I let out a sigh of relief and walked the reporters toward the gangplank to see them off the ship. As soon as they were on shore, I searched for Grace and Luc, finally spotting my sister’s large, tan hat. She was standing at the rail, facing Hoboken, New Jersey, where the ship had been docked. At her side stood Luc. Though it was crowded and people were pushing for a spot at the rail to wave to friends and family, they stood with space between them, looking in opposite directions.
Their dislike of one another was palpable.
No one could be as close to me as my time-crossing twin sister. If she didn’t approve of Luc, how could I continue to pursue him? I had to convince her he was worthy of my love.
I pushed my way through the crowd, breathless, determined to make them like each other by the end of this voyage.
“There you are,” I said, trying to sound pleasant.
They both turned at the same time.
Grace looked relieved at my arrival. “Finished with the reporters?”
I nodded. “Are you two getting to know one another?”
They glanced at each other, but there was no sign of comradery or blossoming friendship. Just mistrust.
Neither responded to my question.
Instead, Grace said, “I think I’ll go to our room to write a little before supper.”
Luc also pulled away from the rail and lifted his bag as he addressed me. “I should find my room, as well, and then we should meet to discuss our plans. We cannot overlook any detail.”
“But what about saying good-bye?” I indicated the shoreline and the waving passengers. “This is the most exciting part.”
“We cannot lose any time,” Luc said. “Nothing should stop us from returning on theTitanicon April 10th. That gives us less than five weeks to accomplish our goals.”
“Five weeks should be plenty of time,” I said, trying to make him relax. This trip wasn’t just about the flight but about convincing him he was in love with me—and that my sister was worthy of his friendship. “We have six days onboard theAmerika. Can’t we take a little time to enjoy ourselves?”
“I don’t have the luxury of enjoying myself,” Grace said. “I plan to spend every available minute writing articles for theGlobe. Each one is another paycheck for Mama and Daddy.” She nodded good-bye to Luc and then looked at me. “I’ll see you later.”
As she left, Luc watched her go with an expression I couldn’t read. Then he turned to me. “Enjoy the departure, but we must meet soon to go over the plans I’ve made since we spoke last. I’ll get settled in my room and find you when we’re out to sea.”
He didn’t give me time to respond but walked in the opposite direction and disappeared into the crowd.
This was going to be a long voyage.
The Ritz-Carlton Restaurant on the SSAmerikawas one of the finest dining establishments on the high seas. The lavish decorations and the attention to detail were impressive. A gray-and-yellow stained-glass skylight dominated the ceiling, which was held up with four large chestnut columns. Seated around the tables of white linen and fine china were some of the wealthiest and finest-dressed passengers I had ever seen. They laughed with ease, eating and drinking the best cuisine to be had on an ocean liner. The ship boasted the first à la carte restaurant at sea, and it was a raging success. If the captain of the ship hadn’t invited Luc and me to dine with him, we would have been eating with the other passengers in the regular dining room, since it was almost impossible to get a table in the Ritz-Carlton.
The ship was buzzing with excitement on the first night out to sea. With over three thousand passengers, between guests and crew members, it was easy to see why.
Luc and I had been given seats of honor at the captain’s table. Captain Barends sat at the head, while I was seated to his right and Luc to his left. Grace had been given a spot next to me.
The captain peppered both Luc and me with questions about aviation until my mind was spinning. Though Luc didn’t like attention from crowds, there was nothing he loved more than talking one-on-one with someone who was truly curious about aviation. His handsome face lit up, and he was unhindered and unashamed as he talked about his flying pursuits, slipping into French on accident in his excitement. This was the Lucas Voland I had fallen in love with, the one who was so alive and vibrant—and accessible. Did Grace notice? She had told me she thought Luc was arrogant and self-centered. Was she noting this different side to him?
“You make me want to fly,” Captain Barends said almostwistfully. “I could see myself in an aeroplane. That is, if the sea didn’t hold my heart.”
“Ah, but if you could go into the clouds,” Luc said, his French accent filled with passion, “the sky would steal your heart.C’est l’amour.”
It is love.
Warmth filled me at the sound of his voice and the emotion in his words. Flyingwaslike falling in love.
“Perhaps.” The captain sighed. “But flying is for young men. I am too old and set in my ways.”
“You are not too old,” I told him, though he appeared to be in his early sixties, with a gray beard and sea-wizened wrinkles around his eyes. “I believe that one day almost everyone will fly.” Mama had told me about airplanes, as she called them, from her life in 2001. It was hard to comprehend, but even in 1912, many people believed that flying would become accessible to everyone someday.
“Surely the aeroplane will not replace ocean liners,” Captain Barends said with a good-natured laugh. “There is no finer or faster way to travel from America to Europe. Even now, the largest ship in the world is preparing to set sail in just over a month. I see no future in which ocean liners are not the safest way to travel.”
