Virginia was leaning on the railing, admiring the expanse of black water before her. Usually the sea, especially as dark, frightened her. But that night, she felt safe and found it rather good show. The sun had set long ago and it was starting to get cold. Yet she could not take her eyes off the landscape before her. The dark blue sky mingled with the dark colour of the water, only the stars and the reflection of the lights of the ship on the wavelets animated everything. She sighed and felt tears well up in her eyes. She wanted her parents to be there, to enjoy the show. Especially her mother who doted on the sea. So much that, sometimes during storms, she used to dress warmly and to admire the outburst of water from the coast. These trips were each time the cause of disputes, almost as violent as the storms, with her father; he was so afraid for her. Virginia had a weak smile. At least they were together now. She made a quick prayer for their souls and just had time to whisper "Amen" when she heard loud voices.
Virginia hastened to hide behind the nearest fireplace, not far, she could hardly hear what they were talking of. She should leave, but a part of her wanted to stay, intrigued by the tone. It was only when they stopped a few feet away from her that she realized that it was two men. She shriveled in a corner, hoping they would not come to her. The tones raised and she could make out the words "money" and "pay." The voice of the man who said it seemed familiar, but she could not remember where. She heard a horrible laugh; it gave her cold in the back and then a thud, a slight silence and another sound she could not define. The two men had stopped talking and one of them advancing with calm steps in her direction. Virginia still shriveled a little more, happy to wear dark clothing and gloves. She held her breath before understanding that he was heading to the grand staircase. Forgetting all caution, she decided to give in to curiosity and looked around. She could only have a glimpse on the tip of a perfectly waxed shoe, a tailcoat and the brief flash of a signet ring on his left hand before he rushes down the stairs.
Correcting herself, Virginia threw a glance toward the bridge she had left, fearing to meet the eyes of the other man. There was nobody. She waited still a bit before deciding to move. It had to be more than twenty-two pm and she was starting to get really cold. She looked again, saw no one and decided to go. She told herself that if the man was still there, she would pretend to coming from the stairs. But there was nobody. She turned her head in all directions and remembered hearing the noise. A familiar and yet incongruous noise on this boat. This is when approaching the rail to scan the horizon she made the connection: it was the sound of someone falling into the water. In a violent movement, she stepped away from the ledge. She looked around one last time to make sure there was nobody else and gone with a quick step to his cabin.
She slept little and badly. The sounds of the machines could have appeased her if the Englishwoman who was sharing her cabin did not have a heavy and wheezing breath. Between her thoughts and this particularly annoying noise, Virginia could not sleep. She tirelessly pondered the evening's events. She was sure to have heard an argument, as she was sure to know one of the men. But may one of them been thrown overboard? Virginia had trouble imagining it. Perhaps had he gone through another passage she had not seen. After all, as a second-class passenger, she was normally not allowed to go there and did not know all accesses. She was turning all these questions in her head when she finally managed to fall asleep. For a short time, since she awoke suddenly at dawn. She had dreamed of the evening and something else, a childhood friend, Eddy Flanagan. Friend was probably a big word. They grew up together in Queenstown. Eddy was a trickster. Since he was kid, he was stealing food or clothes. Growing up, he had diverse his skills. She had seen him only a week earlier, at the funeral of her parents. He told her to be on a big deal. He had made his famous wink, the one that made her heart capsized when she was fifteen. But Eddy had eyes only for Neve, her radiant older sister. She remembered what he told her, This time I hit the jackpot Vivi! Virginia smiled. She hated that nickname. But she knew she would not see him again, so she was content to smile and did not fight with him.
Her heart skipped a beat. Oh my God, she thought. It's him, it's Eddy I heard last night. The more she thought, the more she was sure. The sarcastic tone of his voice, his bass notes and this habit of giving nicknames. She remembered having heard one calling the other Sissy or CC. Frantic, she got up, and after rapid ablutions, dressed. The Lady grumbled behind her back. She had done very little else since Virginia’s boarding. Convinced from Southampton to have her own cabin, she saw the arrival of the Irish girl with a jaundiced eye. The finding of her obvious lack of fortune, when she was herself the daughter of a successful trader, killed in the bud any dialog. After the last hairpin slid with a trembling hand through his curls, Virginia took the road to the bridge.
