treatment, and you can be sure it’s not White Star policy. It’s those American laws. You wouldn’t believe the nonsense with quarantines and all they stick us with.”

“Well. If it’s all the fault of the Americans.” Myriam tosses her hair, slightly—but not entirely—appeased. “Of course, I’ll be an American soon.”

How will poor George get out of this one? I can’t help a small smile as I look at him. But the good man rallies quickly. “Then I suppose they’ll improve in a hurry, won’t they, miss?”

Instead of replying, Myriam smiles. I feel rather unnecessary, but I keep tagging along, more for mischief’s sake.

After that, he looks around a bit to make sure we won’t be witnessed, then takes us to a heavy door that brings us to the first-class section of this deck. “Can’t lead you through—more of those American regulations—but you can pass by here if you need to, Miss Davies.”